Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2008 record →
FUEL GAUGE HAS BECOME ERRATIC AND CAUSES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. INFORMED ENTIRE FUEL PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AS SENSOR IS A PART OF PUMP ASSEMBLY, TOTAL COST $950. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN, CANNOT TELL HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN CAR. RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED AS THE COMPLAINT SEEMS TO BE COMMON. *TR
AFTER FILLING THE GAS TANK I NOTICED THAT THE GAS GAUGE WAS NOT WORKING. LATER IT MOVED OFF EMPTY AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT WENT OFF. NOW IT READS WHAT EVER IT WANTS TO. *TR
FUEL GAUGE ON OUR 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HAS RECENTLY BECOME ERRATIC. IT FLUCTUATES WIDELY OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW MINUTES WITH THE CHECK ENGINE (ON/OFF) AND LOW FUEL INDICATORS ALSO LIGHTING PERIODICALLY. AFTER HAVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM INVESTIGATED, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A FUEL SENSOR PROBLEM. APPARENTLY HIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON 2007 - 2009 SANTA FE'S WITH HYUNDAI AND DEALERSHIPS VIA HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2008/HYUNDAI/SANTA+FE/FUEL+SYSTEM SITUATION IS NOT SAFE IF THIS HAPPENS TO SOMEONE (NEW TO PROBLEM) WHEN THEIR FUEL MAY BE LOW, THEY MAY BE DRIVING ALONG AND STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY OR THEY MAY BE IN A REMOTE AREA. NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE AND HAVE HYUNDAI ISSUE A RECALL! *TR
I HAVE A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE THAT HAS BEEN GIVING A FALSE READING ON THE FUEL GAUGE. THE FUEL HAND SHOWS THAT THE TANK IS EMPTY EVEN THOUGH I JUST FILLED IT UP. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WILL SOMETIMES GO UP AND DOWN DEPENDING ON HOW MY VEHICLE IS SETTING AT THE TIME, BUT THEN GOES BELOW EMPTY. IT WILL NOT REGISTER A FULL TANK OF GAS, THE MOST IT WILL SHOW IS A 3/4 OF A TANK. AT FIRST THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND THEN GO OFF, NOW IT IS LIT ALL THE TIME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL BY HYUNDAI. . *TR
WHEN DRIVING OUR 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE THE FUEL GAUGE SPORADICALLY MOVES DOWN TO EMPTY AND FLUCTUATES GIVING A FALSE READING AND CAUSING MAJOR CONFUSION. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. IT SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR ISSUE AMONG THE 2008 MODEL BECAUSE WHEN I CONTACTED A MECHANIC HE KNEW WHAT EXACTLY I WAS TALKING ABOUT. *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE FUEL GAUGE GOES FROM READING HALF THEN JUMPS TO EMPTY. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON THEN OFF AGAIN. I WENT TO A HYUNDAI DEALER A THEY DID A DIAGNOSTICS CHECK ON THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR A CIRCUIT WORKING INTERMITTENT. HYUNDAI IS WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, ALONG WITH MANY MECHANICS IN THE NEW YORK TRI-STATE AREA. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL REPLACEMENT ITEM, BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. IF SOMEONE RUNS OUT OF FUEL UNKNOWINGLY WHEN DRIVING BECAUSE THE FUEL GAUGE IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY THEY WILL LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BREAKS AND MOST LIKELY LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THE RESULTS CAN BE FATAL. THE SAME RESULTS CAN OCCUR IF SOMEONE IS DRIVING IN A REMOTE AREA IN THE WINTER AND THEY RUN OUT OF FUEL. *TR
