One problem related to steering wheel has been reported for the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe based on all problems reported for the 2004 Santa Fe.
Drivers side coil spring broken. Strut mount also needed to be replaced. I bought this car new in 2004. As the mileage will tell you, I don't drive it much. My car had been sitting in the driveway for a couple of days when I went to go to work. As I started backing out of the driveway I heard a very loud noise when I turned the wheel. I decided not to try driving it. My husband took it to the dealer and they found the spring broken. They said I was no longer under warranty. Fortunately, I was not driving it at the time as it could have punctured the tire and caused a blowout. Since this incident, it has happened again, on the passenger side. This time it had been sitting for about 4 days in the driveway and when I went to back out, I heard it. We immediately took it to a nearby garage and found the spring had broken and was rubbing on the tire. This time the mileage was about 25,000 miles. Hyundai does not seem to think there is a problem with these springs. I think it needs to be looked into before someone gets killed. I don't know if it is pertaining to this complaint, but I do want to mention that at 27,000 miles I also had to replace both rear control arms. There seems to be a real problem with the suspension system on the vehicle. Please look into it.