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2001 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

The most common problem on the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe is suspension, typically around 120,000 miles. Its complaint count is close to a typical Santa Fe model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
76/100
Owner complaints
209
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
135
Worst area
Suspension
Fuel economy
18-21mpg
Typical repair
$1,549

The worst 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

Ball joint 31Stalling 21Jerking 12Loss of power 9Won't start 8Check engine light 6Hesitation 6Coil spring 5Power steering loss 5

Recalls 4

Suspension: front: springs: coil springsReported July 18, 2014 · 271,773 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model Year 2001-2006 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2000, through February 15, 2006, that are registered and operated, or which were originally sold and registered, in the following 20 “salt belt" states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The affected vehicles may experience front coil spring corrosion from road salt, causing the coil spring to fracture and make contact with the tire.
Risk
If the front coil spring fractures due to corrosion it could cause the coil spring to make contact with the tire, possibly puncturing the tire and increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the coil spring, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑800‑633‑5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 124.

Recall number 14V435000 · Recall details

Suspension: rearReported April 16, 2009 · 83,355 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Hyundai is recalling 83,355 my 2001-2003 santa fe vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Road salt applied in these jurisdictions during the winter months may result in progressive, internal corrosion of the rear trailing arms, which could lead to thinning or perforation of the rear trailing arm steel. Owners may see or feel slight to moderate changes in vehicle operation which will increase if the vehicle is not repaired. These changes include a lowering of vehicle height that can lead to tire misalignment and steering pull. Owners may also notice a creaking sound.
Risk
If the corrosion is allowed to progress, the rear trailing arm may fracture while driving, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the rear trailing arms for internal corrosion damage. If specified levels of corrosion damage are found, the rear trailing arms will be replaced. Rear trailing arms that do not require replacement will have drainage holes added and will be treated with rust-proofing material to arrest the corrosion process. Inspection, treatment and replacement procedures will be conducted at no cost to owners. The recall is expected to begin during may 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1‑800‑633‑5151.

Recall number 09V123000 · Recall details

Equipment: other: labelsReported December 18, 2003 · 249,309 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."
Risk
The tire pressure labels do not contain the information required by the standard.
Remedy
Owners will be provided with a correct label and installation instructions. Owner notification began on october 29, 2003. Owners should contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.

Recall number 03V520000 · Recall details

Electrical system: starter assemblyReported January 2, 2003 · 25,643 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with 2.7 liter v-6 engines, improperly manufactured crankshaft position sensors (cps) were installed. The cps cases were improperly manufactured and did not meet dimensional specifications. Internal gaps within the cases allowed epoxy to contact the printed circuit board, which resulted in cracking of the printed circuit board capacitor.
Risk
A damaged cps capacitor could result in engine stalling.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the cps. Owner notification began on march 10, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact hyundai at 1‑800‑829‑9956.

Recall number 03V030000 · Recall details

See all 4 recalls for the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

Defect investigations

Rear trailing arm corrosion failureOpened October 28, 2008, closed April 17, 2009

In a letter dated april 14, 2009, hyundai-kia america technical center, inc (hyundai) notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall of approximately 85,000 model year (my) 2001 through 2003 hyundai santa fe vehicles manufactured prior to january 27, 2003, that are registered and operated in the following salt belt states and the district of columbia:connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin.hyundai is recalling the vehicles to remedy a condition where internal corrosion of either the right or left rear trailing arms may result in fracture of the affected arm while driving, which could result in loss of vehicle control and a crash.the rear trailing arms will be inspected in the recalled vehicles using a procedure developed by hyundai to measure metal thickness.parts with perforations from corrosion or with metal below the specified thickness will be replaced with redesigned trailing arms.if the minimum metal thickness is met, drainage holes and and rust proofing material will be added to the existing rear trailing arms.although not subject components of this investigation, hyundai noted it would perform a similar procedure for the front subframes of the subject vehicles. Odi's analysis of complaint data revealed that 99% of all consumer complaints related to trailing arm corrosion were from vehicles either originally sold or operated in saltbelt states. Similarly 92% of the warranty claims were from vehicles originally sold or operated in saltbelt states.odi identified 30 rear trailing arm fracture incidents through analysis of complaint and warranty information and consumer interviews.twenty-nine (29) of the fracture incidents involved vehicles in states covered by the recall.based on hyundai's decision to conduct a safety recall this engineering analysis is closed.