THE SANTA FE GAS GAUGE BEHAVES ERRATICALLY! AS YOU DRIVE, THE FUEL INDICATOR NEEDLE MOVES UP AND DOWN SO THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW ACCURATELY HOW MUCH FUEL REMAINS IN THE GAS TANK. THE NEEDLE MAY ALSO INDICATE A VERY LOW FUEL LEVEL BY ILLUMINATING THE "LOW FUEL" WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD AS WELL. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE AS DRIVE TIME GOES ON AS THE NEEDLE MOVEMENTS INCREASE THE LONGER TIME THE SUV IS DRIVEN AND THE VOLUME OF FUEL DECREASES IN THE FUEL TANK. AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL ALSO ILLUMINATE TO WARN OF A VEHICLE ENGINE / DRIVE-TRAIN PROBLEM. IN MY CASE I HAVE RESET THE CHECK ENGINE MANUALLY AND AFTER A NUMBER OF TRIPS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL REAPPEAR. THIS LOW FUEL WARNING CYCLE HAS BEEN REPEATED NUMEROUS TIMES AND MAY CAUSE A DRIVER TO BE DISTRACTED TO SEE THE LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT, WHEN IN FACT THERE MAY BE SUFFICIENT FUEL IN THE GAS TANK. I FIND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DISCONCERTING AS YOU DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU MAY BE RUNNING OUT OF GASOLINE. *JS
OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS, THE GAS GAUGE WILL SHOW EMPTY AND WARNING LIGHTS COME WHEN YOU JUST FILLED UP THE GAS TANK COMPLETELY FULL. AT OTHER TIMES, THE GAS GAUGE WILL GO FROM FULL TO 1/2 TANK. OTHER TIMES WHEN YOU START THE CAR, IT WILL SHOW EMPTY WHEN IT HAS 1/2 TANK. SO IN OTHER WORDS, THE GAS GAUGE IS NOT WORKING. I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE CAR OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. TO FIX THE PROBLEM, HYUNDAI WANTS EITHER $400 OR $700 TO REPLACE EITHER ONE OR TWO FUEL SENSORS. OF ALL THE CARS I HAVE OWNED, I HAVE NEVER HAD A FUEL GAUGE GO BAD. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH HYUNDAI RIGHT NOW ! WITH AS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL GAUGE REPORTED, THIS SHOULD BE FIXED BY THE HYUNDAI. *TR
I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO PERFORM TWO RECALLS: (1) STOP LAMP SWITCH AND (2) PODS RECALIBRATION. I WAS INFORMED THE AIR BAG LIGHT IN THE DASHBOARD HAD COME ON AND STAYED ON AFTER THE RECALIBRATION OF THE PODS. I NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE PODS SYSTEM OR AN AIR WARNING LIGHT IN THE DASH PRIOR TO THE RECALL. I WAS TOLD HYUNDAI WOULD PAY TO EITHER REPLACE THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BELT TENSIONER OR THE ENTIRE SEAT. THEY DID NOT ALLOW ME TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THEY SAID IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE AND RENTED ME A CAR FOR 4 DAYS. REPLACING THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT LESS THAN A YEAR LATER (4-15-14) THE AIR LIGHT HAS COME ON AND NOW THEY TELL ME THAT IT'S THE SCALE IN THE SEAT AND THE ENTIRE SEAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST TO ME OF $2400+. THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAGS WERE NOT AFFECTED -- ONLY THE PASSENGER'S AND I WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE SERVICE TECH QUICKLY RETURNED THE CAR AND WE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY PAPERWORK RESULTING FROM THE INSPECTION. MY HUSBAND AND I DID NOT ELECT TO REPLACE THE SEAT AT THIS TIME WHILE WE RESEARCH THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, MY HUSBAND AND I DID NOTICE THAT THE PODS "OFF" LIGHT TURNS OFF WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT WHICH IS CONFUSING SINCE THE ADVISOR SAID THE SCALE ISN'T WORKING. NOW WE ARE LEFT WITH A 6-YEAR-OLD CAR THAT HAS AN EXPENSIVE SAFETY ISSUE. WE CAN'T SELL IT TO A PRIVATE PARTY BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE AND THE TRADE-IN VALUE HAS DRAMATICALLY DECLINED. *TR
I WAS MOVING MY CAR IN FRONT OF MY CARPORT. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE BRAKES HAD NO EFFECT, THERE WAS ONLY A FEW SECONDS TO REACT. THE CAR WAS STOPPED BY THE POLL. IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE IT AGAIN? *TT
