2003 Hyundai Santa Fe: check engine light

Filed Aug 16, 2018 · Engine, Fuel system · 181,000 miles · IA

2003 hyundai santa fe, 180k miles, 2nd owner. Customer states: fuel leaking from fuel tank onto ground; safety concern & fire hazard. Unable to park in garage/driveway. Fuel light on; low fuel level. Filled with $7.00 in gas ($2.70/gal). After fueling, fuel gauge hasn't moved. Added more fuel & set gas station fuel nozzle to auto stop when full. Gauge says 3/4 tank (normally would read full tank).then drove 12 miles no issues. Parked on residential street for 1-2 days. Searched online found 'warranty extension' on fuel tank. Driving to certified hyundai dealer, 15 miles away. Drove 5 miles on interstate, losing power. Pulled off at nearest exit, died while driving in traffic, over interstate bridge. Oil, battery, check engine light, etc. On. Cars behind me mad, honking, rush hour. Got it started, nowhere safe to pull over, lane ieads me to interstate, now headed in opposite direction towards home. Lost power, died again, <1 mile from home on exit ramp. Let sit 4-5 hrs. Dark;11pm. Restarted, drove few feet, died. Dark outside. Put in neutral, roll backwards, steer onto shoulder for safety. Dot/sheriff tagged car next a.m. Called hyundai consumer affairs & was advised to tow to dealer. I did. Hyundai stating outside of milage allowance & not covered. Why is this not a safety recall? This is a public safety hazard! Even when parked! Fuel leaks/issues put the public at risk! Not safe parking in my garage/driveway, public/residential streets, neighborhoods, schools, businesses/retail properties, let alone driving. What if a cigarette is tossed by a passerby, rolls under a leaking fuel tank & leads to fire, damages, injuries and/or death(s) to those in/around vehicle? This should be taken more seriously! It's a public safety hazard! Mileage shouldn't matter (see lexus recall, june 2018; cbs news). Cust=single mom & ft college student=the struggle is real. Please advise.

Filed Aug 15, 2018 · Fuel system · 181,000 miles · IA

2003 hyundai santa fe, 180k miles, 2nd owner. My vehicle is leaking gas from the fuel tank onto the ground. I can't even park my vehicle in my garage or driveway due to the possibility that it will catch on fire. I searched online and found out the vehicle was one that has had a warranty extension on the fuel tank, which is 15 years or 150,000 miles whichever comes first. My fuel light was on indicating my fuel level was low. I live 15 miles away from the nearest hyundai dealer so I was taking it in to have it inspected by a certified hyundai dealer. I filled up my tank with $7.00 of gas ($2.70/gal). After fueling I got into my car and started the car. I noticed the fuel gauge had not moved after fueling. I proceeded to fill up the car until full. Since it is not safe because I can see the file leaking, I cannot park on my property and parked on the street, as far away from other houses. It did not feel safe on a public street, in a residential neighborhood, just sitting there because the possibility of it catching on fire and exploding in flames. What if a driver flicked out a cigarette and it rolled under my vehicle, catching it and anything around it on fire? I attempted to take it to the dealership, after filling it with a full tank of gas. While driving to the dealership, the vehicle started loosing power. I pulled off onto the nearest exit and it died, oil light, battery light, check engine light came on (etc). Cars behind me where honking during rush hour traffic. Able to get it started again and decided to try to get home again. Vehicle lost power again & died, this time not restarting, even after sitting 12 hours. I called a tow truck and had it towed to the dealer. Hyundai is stating I am outside of the miles allowance. Why is this not a mandatory recall? This is a public safety hazard' even when parked! Time/mileage shouldn't matter. Many others like mine.

Filed Jun 30, 2011 · Engine · 119,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate, especially when driving uphill. The check engine light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic several times where numerous repairs were performed but to no avail. The failure mileage was 119,000 and the current mileage was 122,000.

