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2002 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

The most common problem on the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe is suspension, typically around 137,000 miles. It has fewer complaints than a typical Santa Fe model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
80/100
Owner complaints
165
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
52
Worst area
Suspension
Fuel economy
18-20mpg

The worst 2002 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 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe

Ball joint 26Stalling 12ABS 11Sudden acceleration 9Grinding brakes 7Jerking 7

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 2002 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

Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe 52

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

See all 52 bulletins for the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe

2002 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‑cylFWD17-1824-2520
2.7L 6‑cylFWD172319
2.7L 6‑cyl4WD162118

What 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jul 8, 2023 · OK

The starter motor housing bottom ear bracket that holds the bolt to the transmission has broken off on 3 different starters in the same exact spot on all 3.

Filed Oct 15, 2021 · Brakes · PA · crash

While dragging the trash can back to the house, I was approaching fence in front of the house, at a slow speed, as I applied the brakes the car started to accelerate. Pressing down harder on the brakes ,it felt like stepping on a brick, with no braking taking place the car accelerated at a high rate. At this time the car crashed into the left side of the garage and continued into the cement porch taking out the fence, fill tube, and vent tube of the oil tank. At this time I push gear shift into N and turned off the engine. At this time there is damage done to house and car is now totaled with no injuries. Hate to think what would have happened if this happened at the major 4 lane intersection 1 mile from my home.

Filed Mar 3, 2021 · Suspension, Wheels · 190,000 miles · FL

I was riding down the road and felt the car feel as if it was floating. The next thing I know the car feels like the tire came off and it had. Rusted completely off. I had two children in the car and came very close to being hit in the rear because I lost control of the vehicle. It seems as if it is the control arm bar. This incident happened on gall blvd. Zephyrhills fl.

Filed Feb 5, 2021 · Suspension · 160,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact called on behalf of a client who owns a 2002 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while his client was driving at 55 MPH, she experienced what she thought was a flat tire on the rear of the vehicle. As the client began to pull over, the entire passenger's side rear control arm collapsed without warning. Due to the failure, the contact's client had the vehicle towed to his independent mechanic shop where he discovered that the entire lower rear control was corroded and had detached from the vehicle. The contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v123000 (suspension) however, upon speaking with twin city hyundai (3024 alcoa hwy, alcoa, tn 37701) the contact was informed that the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.*dt

Filed Nov 10, 2020 · Suspension, Transmission · CA

My 2002 hyundai santa fe is sharply jerking to the right its almost impossible to stop it sounds as if the car if going to fall into peices im a disabled mom with one one the way I can't drive for fear im going to lose the wheel and crash

Filed Sep 25, 2020 · Suspension · 150,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that upon inspection of his rear brakes, he noticed excessive corrosion on the rear trailing arms located by the coil springs. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v123000 (suspension) which he linked to the failure. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Mar 8, 2020 · Suspension · NY

This santa fe has a rear right trailing arm that has completely rusted and has also disintegrated the wheel bearing assembly, wheel hub, emergency brake cable and spring. I checked the website for a recall on this vehicle, there is a recall for the rear trailing arms, but this VIN number was not part of the recall. This vehicle has been registered in the northeast "salt belt" and should have been included in the recall. Because of this oversight by not including this VIN on the recall it has caused massive corrosion on all attached parts. The right rear side has been more affected than the rear left side. I would greatly appreciate any assistance you could provide me in providing a remedy for this situation

Filed Jul 23, 2019 · Suspension · GA

Frame rusted through on at least left side where the control arm is bolted.. Previously rear trailing arm rusted through.

Filed May 23, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 168,000 miles · OH

When accelerating between 30-50 MPH, the steering wheel pulls violently to the right. When the accelerator is released, the tension on the wheel goes away. The front tires wear faster then unseal.

Filed May 6, 2019 · Suspension · 200,000 miles · VA

Both lower control arms are rusting out due to salt roadways

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe before you buy

Compare the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe

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Other model years

20012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026

Questions about the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe

Is the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?

Owners have filed 165 complaints about the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe, fewer than a typical Santa Fe model year.

What is the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe year score?

The 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe scores 80 out of 100 (good). 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 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Suspension, with 59 complaints, typically around 137,000 miles. Next is engine (24).

How many recalls does the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

4 recalls, covering suspension, equipment and electrical system.

Was there a recall on the 2002 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 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

Official estimates for the 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe range from 18 to 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.4L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 17-18 city and 24-25 highway.

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