2008 Hyundai Santa FE complaints

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD FLUCTUATE AT TIMES BUT WHEN THE LIGHT WOULD GO OFF THE GAUGE WOULD WORK PROPERLY. THEN THE LIGHT STAYED ON ALL THE TIME AND THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD WORK OFF AND ON. NOW NEITHER ONE WORKS AT ALL AND WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ESTIMATE HOW MUCH GAS WE HAVE,BUT THAT DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK OUT. MY HUSBAND IS DISABLED AND I HAVE TO TRAVEL A CURVY COUNTRY ROAD AT 430 AM BY MYSELF AND JUST RECENTLY I RAN OUT OF GAS WHILE GOING TO WORK. MY HUSBAND WAS UNABLE TO COME AND GET ME DUE TO HIS DISABILITY SO I SAT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FROM 430AM TO 630AM WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO HELP ME . THIS IS THE FIRST HYUNDAI I'VE EVER OWNED AND I WAS VERY SATISFIED UNTIL THIS PROBLEM ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED OF THE SAME PROBLEM AND HYUNDAI HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. NOW THERE WASN'T AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY OR EVEN A FATALITY,BY GRACE OF GOD,BUT THERE VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEEN ALL THOSE THINGS IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO COME TO THAT.I HOPE YOU STEP UP TO THE PLATE HYUNDAI AND PROTECT YOUR GOOD NAME WHILE THERE IS TIME TO DO SO. *TR

FUEL GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. SHOWED EMPTY AT ALL TIMES EVEN WHEN FULL. HAD TO ALWAYS ESTIMATE HOW MUCH GAS WAS LEFT IN ORDER NOT TO RUN OUT. IT WAS VERY INCONVENIENT AND I HAD TO FINALLY TAKE IT TO HYUNDAI TO HAVE FIXED TO THE TUNE OF $550. I AGREE THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AS IT SEEMS THERE ARE MANY OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

THE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION AS SOON AS THE 30 DAY WARRANTY FROM THE DEALERSHIP EXPIRED, RIGHT AROUND THE 60K MILE MARK IN 2012. WE BEGAN TO SEE THAT THE FUEL GAGE WOULD NOT INDICATE WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS ANY FUEL, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO COME ON, AND EVENTUALLY STAY ON. WE BEGAN TO HAVE TO COUNT MILES TO ENSURE WE DIDN'T RUN OUT OF GAS AND BECOME STRANDED. I CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUE, YET NO RECALL FROM HYUNDAI. THIS YEAR, WE NEED TO HAVE A SMOG CHECK IN ORDER TO RENEW OUR DMV REGISTRATION. WELL, SINCE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS PERMANENTLY LIT, THE CAR DID NOT PASS THE SMOG CHECK. THE ONLY REASONS LISTED ON THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST WERE THE 3 FUEL LEVEL SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS: P0463, P0464 AND P2068. SO, NOW WE ARE FORCED TO PAY AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO FIX IT IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION WITH THE DMV. NOT ONLY IS THE UNFAIR, IT IS UNETHICAL FOR HYUNDAI TO NOT ISSUE A RECALL FOR SOMETHING THAT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING ISSUE, AND NOTHING TO DO WITH THE "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" THAT COMES WITH OWNING A VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2012 UNTIL TODAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014. IF THEY DO NOT ISSUE A RECALL, I WILL BE PURSUING A LAWSUIT AGAINST HYUNDAI FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OF THE COST TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE FUEL GAUGE BEGAN FAULTY SHOWING EMPTY ONLY TO SLOWLY CREEP UP TO THE CORRECT LEVEL OF GAS. IT NOW SHOWS EMPTY AT ALL TIMES. FULL TANK, EMPTY TANK, MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. *TR

AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY OTHERS FILING COMPLAINTS, WE TOO HAVE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IN OUR 2008 SANTA FE. IT HAS ALSO RESULTED IN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON AT ALL TIMES. THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS AN EMPTY TANK AT ALL TIMES. WE ARE FORCED TO RELY ON THE TRIP ODOMETER TO KNOW WHEN WE NEED FUEL. *TR