Filed May 5, 2011 · Transmission · 64,400 miles · CA

I purchased a used 2003 hyundai santa fe in december 2008. The vehicle operated well for six months. Suddenly, while driving on the freeway one day, the car began to jerk. The problem went away for two months, then returned more violently with the vehicle turning off while at stops and driving in traffic, even at 35 to 40 MPH. I noticed the RPM's drop suddenly when the car jerks. However, the check engine light doesn't come on, and neither do any other indicators that something is wrong with the vehicle. I have paid to get the crankshaft sensor and coils repaired on the car, but the problem still persists. After almost three years of having the vehicle, which I am still paying off to the finance company, the car still jerks while driving even at 30 MPH within in a 2 mile radius of my home. I have to drive the vehicle slowly, without accelerating and sudden stops to keep the jerking to a minimum. I have called hyundai USA about the problem, but they cannot do anything because I no longer have the warranty, since I am the second owner. The hyundai dealership cannot pinpoint the problem and neither can other mechanic shops. I am practically paying for a car that doesn't work! I have seen that there are several other owners who have this problem, and have heard that there was a recall in canada about the same issue on the car jerking, but not in the united states. I seriously believe there needs to be a recall for this same problem here in the u.s. Before a serious accident occurs, such as with toyota vehicles.

Filed Apr 4, 2010 · Engine · 112,000 miles · PA

2003 santa fe stalls at highway speeds but immediately starts again. Stalling has also been noticed at lower speeds and while idling at stop lights. This occurs sporadically and with no indication that anything is wrong, check engine light is not on so a diagnostic scan is useless. I have seen many other complaints about the same problem with no solution from hyundai. Also recalls on 2001 and 2002 for the same problem.

Filed Mar 21, 2009 · Electrical · 28,995 miles · IL

I own 2003 hyundai sante fe on june 2008 it started stalling,hestitating on the highway it started jerking and engine light came on pulled to side it shut off would not start until hours later, took to dealer diagnostic showed crankshaft ,belt timing plugs, total cost was $1219.84 stated was not warranty, I had them repair , last couple months ,same thing again, but I notice that the jerking and stalling happens after a rainy/humid day the jerking and stalling happen more, was told spark plugs needed to be replace again,still the same problem. I will contact hyundai america and also the bbb about this, I think there should be a recall and taken care of, the stalling while driving can cause an accident which 2 times it almost happen with me. I can not afford to pay this again. Doing research this is happening to lots of 2003 , but this has happen prior to 2001 & 2002. I hope to get something resolved.

Filed Feb 4, 2009 · Transmission · 71,000 miles · CT

My hyundai santa fe 2003, 4 cylinder, 2.4 liter engine stalled 4 times. Engine light came on. I took it to service diagnosed with crank precision sensor. No covered under warranty. Doing research I found out that the 2001 and 2002 was recalled for this matter. Also found out that many 2003's are having the same problem. Also I find it disturbing that hyundai wont cover this because it is and electronic part but the engine can just stall at any moment. Because it was recalled 2yrs prior should raise a red flag. I will be calling hyundai corp. Thank you soraya garcia

Filed Feb 23, 2007 · Electrical · 19,999 miles · FL · crash · fire

Tl*- the contact stated that 2 years ago he started having stalling problems with the 2003 hyundai santa fe .s while driving at 55 MPH or about 15-25 MPH the vehicle will stall. He stated that the dealership had the vehicle on numerous occasions, and they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The dealership informed him that unless the check engine light turned onthey would not be able to do diagnostic testing to see what could be wrong with the vehicle. The dealership informed him that he may have to take the vehicle back to the dealership where he purchased it. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer and was given a case#, will submit with the hard copy. Also, he has contacted the bbb and filed a complaint. The usual driver was too afraid to drive the vehicle now because of the stalling problems. He stated that when the vehicle lost power everything in the vehicle shut down and the steering locked. The failure mileage was 19999, and the current was 61480. The vehicle stalled 101 times azs of 02/23/2007.

