IllustrationTHE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED VEHICLE FAILED TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 120. *PH THE CONSUMER FEELS HYUNDAI SHOULD RECALL THE VEHICLE INSTEAD OF HAVING THE CONSUMER AFFIX A NEW LABEL OVER THE ORIGINAL LABEL. *MR *NM
2002 Santa Fe Santa Fe Trailer
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Other model years Selected year
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
Limited mileage data: 13 of 44 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
Equipment complaints
4 reportsOWNER MANUAL STATED VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN ISO FIX SYSTEM, BUT SYSTEM WAS NEVER INSTALLED. *AK
2002 HYUNDAI SANTE FE.AVE HAD 3 ALTERNATORS AND BATTERIED REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE. LAST WEEK THE THIRD WAS INSTALLED. VEHICLE STILL WILL NOT CRANK LIGHTS DIM WIPERS SLOW. RADIO CUTS OFF WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. ANTI BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON AND THE LIGHTS FLASH WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF AND KEY IS OUT OF …
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2002 HYUNDAI SANTE FE.AVE HAD 3 ALTERNATORS AND BATTERIED REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE. LAST WEEK THE THIRD WAS INSTALLED. VEHICLE STILL WILL NOT CRANK LIGHTS DIM WIPERS SLOW. RADIO CUTS OFF WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. ANTI BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON AND THE LIGHTS FLASH WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF AND KEY IS OUT OF IGNITION/.*AK
I HAVE THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL HVAC SYSTEM IN MY SANTE FE. THE AIR CONDITIONING WILL WORK NORMAL FOR A TIME PERIOD. THEN WHEN IT IS TURNED ON FROM THE OFF POSITION BY USING THE "AUTO" MODE IT WILL SOUND LIKE THE AIR IS BLOWING BUT ONLY A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF AIR WILL COME OUT. IF IT IS LEFT ON AND IN THE HIGH FAN MODE A DRIPPING S…
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I HAVE THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL HVAC SYSTEM IN MY SANTE FE. THE AIR CONDITIONING WILL WORK NORMAL FOR A TIME PERIOD. THEN WHEN IT IS TURNED ON FROM THE OFF POSITION BY USING THE "AUTO" MODE IT WILL SOUND LIKE THE AIR IS BLOWING BUT ONLY A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF AIR WILL COME OUT. IF IT IS LEFT ON AND IN THE HIGH FAN MODE A DRIPPING SOUND CAN BE HEARD. THE SYSTEM WILL NOT RESET ITSELF UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TURNED OFF FOR A GOOD LENGTH OF TIME (SOMETIMES HOURS). THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. IT OCCURRED LAST YEAR (IN JULY AND AUGUST 2002) BUT WAS NOT FIXED UNTIL OCTOBER. THE DEALERS REMEDY WAS TO REPLACE THE TEMPERATURE PROBE IN THE SYSTEM. IT TOOK WEEKS TO GET THE PART IN AND BY THE TIME IT WAS ACTUALLY REPLACED THE OUTSIDE WEATHER WAS TOO COLD TO PROPERLY TEST THE SYSTEM. IT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE RIGHT FIX BECAUSE IT IS STILL HAPPENING THIS SUMMER. THE VEHICLE IS GOING BACK AGAIN FOR REPAIR.*AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.