FUEL GAUGE JUMPS AROUND LEAVING YOU WONDERING HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE TANK. MOST LIKELY A FAULTY FUEL SENSOR WHICH SHOULD NOT GO OUT ON A CAR THIS SOON. CAN BE VERY HAZARDOUS AS A CAR MAY STALL DUE TO UNKNOWN GAS AMOUNT. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS PARTICULAR CAR. *JS
THROTTLE ACCELERATED BY ITSELF AND WAS STUCK WIDE OPEN. COULD NOT GET THE THROTTLE TO DISENGAGE. I TRIED TAPPING THE GAS PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES AND THIS DID NOTHING. MANAGED TO HOLD BOTH FEET ON BRAKE AND DOWNSHIFT INTO LOW. I GOT VEHICLE ONTO SHOULDER AND PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN FULL THROTTLE. I SHOVED IT INTO PARK AND TURNED THE KEY OFF. THE ENGINE DID NOT DISENGAGE UNTIL THE KEY WAS TURNED OFF. VERY BAD FOR TRANSMISSION TO SHOVE IT INTO PARK BUT I HAD NO OTHER OPTIONS. VERY SCARY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS NO RECALL. I CALLED HYUNDAI AND FILED A REPORT BUT THEY HAVE NOT CALLED ME BACK YET WITH REPAIR OPTIONS. *TR
ONCE MY CAR HAS GONE 200 MILES ON A TANK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE FUEL GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATE. THE FUEL GAUGE WILL SHOW COMPLETELY EMPTY AND THEN CHANGE TO MORE THAN 1/4 TANK AND BACK. ONCE THE TANK IS REFILLED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF AND THEN COMES BACK ON AND ACTS THE SAME AFTER AGAIN GOING 200 MILES. THE DEALER SAID THE WARRANTY IS ONLY GOOD TO 60000 OR 5 YEARS ON THE FUEL SENSOR BUT READING ONLINE THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT A LOT OF HYUNDAI SANTA FE OWNERS ARE HAVING AFTER REACHING 60000 MILES. I HAD THE CHECK ENGINE CODE CHECKED AND IT LISTED P0 464 - FUEL LEVEL SENSOR A CIRCUIT INTERMITTENT. WITH THE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS PART HYUNDAI SHOULD RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM AT NO COST. *TR
CAR PARKED IN PARKING LOT AT MY OFFICE. NO ONE IN VECHILE. PARKED FOR SEVERAL HOURS. SPONTANEOUSLY BURST INTO FLAMES...APPPEARED TO BE ELECTRICAL BOX AT REAR OF CAR FOR HITCH. *TR
WAS SECOND VEHICLE AT STOP LIGHT WITH FOOT ON BRAKE. VEHICLE SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD OVERRIDING BRAKE, AND HIT BACK OF VEHICLE IN FRONT CAUSING DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURY TO OTHER DRIVER. HAD PEDESTRIANS BEEN IN FRONT, COULD EASILY HAVE RUN OVER THEM. MONTHS PRIOR, TWICE ON SAME DAY ENGINE POWER DIED WHILE DRIVING. HYUNDAI REPLACED THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. *TR
THE VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE FUEL TANK SENDER ASSEMBLY WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE HAS A SADDLE TANK DESIGN WITH A FUEL TANK SENDER ASSEMBLY IN EACH TANK SADDLE. WE WERE TOLD THAT WHEN A FAILURE IS INDICATED YOU CAN NOT KNOW WHICH ASSEMBLY IS FAILING AND BOTH HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE RATE OF FAILURE IS SUFFICIENTLY HIGH THAT HYUNDAI DEALERS KEEP THE PARTS IN STOCK AT ALL TIMES. SINCE THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSEMBLIES IS TO SEND FUEL FROM THE SECONDARY TANK TO THE PRIMARY AND THEN FROM THE PRIMARY TO THE ENGINE YOU NEED TO REPLACE BOTH TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THIS WOULD APPEAR TO BE A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW AS YOU COULD BELIEVE YOU STILL HAD UP TO A HALF A TANK OF GAS AND RUN OUT OF GAS. *TR
WHEN FUEL TANK IS FILLED GAS GAUGE REGISTERS EMPTY, ONLY WILL CATCH UP WITH ITSELF WHEN A QUARTER TANK IS GONE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON REPORTING A "FUEL LEVEL SENSOR" ERROR. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ERROR WITH THE 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. *TR
