Differential Unit Problems of Hyundai Santa Fe

On 5/28/21, while driving vehicle noticed a knocking/banging when in reverse then also began when driving. Took to local midas dealer and was told rear differential gear was broken and needed repaired. Upon further research, midas discovered that an upgraded coupler had been replaced on other Hyundai Santa Fe's as the old coupler wasn't protecting the gear. The coupler on my vehicle was therefore not protecting the gear in the rear differential causing it to break in half. I work in a manufacturing company (Honda of America) and could not miss work due to strict attendance policies. Local Hyundai dealership could not assist me in repair ASAP so had no choice but to have it repaired with midas so that it would be ready for me to drive to work on Monday. Filed case with Hyundai to ask for reimbursement since vehicle wasn't recalled for defective coupler. They advised me to take to a local Hyundai dealership to ensure work was performed properly and correct parts were used. This cost us an additional $99 on top of the $5066 for the repair. Hyundai then told us after having the local dealership look at the work performed that because we didn't have it repaired at authorized dealership they could not provide assistance. After not accepting this response, I escalated the issue and was told Hyundai consumer affairs would contact us. We have yet to hear from them on any type of financial help with this costly repair that was through no fault of our own. This is a truly awful customer experience with Hyundai and am pursuing for some or all financial reimbursement.

See all problems of the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Takata recall - on 12/24/18 I was driving with my young kids in the car and we heard a loud boom and crazy sounds. We pulled over and had the car towed after my dad said the rear differential was completely blown apart. The dealership said theyve never seen such a thing and thought for sure Hyundai would repair with a good will repair but Hyundai declined it. Upon googling I found out this is a common problem and ive ever brought the car to Hyundai four times for the sounds and was told it was the ac.

See all problems of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

2 weeks ago my wife was driving home passing thru a neighboring subdivision at around 25-30 mph. As she was turning she heard a loud pop from the rear of the vehicle. She first thought is was a tire blown. After inspecting she noticed fluid coming out rear of vehicle. She promptly drove the vehicle to a friends house just up the road whom is a mechanic. After inspection he sent me pictures of the the rear differential housing and it was completely cracked in half. Car was taken for repair where we found out that the 10/100k my power train warranty is only valid for the first owner. That is a load of crap and a pathetic way for manufacturers to give these warranties out without having to cover the full term, as most people trade every 50-60k miles, or less. The 10/100k warranty was sold on the car but ended with a new owner at 32k on the odometer, now at just over 60k major failure. This seems a little unjust to me. Now luckily we did have an extended warranty from dealership where we purchased the car ( Toyota of greenville, awesome people) and they unlike Hyundai are doing whatever it takes to keep us happy and ensure our vehicle gets fixed in a timely manner. So in short, I will never by another Hyundai again after their unwillingness to take this gross and potentially catastrophic failure with any concern or seriouness and hide behind some claus that basically says that their spoken 10yr/100k warranty is worthless !!!!.

Rear differential failed.

Made a left turn while driving under normal condition (enter the turn from a complete stop and accelerating to about 15 mph). A loud bang was heard in the rear of the vehicle, while in the turn, followed by a brief vibration. I made an immediate right turn on to a nearby side street and felt the vibration again, but no noise was heard. The vehicle was parked in a safe location a few hundred feet from where the initial noise was heard. Upon looking at and then under the rear of the vehicle a blackish/gray fluid was leaking from the area of the rear differential. Roadside assistance was called and a tow truck responded within an hour. The vehicle was towed to a near by Hyundai dealership for inspection and repair. The day after the incident a service manager from the dealership called me and reported that the housing for the rear differential cracked. The differential will be replaced and covered under warranty.

Car seemed to buck while driving in low gear. Took it to dealer and they replaced the differential. 4 days later the symptoms have reappeared. Concerned about recalls and bad transmission. Car purchased Aug 19, 2013.

When taking off from stop or traffic signal, making left turn, vehicle rear end ( sounds like rear end or awd) makes thumping, slipping, bumping noise which can be felt through out vehicle. First noticed about 3000 miles. Thought it may be a normal condition for an awd vehicle, but the condition has progressively gotten worse! taken to dealer 2 time now, they state they can not find any problem, they replaced the trans fluid, the rear diff fluid, but it is still getting worse! service manager went for ride with me after stating he could not feel the condition on vehicle, but he only drove vehicle in parking lot of dealership. I told him it happens when turning at lights or stop signs. . . He was driving straight. On our test drive together, he definitely felt what I was talking about, asked his shop forman to get in vehicle with us, he felt the condition as well, but said he did not know what it could be. They kept vehicle for 2 days, replaced transmission fluid, read differential fluid and a few other items, gave vehicle back, and asked me to see if doing this helped rectify the problem. . . . . It has not, contacted Hyundai, got a claim #, and was told to take vehicle to another dealership to have them look at vehicle. . . . Vehicle currently has 9000 miles and just turned 1 year old since new. We bought this Santa Fe to replace a 2008 that had similar trans/awd issues, that left us stranded 3 times on the side of I-95 (trans & awd blew up on us driving to florida keys on I-95 at 70 mph) in fall of 2012. . . . . After dealer in jacksonville attempted repairs from first breakdown. Unfortunately, florida does not sell awd vehicles, and apparently they do not know how to fix these things.

The rear differential caught on fire. I heard a clunk on entering reverse in the morning. After 35 miles other drivers alerted me that my car was on fire. After pulling off the road us 90 in newton MA the fire dept was called after the fire went out on it's own. The vehicle was not destroyed.

See all problems of the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.