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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.

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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.

27 crash reports5 fire reports15 injury reports

What owners actually said

358 reports
81,000 miles · Apr 20, 2015
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion System

NOTICED FUEL GAUGE STARTED TO FLUCTUATE WHENEVER VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR A WHILE. STOPPED AT CHURCH SHOWED 1/4 TANK WITH A RANGE OF 90 MILES, STOPPED AT WALMART SHOWED BETWEEN 1/4 & 1/2 TANK AND A RANGE OF 147 MILES. ABOUT TO TAKE THIS VEHICLE ON THE ROAD AND REALLY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE IT FIXED. DROVE OLD VEHICLES FOR YEAR…

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NOTICED FUEL GAUGE STARTED TO FLUCTUATE WHENEVER VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR A WHILE. STOPPED AT CHURCH SHOWED 1/4 TANK WITH A RANGE OF 90 MILES, STOPPED AT WALMART SHOWED BETWEEN 1/4 & 1/2 TANK AND A RANGE OF 147 MILES. ABOUT TO TAKE THIS VEHICLE ON THE ROAD AND REALLY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE IT FIXED. DROVE OLD VEHICLES FOR YEARS AND NEVER HAD A FUEL GAUGE GO BAD. THIS IS ONLY UNDER WARRANTY FOR 5/60K SO THANKS HYUNDAI, I AM CROSSING THEM OFF THE LIST OF MY NEXT CAR MODEL. BTW $600 BILL FOR THIS. PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW IF IT'S A SAFETY FACTOR. OF COURSE NOT, RUNNING OUT OF GAS ON THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSTATE CAN'T BE A SAFETY PROBLEM. TO ME IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN HAVING YOUR KEYS TURN YOUR IGNITION SWITCH OFF CAUSE THEY'RE TOO HEAVY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10711846

84,637 miles · Apr 8, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND FUEL GAUGE WENT DOWN TO EMPTY, EVEN THOUGH I HAD A FULL TANK. TOOK TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID THE CHECK ENGINE CODE INDICATED "P0464 - FUEL LEVEL SENSOR 'A' CKT INTERMITTENT" PROBLEM. HE INFORMED ME OF HIS PRICE, BUT RECOMMENDED I GO TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP FIRST TO SEE IF COVERED UNDER THE 10…

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THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND FUEL GAUGE WENT DOWN TO EMPTY, EVEN THOUGH I HAD A FULL TANK. TOOK TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID THE CHECK ENGINE CODE INDICATED "P0464 - FUEL LEVEL SENSOR 'A' CKT INTERMITTENT" PROBLEM. HE INFORMED ME OF HIS PRICE, BUT RECOMMENDED I GO TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP FIRST TO SEE IF COVERED UNDER THE 100K POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. TOOK TO LOCAL DEALER ON 11/10/14 AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T COVERED OR CONSIDERED A RECALL, AND IT WOULD COST OVER $800 TO REPAIR. MY MECHANIC SUGGESTED I USE A BOTTLE OR TWO OF CHEVRON TECHRON FUEL ADDITIVE WITH MY NEXT FILL UP BECAUSE IT MAY CLEAN THE SENDING UNIT, AS GASOLINE TENDS TO COAT THE GRID THAT CONTACTS PASS OVER CAUSING THE GAGE FAILURE. A 20 OZ AND 12 OZ BOTTLE WERE ADDED AND SHORTLY AFTER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT AND THE FUEL GAGE BEGAN TO REGISTER PROPERLY AGAIN. THIS LASTED ABOUT 2 MONTHS, BUT THEN THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN IN JANUARY AND GAGE WENT DOWN WHEN I STARTED UP THE CAR ONE MORNING. I TRIED THE SAME THING AGAIN WITH THE TECHRON, AND IT WORKED FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL MORE TIMES LATELY BUT THE GAGE PROBLEM IS INCONSISTENT. SOMETIMES EVERYTHING SEEMS GOOD THEN IF I HAPPEN TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY, EVERYTHING GOES HAYWIRE AGAIN. I DON'T WANT TO KEEP PAYING FOR BOTTLES OF TECHRON ON EVERY OTHER FILL-UP OR USE PREMIUM GAS (WHICH DIDN'T WORK BTW), AND I ALSO THINK THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON ENOUGH ON 2007-2009 SANTA FE'S ON INTERNET POSTINGS THAT ITS TIME FOR HYUNDAI TO STEP UP TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AS A RECALL. SOME THINK IT'S NOT IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HASN'T CAUSED A CRASH, FIRE, OR ACCIDENT RESULTING IN INJURY OR DEATH, BUT IF SOMEONE IGNORES IT AND RUNS OUT OF GAS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, IN A TUNNEL (I GO THROUGH ONE 2X PER DAY), OR ANOTHER DANGEROUS SPOT, IT VERY WELL COULD CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT OR DEATH. DO THE RIGHT THING HYUNDAI AND ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10704550