EA08023

Rear suspension trailing arm failureOpened July 2, 2008, closed October 29, 2008

In response to an information request letter sent by the office of defects investigation (odi) during this preliminary evaluation, hyundai provided odi with 15 allegations of corrosion failure of the left- and/or right-rear suspension trailing arm.three of the 15 consumers alleged a loss of vehicle control as a result of a rear trailing arm corrosion failure.similarly, odi has received 12 complaints of rear trailing arm failure (one is a duplicate of a complaint filed with hyundai).of the 12 odi complaints, 4 consumers allege a loss of vehicle control. In total, odi is aware of 26 consumer allegations of rear trailing arm corrosion failures and 7 allegations that the failures affected vehicle control.all of these vehicles have been operated primarily in salt belt states (connecticut, district of columbia, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maryland, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, virginia, vermont, wisconsin and west virginia).hyundai implemented a design change in the model year 2003 production to address the corrosion issue.thus, the scope of the engineering analysis will be vehicles manufactured in mys 2001 through 2003 and sold in salt belt states.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-023) to further assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences of the alleged defect.

PE08040

Engine seizureOpened January 31, 2002, closed August 12, 2002

There is no summary currently available

PE02012

Technical service bulletins for the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe 135

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 135 bulletins for the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

2001 Hyundai Santa Fe fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.4L 4‑cylFWD18-1925-2620-21
2.7L 6‑cylFWD172420
2.7L 6‑cyl4WD172118

What 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 26, 2023 · Steering, Suspension · UT

I live in Roy city utah and i drive a santa fe 2001 and my trailing arm in the rear driver side snaped while i was going 45 mph. when i took it in to a shop to have it looked at they said that my trailing arm had snaped do to the rust corrision under the car. I know that there are recalls on the santa fe for the rear suspention trailing arms but only if you live in a salt belt state and utah is not one of those states and i think it should be because of the salt we use on our roads as well as i live 20 mins from the great salt lake . i have bearly had my car 5 months befor it broke i paid 2000.00$ for it. i guess i didnt fully understand the saltbelt state thing and i called young hayndai in ogden utah and they called a tow truck and had my car towed to the dealer ship they had it like 12 days or something befor they diganosed it. when they said that its not on recal because of the salt belt state thing they are trying to charg me 274.00$ just for them to tell me what i already knew was wrong with it and for the towtruck. because of my broken car i just had lost 2 highpaying jobs and i have no money to pay the dealership so they said that i cant have my car till i pay them then they said that they can only hold my car for 10 days . idont know what to do cause my santa fe was not only my only ride but its where i lived. so now im back to sleeping in the street and i dont know where or what the dealership has done with my car. please help me and order a recall on my santa fe because of the rust from living utah and all the salt here. Thanks for your time.

Filed Jan 10, 2023 · Body, Steering · 140,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on separate occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was towed to Marco’s body shop where it was diagnosed that both struts, new tires, front passenger side wheel cylinder, wheel mount, tie rod, and wheel bearings needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the mechanic noticed that the driver’s side cross member had fractured and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the subframe was corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer at a different location. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Jul 17, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · AZ

The suv stalls while driving. This has happened multiple time. While driving, driving slow, taking a u turn. The battery, alternator, starter, power steering pump, water pump, rack and pinion, timing belt, serpentine belt, idler pulley, harmonic balancer, front axles, shocks, struts, some sensors, spark plugs/wires, gaskets, and many other parts are replaced in the last year. Don't know what is wrong but it is scary when it stalls suddenly.

