Five problems related to check engine light on have been reported for the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe based on all problems reported for the 2009 Santa Fe.
I purchased this car used in 2011. Over the years, at random times, the radio will "pop" off and back on again. It doesn't seem to affect the rest of the electrical system in the car, but it's a little scary when it happens - mechanic can't replicate. Now, twice in the last week, my car has stalled while slowing down, once on a multi-lane street and once after decelerating coming off the expressway (complete loss of power, steering, brakes, etc). I put the car in neutral and it started right back up, but this has happened in heavy traffic and scared the p out of me! I'm terrified that this might happen at a higher speed on the expressway. I have seen several mentions of similar power losses for this same vehicle. I have no check engine lights and no codes come up when scanned. No recalls reported either, although a power loss at the wrong time could kill someone. Not sure if this is electrical, engine or fuel system related - I had over a half a tank of gas in the car during both occurrences.
Purchased used w/ 103k mi on it from a dealership. Engine light came on at dealership - alternator and purge valve replaced - thought it was fixed. Drove home and just before turning right into driveway and still on 55mph busy county road, engine shut off (all dash and console lights on and wipers running) right in the middle of the road. No steering or brakes. I had to coast to a stop on the side of the road. I put it in park, turned the key off and turned it right back on. Was able to back up and pull into my driveway without incident. Check engine light came back on as it was being taken back to the shop the next day - no sign of fix. I had just driven from the dealership service (about 25 miles) on a major interstate. . . A number of right and left turns, on and off ramps, stop lights, stop signs and residential roads. This could have been a fatal accident and this vehicle should be totaled out and sold for parts. Hyundai should return our money - we will never buy another one.
This has happened on 4 separate occasions, both while driving in town at slow speeds and on a highway at high speeds. The check engine light will come on and the car will cut off, no power at all. On each occasion I put the car in neutral and restarted the car immediately and it resumed it's normal driving capacity. It is very scary to be driving along and then all of a sudden the car cuts off for no reason. The last time it happened I was in the middle of a sharp curve, so not having power steering at that point was not very safe, as I ended up in the other lane but thank goodness there wasn't a car coming in the other direction at the time.
Vehicle stalls while slowing down. When this happens, headlights and power steering and braking are lost, and the check engine light and battery light come on. Imagine driving down a dark windy road at night and losing power steering and braking and not being able to see the road. This is accurate to the experience. If I turn car off and back on, it starts just fine. It happens everywhere, on the freeway, while parking, etc. Every person I have talked to with same vehicle confirms the same. I have yet to find anyone with a fix. There is a recall out for 2010 and on for a similar issue. This issue started happening in 2015 when I purchased the car, and it has continued to happen for years.
Check engine light came on and it would not go over 20 miles per hour. And had to towed to dealer and it come to be the same problem Toyota is having with the gas pedals.