Filed Dec 21, 2006 · Acceleration, Transmission · 47,896 miles · FL

At approximately 47,000 miles, check engine light came on. In addition, vehicle experienced a sudden occasional jump in idle to 3000 RPM+ while in park and drive after three minutes or so of operation. While in drive, vehicle lunges dangerously forward. When this occurs, ignition is turned off, and restart takes several attempts. After restarting, the vehicle will sputter and refuse to accelerate normally for 30-60 seconds. Vehicle also stalls occasionally after 3 minutes or so of use when accelerating from a full stop. Vehicle was brought to napelton hyundai, west palm beach, fl on nov 30. Crankshaft position sensor and camshaft sensor were replaced. Before leaving dealership with service manager present and automatic transmission in park, vehicle idle suddenly spiked to 4,200 RPM. I was told dealer was closed, and to drive it home. On december 5, vehicle again stalled again in traffic at intersection almost causing a collision. After restarting, it refused to accelerate normally for 30-60 seconds. Vehicle was towed to back to napelton hyundai because both the stalling and sudden acceleration are serious concerns that make this santa fe unsafe to operate. The service manager agreed fully that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. On dec 20 I was advised that the vehicle was not repaired because attempts to duplicate the problems were unsuccessful. I was told to pick it up and drive it. I refused to do so. Napelton had over 20 days to detect and correct these major safety issues, and I will not drive hyundai's failure into an accident. A review of the federal safety agency defects reported for this santa fe for 2003-2005 model years reveals over 40 similar incidents, some involving collision and injury. These are categorized under several different components including vehicle speed control, electrical system, vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal, other, power train: automatic transmission, and equipment. Perhaps the santa fe's can be recalled before deaths result.

Filed Oct 10, 2006 · Transmission · VT

My 2003 hyundai santa fe with an automatic transmission, started to shift differently. It would buck when shifting into a higher gear, if I attempted to go up a steep hill, the vehicle would lose all power and the check engine light would come on. I took it to a dealer, they replaced a sensor, said the vehicle would be fine. I drove it home only to have it still shift with a buck. I took the vehicle back to the dealer only to be told, after they kept it overnight, that it would need a $2800 transmission replacement. Of course, being a second owner, the warranty ran out at 60k.

Filed Sep 7, 2005 · Brakes · 28,382 miles · IL · crash

Check engine light was displayed. While driving at a low speed toward a red traffic light, I applied the brakes with no results. The pedal went all the way to the floor. Released, re-applied - still no brakes. This failure resulted in the car crashing into the vehicle ahead of it that was waiting at the red stop light. Brought the vehicle into the dealer. They could not find any problems. I was charged .5 labor hours ($46.50) and sent on my way with no resolution or explanation of what caused the loss of brakes and resulting accident. On this same service day, after consulting with hyundai consumer affairs, I brought the vehicle to a 2nd hyundai dealer for a second opinion/inspection. I was charged another $19.95 but again, service could not identify a problem. After further research into the history of service on this new vehicle, I confirmed that it was serviced in april 2004 as a result of a recall notice I received (recall no. 065 - ABS reprogramming). Although the service ticket indicated the correction included "performing recall #065. Hecu reprogramming", the summary and description of consequence listed in your the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v131000 is exactly what happened on the date of my accident. The day of the accident, I had my vehicle through a car wash. Neither hyundai dealer questioned whether the brake pad may have been wet and/or acknowledged that just over a year earlier, this vehicle was brought in under a recall involving the ABS, the consequence of an extended stopping distance occurring and a possible crash resulting. In november 2004 (after the recall service was performed), the vehicle again displayed the check engine light. It was brought into the dealer, service could not identify any problems on inspection. The events and history leading to the current failure seems to indicate that the previous recall work performed was not effective. My follow up call to hyundai consumer affairs has not been returned to date.

Filed Aug 20, 2005 · 1,000 miles · IN

I have a 2003 santa fe (march 2003 purchased). Shortly after purchase I reported to dealer that it jerks violently (stalls) and restarts at highway speeds and would sometimes just die at a idle stop light for no apparent reason (always started back up). The dealer inspected and could not find or replicate any issues. I called back again as this would continue to happen intermittently and is quite alarming. I travel as a healthcare consultant so I need a dependable car. Just this week the car would not start at all and the check engine light came on. I finally got it started and it ran quite bad I drove to the dealer where they diagnosed a bad crank and temp sensor. They replaced the crank sensor and I was completely surprised at the cars performance on the highway. It accelerated smoothly and no more jerky violent stalls. The dealer said the sensor may have been bad all along and finally gave out. I was charged 440 dollars as they said it was not covered under the 100,000 mile warranty. I think this needs investigated further after reading all the similar reports I do truly believe there is a manufacturing problem with the emissions assembly at the very least the sensors being used in the vehicles. I am requesting a refund from hyundai in this matter.