81,300 miles · Mar 28, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

VEHICLE FUEL GAUGE IS ERRATIC. WITH A FULL TANK OF FUEL THE GAUGE SOMETIMES READS EMPTY WITH THE LOW FUEL LIGHT ON. OTHER TIMES IT MAY READ AS HALF OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN. PROBABLY DEFECTIVE FUEL SENDING UNIT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10702378

100,700 miles · Mar 20, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED TO OPERATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,700.

NHTSA ODI #10700745

65,000 miles · Mar 18, 2015
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

RPM JUMPED WITHOUT DRIVER INCREASING PEDAL PRESSURE, CAUSING SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. DEALERSHIP UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ISSUE. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10695003

51,300 miles · Mar 6, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

FILLED UP GAS TANK AND A SHORT TIME LATER GAS GAUGE SHOWED HALF TANK. WE PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WATCHING GAUGE AND IT RANDOMLY WOULD GO UP AND DOWN. A FEW DAYS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WE WENT TO OUR MECHANIC WHO CHECKED FOR THE REASON FOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE RESULT WAS A CODE INDICATING THAT…

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FILLED UP GAS TANK AND A SHORT TIME LATER GAS GAUGE SHOWED HALF TANK. WE PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WATCHING GAUGE AND IT RANDOMLY WOULD GO UP AND DOWN. A FEW DAYS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WE WENT TO OUR MECHANIC WHO CHECKED FOR THE REASON FOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE RESULT WAS A CODE INDICATING THAT THE FUEL TANK LEVEL SENSOR WAS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM AS WE'RE NOT SURE AT ANY TIME WHAT THE LEVEL OF FUEL IS SINCE IT GOES UP AND DOWN. IT IS OBVIOUS IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE. WE LOVE OUR SANTA FE BUT THESE TYPES OF ISSUES WILL CERTAINLY WEIGH IN ON OUR CAR REPLACEMENT DECISION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10692633

65,250 miles · Feb 20, 2015
Fuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

I WAS PARKING MY CAR IN A SPACE AT A LOCAL STORE. THE CAR TOOK OFF. SUDDEN ACCELERATION. WENT FORWARD PROBABLY A GOOD 15 FEET BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP. I ALSO HAD TO HAVE BOTH FUEL TANK SENSORS REPLACED. MY GAS GAUGE WOULD NOT REGISTER PROPERLY. FLUCTUATED UP AND DOWN AT RANDOM MOMENTS. COST ME $364.51! SEEMS TO BE A …

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I WAS PARKING MY CAR IN A SPACE AT A LOCAL STORE. THE CAR TOOK OFF. SUDDEN ACCELERATION. WENT FORWARD PROBABLY A GOOD 15 FEET BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP. I ALSO HAD TO HAVE BOTH FUEL TANK SENSORS REPLACED. MY GAS GAUGE WOULD NOT REGISTER PROPERLY. FLUCTUATED UP AND DOWN AT RANDOM MOMENTS. COST ME $364.51! SEEMS TO BE A CONTINUING PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10689527

