general problems of the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe

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.

Seem like it burns oil quick.

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 taken to a local dealer for an undisclosed recall repair, and the contact was informed that the valve cover gasket, and the alternator were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

I had a recall on the oil leak and took care of it to dealership in weston FL they had car for 2 days pick car up. I replaced to alternator because it was full oil prior to me taking it to the dealership. Now a few months later there is still a leak and it’s leaking on my alternator, again same place they said they fix. I have the paperwork. I am having smoking issues that they said was fixed it, but looks like the put glue on it.

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.

Reference number: 11520065 this is a follow up to a previously submitted incident involving this same vehicle. My first submission was may, 2023, this vehicle experienced the exact same hazardous condition on February 26, 2024. On I-75 south. After driving on an interstate highway for about 1 hour, I noticed a traffic backup and proceeded to slow down as the traffic was nearly stopped. As I slowed my car down to nearly a complete stop, the engine suddenly surged forward with high rpm's as though the accelerator was pushed to the floor. I immediately pressed on the brake pedal as hard as I could to stop the car from surging forward and then quickly decided to put the transmission into neutral so I would not hit the car in front of me. The car eventually stopped surging and may have stalled. I finally got the car to move again by turning off the ignition and restarting it. I continued on my way and did not have a similar situation for the rest of my 30 minute highway trip. Like all the times before, the floor mat was not involved in this sudden acceleration. Last year when I took this car to a Hyundai dealer for inspection, they could not replicate this condition. They said that I needed a new fuel level sensor in my gas tank and a new fuel pump--neither of which I agreed to because first, the gas gauge has no relation to my surging and second, the fuel pump must be working or else I could not drive the car. This surging has occurred perhaps 7 times since I have owned this car since 2008. It is frightening to know that it could happen again with personal injuries or property damage. This condition rarely happens in city driving, but has happened at least 3 times in city driving. Seems like this situation would warrant a manufacturer recall.

Valve cover leak or head gasket leak.

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.

I change the oil on 4/18/2023 in walmart I park the car in my house I used on 04/23/2023 on I-75 southbound the oil light came out and them smoke star on the car fallow by fire me and daugther an husband where on the SUV was tereffied.

Vehicle has stalled couple of times while driving. One on the service road just about to merge on the highway 1604 north after taking left turn from the potranco road about a year ago. Steering got locked and engine died, I managed to pull over to the right shoulder into the parking lot of med clinic. After couple tries, I was able to get it going. There is occasional check engine light on that goes off after some time of driving and not sure if this is related to stalling of engine. There is a history of oil leak under the hood. I received recall service notice for leaking cylinder head gasket which outlined same issues that I encountered before and took vehicle to the dealership. It was kept for 2 days for service and was returned to me. There is still sign of wetted oil on the parts. There is no sign that I could see of opening and taking parts apart for the so-called completed service, dust and debris seem to be untouched. I have a doubt that service evert took place. I filed a complaint with the Hyundai motors requesting independent assessment if gasket was actually changed. They sent an acknowledgement of receiving the complaint, but no one has contacted me.

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.

Head on impact rear ending a truck. Engine locked melted head gaskets and destroyed radiator.

Car cutsoff while driving.

There have been 3 instances where after turning on my vehicle, the power is throttled and I can only drive a couple miles per hour. I ran a diagnostic scan, and obtained the codes p2106, p1295,and p2135. I searched online and found this to be a common problem. There appears to be a technical service bulletin out for this issue (TSB 09-fl003-2). If this is a common issue, should there be a recall? thank you.

I was driving at a low speed, making a left-hand turn when the car lost all power. No brakes, no steering. I was able to get the car into a driveway. I was able to restart . About 1 hour later the same thing, only this time I was making a left-hand turn across a very busy city street. . I was almost hit by an oncoming vehicle. This is very dangerous and will probably sell the car & tell the new owners about my issue. I have not taken it to a garage, as the closest Hyundai shop to me is an hour away. I do not feel safe driving that far.

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.

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. While having the vehicle routinely inspected for emissions, the vehicle failed due to a faulty fuel gauge. The check engine indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing, but the details could not be provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,129.

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, when the battery light illuminated on the vehicles instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven for several miles when several more warning indicators illuminated on the vehicles instrument panel. The contact stated that at that time the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was attempted to be shifted into the park position, however the vehicle would not shift into any other gear besides drive and neutral. The vehicle was not taken for diagnosis and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000. Wh.

While accelerating to get on the highway the vehicle rapidly accelerated without pressing the gas pedal. When this occurred the pedal started going to the floor. Prying up on the pedal with your foot did not have an affect. This has happened twice and the dealer has looked at it twice and has advised that they could not find a problem.

My wife indicated that when she got on the ramp to rt. 80 , the car completely shut down. She also stated that she almost had an accident since she had no brakes nor power steering. This occurrence has been reported to the national highway safety by a number of owners yet you continue to ignore the problem which could be attributed to oil dripping from the valve cover on to the alternator. I guess you're waiting for some accidents to happen before taking action. . . . Maybe a few deaths resulting from a crash. Very proactive!.