THE FUEL SENSOR ON MY 2008 SANTA FE IS MALFUNCTIONING AND NOT REPORTING THE ACTUAL LEVEL OF FUEL IN THE TANK. IT IS ALSO CAUSING THE EMPTY FUEL INDICATOR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO STAY LIT ALL THE TIME, SO NOT ONLY DO I HAVE TO MANUALLY MEASURE MY FUEL USAGE BY MILES DRIVEN, I ALSO HAVE NO IDEA OF ANY POTENTIAL ENGINE PROBLEMS SINCE THAT LIGHT/WARNING SYSTEM HAS EFFECTIVELY BEEN RENDERED USELESS. HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS ARE CURRENTLY OFFERING TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT $800.00 AND HAVE THE PARTS READILY ON HAND SINCE THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING SO FREQUENTLY NOW. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT WITH THE EARLIER SANTA FE MODELS AND CONSIDERING THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF ACCIDENTALLY RUNNING OUT OF FUEL OR HAVING AN ENGINE PROBLEM AND NOT KNOWING IT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE, A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *TR

FUEL GAUGE WARNING LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF REGARDLESS OF AMOUNT OF FUEL IN TANK. *TR

9/19/12 VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL ON THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN ALTERNATOR NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. 10/2/12 NEW BATTERY NEEDED DUE TO BEING WORN DOWN FROM BAD ALTERNATOR. 10/3/14 76,589 MILES VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL ON THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN ALTERNATOR NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AGAIN!! NEW BATTERY NEEDED SINCE COULD NO LONGER HOLD A CHARGE. ALSO MULTIPLE TIMES THE LUMBAR SWITCH ON DRIVER'S SEAT REPLACED: 2/3/10, 3/15/11, 9/19/12, 1/19/13, 10/3/14. *TR

GAS GAUGE WOULD NOT REGISTER THE AMOUNT OF GAS IN THE TANK. READING ON THIS THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF FAILURES ON THE SANTA FE AROUND THE 72,000 MARK. *TR

THE FUEL GAUGE STARTED BOUNCING FROM FULL TO EMPTY AND WE KEEP OUR TANK ABOVE HALF MOST OF THE TIME. WE WENT IN TO OUR LOCAL DEALER AND THEY SAID IT IS "NORMAL" FOR FUEL SENSORS TO GO OUT THIS EARLY. UPON FURTHER PRESSING THEY SAID THAT IT IS HAPPENING ON A LOT OF THE SANTA FE'S, BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL AT THIS TIME. 500-600 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE SENSORS. FOR NOW WE ARE JUST RUNNING IT WHILE FILLING UP EVERY TIME AND KEEPING TRACK OF OUR MILEAGE. THESE NEED TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED. *TR

GAS GAUGE FLUCTUATES, AND READS EMPTY EVEN WHEN TANK IS NEARLY FULL. APPEARS TO BE THE COMMON FUEL SENSOR FAILURE THAT IS WELL-DOCUMENTED ON THESE VEHICLES. ONE FORUM SUGGESTED THAT EVERYONE SHOULD REPORT FAILURES TO NHTSA TO APPLY PRESSURE FOR A HYUNDAI RECALL, SO ADD ME TO THE LIST OF FRUSTRATED OWNERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO DRIVE ABNORMALLY ROUGH. THE CONTACT MERGED THE VEHICLE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK FROM THE FRONT CYLINDER BANK VALVE COVER GASKET AND THERE WAS SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF OIL IN THE ALTERNATOR. THE LEAK HAD CAUSED THE ALTERNATOR TO DAMAGE THE CHARGING SYSTEM AND TO BECOME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,271.

MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCE A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATED WITH THE ETC (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL) SYSTEM RELATED DTC P2135 ( FORCED LIMITED POWER) OR DTC P0638 (POWER MANAGEMENT). *TR

I SEE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH A FLUCTUATING FUEL GAUGE SENSOR. I HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS. THE SENSOR IS ALWAYS GOING UP AND DOWN CAUSING THE FUEL LIGHT TO COME ON AS WELL AS WELL AS THE CK ENGINE LIGHT. THE CODE ALWAYS INDICATES IT IS THE FUEL GAUGE SENSOR THAT IS FAILING. ACCORDING TO WHAT I HAVE READ, THIS CAR HAS TWO SENSORS LOCATED UNDER THE BACK SEATS. THE DEALER SAID IT WOULD COST ME AROUND $700.00 TO GET ONE REPAIRED, BUT WHAT'S THE USE IF THEY REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER HYUNDAI PART THAT IS DEFECTIVE AS DONE TO ANOTHER COMPLAINTANT ON THIS SITE. THIS DEFECT IS OBIVIOUSLY A RESULT OF MANUFACTURING SO WHY DOES HYUNDAI DELAY IN GETTING THIS ISSUE RESOLVED BY DOING A RECALL. THIS IS ALSO THE RESULT OF HYUNDAI NOT TAKING DUE DILIGENCE IN MAKING SURE THEY WERE INSTALLING A QUALITY PART. SO WHY DO WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR NEGLIGENCE? *TR

