general problems of the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe - part 1

Engine rattles noise when starting the car after sitting for more than an hour it makes that sound another issue is that when I turn the headlights on all interior lights shuts off including the instrument cluster radio and ac climate control buttons.

I took the car to get this recall done: Hyundai has decided to conduct a service campaign to inspect (and if necessary replace) the alternator and replace the front valve cover gasket on certain 2007-2009 model year Santa Fe vehicles. The recall was done, replacing the gasket and alternator. 2 years later the car started to stall in the middle of traffic. I returned to the dealer, dealer inspected and reported "oil found on the new alternator and oil leak found on the real valve cover gasket". I have been going back and forth on the phone with Hyundai costumer care. They said they will not redo the recall. It was not done correctly and slowly leak again. The vehicle now cut off everyday specially when I stop and go at short drives. It has also cut off in traffic. Making it very dangerous. But Hyundai is telling me nothing for them to do.

My speedometer has stopped working, I had the sensor replaced and fuses checked but it is still not working.

I have taken my car to my local dealership for the service campaign 976 (oil gasket leak) back in Nov 2023. Ever since then my car has had starting issues until one day it needed a jump start in 2024 during the summer. Didn't think anything of it at the time, until the beginning of 2025. Car needed a jump start in the winter before leaving for work in the morning and before going back home from work. My brother who is a auto mechanic suggested I needed a new battery by now so I did that. Once I replaced the battery on my car I noticed that I didn't have headlights, power steering or heat working in my car. He came to my home and checked my engine and noticed that my alternator was covered in oil. I remembered that I took my car to the dealership for this issue with the service campaign. I've been back and forth with this issue between the dealership and corporate to look at this issue. The dealership can't provide any photo proof or documentation stating what work was done. The dealership claimed that Hyundai doesn't need photo proof as of 2023 and started needing it in 2024, they simple state that the work was done and sign the car off on the recall. I don't see how this isn't a safety issue when the description of the campaign says that my vehicle can shut off while driving causing a crash. I have a family that I drive in this vehicle and our safety isn't being a concerning issue with this matter because "it's outside of the warranty" that shouldn't matter if the dealership can not provide any proof that work was done besides putting a oil shield on the vehicle. The head gasket leak didn't seem to be resolved if the alternator is saturated in oil enough that it doesn't hold a charge.

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing difficulty charging. The contact stated that while driving 50-60 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times while driving on the highway. The vehicle was able to be jump-started. The contact stated that a mobile mechanic had inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that there was oil leaking onto the spark plugs. The contact stated that the vehicle was chugging while driving. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in Hyundai campaign number: 976. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. The dealer diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was leaking onto the alternator and onto other unknown parts. The dealer replaced the valve cover gasket and the alternator under Hyundai campaign number: 976. The contact stated after driving 7-8 minutes after picking up the vehicle from the dealer, the contact noticed an abnormal odor and smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled into a gas station and parked the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The contact stated she drove to the nearby residence of a friend instead because she needed to report to work. The contact stated upon opening the hood and starting the vehicle the following day, the contact noticed flames in the engine compartment. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the fire had occurred due to an old oil leak; however, the contact stated there was also a noticeable new oil leak under the hood. The dealer later informed the contact that the starter had failed, and that the fire had not caused any further damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and.

My car has a recall, and the dealership is unable to fix it. There is also an issue with the oem control module that they are unable to get the part and unable to fix this because they do not have the correct software.

Brought 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe to carlsbad Hyundai dealership on 12/22/23 for service campaign 976, due to oil leaking from the front cylinder bank’s valve cover onto the alternator. Oil could damage the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. If the vehicle is continually driven without recharging the battery, the engine will eventually shut off, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealership said the vehicle needed to be fixed but they needed to order parts and that it would take 2-3 wks. It has now been over 6 months. I have called the dealership and Hyundai America multiple times all to no avail.

In October 2021 the alternator failed due to an oil leak from the valve cover gasket. I paid the local Hyundai dealer to replace the alternator and they also said the battery was damaged because of the failed alternator so I paid for a new battery as well. The dealer never mentioned the recall on this vehicle for the leaking valve cover and did not disclose that the leak was known to cause alternator failure. I later learned of the recall and had the valve cover repair performed under the recall. However, Hyundai has refused to reimburse me for the alternator repair that I had already previously paid for, and likewise have refused to reimburse me for the battery. Clearly the problem was due to the known defect that resulted in the recall, so I am obviously entitled to compensation for the out if pocket repair expenses. Please advise me how to proceed.

