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2003 Hyundai Santa Fe body complaints

Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 30 of 30, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe body problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Aug 25, 2015 · Body · 74,000 miles · MO

Interior door handles on 2003 hyundai santa fe are separating from the chrome plating exactly as in the recall for, the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v317000, dealer will not correct as there has not been an official recall announcement, but these appear to be the same type, style, make handles as that in the recall. Handles are sharp and will cut passengers if handled improperly. Dick dean of ballwin missouri (dealer)suggested placeing tape of the handles which is totally unacceptable. Filing this for my father who owns the vehicle. I owned the sonata in the recall and know first hand these are the exact same handles with the same problem. I also own a 2004 santa fe where the problem has not started to occur yet, but they too appear to be the same handles.

Filed Mar 31, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 150,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. While driving at 55 MPH and attempting to roll up the front driver side window, the window failed to roll up and curved. The contact heard a grinding noise from the window. In addition, the door opened independently and the contact was unable to close the door. The contact had to hold onto the door from the outside in order to keep the door closed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the actuator in the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Feb 10, 2015 · Airbags, Body · 100,000 miles · NJ

750.00 dollars for part 500.00 to put it in passenger side dash cant hyundai take pride and eat this bill safety problems with this big.

Filed Jan 23, 2015 · Body · WV

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated the front end of the vehicle was corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 24, 2014 · Body, Engine · 62,450 miles · IL

We purchased this vehicle used in june of 2014 with 62,450 miles on it. The exterior and interior were in great shape. The vehicle was taken to a hyundai dealer in july for an inspection of the rear suspension per a recall. At that time a complete inspection was done, with only a small oil leak found on one axle shaft. Two months later the vehicle was take back to the dealer for a recall for a broken spring. At this time a second inspection was completed. This time several issues were found from corrosion including leaking transmission lines, leaking engine oil pan, leaking boots at the front drive axles requiring them both needing to be replaced. The service manager at the hyundai dealer stated he had never seen a vehicle with this level of corrosion. All components under the vehicle have extensive corrosion with apparently a rapid rate of deterioration. The vehicle is used only on-road being driven by our son to and from college. The dealer has no explanation as to what could be the cause of the rapid deterioration. All under body components appear to be vulnerable to this high level of deterioration. The dealer is willing to repair the vehicle but the dealer stated there is no way to tell what or when other components could possibly fail, such as the brake lines etc. Hyundai was contacted regarding the concern but stated there was no action they would take at this time. They did reluctantly agree to call the dealership to inquire with them about the extent of the corrosion.

Filed Sep 3, 2014 · Body, Suspension · 160,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that the vehicle suspension was unstable causing the vehicle to wobble back and forth. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the sub frame and control arm were rusted to the point of a potential fracture and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was made aware of recall the federal safety agency campaign id number: 14v435000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed Apr 3, 2014 · Body, Suspension · OH

My vehicle was recalled several years ago for rust in the front and rear suspension. It was apparently fixed by hyundai just putting a undercoat painting to the suspension, my problem is that the car is showing rust spots in the front suspension. I think hyundai should had replace the parts with new and rust proof parts instead of just putting undercoat painting. I know my vehicle is 11 years old, but I have kept it in very good condition with all service done at the dealer.

Filed Feb 24, 2014 · Body, Suspension · 98,000 miles · PA

Hit a nasty pothole and knocked the alignment out on my sante fe, or so I thought. When I took it to my mechanic he put it on the lift to check the front end. He found the right side sub frame was rotted and the lower control arm pulling out of the frame. Called hyundai 800 #. "sorry your car is not covered". This is nuts.

Filed Jan 10, 2014 · Body, Suspension · 97,000 miles · NY

Right front lower control arms has corrosion damage showing in rusted broken frame. Description is similar to hyundai recall no 091.

Filed Dec 20, 2013 · Body, Suspension · 175,000 miles · KS

I own a 2003 santa fe and just found out about the carriage corrosion problems with the 2001-2003 hyundai and subsequent recall in the "snow belt" states. I live in kansas, where they treat the local highways in the winter with salt and other corrosives. Why isn't kansas included in this recall? Has hyundai included vehicles in this state for the recall? The little truck has been terrific, with nothing going wrong until now. The garage I take my vehicles to would not allow my daughter to get back into the santa fe, fearing that she would have an accident. Thank goodness for small favors! I will give his contact information upon response from you.