LIKE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ, THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED EMPTY WHEN IT WAS FULL. IT WOULD JUMP ERRATICALLY FROM FULL TO EMPTY AND IN BETWEEN. COST OVER $550 TO FIX. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID MY FUEL SENSORS TO MY SENDING UNIT NEEDED REPLACED. UPON DOING RESEARCH I HAVE DISCOVERED LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH MY SAME VEHICLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR THIS PART TO BE RECALLED? ALSO AFTER BEING REFERRED TO THIS WEBSITE FROM MY LOCAL NEWS STATION I SEE THAT MY COMPLAINT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON COMPLAINTS ON HERE ALSO. WHY HAS THIS SENSOR NOT BEEN RECALLED? *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND TOOK THE CAR TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND THE MECHANIC READ THE CODES AND SAID THAT IT WAS THE FUEL SENSOR (FUEL LEVEL SENDER). SINCE THEN, THE FUEL GAUGE CONTINUOUSLY MOVES GIVING AN INACCURATE FUEL LEVEL. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND OUT THAT MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE HYUNDAI COMPANY IS NOT WILLING TO DO A RECALL ON THE PARTS AFFECTED. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A COMPANY TO RECALL A DEFECTIVE PART? *TR

AFTER FILLING THE GAS TANK AT THE PUMP AND THEN STARTING THE ENGINE, I NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD FUEL GAUGE INDICATED EMPTY, WITH THE "LOW FUEL" INDICATOR LIGHT ON. DRIVING AROUND FOR 5 MILES DID NOTHING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE. AFTER A DAY OR SO THE GAUGE SLOWLY WORKED ITS WAY UP TO REGISTER A FULL TANK. THIS SAME PROBLEM RE-OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES OVER 6-8 WEEKS, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL WAS ACTUALLY IN THE GAS TANK. AT ONE POINT THE "CHECK ENGINE" INDICATOR CAME ON AND STAYED ON FOR A DAY AND A HALF BEFORE TURNING OFF. UPON TAKING THE CAR TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM, I WAS TOLD IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE THEY EVEN INSPECTED THE CAR, EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS THE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS AND THAT THEY'VE REPLACED "HUNDREDS"..."IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HYUNDAIS". REPLACING TWO SENSORS COST A JOLTING $650, BUT I COULDN'T IGNORE THE SAFETY RISK OF NEVER KNOWING WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW I MIGHT RUN OUT OF GAS. WHEN I ASKED WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ISSUED, THE SALES MANAGER SAID THAT THERE HAS TO BE A "SAFETY ISSUE" INVOLVED. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE READING CAME BACK AS A BAD FUEL SENSOR. SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM YET HYUNDAI IS NOT WILLING TO RECALL. DESPITE TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE I DID ONCE RUN OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET TO A SAFE LOCATION. HYUNDAI KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING WHEN THEY INSTALLED THESE, THERE'S NON POINT IN REPLACING IT WITHOUT REPLACING THE FUEL PUMP AS WELL. THIS CAR HAS GIVEN ME MORE ISSUE THAN ANY OTHER CAR I'VE OWNED. FIRST A CYLINDER MISFIRE WHICH WAS A BAD COIL PACK, THEN I HAD TO REPLACE A PURGE VALVE AND NOW THIS. I'M SELLING IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ASAP. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON I-95, THE CHARGING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND THEN ENGINE STOPPED COMPLETELY. WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MAKE IT TO THE ROAD SIDE. DEALER DIAGNOSED A DEFECTIVE VALVE COVER GASKET ALLOWED OIL TO LEAK WHICH DRIPPED ON AND INTO THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO FAIL. SECOND IDENTICAL FAILURE ON VEHICLE IN TWO YEARS. V-6, AUTOMATIC, 2WD. FOUND MANUFACTURER JUST ISSUED A RECALL ON VERACRUZ MODEL WHICH SHARES THE SAME PLATFORM FOR IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS AND FAILURES. *TR

WAS TURNING IN TO MY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND CAR JUST CUT OUT AND STALLED IN MIDDLE OF ROAD. THANK GOODNESS NO CARS WERE COMING TOWARD ME. PUT IT IN TO PARK AND IT STARTED BACK UP. VERY DANGEROUS!!! HAS HAPPENED A DOZEN MORE TIMES SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT. *TR

