2003 Hyundai Santa Fe: engine stalls while driving

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 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 Sep 4, 2014 · Engine · 73,100 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly stall with out warning. The contact mentioned that within 2 to 3 seconds the vehicle would restart and operate as normal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 73,100.

Filed Dec 10, 2012 · Acceleration · 99,606 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact then engaged the emergency brake, causing the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the failure recurred. The vehicle was diagnosed with a stuck throttle. The throttle, brakes and rotors were all replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileage was 99,606.

Filed Nov 1, 2012 · Engine · 170,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundia santa fe. The contact stated hat while driving approximately 5 MPH, a loud noise emitted from the front end of the vehicle. The engine stalled without warning and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent auto shop who stated the malfunction was contributed to the engine mount bracket bolt. The vehicle was no repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure was 170,000.

Filed Oct 17, 2011 · Transmission · 107,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact was driving 35 MPH when the gear shifter would not move into gear, causing the vehicle to stall in the middle of traffic. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who stated there were no recalls and any repairs would be at the contact's expense. The failure mileage was 107,000.

Filed Sep 3, 2010 · Electrical · 118,000 miles · CT

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. While driving 5 MPH the vehicle stalled and the vehicle lost all electrical power. The contact coasted to the side of the road and called a tow truck. The contact then decided to restart the vehicle and it began to function normally. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer was not familiar with the failure. The failure had only occurred one time. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 118,000 and the current mileage was 118,002.

Filed Aug 21, 2010 · Acceleration · 136,000 miles · MN

I have experienced my 4th incident of sudden unintended acceleration on my 2003 hyundai santa fe. I have reported this to you three times before. I am concerned that I may injure myself or another person when this happens. I now drive with my hand on the shift lever and put the car into neutral when nearing any possible situation where I could hit another car or a pedestrian. I am becoming so adept at this maneuver that last time it happened I put it in neutral automatically. I was badly shaken, but nothing serious happened. I have reported this to hyundai america and they are not concerned. They have inspected the problem and claim that the car is safe to drive. The consumer stated she had already been driving for a few hours, so the engine was warm. The cruise control was on and she was headed up a mountain highway, when suddenly the vehicle lunged forward, increasing in speed as she was cresting the hill. As she headed down, braking, the tachometer continued to widely go up and down and the engine was revving up . Once she pulled over, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. They downloaded a computer upgrade and over the next 4-5 weeks on occasion, the vehicle would stall at low speeds. According to the invoice, the throttle position sensor was replaced. Updated ivoq 11/03/10

Filed May 4, 2010 · Electrical · 143,772 miles · GA

Our 2003 hyundai sante fe will shut off while driving with no warning at all. The tachometer drops to zero then the vehicle will restart and continue going. Sometimes it will completely shut off while driving or at a stoplight and has to be put and park and cranked. The vehicle also bucks while driving at times and the transmission shift hard when putting in reverse at times. Vehicle has been sent to dealership several times and says they cannot fix it without seeing it happen with their computer connected to it. Of course, it never occurs for them. Nothing has been done to resolve this issue. This happens nearly daily over the last year. The vehicle is not safe to be driven.

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 Nov 10, 2009 · Airbags, Engine · 140,000 miles · TX

About 3 months ago, my airbag light came on and was not gone off since. I wondered if this meant I had no airbag function, but now after reading these complaints I know it is not working. This problem combined with the engine that mysteriously and suddenly shuts down while driving on the interstate is not a good combination. I smell trouble.

Filed Sep 17, 2009 · Engine · 81,203 miles · NC

I purchased a 2003 hyundai santa fe 09/2007 with 78k mi. In may 2009 I took vehicle to dealership for oil change & asked them to check it out before I went on a road trip. I wasn't having any problems, just wanted to be sure everything was ok. Service tech recommended transmission flush, replacement of timing belt, & replacement of crank sensor. I agreed to recommendations because I want to drive a safe & reliable vehicle. Since may I have returned to service dept. At least 4 times because the vehicle now stalls while I'm driving, no warning, just quits. It starts back up after a few minutes. These events are intermittent. The failures have occurred at speeds between 15 & 55 MPH, while A/C on, outdoor temp 80+ & humid. Sometimes failure occurs while accelerating from a stop, other times at higher speed on hwy. Service tech has been unable to duplicate or get a read on the problem. He has even driven the vehicle home & back (60 mi) at least twice, stating he had no problems. Each visit I am told "no problem found" yet failures persist. Hyundai USA has advised me if it happens again, have it towed to dealership so they may diagnose/duplicate the problem. The person I spoke to at hyundai USA seemed very familiar with this issue. To me, this is a very serious safety issue. So far I've been lucky to avoid an accident. Do santa fe drivers have to be seriously injured or killed before hyundai makes this issue a priority? I have read many similar complaints online, some dating back to late 2003. Almost all mention being told its a problem with crank sensor or related components. Also, hyundai apparently did recall 2001 & 2002 models with the same or similar problems. My vehicle didn't stall until the crank sensor was replaced, could be a coincidence, but I don't think so. Besides the safety issue, this is a financial rip-off. $90/hr labor adds up quickly. Hyundai keeps profiting from a defect they seem to be aware of, yet refuse to correct.