I HAVE A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE THAT HAS BEEN GIVING A FALSE READING ON THE FUEL GAUGE. THE FUEL HAND SHOWS THAT THE TANK IS EMPTY EVEN THOUGH I JUST FILLED IT UP. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WILL SOMETIMES GO UP AND DOWN DEPENDING ON HOW MY VEHICLE IS SETTING AT THE TIME, BUT THEN GOES BELOW EMPTY. IT WILL NOT REGISTER A FULL TANK OF GAS, THE MOST IT WILL SHOW IS A 3/4 OF A TANK. AT FIRST THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND THEN GO OFF, NOW IT IS LIT ALL THE TIME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL BY HYUNDAI. . *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE FAILED TO DISPLAY CORRECT FUEL LEVELS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT FUEL LEVEL SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,400. *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY WHEN WE WOULD JUST PUT GAS IN THE CAR. THE GAS GAUGE WILL SHOW 1/2 TANK THAN SOMETIMES GO DOWN TO EMPTY QUICKLY. WE ALSO NOTICE THAT SOMETIMES AFTER WE FILL GAS INTO THE CAR WE WOULD HAVE TO TRY A FEW TIMES BEFORE THE CAR WILL START. BUT THIS HAPPENS ONLY WHEN WE JUST PUT GAS IN THE CAR. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE FAILED TO DISPLAY CORRECT FUEL LEVELS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000.
IN JULY OF 2012 OUR 2008 SANTA FE BEGAN TO SHOW FALSE READINGS OF THE AMOUNT OF FUEL PRESENT IN THE TANK. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP IN COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA THAT THEY WERE AWARE OR SIMILAR ISSUES WITH GAS GAUGES IN SANTA FES. WAS TOLD THE FIX WOULD BE AROUND $800 OR WE COULD MONITOR FUEL CONSUMPTION/LEVEL USING TRIP ODOMETER. THE PROBLEM WITH USING THE TRIP METER IS THAT VARYING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE THIS ESTIMATION TO BE COMPLETELY INACCURATE CAUSING THE MOTORIST TO BE STRANDED ON THE ROADWAY. DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE! *TR
AFTER THE VEHICLE REACHED ABOUT 70,000 MILES, THE GAS GAUGE STARTED TO SHOW ERRATIC LEVELS AND THEN AFTER A MONTH THE FUEL GAUGE STOPPED WORKING AT ALL. THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD GO ON AND OFF ALSO THEN STAYED ON CONSTANTLY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE WAS PROVIDING ERRONEOUS FUEL LEVEL READINGS. ADDITIONALLY, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENOR CIRCUIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE WAS PROVIDING ERRONEOUS FUEL LEVEL READINGS. ADDITIONALLY, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENOR CIRCUIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
THE FUEL GAUGE ON MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE AT AROUND 67K MILES STARTED READING EMPTY AND THEN IT STARTED READING NORMAL AND THEN EMPTY. FINALLY IT HAS ONLY READ EMPTY FOR THE PAST COUPLE THOUSAND MILES. I WAS HOPING THAT IT WOULD FIX ITSELF WHICH IT NEVER DID. WISHFUL THINKING. I ENDED UP BRINGING MY SANTA FE INTO THE LOCAL HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM PLUS REPLACE THE FRONT AND BACK BRAKES, AND PERFORM EXISTING RECALLS. THEY TOLD ME THAT ONE OF THE TWO FUEL PUMPS LOCATED IN THE GAS TANK HAD FAILED. THE FUEL PUMP THAT FAILED WAS THE ONE WITH THE SENDING UNIT WHICH PROVIDES THE SIGNAL TO THE FUEL GAUGE. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE OTHER FUEL PUMP DID NOT FAIL AS MY HYUNDAI SANTA FE WILL STOP RUNNING. *TR
AS OF LATE, THE FUEL GAUGE HAS BEEN ACTING VERY ERRATICALLY. THE LOW FUEL LIGHT IS LIT EVEN WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS FULL. AS I'M DRIVING, THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATES FROM EMPTY TO 3/4 OR FROM FULL DOWN TO EMPTY. SEEING THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME THING, HYUNDAI SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL - OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DEFECT WITH THE FUEL SENSOR. OVERALL, THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN A REALLY GOOD VEHICLE, BUT THIS FUEL GAUGE THING IS STARTING TO DRIVE MY CRAZY. I'M AFRAID ONE DAY I'LL RUN OUT OF GAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE BECAUSE THE FUEL GAUGE IS GIVING ME A FALSE READING! *TR