I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP IN MAY TO FIX TWO RECALLS, ONE OF WHICH WAS THE AIR BAG RECALIBRATION ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS AFTER THE RECALL WAS DONE, MY AIR BAG LIGHT CAME IN. I TOOK IT TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP THAT HAD PERFORMED THE RECALLS AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT & WOULD COST $491 TO FIX. I TOLD THEM THEY SHOULD PAY FOR IT BECAUSE IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL THEY HAD JUST PERFORMED BUT THEY REFUSED AND NOW I AM OUT THE MONEY. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO FIX IT BECAUSE IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT MY PASSENGER WOULD BE UNPROTECTED. HYUNDAI AMERICA SHOULD REIMBURSE ME THE MONEY! *TR

GAS GAUGE BEGAN TILING UP AND DOWN. DIAGNOSED AS BAD FUEL SENSORS, HAD SENSORS REPLACED. FILLED TANK WITH GAS ,GAS GAUGE SHOWED HALF TANK THEN FEW DAYS LATER SHOWED EMPTY. VEHICLE'S BEEN PARKED EVER SINCE FEARING ACCIDENT. SCARY BEING ON THE ROAD NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH FUEL REMAIN, HAD TO LIMP HOME CONSTANTLY CAPPING OFF TANK. WENT ON LINE TO FIND POSSIBLE PROBLEM AND FOUND SEVERAL HUNDRED DRIVERS WITH SAME PROBLEM. CALLED MANUFACTURER TO ISSUE A POSSIBLE RECALL AND NOT WAIT TILL SOMEONE GET KILLED OR STRANDED ON A DARK HIGHWAY. PLEASE CONVINCE HYUNDAI TO ISSUE A RECALL OR AT LEAST ABSORB THE PAYMENT TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM FIXED. *TR

WAS ON AN INTERSTATE WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET TO 65 MPH. WAS ATTEMPTING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, THUS DEPRESSED THE THROTTLE PEDAL. THE THROTTLE STUCK WIDE OPEN. APPLIED BRAKES BUT KEPT ON INCREASING SPEED. DEPRESSED THROTTLE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES BUT NO CHANGE. TURNED CRUISE CONTROL OFF, NO CHANGE. HAD TO PULL OVER, PUT VEHICLE IN PARK WITH BRAKE PRESSED AND TURNED KEY OFF. WAITED SEVERAL MINUTES THEN BACK ON, THROTTLE PEDAL STARTED TO RESPOND. SECOND INSTANCE, WAS ACCELERATING TO MERGE ONTO INTERSTATE FROM A RAMP, HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD CRUISE CONTROL SET TO 65 MPH, THROTTLE STUCK WIDE OPEN, AGAIN HAD TO PULLED OVER, PUT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK, AND TURN OFF IGNITION . I CHECKED TO ENSURE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT INTERFERING THROTTLE PEDAL, IT WAS NOT. PROBLEM HAS RECURRED 4 TIMES NOW ON THIS VEHICLE ALL WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO EITHER PASS A VEHICLE OR MERGE ONTO AN INTERSTATE. ALL TIMES THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD BEEN ENGAGED. *TR

THE FUEL SENSOR ON THIS VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. THE READINGS ON THE FUEL WOULD FLUCTUATE WILDLY FROM FULL TO EMPTY. THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN THE CAR AND CAN CAUSE THE CAR TO STALL OUT AT THE HIGHWAY. I FIRST HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENSOR 2 YEARS AGO AND HYUNDAI FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM HAS COME UP AGAIN AND ITS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE FUEL SENSOR. THE COST OF THE REPAIRS IS APPROXIMATELY $750. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE FUEL SENSORS. *TR

FUEL GAUGE BEGAN INDICATING WRONG LEVELS OF FUEL IN FUEL TANKS. THE FUEL GAUGE NEED RANDOMLY WILL SWING ANYWHERE BETWEEN FULL TANK AND EMPTY TANK OVER A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MANY TIMES AFTER A COLD START THE FUEL GAUGE WILL INDICATE EMPTY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF DAYS THEN ALL OF SUDDEN WILL START TO INDICATE FUEL LEVELS OR MAY OSCILLATE BACK AND FORTH. NOTE THAT HYUNDAI IS FULLY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE ACROSS A NUMBER OF THEIR AUTO MODELS AND YEARS, BUT REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT HEARD A SQUEALING NOISE NEAR THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION STEERING WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. UPDATED 09/02/14*LJ UPDATED 11/12/2014 *JS

THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IN THE TANK BEGAN TO FAIL, CAUSING THE FUEL GAUGE TO BEHAVE ERRATICALLY. FUEL LEVELS WOULD SWING WILDLY FROM FULL TO EMPTY. THE CEL WAS THROWN, BUT NOT UNTIL AFTER THE ERRATIC BEHAVIOR WAS OBSERVED. WITHOUT A CEL TO WARN OF A PROBLEM, THE DRIVER MAY THINK THEY HAVE FUEL WHEN THEY DO NOT AND POTENTIALLY RUN OUT OF GAS. THIS WOULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WE'VE SPOKEN WITH HYUNDAI AND THIS IS NOT A RECALL OR EVEN A TSB ISSUE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED AMONG OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM IS COMMON AND THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IN THE TANK BEGAN TO FAIL, CAUSING THE FUEL GAUGE TO BEHAVE ERRATICALLY. FUEL LEVELS WOULD SWING WILDLY FROM FULL TO EMPTY. THE CEL WAS THROWN, BUT NOT UNTIL AFTER THE ERRATIC BEHAVIOR WAS OBSERVED. WITHOUT A CEL TO WARN OF A PROBLEM, THE DRIVER MAY THINK THEY HAVE FUEL WHEN THEY DO NOT AND POTENTIALLY RUN OUT OF GAS. THIS WOULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WE'VE SPOKEN WITH HYUNDAI AND THIS IS NOT A RECALL OR EVEN A TSB ISSUE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED AMONG OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM IS COMMON AND THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

MY 2008 GAS GAUGE IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY OR READING THE CORRECT LEVELS OF FUEL. WHEN I FILL THE TANK UP, THE LOW LEVEL INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND STAYS ON FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATES. AFTER SEVERAL MILES OF DRIVING (FEW DAYS), BOTH LIGHTS WILL GO OFF AND GAS GAUGE WORKS PROPERLY. AROUND THE HALF TANK MARK, THE INDICATOR LIGHT COMES BACK ON SHOWING EMPTY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS. I'VE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY QUOTED NEARLY $800 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMITTED THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE, THERE IS NO RECALL??? THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. *TR

MY SANTA FE LIMITED AWD 2008 WAS BOUGHT AT THE END OF FEB 2009 AND NOW HAS ~44K MILEAGE. I HAD TWO SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITH MY SANTA FE TODAY (7/6/2014), WHICH LED TO SIGNIFICANT POWER LOSS AND SPEED LOSS OF THE CAR ON THE ROAD. THE FIRST TIME, I WAS DRIVING ON A LOCAL ROAD AT ~45 MPH. SUDDENLY I FELT THE CAR LOST THE POWER AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. I STEPPED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE CAR COULD NOT ACCELERATE (THE SPEED DROPPED TO ~20 MPH). I SAW 3 SYSTEM INDICATOR/WARNING LIGHTS ON: THE ESC OFF(ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS HAD A STEADY LIGHT AND THE AWD SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT WAS FLASHING. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUT OFF THE CAR, WAITED ~1 MINUTE, AND THEN RESTARTED THE CAR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON, BUT THE OTHER LIGHTS WENT OUT. THEN I DROVE THE CAR TO CONTINUE MY GROCERY SHOPPING (SEVERAL STOPS, ~30 MILES IN TOTAL). THE 2ND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MY WAY HOME. THE SAME SCENARIO EXCEPT THAT I WAS DRIVING AT ~40 MPH AND GOING UPHILL AT THE TIME. THE SUDDEN POWER LOSS CAUSED THE CAR SPEED QUICKLY DROPPED TO ~10 MPH AND PROBABLY LED THE CAR BEHIND MINE TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP TO AVOID A CRASH. AGAIN, I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, AND THEN RESTARTED THE CAR WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYING ON. AFTER GOT HOME SAFELY, I DID SOME SEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND SEVERAL SIMILAR INCIDENTS REPORTED ON HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUVS BEFORE (SEE THE ATTACHED LINKS BELOW). SO I DECIDED TO REPORT THIS SERIOUS ISSUE. THE LINK