Clock spring contact assembly for drivers airbag. Experiencing high resistance code. Recall 11v472000 covered some 2008 models but not mine. Air bag light came on after starting vehicle on 08/03/2020.

The gas guage in this vehicle stopped working over a year ago and we have ran out of gas in the middle of traffic when we keep our gas guage filled in this vehicle all the time causing a danger to ourselves and our children someday somebody is going to hit us due to this issue keeps happening in the middle of traffic and the road and interstate. It constantly keeps showing us empty when we are not. I have read many reviews that this happens with many of these vehicles and it has yet to be recalled.

Going down interstate at 70 miles an hour and car shut off put car in nutral and restarted . Then the next day driving to work and car cut off again while driving did same and restarted . Went on line and found out this has ben a problem in these cars for years and am afraid for me and my children s lives.

The fuel pump and sensors went bad. The fuel gauge started glitching and going up and down randomly. After 1-2 months it was showing empty at all times. I changed the sensors and the fuel gauge went to the middle even when the tank was full. I had to replace both sensors and the fuel pump to get it fixed.

2008 Santa Fe gas gauge not reading properly. When I fill up the car and the gas gauge reads empty. And constantly fluctuates. I have to calculate how many miles I drive in order to know when to fill up again.

Check engine light and unfunctional or infunctiomal gas gauge.

Fuel sending sensor is erratic causing chk engine code p0464. Unsafe driving condition and should be recalled to be fix.

My 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe while driving stalls, truck is no longer on while driving. Power steering and control over steering wheel is loss. This has been happening quite frequently while driving. Happen twice while driving on highway which, scared me to death. Check engine light and battery lights comes on when this happens. Now the engine light comes on stay for a few days then turns off. My fuel gage k doesn't work properly. I can fill my tank up on full, then it will drop to the e line like there is no gas. The yellow light comes on. Not safe because now I don't know if my truck is full or really empty. Why haven't there been any recalls on these issues especially since, there are numerous complaints by owners with the same year and model.

Fuel level sensor failed. . . . Inaccurate fuel gauge causing owners to not know when the cars fuel tank is low, and sometimes causing the vehicle to run out of fuel while driving.

My car has stalled several times this past week without warning or indication that anything is wrong. The vehicle will suddenly stop and lose power completely while I anxiously try to restart it. It has put me at risk with other drivers where I've had to put my hazards on and hope vehicles are able to stop in time so they don't hit me. I've taken it in for service and they can't seem to replicate the problem. The car is a safety hazard and no one seems to be helping me. I found information online about Hyundai getting slapped with a class action suit for the same problems I'm reporting, but the suit appears to only cover 2010-2012 models, mine is 2008. I don't know what to do!.

After turning right to enter an on-ramp for the highway, the turn signal (now in neutral position) starting making the fast clicking noise. In addition, smoke started coming out of the turn signal stick and you could smell (what appeared to be) electrical burning. This continued for 20 miles until I got home and began to research if this has happened to others (which it has). I am worried of a fire danger along with the annoying non-stop noise. Is there a recall on something like this if others have also reported it?.

1) fuel tank gauge is inaccurate. Starts to drop rapidly after driving 75-100 miles and empty fuel tank light comes on after ~125-150 miles. When I refill the tank, it is only half empty. Normally, car will drive 270-320 miles before empty. 2) check engine light comes on and off. Nothing seems to be wrong with the car(have had it checked. ) 3) esc light comes on and off; sometimes at the same time as the check engine light, sometimes by itself. I have had it checked, no problem; and reset. Goes on - off again a few days later. These events have been occurring over the last 6 months, approximately.

The issue started shortly after my vehicle surpassed 60,000 miles. Upon turning on the engine, the gas gauge light is on and the fuel tank is displayed as empty. The gas gauge on occasion also sporadically fluctuates up and down, regardless of how much gasoline is in the tank.

My vehicle has had a fuel gauge that would move up and down while car is still. Today the check engine light came on with a code p0464-fuel level sensor. The fuel in vehicle is at half and the gauge would go all the way to empty (with empty light coming on) then it would go back to half and move every now and then. The vehicle is at 83000. So far the the gauge is somewhat working but is very frustrating knowing that this can be a $500 repair since it will involve the gas tank. This can make for a bad situation if the gauge completely fails.