AFTER FILLING THE 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH FUEL, I STARTED THE ENGINE AND THE FUEL GAUGE WAS ON E AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT WAS ON. LATER THE FUEL GAUGE NEEDLE MOVED BUT NOT TO FULL. THIS HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THAT FIRST INCIDENT. THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT REGISTER ACCURATELY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON OCCASIONALLY. THE DISTANCE TO EMPTY MILEAGE INDICATOR IS ALSO INCORRECT. THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL REMAINS IN THE TANK. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR CIRCUIT WAS PROVIDING ERRONEOUS FUEL LEVEL READINGS. ADDITIONALLY, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE BOTH NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000. UPDATED 02/27/14*LJ
FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS BAD CAUSING FUEL GAUGE TO ACT ERRATICALLY. CAUSES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO CONSTANTLY STAY ON. AFTER FILLING GAS TANK, GAS PEDAL MUST BE PRESSED WHEN STARTING AND SHIFTING INTO DRIVE SO CAR DOESN'T STALL ,CREATING DANGEROUS SITUATION AT THE PUMP. *TR
FUEL SENSOR IS BAD AND CAUSING THE FUEL NEEDLE TO FLUCTUATE AND GIVE INCORRECT WARNINGS ABOUT LOW FUEL AND AMOUNT OF FUEL LEFT IN THE FUEL TANK. *TR
GAS GAUGE AND DIGITAL DISPLAY SHOW EMPTY WHEN THE CAR HAS JUST BEEN FILLED WITH FUEL. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE LATER IN THE DAY, THE GAUGE SHOWS 1/2 TANK AND THE DIGITAL DISPLAY READS 70 MILES. I PUT 15.5 GALLONS OF GAS IN AND SHOULD HAVE A FULL TANK AND OVER 270 MILES. *TR
MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED FUEL LEVEL INDICATOR IS FLUCTUATING CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. FUEL LEVEL SENSOR WOULD INDICATED AND EMPTY TANK AFTER THE TANK WAS FILLED AND THEN RANDOMLY WOULD CORRECT ITSELF. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS. *TR
I WENT TO PUT MY CAR INTO REVERSE AND IT GOT STUCK AND WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR ANY OTHER GEAR FOR THAT MATTER. THE WHOLE SHIFTER IS NOW BEING REMOVED. *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE ON DASH HAS BEGUN FLUCTUATING WILDLY EVEN WITH FULL TANK OF GAS. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT YET BUT BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ I AM ANTICIPATING A PROBLEM CODE COMING SOON. MY RESEARCH IS POINTING TO THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR ATTACHED TO THE FUEL PUMP. HOWEVER, ONLY THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY APPEARS TO BE AVAILABLE AND AS SUCH, IT IS HIGHLY COSTLY TO CORRECT. HYUNDAI SHOULD PROVIDE A RECALL FOR THIS DUE TO THE HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT HAS ALSO BEEN NOTED THAT THIS HAS CAUSED VEHICLES TO STALL WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY CREATING A HAZARD TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MYSELF. WHEN THE CAR RAN OUT OF GAS, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND IT BECAME VERY HARD TO STEER. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE FOR A CURRENT LIST OF MANY OTHER SANTA FE OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2008/HYUNDAI/SANTA+FE/FUEL+SYSTEM. *TR
GAS GAUGE STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. ALSO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. GAS TANK IS FULL AND IS REACTING WILDLY. DEALER SAYS IT'S A $650 FIX. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL !!! SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION HOWEVER THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V472000 (AIR BAGS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.