I FILLED UP WITH GAS WHEN I LEFT THE GAS STATION MY GAS GAUGE REGISTERED EMPTY AND MY GAS LIGHT CAME ON AND I JUST FILLED THE TANK WITH GAS. MY TRIP ODOMETER WAS GOING CRAZY COULD NOT RESET IT, THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME WHICH GOT ME CONCERNED I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE THEY PUT IT ON THERE MACHINE AND THE CODE CAME UP FOR FUEL SENSOR, THIS SEEM TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF THESE SANTA FE MY DAUGHTERS 2007 SANTA FE DID THE SAME THING COST HER 600.00 DOLLARS TO HAVE FIXED. *TR

6/25/14, ON INTERSTATE WITH CRUISE CONTROL AT 65MPH. DEPRESSED THE THROTTLE PEDAL TO PASS A VEHICLE. THROTTLE STUCK WIDE OPEN. APPLIED BRAKES BUT KEPT ON INCREASING SPEED. DEPRESSED THROTTLE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES BUT NO CHANGE. TURNED CRUISE CONTROL OFF, NO CHANGE. TURNED KEY TO ACC AND THEN BACK TO ON BUT NO CHANGE. TURNED KEY TO ACC AND WAITED SEVERAL SECONDS THEN BACK ON. THROTTLE PEDAL STARTED TO RESPOND. PULLED OVER AND CHECKED IF FLOOR MAT WAS JAMMING THROTTLE PEDAL. NO PROBLEM, NO JAMMING. PROBLEM REPEATED AGAIN. CONTINUED TO DESTINATION AND TRIED CRUISE CONTROL BUT IT WOULD NOT SET. TURNED CRUISE CONTROL OFF. SUV WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT AT DESTINATION. ON RETURN TRIP THROTTLE AND CRUISE CONTROL WORKED FINE. 6/30/14, TOOK SUV TO RAY BRANDT HYUNDAI, THEY FOUND NO CODES SET AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. IT SEEMS IF BOTH THE THROTTLE IS WIDE OPEN AND THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED THEN A CODE SHOULD BE SET.THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM! THE SITE BELOW DOCUMENTS 3 ADDITIONAL OCCURRENCES: HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/HYUNDAI/SANTAFE/2008/ACCELERATOR-STUCK-PROBLEMS.PHP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DISPLAY THE ACCURATE FUEL LEVEL READINGS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER REFUELING THE VEHICLE, THE LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT WOULD CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

I WAS DRIVING APPROX 30 MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROADWAY WHEN ALL ELECTRICAL SEIZED. POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ECT....I HAD TO PULL OVER AND HAD MY 17 MONTH OLD SON IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME. I HAD TO PUT MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON AND FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY, WE MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS AN URGENT SAFETY ISSUE!! WE BROUGHT OUR VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, IN WHICH THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG......TO BE CONTINUED!! I SMELL A RECALL DOWN THE ROAD. HOPING IT'S BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED, OR WORSE KILLED. *TR

THE DASH LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING, THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF A DOWN POUR, THE LIGHTS WENT DIM. THE TRACTION SYSTEM STARTED DETUNING THE ENGINE. ALL DASH LIGHTS ON. WE FIND THAT IT IS A LEAKY VALUE COVER GASKET. DRIPS ON THE ALTERNATOR AND CAUSES IT TO GO BAD. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID "THEY ARE ALL STARTING TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND IT'S $700.00. IF I WAS THE ORGINAL OWNER HYUNDAI WOULD REPLACE THE GASKET, BUT I WOULD NEED TO PAY FOR THE ALTENATOR. $600.00 UHGG!!! NOW FOR THE FUEL GUAGE. TWO SENSORS UNDER THE BACK SEAT AND GOOD AS NEW. $200.00. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ON WHEN VEHICLE IS RUNNING. TOOK TO DEALER THEY SAID IS CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY NEEDS REPLACING. I TOLD THEM IT WAS A RECALL AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL ON IT. I DECLINED THE REPAIR BECAUSE I KNEW THERE WAS A RECALL BUT I DIDN'T TAKE PAPERWORK WITH ME THINKING THEY WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT. UPON RETURNING HOME AND FINDING PAPERWORK ON RECALL (CAMP103) I CALLED BACK AND THEY NOW SAID THERE WAS A RECALL AND THEY REPLACED THAT PART IN NOVEMBER 2012. I DO NOT REMEMBER THEM REPLACING IT BUT I'LL TAKE THEM AT THEIR WORD ON THAT. MY ISSUE IS, DID THEY REPLACE THE RECALLED PART WITH ANOTHER DEFECTIVE PART IF IT ONLY LASTED 18 MONTHS! I'VE HAD MANY CARS OVER THE YEARS SOME A DECADE OLD OR OLDER NEVER THIS AIR BAG ISSUE. I FEEL THEY SHOULD REPLACE THIS RECALL AGAIN IF THEY REPAIRED IT WITH ANOTHER SHORT LIVED DEFECTIVE PART. *TR.. .. .UPDATED 07/21/15 *BF

MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HAS 55000 MILES AND RECENTLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. MY MECHANIC RAN A DIAGNOSTIC ON IT AND SAID THE FUEL SENSOR WAS BAD. I CALLED HYUNDAI TO TAKE IT TO THEM TO REPLACE AS UNDER WARRANTY HOWEVER THEY SAID THEY WOULD NEED TO RUN THEIR OWN DIAGNOSTIC WHICH WOULD COST ME $130 FOR WHATEVER THEY FIND AND IT WOULD NOT BE REFUNDABLE. NEXT THEY SAID THE FUEL SENSOR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD COST $800. THEY SAID IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE FIXED BUT OUT OF MY POCKET AS THE CAR CAN STALL OR SEIZE WHEN OUT OF GAS. IF THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THEN THEY SHOULD RECALL. *TR

WE HAVE OWNED 2 HYUNDAI, SANTA FE. THE FUEL SENSOR HAS FAILED IN BOTH VEHICLES. AFTER DOING MUCH RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT FUEL SENSOR FAILURE IS A PREVALENT OCCURRENCE IN THESE VEHICLES. THERE ARE NUMEROUS DOCUMENTATIONS ON THE INTERNET. FUEL SENSOR FAILURE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THE DRIVER HAS NO IDEA HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE CAR. THEREFORE, THE VEHICLE MAY STALL AT ANYTIME ON THE ROAD, AND THE DRIVER WOULD BE INJURED ESPECIALLY IF HIT AT A HIGH SPEED. THE VEHICLE MAY STALL LATE AT NIGHT AND THE DRIVER MAY BE IN A REMOTE LOCATION. IF THE CAR WERE TO STALL AFTER DARK, ONCOMING TRAFFIC WOULD NOT SEE THE STALLED CAR. THE AVERAGE COST TO REPLACE THE SENSOR IS BETWEEN 500 AND 800 DOLLARS. I HAVE HAD TO MAKE THIS PAYMENT TWICE BECAUSE I CANNOT SLEEP AT NIGHT WITH MY DAUGHTER DRIVING A CAR WITHOUT ANY IDEA OF WHEN IT WILL STALL. I HAVE CONTACTED HYUNDAI AND THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY WILL DO TO HELP ME OR OTHER OWNERS. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ABOUT WARRANTY. IT IS ABOUT DRIVER SAFETY. HYUNDAI REFUSES TO RECALL THESE AUTOMOBILES AND WOULD RATHER WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS DEAD/INJURED. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TEST SHOWS IT IS THE FUEL SENSOR. FUEL GAUGE INSIDE FLUCTUATES. *TR

THE 2008 HYUNDAI SANTE FE HAS A RECALL ON FAULTY AIRBAG CLOCKSPRINGS. COINCIDENTALLY MY 2008 SANTE FE CLOCK SPRING NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE HYUNDAI SERVICE DEALERSHIP AND HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CARE TELLS ME THAT I AM NOT COVERED BECAUSE MY VIN IS NOT LISTED IN THE "RECALL CAMPAIGN" MY CONFUSION IS I OWN A 2008 THE RECALLS ARE FOR THE 2008....HOW DO I GET MY CAR INCLUDED IN THIS "RECALL CAMPAIGN"? PLEASE HELP. I WILL HAVE TO PAY $400 TO GET THIS FIXED WHEN IT SHOULD BE UNDER HYUNDAI FAULTY WARRANTY. PLEASE HELP THE LITTLE GUY/CONSUMER!! THANK YOU *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE CAR, I TOOK IT TO BE DIAGNOSED AND IT IS A FAILURE OF THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. APPARENTLY HYUNDAI IS WELL AWARE OF THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. ADDITIONALLY, THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY IS ONLY SOLD TOGETHER, THEREFORE THIS IS A FIX THAT WILL COST AT LEAST $800 WHICH I CANNOT AFFORD. SO NOW I JUST HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AT ALL TIMES, HAVING NO IDEA HOW MUCH FUEL I HAVE OR IF ANY OTHER ENGINE ISSUES HAVE COME UP. SHAME ON HYUNDAI. *TR