Filed Aug 20, 2013 · Body, Suspension · 201,000 miles · KY

The passenger from sub frame broke dropping the lower control arm bending the wheel out. This was at big o tires checking alignment. I see there was a class action law suit on this matter covering 2001-2003 santafe's. The front sub frame must be replaced.

Filed Apr 24, 2013 · Body, Fuel system · 100,350 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that there was an overpowering fuel smell in the interior cabin. The contact also stated that the frame was severely rusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the fuel tank and fuel lines were rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,350.

Filed Jul 27, 2012 · Body, Steering · 125,000 miles · IA

The right front rocker arm rusted out causing the right front wheel to no longer be properly supported. The lower support arm is no longer fastened to the front support frame. This caused the alignment to be off, improper and excessive tire wear (replaced tires well before the warranty was up). Hyundai had a recall for this problem on other models (front sub-frame) but not on santa fe's (only rear trailing arm was included in the recall). When experiencing issues in multiple vehicles for the same reason, but different locations, all locations should be checked and not only the only that is prominent. A 5 minute additional inspection vs. The ultimate worse case scenario of a death, seems like a no brainer. Hyundai knew this could be a problem and refused to address it. This has now cost us almost $3000 in repairs that could have been avoided. The mechanic that found the problem will not let the vehicle be driven from his shop, as it is too dangerous. The worst part is if that if this failure had occurred while traveling over the highway, it could have resulted in a severe crash, which as you know could result in serious injury or death. Hyundai was not interested in hearing about the problem when we contacted them.

Filed Feb 21, 2012 · Body · 85,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact noticed rust on the sub frame. The dealer was contacted but did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was also made aware of the failure but failed to offer any assistance. No repairs were performed. The current and the failure mileages were 85,000.

Filed Jun 23, 2011 · Body · 124,000 miles · NH

This vehicle has 124,350 miles and looks to be in very good condition yet has underlying problems that has gone undetected until very recently. One is the front frame rail attachment to underside (floorboard) of body on passenger side which is heavily rusted and one large area is holed. Also the metal shield over the bottom of fuel tank is nearly completely rusted away and fell down onto rear rotating drive shaft. I feel both of these issues should not have happened with this vehicle and I also feel both could result in serious injury if the remaining steel attachments tear away due to severe section loss of components.

Filed May 17, 2011 · Body, Suspension · 140,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact was stopped at a traffic stop when the control arm from the frame of the vehicle fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop who advised that the sub frame was completely rotten and corroded. The mechanic advised that the frame would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Apr 28, 2009 · Body · MD · 2 injuries

The interior door handles on my 2003 hyundai sante fe have chipping/peeling paint. (the chrome paint) opening the door to get out the chrome paint is sharp like a razor and cuts my fingers and my child's fingers as it is happening on all four doors of the vehicle. It gets embedded into your finger somewhat like a splinter but much more difficult to remove and is very painful.

Filed Sep 23, 2008 · Body, Electrical · MI

I took my 2003 hyundai santa fe in to the dealer to replace the alternator. I was told that their is a rust hole a little larger than a golf ball in the cradle where the right front control arm bolts into the cradle. They told me it could be a safety hazard! And I should seriously consider replacing the cradle to the tune of 1700 dollars!

Filed Feb 19, 2004 · Body, Visibility · MA

Consumer experiencing problems with windshield wiper blades, and has the impression that it is a common problem. *la the dealer told the consumer the wiper blades but be loosened from the windshield manually before they are turned on or they will not work. The dealer also told the consumer to try and find any loose nuts and re-tightened them, which the consumer did, which did not keep the wipers from stopping in the middle of operation. The consumer was not satisfied with the installation of the running boards and had them replaced at his own expense. The heater made a noise as if something was caught in the fan box.

Filed Aug 4, 2003 · Body · MI

Two months after purchasing my santa fe, I had to take it back to the dealer for water a water leak. They stated that they repaired the leak by sealing the tail lights, however, there was water on the cargo cover in addition to the carpet. This repair does not seem to have corrected the problem as the rear cargo area of my vehicle was wet after it rained yesterday!

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