2003 Hyundai Santa Fe: fuel leak

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 Aug 5, 2015 · Fuel system · 130,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was a strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. In addition, fuel leaked from the fuel tank from underneath the rear driver's side seat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Jun 20, 2014 · Fuel system · 99,000 miles · MA

Kept smelling gas in the car, brought it to dealer. They said gas tank rusted and needs to be replaced. Shortly thereafter, gas started leaking out. Called hyundai and they said nothing they could do, sorry, etc. Warranty is up. This is the second rust problem with car. When I brought it in for subframe recall, car was unsafe to drive. Also had front end fixed because of leaking struts. I feel that a rusted gas tank is not normal wear and tear and is due to a defect. Now the car is again unsafe to drive, sitting in my driveway leaking gas.

Filed Dec 19, 2011 · Fuel system · 105,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked she smelled a fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel tank was corroded and leaking fuel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 105,000. The consumer stated due to the severity of the leak from the rusted gas tank, she was forced to get rid of the vehicle and had to purchase another vehicle.

Filed Mar 2, 2011 · Fuel system · 86,000 miles · NH

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated the bottom of the fuel tank was rusted and leaking fuel. Whenever the vehicle was parked there was fuel on the ground under the vehicle. The dealer was contacted who advised that they had never heard of the type of failure and there were no recalls for the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired at the contacts expense. . The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 86,000.