BACK IN APRIL, MY SANTA FE ALSO HAD THE FUEL GAUGE ISSUE. IT ALSO BEGAN FLUCTUATING WILDLY AND THE RANGE COMPUTER WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS PART OF THE FUEL PUMP AND THAT I HAD TO REPLACE BOTH OF THEM, WHO KNEW IT HAD TWO. IT COST ME $1,583.80 TO FIX. THEY TOLD ME IF I DIDN'T FIX IT, THE CAR COULD JUST LOSE POWER AND WE WOULD BE STUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL!!!! NOW, MY SANTA FE HAS THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS BACK IN 2011, WHICH I DEFINITELY RECEIVED LITERATURE FROM HYUNDAI ABOUT IT. YESTERDAY, THE DEALER FIRST TOLD ME THAT RECALL DIDN'T EXIST. THEN THEY TOLD ME IT DIDN'T APPLY TO MY MAKE OR MODEL, NOR DID IT APPLY TO MY VIN. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE $350 TO FIX THE CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY. I REFUSED SINCE I KNOW THIS WAS RECALLED. I'M GOING TO TRY AND CONTACT THE CORPORATE OFFICE OF HYUNDAI ABOUT THIS. IN THE MEANTIME, I DON'T HAVE A DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. THANKS HYUNDAI. STAY AWAY FROM HYUNDAI VEHICLES!!!! *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE ON DASH HAS BEGUN FLUCTUATING WILDLY EVEN WITH FULL TANK OF GAS. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT YET BUT BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ I AM ANTICIPATING A PROBLEM CODE COMING SOON. MY RESEARCH IS POINTING TO THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR ATTACHED TO THE FUEL PUMP. HOWEVER, ONLY THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY APPEARS TO BE AVAILABLE AND AS SUCH, IT IS HIGHLY COSTLY TO CORRECT. HYUNDAI SHOULD PROVIDE A RECALL FOR THIS DUE TO THE HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT HAS ALSO BEEN NOTED THAT THIS HAS CAUSED VEHICLES TO STALL WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY - THIS HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME YET BUT CERTAINLY INCREASES MY CONCERN. *TR
UPON TURNING THE ENGINE ON, MY GAS GAUGE SHOWED EMPTY WHEN I KNEW THERE WAS MORE GAS THAN THAT. THEN IT STARTED TO FLUCTUATE UP AND DOWN . I CHECKED MY RANGE INDICATOR AND IT WAS BLINKING THE WORD "RANGE" (WHICH NORMALLY DOESN'T) AND THE NUMBERS WERE DASHES ONLY. AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT SHOWED QUARTER TANK THEN EMPTY AND BACK TO SOME GAS. THE RANGE INDICATOR STARTED GOING UP AND DOWN IN NUMBERS AS WELL. I PUT GAS IN JUST TO SEE IF IT HELPED BUT DIDN'T, SHOWING ABOUT 30 MILES FLUCTUATION IN THE RANGE INDICATOR. I CHECKED SOME FORUMS AND APPARENTLY IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR SANTA FES 2008 RIGHT AS THEY REACH 60,000 MILES (AS THE WARRANTIES END AND IT COSTS OVER $600 TO REPAIR!). IT IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL , AS IT POSES A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM IF A CAR RUNS OUT OF GAS ON A HIGHWAY OR ANYWHERE DUE TO THE FAULTY GAS FUEL LEVEL INDICATOR! *TR
DRIVING FROM MY WIFE'S WORK ALL THE SUDDEN THE GAS LEVEL GAUGE WENT TO EMPTY AND ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. THE GAS TANK WAS 3/4 FULL. DROVE 1/2 A MILE AND IT MARKED 1/2 A TANK, STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT, WENT TO EMPTY AGAIN IS BEEN DOING IT FORM THAT DAY ON. AFTER TAKING CAR DEALER I WAS TOLD THE REPAIR IS ROUGHLY $680.00 . THIS IS MY 3RD SANTA FE THAT I PURCHASED 2001 2004 & 2008 AND I ONLY ENCOUNTERED SUCH PROBLEM WITH THE 2008 I HAVE SEEN VARIOUS COMPLAINS ON SUCH " PROBLEM" AND WHY IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A "RECALL" BUT THE MANUFACTURER SEEMS IGNORE IT. *TR