Filed Nov 10, 2021 · Suspension · MO · crash

The rear trailing arm cracked in half causing my wife to run off the road11

Filed Aug 24, 2021 · Suspension · ND

The contact's friend owns a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while a friend was driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began to veer off to the right without warning and the driver began losing control of the vehicle. Despite the failure, the contact's friend was able to drive the vehicle to her home at slow speeds. Another friend was able to inspect the vehicle and discovered that the rear passenger’s side trailing arm had fractured due to severe corrosion. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V123000 (Suspension) which he linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure and he was informed that his vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jan 10, 2021 · Suspension · 185,000 miles · VA

My wife was accelerating to 45 MPH, the vehicle began to swerve left to right rapidly. There was no warning indicator illuminated. She coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. She noticed that the rear passenger side wheel was almost touching the inside of the rear fender. She was able to limp it about a mile home to driveway. She contacted hyundai & they told her to tow it to closest hyundai dealership & reap suspension problem will be fixed under recall. After we paid to have it towed to dealership it was diagnosed that the rear trailing arm was corroded and almost broken & needed to be replaced. The dealer service technician called my wife the next day to inform her that her santa fe rear trailing arms had not been replaced by hyundai. She immediately called hyundai to speak with person that told her to have it towed to dealership. Hyundai opened a case number for her santa fe. Hyundai called back couple days later saying they had researched her santa fe under recall campaign 090 and that it did not qualify being that it had not registered within the 20 salt belt states required for recall. Hyundai case worker said they were not going to repair the santa fe under recall.& hyundai was closing the case. After a very extensive search on the santa fe frame corrosion recall she discovered that the frame corrosion recall had been expanded to include every santa fe within the 50 states, although hyundai did not send notices to anyone unless the santa fe had been registered in the 20 salt belt states. With this new info she has been trying to contact the hyundai case worker to re-open her case. As it stands her santa fe was towed to hyundai dealership where it sits in back lot untouched & undriveable. After closer look at trailing arms both sides are rusted completely out.

Filed May 25, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · AL

Gas pump problem keeps clicking and I've replace many party but still like its full of gas but I be on empty.car also jerks like I've been rear ended while driving like it has transmission problems and I've replace transmission 2 times. Gears only work manual it's like the car has a mind of its own .also my tire flew off my car on the back and had to take to dealer ship and they was saying it's some problem they can't help .

Filed May 18, 2020 · Suspension · 161,000 miles · KS

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal popping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact drove back to her residence where her husband inspected the vehicle. The contact's husband discovered corrosion on the rear control arm. Due to the corrosion, the driver's side rear control arm fractured. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked her failure to the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v123000 (suspension) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000. *ln

Filed Mar 10, 2020 · Transmission · 15,400 miles · MD

There's a reall on this vehicle that I just purchased the description says: front coil spring protector installation how can this issue be resolved? This issue should been taking care of and reported to you guys but obviously it hasn't. So I need to know is it still available to be free of charge or do I have to come out of pocket to get this repaired? Or can I still go to a hyandai dealer for free repairs? I'm not sure of the notification date. So in the box below I'll put this year and date

Filed Dec 21, 2019 · Suspension · 150,000 miles · VA

Our mechanic has identified significant corrosion to the driver's side rear trailing arm, a safety and operational vulnerability consistent with the federal safety agency safety recall notice 09v123000. The federal safety agency safety recall observes the danger of the rear trailing arm fracturing, and increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. We have contacted the local dealership and the manufacturer, hyundai, about the safety vulnerability, resulting from the latent manufacturing weakness. As detailed in the attached file. The dealer service department is indifferent to the faulty vehicle part and safety vulnerability, and no response has been received from the manufacturer. We are attaching photos of the rear trailing arm corrosion consistent with the manufacturing failure identified in the federal safety agency safety recall.

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Other model years

20012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026

Questions about the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

Is the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?

Owners have filed 209 complaints about the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe, close to a typical Santa Fe model year.

What is the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe year score?

The 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe scores 76 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Hyundai Santa Fe: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Suspension, with 76 complaints, typically around 120,000 miles. Next is engine (40).

How many recalls does the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

4 recalls, covering suspension, equipment and electrical system.

Was there a recall on the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe suspension?

Yes, 2 recalls: 14V435000, 09V123000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Hyundai Santa Fe have bad suspension?

The Hyundai Santa Fe model years with the most suspension complaints are 2001 (76 complaints), 2004 (69 complaints) and 2002 (59 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

Official estimates for the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe range from 18 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.4L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 18-19 city and 25-26 highway.

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