THE FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN I FILL UP THE TANK IT WORKS FINE BUT WHEN ITS ABOUT HALF A TANK, THE LOW FUEL LIGHT TURNS ON AND GAUGE READS EMPTY. *TR

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WHEN I GOT IT CHECKED IT WAS FOR FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. I ALSO NOTICED SHORTLY AFTER I FILLED UP WITH GAS THE GAUGE WOULD GO DOWN AND WHEN 1/2 OR LESS IT WOULD DROP AND GAS LIGHT WOULD COME ON. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP, WHILE I WAS PULLED INTO SERVICE CENTER, CAR STOPPED AND RUNNING, SERVICE TECH SAW GAS GAUGE GO DOWN AND LIGHT CAME ON EVEN THOUGH I HAD AT LEAST 3/4 GAS. NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND QUOTED ME $605 TO FIX. SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE SO MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM!! *TR

FUEL GAUGE AND FUEL SENSOR NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE GAUGE REGISTERS LESS FUEL THAN IS IN THE TANK. THE GAUGE WILL INDICATE THAT THE TANK IS EMPTY WHEN THERE'S MORE THAN 1/2 A TANK LEFT, AND THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON. THE ISSUE OCCURS SPORADICALLY. IT WILL REGISTER A FALSE READING FOR SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH THE WARNING LIGHT ON EVEN AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK, AND THEN SOME DAYS IT WILL SELF CORRECT AND THE WARNING LIGHT WILL TURN OFF. *TR

CLOCK SPRING CONTACT HAD TO BE REPLACED ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY HYUNDAI SANTE FE 2008 BUILT ON APRIL 03, 2008. THE NHTSA RECALL DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH AND ENDED MARCH 20,2008. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG CONTINUOUSLY LIT UP INDICATING A PROBLEM. THE CLOCK SPRING CONTACT HAD TO BE REPLACED AND I WAS CHARGED FOR THE REPLACEMENT. THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED BEYOND MARCH 20,2008 SO THAT MY CAR IS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SINCE THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED MULTIPLE DEATHS.. *TR .... UPDATED 06/30/15 *BF UPDATED 8/30/2017*CN

THE FUEL GAUGE IN MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. UPON FILLING UP IT GOES TO EMPTY WITH THE LOW FUEL LIGHT INDICATOR. AFTER DRIVING 40-60 MILE THE GAUGE MAY READ 1/4-3/4 TANK. OTHER TIMES IT DROPS TO EMPTY AND WILL NOT MOVE. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE MILEAGE IS 75,000. *TR

OK SO MY ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR MONTHS NOW DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENSOR. I WENT TO GET IT CHECKED OUT AND THEY QOUTED ME A PRICE OF 800 DOLLARS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THIS IS NOT A RECALL CONSIDERING THAT SO MANY OF THERE CUSTOMERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM. IT'S SAD THAT THEY WOULD MUCH RATHER WAIT TIL SOMEONE DIES OR CRASH TO RECALL THIS ISSUE. *TR

THE 2008 SANTA FE TRAVELING BETWEEN 55& 60MPH ON DIVIDED HIGHWAY WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF ACCELERATOR. I APPLIED BRAKES BUT DIFFICULT TO MAKE VEHICLE STOP. I THINK I SLOWED IT DOWN A LOT BUT DID NOT OR WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STOP. IT WAS LIKE IDLE GOT STUCK ON HIGH! AFTER 20 SECONDS OR SO THE ACCELERATION RETURNED TO NORMAL & I PROCEEDED. IT WAS SCARY ! FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. I JUST HAD IT IN FOR SERVICE TO REPLACE TO HEADLIGHTS & MISSING SCREW UNDER FRONT SEAT. *TR

(2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE) THE VEHICLE GAS GAUGE IS STICKING ON EMPTY AFTER FILLING IT UP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. AFTER 1/4 TANK OF GAS HAS BEEN CONSUMED THE GAS GAUGE WILL READ NORMAL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL ALSO GO OFF. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A LOSS IN POWER TO THE ENGINE OR ANY OTHER INDICATORS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE CAN BE REPRODUCED EVERY TIME AFTER FILL UP. THE TANK DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ON EMPTY TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN TSB'S FOR THE 2007 MODEL BUT NOTHING YET FOR THE 2008. *JS