I OWN A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH 40000 MILES THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE FUEL GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATE AND IS MOSTLY READS THAT THE TANK IS EMPTY. IT COST ABOUT $650 TO REPLACE . MY OPINION IS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL. IT ALSO CAUSES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. *TR
I'M ALSO EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENSOR FAILING.THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY AND THEN LATER THAT I HAVE FUEL. I CALLED MY DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THEY SAID AT THIS TIME THERE'S NO RECALL OUT FOR THIS REPAIR, BUT AGREED THAT THERE SHOULD BE. THIS CAN BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE DRIVER AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. I LOVE MY VEHICLE AND WOULD HATE FOR THIS TO CAUSE ME TO SWITCH IF I'M GOING TO CONTINUALLY HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE. I FEEL THAT HYUNDAI SHOULD STEP UP AND THAT CARE OF THIS FAULTY PART. *JS
AFTER FILLING TANK GAUGE SHOWED EMPTY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. NOT SURE OF. HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
THE GAS GAUGE BEGAN FLUCTUATING BETWEEN HALF FULL AND EMPTY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO MY NEAREST O'REILLY'S WHERE THEY TESTED IT AND SAID IT WAS A FUEL SENSOR PROBLEM. AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS IT BEGAN TO SEEMINGLY WORK AGAIN, BUT I BEGAN HAVING SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH IT A FEW WEEKS AFTER THAT. MY GAUGE NEVER REGISTERS FULL AFTER FILLING IT. SOMETIMES IT STARTS OFF AT EMPTY (LIGHT ON) BUT AS I DRIVE IT CREEPS UP TO HALF FULL. I BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE ONLINE AND AM SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MANY OTHER 2008 SANTA FE OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY IT IS A DEFECTIVE PART ON HYUNDAIS BEHALF. I NEVER KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE. I HAVE TO USE MY TRIP METER TO ESTIMATE WHEN I NEED TO FILL IT. I HAVE INVESTIGATED THE COST TO FIX THIS ISSUE AND IT IS EXPENSIVE - BETWEEN $500 - $800. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BY HYUNDAI. *TR
WITHIN THE PAST WEEK I NOTICED MY FUEL GAUGE DROP TO EMPTY AND THE FUEL LOW LIGHT GO ON. I HAD PLENTY OF GAS KNOWING THAT I HAD JUST FILLED UP THE DAY BEFORE. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE ENGINE THE FUEL GAUGE WENT UP TO 3/4 FULL AS WHERE I EXPECTED IT TO GO. SUDDENLY THE GAUGE WAS GOING DOWN AND THAN BACK UP AGAIN. I PUSHED THE TRIP BUTTON TO SEE THE RANGE OF MILES TO EMPTY AND IT WAS ALSO DROPPING AND CLIMBING. I SEEMED TO WORK IT'S SELF OUT AND WAS FINE FOR THREE DAYS. THAN I WAS DRIVING AND THE GAUGE DROPPED TO ZERO AGAIN AND RETURNED TO 1/2 FULL, THAT'S WHEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THAT SAME DAY I DROPPED IT OFF TO MY LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER. THEY WERE BUSY AND LOOKED AT THE CAR THE