The contact owns a 2008 hyundia Santa Fe. While operating the vehicle, the check engine indicator illuminated and the fuel gauge indicator provided false readings. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.

Esc light illuminates. Car looses power while driving, and stalls.

Fuel gauge always reads as empty, regardless of movement or amount of gas in tank, leaving driver to run out of gas in undesirable places. Repair is approx 600-800 dollars. Many complaints should be recalled. Has to do with the fuel sending sensor or something I was told.

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 60 mph, the brakes failed to disengage after the brake pedal was depressed and a burning odor was noticed. The anti-lock braking system and the electronic stability control warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and noticed smoke coming from all four tires. The contact left the vehicle idling for awhile and the smoke stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the hydraulic and electrical control units failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Check engine light stays on. Fuel gauge will read empty even after just fueling. Fuel gauge will occasionally read a random level then drop to empty within seconds. Obd codes states fuel sensor errors.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the fuel gage failed to function. The fuel gage will go to zero when is go over 50 miles. The malfunction indicator light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000. Aw.

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 45 mph, the passenger side seat became excessively hot. The passenger observed that the seat was on fire. A fire report was not filed. The contact extinguished the fire. The passenger sustained burn injuries to her hands and buttocks but did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,002.

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe, 78k miles. Fuel gage reading starting bouncing around. Showed half full on a freshly filled tank. Eventually check engine light came on. Error code p0464 (fuel level sensor 'a' electrical circuit was intermittent for a predetermined period of time. ). Fuel sensors required replacement. An inaccurate fuel reading is a safety concern, just like any other issue that can lead to unexpected vehicle shutdown. The numerous reports on the web concerning the failure of the fuel sensors in the 2008 Santa Fe suggests strongly that a recall is warranted.

When the gas tank is less than half full, the fuel gauge displays tank as nearly empty and the amber low fuel light appears. The check engine warning light also comes on. The fuel gauge swings back up to nearly half full, drops down to 1/4 full, then drops down to almost empty, then swing back to half full. About 3 months after this problem started, the fuel gauge remains near empty with the amber low fuel light lit. When I fill up the gas tank, the fuel gauge is once again accurate until the tank goes below 1/2 full. However, the check engine light remains on at all times and can only be cleared by a mechanic. I've had my mechanic clear it twice. This is a fuel sensor issue with the two senders in the gas tank. I was going to have this repaired by having the fuel pump assembly replaced but found out it would cost $1000. I can't afford that so I'm stuck. I'm going to have to reset the odometer every time I fill up and make sure I fill up the tank every 300 miles. I've done my research and this is a known, widespread issue with the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. I saw many complaints about this issue filed on the nhsta so this agency is well aware of the issue but has chosen not to recall the Santa Fe for the 2008 model year. I don't understand this: this is a safety issue as well as a gross design and manufacturing problem with this vehicle. We bought this vehicle used with no knowledge of this. The fuel gauge started behaving erratically a little over a year after we bought it in may 2014, which would be around late July 2015. He first sign of a problem occurred after I filled the gas tank in late July 2015. That was the first time the check engine light came on even though the gas tank was full. I had my mechanic clear it. This same thing happened about 6 weeks later. After that the erratic fuel gauge behavior I described started occurring.

I filled up the tank and the gas gauge level read empty. Continued and has been on empty. Sometimes it will rise gradually to correct level. And when you turn off engine then it goes back to empty. I find this to be dangerous because I don't know if the car will stop. I have read many others that have had the same problem. A recall is in order to correct this problem for the safety of all.

Safety issue: failure of the fuel sending unit permanently turns on the "check engine light" which denies the use of the "check engine light" for other serious conditions. Many consumers have previously reported the failure of the fuel sending unit. These units cost between $800 to $1200 to fix so most drivers do not fix it and instead use the odometer reading to determine when fuel is needed. Unfortunately, driving with the "check engine light" on at all times prevents the driver from seeing the "check engine light" illuminate when a serious condition exists. Therefore, this is a safety issue. Considering the number of consumer reports already sent to NHTSA regarding failed fuel sending units, Hyundai should immediately issue a safety recall to fix these units.

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.

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.