2003 Hyundai Santa Fe: sudden loss of power

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 Nov 5, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 87,000 miles · NH

The car looses power but comes rite back ..sometimes stalls while in traffic but starts rite up..going on interstate lost power tact dropped to o all power lost came back on its own also cd player will come on by itself I think it may be something electrical I have read online many of the same problems with the sante fe of that year ..no fix what is the deal with that no fix something is up with that lots of complaints online that I have read to many of the same problem hyundai must know what is wrong but don't want to fix it to costly for the company...to bad for the consumer!!!

Filed May 22, 2013 · Brakes, Electrical · 112,000 miles · MN

2003 hyundai sante fe gls - drove through a 2 inch deep puddle. Lost power steering, battery light and brake light flashed then a rubber burning smell started. Drove the car for two additional days after the repair shop couldn't find anything. Then driving home from work, airbag light turned on, brake light turned on battery light turned on, all analog instruments failed, tach failed, braking became inconsistent and engine started missing. I drove directly to repair shop, as I made my final turn into the repair shop the power steering failed then the car shutoff. Early report from mechanic is a failed alternator - my third one in the last year. I think I have a larger electrical problem with the car, fans fluctuate in speed for the past couple of years and every time it rains I get flashing brake and battery lights. Losing the power steering twice in three days is a little unsettling... *tr ## VIN failed ##

Filed Mar 8, 2011 · Brakes, Engine · 61,000 miles · MA

Purchased as a used vehicle with 30,000 mi. In 2008 from a dealership with owners manual missing. On 8-1-2010 while driving home from work, the vehicle engine stopped running on a bridge on a busy roadway, causing the vehicle to lose power steering and power brakes. Other vehicles in the area had to take evasive action causing a immediate hazardous condition. Upon having the vehicle towed to a repair garage, it was determined that the cause of the catastrophic engine failure was the result of a defective timing belt that was a known issue for this model and make of vehicle. The manufacturer recommended changing of the timing belt was to be 60,000 miles, thus telling me the belt should have been changed in 2007 at the 60,000 mile mark. As you can see, I bought the vehicle in 2008 will 30,000 miles on it (no owners manual). I was told I was to be responsible for the cost of the replacement motor, which of course was a used motor because they redesigned the 3.5 liter engine in 2005 when this problem was evident and those engines would not fit my 2003. Why was there not a recall then on this for engine failure at that time? They had replaced the belt with a new design timing chain for the newer vehicles. While my vehicle was under repair, another 2003 santa fe was also in for the same issue. Fortunately, I was not injured, but the possibility was there. A minute earlier, I was traveling down a steep grade prior to the engine failure. This looks like an inherent problem for the hyundai 3.5 liter engine, they had to get my replacement engine from texas. Were used car buyers aware of this problem with the hyundai 3.5 liter engine models prior to 2006? This is a serious safety violation. The vehicle engine failed without warning! How about hyundai reimbursing me $4000.00?

Filed Sep 6, 2010 · Electrical, Steering · 121,577 miles · MD

2003 hyundai santa fe gs, fwd, 2.7l automatic - battery light intermittently comes on in wet weather and power steering is lost. Online research shows other owners of the same vehicle have taken their vehicles to the dealer with the same problem and have received no fixes. Losing power steering while driving is a severe safety hazard.

Filed Sep 20, 2007 · Electrical · 83,000 miles · CA

Our 2003 hyundai santa fe has had over 25 instances of engine stalling and power loss. We have the documentation that it was brought it to the attention of a hyundai dealership 4 times and over a 50,000 miles and a 2-1/2 year span. Each time it is taken in, the dealer cannot resolve it as they state they require an error code or first hand experience to begin to troubleshoot. I have contacted hundai america and am in the process of faxing over all documentation and the federal safety agency complaints that mirror the problem we are having. This is becoming an enormous safety hazard and I would like to have the federal safety agency to investigate hyundai on this issue.

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.