NEXT DAY. THEY TESTED THE CAR AND CAME UP WITH CODES THAT STATED FAILED FUEL LEVEL SENSORS. REPLACE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS A AND B. THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE AS FOLLOWS, QTY.OF 2 #31115 PACKING FUEL PUMP, QTY. OF 2 # 31152 RING LOCK, QTY OF 1 #94430 SENDER ASSY, AND QTY OF 1 #94460 SENDER ASSY . THIS REPAIR AT THE DEALER COST ME 714.39 AFTER TAXES ,CODE CHECK AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEES. AFTER I AGREED TO THE REPAIR, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS YOUNG. I WAS AMAZED WHEN I RESEARCHED THIS ON LINE, THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF VEHICLES. HOW MANY CARS HAVE TO FAIL BEFORE THERE IS A RECALL ON THESE SENSORS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE THROTTLE CONTROL SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE CONTROL SENSOR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.
THE SENSOR FOR THE GAS TANK WENT BAD, IN OUR OPINION, PREMATURELY. WENT ONLINE TO RESEARCH THE ISSUE, AND LEARNED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SANTA FES, EVEN THOSE NEWER THAN OURS. IMPACT: WHEN THE SENSOR FAILS, THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYS 'EMPTY' NO MATTER WHAT AMOUNT OF FUEL IS IN THE TANK, RENDERING THE FUEL GAUGE TOTALLY UNRELIABLE TO THE DRIVER. THE CAR COULD RUN OUT OF GAS ANYWHERE-- FOR EXAMPLE, ON A HIGHWAY--POTENTIALLY CREATING A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD TO NOT JUST THE DRIVER BUT ALSO TO OTHER DRIVERS AROUND HIM. WE WONDER WHETHER A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THIS SENSOR. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTE FE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT MANUAL FORCE CAUSING THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TO CRASH INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BROKEN NECK, STOMACH AND CHEST BRUISING, AS WELL AS LACERATIONS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.
THE GAS GAUGE FLUCTUATES ON MY CAR AS WELL AND I ONLY HAVE ABOUT 33,000 MILES! ONE MINUTE THE CAR WILL REGISTER 1/2 OF A TANK OF GAS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL GO TO EMPTY AND THE GAS LIGHT COMES ON. WAIT A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND IT COMES BACK UP. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER YESTERDAY, TOLD THE SERVICE AGENT ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AND SHE SAID THAT THEY HAVE TO CHARGE A $108 DIAGNOSTIC FEE TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. I THEN GET A CALL THAT IT IS THE FUEL ASSEMBLY PARTS A & B AND WILL COST $615 PLUS TAX. OF COURSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY HUSBAND CALLED A FRIEND'S MECHANIC AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND HE KNEW RIGHT AWAY WHAT IT WAS WITHOUT HAVING TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC. THEN I LOG ON TO THIS SITE AND CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. HYUNDAI KNOWS ABOUT IT BUT YET THE DEALER WILL HIT YOU WITH A DIAGNOSTIC FEE THEN A REPAIR FEE. NOW THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, I'M GOING TO SUPPORT MY LOCAL MECHANIC INSTEAD OF A DEALERSHIP! *TR
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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