37,682 miles · Jan 15, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

PULLED INTO GAS STATION WITH A HAIR UNDER A 1/4 TANK OF GAS, SHUT OFF ENGINE AND HAD THE ATTENDANT FILL THE TANK. AFTER THE FILL WAS COMPLETE I STARTED THE CAR ENGINE AND THE FUEL GAUGE READ "E" AND THE YELLOW LIGHT CAME ON. I MOVED THE CAR FORWARD, BACKWARD AND FORWARD AGAIN AND THE GAUGE MOVED SLIGHTLY OFF THE "E". I DROVE HO…

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PULLED INTO GAS STATION WITH A HAIR UNDER A 1/4 TANK OF GAS, SHUT OFF ENGINE AND HAD THE ATTENDANT FILL THE TANK. AFTER THE FILL WAS COMPLETE I STARTED THE CAR ENGINE AND THE FUEL GAUGE READ "E" AND THE YELLOW LIGHT CAME ON. I MOVED THE CAR FORWARD, BACKWARD AND FORWARD AGAIN AND THE GAUGE MOVED SLIGHTLY OFF THE "E". I DROVE HOME THE GAUGE MOVE TO JUST UNDER HALF. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WHEN I STARTED IT THIS MORNING WITH THE REMOTE START THE GAUGE READ HALF A TANK BUT WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN AND TURNED IT THE GAUGE WENT TO "E" AGAIN AND THE YELLOW LIGHT WAS BACK. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON MY RIDE TO WORK THE GAUGE WENT TO 1/4 TANK AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF AND SO FAR TODAY IT HAS STAYED THERE. BY THE LOOKS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET IT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM HYUNDAI HAS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10672683

88,000 miles · Jan 10, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

I OWN A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH ODBII CODE P0464, FUEL LEVEL SENDER(SENSOR) UNIT MALFUNCTION "INTERMITTENT OPERATION". I NORMALLY REPAIR MY OWN VEHICLES AND HAVE REPAIRED CARS FOR MANY YEARS. THE ISSUE I HAVE IS THAT, ONLY ON RARE OCCASIONS SHOULD THESE FUEL TANK PARTS GO BAD ON A VEHICLE WITH…

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I OWN A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH ODBII CODE P0464, FUEL LEVEL SENDER(SENSOR) UNIT MALFUNCTION "INTERMITTENT OPERATION". I NORMALLY REPAIR MY OWN VEHICLES AND HAVE REPAIRED CARS FOR MANY YEARS. THE ISSUE I HAVE IS THAT, ONLY ON RARE OCCASIONS SHOULD THESE FUEL TANK PARTS GO BAD ON A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES ON IT. I'M NOW SEEING MORE AND MORE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE FUEL TANK ISSUES, CONSIDER A RECALL FOR HYUNDAI VEHICLES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10671575

111,000 miles · Jan 2, 2015
Fuel System, Gasoline

AS WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS, WE SHARE THE FUEL SENDER SENSOR PROBLEM WITH OUR 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE . THE CODES ARE FOR BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES, MEANING BOTH WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE FUEL GAUGE EMPTY LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON, NO MATTER HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE TANK, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL. QUOTED FROM $350 TO $620 DO…

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AS WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS, WE SHARE THE FUEL SENDER SENSOR PROBLEM WITH OUR 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE . THE CODES ARE FOR BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES, MEANING BOTH WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE FUEL GAUGE EMPTY LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON, NO MATTER HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE TANK, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL. QUOTED FROM $350 TO $620 DOLLARS FROM LOCAL REPAIR SHOPS. WE FAILED NJ INSPECTION DUE TO ENGINE LIGHT, AND THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND COSTLY PROBLEM, AND WE RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE BUSY GARDEN STATE PARKWAY WITH OUR CHILDREN IN THE CAR, INCURRING TOWING CHARGES. IT IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT HYUNDAI IS AVOIDING. I HAVE ANOTHER 2009 HYUNDAI (ACCENT) WITH NO PROBLEMS, SO IT IS SAFE TO ASSUME ( WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS ) THAT IT IS A SANTA FE PROBLEM. PLEASE HAVE HYUNDAI LOOK INTO THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM . THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10669555

Official recalls

2

13V113000 · 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

1

DP21003 · 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.