This vehicle Dies while driving it I have to put in neutral and restart. I am afraid that I am going to be hurt or someone else is.
2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 212.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Santa Fe years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
278 reports with mileage · 80 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
358 reportsThe closed recall of the brake light failing to illuminate has returned and I’m not sure of my future steps in getting it fixed. The Hyundai repair website mentions it as completed in 2014, when I did not have the car. At random, my driver tail light will not illuminate whilst braking. It has recurred repeatedly, so I’ve put the…
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The closed recall of the brake light failing to illuminate has returned and I’m not sure of my future steps in getting it fixed. The Hyundai repair website mentions it as completed in 2014, when I did not have the car. At random, my driver tail light will not illuminate whilst braking. It has recurred repeatedly, so I’ve put the incident as the most recent time it happened.
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V113000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repa…
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The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V113000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
vehicle will randomly shutoff. example coming off the interstate and off the exit ramp and accelerating into traffic vehicle with completly die, no power steering or power brakes. after pulling off the road the vehicle will restart and run normally. may not happen again for several weeks. dealer had performed recalls and cannot …
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vehicle will randomly shutoff. example coming off the interstate and off the exit ramp and accelerating into traffic vehicle with completly die, no power steering or power brakes. after pulling off the road the vehicle will restart and run normally. may not happen again for several weeks. dealer had performed recalls and cannot duplicate issue
The vehicle brakes would trigger randomly which is clearly extremely unsafe on: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] which Triple A can validate. The main issue was the vehicle did not pull a code and since the happened randomly without warning there was no way to get this issue repaired. I called the dealership twice. The dealership recommended I…
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The vehicle brakes would trigger randomly which is clearly extremely unsafe on: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] which Triple A can validate. The main issue was the vehicle did not pull a code and since the happened randomly without warning there was no way to get this issue repaired. I called the dealership twice. The dealership recommended I call Hyundai customer relations which did nothing because the car was not under warranty and would not even work with me, even though this issue was extremely dangerous The second time this happened almost caused a vehicle pileup, because it happened on the highway when the brakes where triggered. Luckily I was able to get off of the highway with my brakes engaged, which was obviously not good for the vehicle. The last time this happened on [XXX] is when the master cylinder blew costing us $1,703.22. I called Hyundai they assigned me to 3 different case workers because the first 2 were extremely rude as if I did something wrong and were not empathetic to the seriousness of the situation. Leanna was the new case manager. She wanted me to provide all of the receipts and everything that would be relevant. After an exhausting back and forth for months in which they were clearly trying to dissuade me from taking action they simply rejected any assistance and gave me a silly $50 gift card. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2009 Santa Fe's paint is peeling in large portions. It started on the driver's side door right below the window and has continued to crack and bubble all the way down the door. There has been no safety issues as of yet, but it will be a safety issue if I am driving and pieces or chunks of the paint fly off. If pieces or chunk…
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My 2009 Santa Fe's paint is peeling in large portions. It started on the driver's side door right below the window and has continued to crack and bubble all the way down the door. There has been no safety issues as of yet, but it will be a safety issue if I am driving and pieces or chunks of the paint fly off. If pieces or chunks fly off and land on my or another driver's windshield and blocks the ability of our vision it could be very dangerous and potentially cause an accident. I am not talking about little chips of paint here and there, I am talking about large size chunks. I know that I am not the only person who is having this issue, there are hundreds of people having this same issue and why there has not been a recall for this yet is blowing my mind. What is Hyundai waiting for a accident, a fatality? This is something that they need to make right, we work hard and when we purchase a vehicle for a lot of money and we take care of it so it will last us a long time and then the paint starts peeling all over the place and makes it look horrible not to mention it will begin to rust, how does Hyundai not feel obligated to fix it and make it right?
I bought my 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe brand new and have been the sole owner. It has been garaged the entire time. It has 145,000 miles and I have kept it washed and maintained regularly. The last couple of times I have taken it in for repairs, the mechanic has told me that the frame is rusting badly to the point that it is a saf…
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I bought my 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe brand new and have been the sole owner. It has been garaged the entire time. It has 145,000 miles and I have kept it washed and maintained regularly. The last couple of times I have taken it in for repairs, the mechanic has told me that the frame is rusting badly to the point that it is a safety issue. In the event of a crash the frame could buckle.
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received a notice for TSB: [XXX] and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the campaign was completed. The contact stated that while an oil change was being performed, she was informed that the valve cover gasket was leaking. Additionally, the check engine warning light w…
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The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received a notice for TSB: [XXX] and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the campaign was completed. The contact stated that while an oil change was being performed, she was informed that the valve cover gasket was leaking. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The fuel senders and O rings, the spark plugs, and the valve cover gasket were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The dealer replaced the oil sending unit; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the valve cover gasket, the valve cover gasket kit and the spark plugs were replaced. The contact stated that the dealer later replaced the oil pan due to oil leaking. Additionally, the contact stated while attempting to make a left turn from a complete stop, the vehicle chugged and started losing electrical power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the alternator internally shorted, the vehicle was stuck in drive(D), and the key was stuck in the ignition switch. The battery warning light was illuminated. The dealer performed an unknown repair. The contact stated that she then received a notice for [XXX] and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the right bank valve cover gasket was fractured, distorted, and was leaking onto the alternator. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the left valve cover gasket was leaking; however, the part was not covered. The dealer only replaced the right bank valve cover gasket. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,936. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). The contact stated there seems to be a defect in the valve covers.
My kids and I were going to town one afternoon and I started to smell gas coming from the air vents the gas smell was very strong I opened the hood and could see that it was wet I touched the spot and smelled it and it was fuel.i was worried about driving home with my children in the car so I called my brother he came looked and…
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My kids and I were going to town one afternoon and I started to smell gas coming from the air vents the gas smell was very strong I opened the hood and could see that it was wet I touched the spot and smelled it and it was fuel.i was worried about driving home with my children in the car so I called my brother he came looked and tracked down the issue and the fuel leak was coming from the front fuel rail.i had never heard of a fuel rail going out on a vehicle before so calling around to parts stores and auto parts recycling places to get it fixed and no one will sale me one they have all told me to take it to dealership.please help it's the only vehicle my children and i have.
Took my car in for repair because I was told that my power steering pump and gaskets were bad. Upon further investigation it wasn’t neither. It was the power steering hose that goes from the power steering to the racket pinion. Both of the hoses had holes in them and were rusted out. Here Hyundai upgraded the power steering pump…
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Took my car in for repair because I was told that my power steering pump and gaskets were bad. Upon further investigation it wasn’t neither. It was the power steering hose that goes from the power steering to the racket pinion. Both of the hoses had holes in them and were rusted out. Here Hyundai upgraded the power steering pump because of problems and I was never notified about the upgrade and you cannot purchase the hoses needed you have to purchase a whole new power steering pump that I don’t need. The airbag light is on and I couldn’t even order the airbag it was on back order when asked. The seat belt on the right passenger side in the back will not lock in place due to I don’t know what. Campaign 947 the under body corrosion treatment didn’t protect what it was suppose to causing my frame and control arms to go bad. I have had to replace upper and lower ball joints more than 4-5 times since I purchase this vehicle new from the dealership.
Official recalls
213V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Apr 1, 2013
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
12V354000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Jul 25, 2012
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2009 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from April 19, 2006, through July 7, 2008. The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities
Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.
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