While I was driving along at approximately 25 mph in my Hyundai santafe the steering became very difficult and there was no throttle response. I stopped the vehicle completely in the middle of the boulevard street and put the vehicle in park and restarted the engine. I was very frightended during the incident that someone was going to run into the back of my car and that the vehicle would stop again before I got home. I refused to drive the vehicle again and followed my husband in another vehicle as he drove the faulty vehicle to the dealer the following day. The tech rep we spoke with at the dealer casually said the throttle positioning sensor was bad and if we wanted it repaired it would cost about $400. I couldn't believe they would let me leave the dealership with this malfunctioning part. The symptoms are the same as the general motors ignition switch problem. I looked it up online and this seems to be a common problem with the Hyundai santafe. Where is the outrage? where are the recalls? is it going to take many deaths and 10 years to correct this problem like gm ignition switch problem? does somebody have to die before this is taken seriously? Hyundai management refuses to discuss this problem. I sincerely hope I can appeal to your sensibility and force this korean company to address this dangerous problem.

After several hours of normal highway driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power as the engine computer entered "limp home" mode. Pressing the accelerator had no effect. Diagnosed as throttle position sensor failure. This problem occurred several times, with an engine restart clearing the problem temporarily. While these incidents did not result in a crash, they could easily have, depending on traffic circumstances.

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).

I also had the fuel sensor go out and had it fixed. And I had to have my alternator replaced twice. Once when it went out and again in 9 months due to recall for a fuel gasket cover default. So I paid the first time out of pocket $700 only to find out it was probably due to the default. Lynda.

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.

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.

As I was driving at approximately 35mph going up a hill, my 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe accelerated at a very high rate of speed and pushing the brakes at full pressure only slowed the vehicle it would not stop and the engine revved. I was in a panic because vehicles were in front of me and I almost slammed into them. I managed to pull to the side and travel on the side of the road trying to stop my vehicle. I finally shifted from drive to neutral all the while pushing the brakes and got the vehicle in park. I have never been so scared in my life and fortunately did not hit any other vehicle. I called a tow truck to tow the vehicle to my garage because I was to afraid to drive it. I am awaiting diagnosis. . Unfortunately it was late Friday afternoon and the garage was closed. They will not be able to look at until Monday.

On 12/26/2010,my husband and 2 children were returning from NJ to CT via the garden state parkway, new jersey turnpike and the george washington bridge. Four times during that trip, our Hyundai Santa Fe suddenly lost power. Each time the loss of power occurred there was no precipitating event, just a sudden and random loss of power followed by the esc light illuminating on the dash. He had to coast thru traffic, find a safe place to stop and turn the car off and back on again to regain power. We took the car to the Hyundai dealer in meriden CT and they interrogated the computer. The service tech told us they replaced the tps (throttle position) sensor. We did some amateur research on the internet and within 10 minutes of researching, came across dozens of Santa Fe owners who experienced the same event. We are wondering why there has been no recall on the Santa Fe models that are affected. We also want to make sure the proper authorities are aware of the situation so that necessary action can be taken. We are so fortunate that the drivers near us all four times were paying attention and didn't ram us from behind. These are heavily traveled roads with many trucks, tractor trailers and cars, all travelling at a high rate of speed and sometimes following closely. This is a potential tragedy for another family who isn't as lucky.

When trying to park the car, the car does not recognize it is in park, even though the gear shift is in park. Therefore, you cannot turn your car completely off or remove the key from the ignition. The car has been serviced 6 times over the course of 3 years for the same issue.

The gas mileage on my vechicle is 14 mpg city driving; total highway driving is 18mpg and combined 15- 16 mpg. I am a very conservative driver and have driven for 47 years. My mileage is so poor I contacted the Hyundai corp. Repeatedly on this. I've spoken on a few occasions with the ceo j. Krafcik, and corresponded with him as well via email after getting no satisfaction/help from the regional person. The ceo's wife grew up in my area (lake oswego, or. ) and that is why he called me personally. However, the bottom line was nothing has happened as a result of this call. He offered me the following: he offered to exchange my vehicle which had about 8,000 miles on it by the time he got in touch with me for a new 2009 sonata fwd and it was the old model as Hyundai was coming out with a totally revamped 2010 sonata model. I bought my Santa Feawd because I wanted a SUV with awd! if I wanted a sedan, I would have bought one! I begged him to give me another comparably equipped Santa Fe as they could find no reason mechanically why my mileage was so low and I always double check it manually in addition to the computer output. So, I refused to accept this offer and I spend a huge amount on gas and I live on a small fixed income and cannot afford to buy another Santa Fe! others I've questioned with the same vehicle and equipped comparably get 20 mpg or more city driving. Reading Hyundai has done nothing about so many issues brought up is abominable. Someone needs to do something about this so lives aren't lost and people aren't paying at almost $4/gallon for all this gas I have to keep buying in my case. There is definitely something major wrong with my engine or something that prevents me from getting the mileage I should. As I said, I am a very conservative driver. Please intervene with the manufacturer on all these matters. They truly don't care about consumers.