I lost power steering and power brakes while stopped at a stop sign going up a very steep grade. I was unable to shift into park so that I could turn my car off. I had to lay on the brake with all my weight to keep from rolling backwards into cars behind me. There were no warning lights. After a minute, which felt like much longer, I was able to shift to park and turn my car off and back on. The second time I lost all power, was a couple months later. I was going about 40 MPH on a curvy hilly road. I was unable to steer, accelerate, decelerate, or apply the brakes. There were cars behind me and I was terrified I would end up off the road or heading into oncoming traffic. The vehicle finally came to a stop when it didn't have enough momentum to make it up a hill. I was able to shift into park and turn the car off and back on. Both times my infant was in the car with me. Thank goodness both of us were unharmed, because we could have very easily been hurt or hurt others. I was in a several thousand pound vehicle which was out of control. I had it towed to the dealership the next day as I refused to drive it. They didn't seem to think it was a big deal and said I needed a new alternator. Luckily, I had purchased an extended warranty which covered the alternator replacement.
2008 Hyundai Santa Fe brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 29 of 29, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The 2008 santa fe traveling between 55& 60mph on divided highway would not slow down when I took my foot off of accelerator. I applied brakes but difficult to make vehicle stop. I think I slowed it down a lot but did not or would not be able to stop. It was like idle got stuck on high! After 20 seconds or so the acceleration returned to normal & I proceeded. It was scary ! First time this happened. I just had it in for service to replace to headlights & missing screw under front seat.
Was second vehicle at stop light with foot on brake. Vehicle suddenly lunged forward overriding brake, and hit back of vehicle in front causing damage and possible injury to other driver. Had pedestrians been in front, could easily have run over them. Months prior, twice on same day engine power died while driving. Hyundai replaced throttle position sensor.
The fuel gauge on my 2008 hyundai santa fe at around 67k miles started reading empty and then it started reading normal and then empty. Finally it has only read empty for the past couple thousand miles. I was hoping that it would fix itself which it never did. Wishful thinking. I ended up bringing my santa fe into the local hyundai service department to troubleshoot the problem plus replace the front and back brakes, and perform existing recalls. They told me that one of the two fuel pumps located in the gas tank had failed. The fuel pump that failed was the one with the sending unit which provides the signal to the fuel gauge. They told me that I was fortunate that the other fuel pump did not fail as my hyundai santa fe will stop running.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH the vehicle unexpectedly failed to accelerate with the illumination of the ESC and engine warning indicator. The engine was turned off. The vehicle resumed upon restarting; however, the engine warning indicator remained illuminated. The failure recurred eight times. In addition, on numerous occasions when depressing the accelerator pedal hesitation would follow. There was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 13v113000 (exterior lighting , service brakes, hydraulic). The recall remedy was performed on two occasions and the failure persisted after each repair. The vehicle was currently being repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 92,099.
See attached email updated 06/04/2013*lj the occupant classification system (osc) does not consistently recognize small-statured adults, causing the passenger side air bag to deactivate when such person occupy the front seat. Also, there were problems with the transmission, a knocking noise coming from the front of the vehicle, the vehicle shutting down, an issue with the throttle cable, and a whining sound upon acceleration.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control activated at 70 MPH, he applied the brakes but the cruise control would not disengage. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed of a recall for the failure under the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v113000 (exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic). The dealer replaced the stop lamp switch per the recall however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified but no assistance was offered. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure and current mileage was 76,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The contact stated that the brakes failed to respond and the vehicle was placed in neutral in order to stop the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 95,000.
I was backing up and as I turned the wheel the car engaged in a sudden acceleration as the motor started to rev. I applied the brakes, but the car would not stop until it plowed through a brick wall at my school.
I was backing out of a driveway when the accelerator began racing. I was able to stop the vehicle and put it in drive while my foot was on the brake, when the car raced forward, accelerating out of control. I had my feet on the brakes but the brakes did not work and the car continued accelerating forward crashing into a neighbors yard and demolishing their landscaping before I managed to stop the vehicle and turn it off. I was not seriously injured, but it could have ended much differently as I crossed a main highway before the car came to rest. Because I have floor mats other than those issued by hyundai, I was told by the dealership that the floor mat caused the gas pedal to become stuck in the down position. This is not what happened and would also not explain why the brakes did not work at all.
Rear brake lock atlow ( 21,000) miles rotor grooved, excessive heat potential fire hazard, out of control steering hyundai says the brake slides must be lubricated..however, their maintenance schedule does not mention lubrication of brake slides as part of schedule.
We have a 2008 hyundai santa fe. Several times now it had unexpected brake failures. Last time on december 19 2010. I tried to stop the car in the intersection on red light. The brake went to the floor and the car entered the intersection. Second time I hit the pedal and it stopped. Then when I arrived home I tried to park and it happened again. There were similar problems also in 2009. The dealership cannot duplicate the problem. I drive my car in school zones. And this thing happened in the school parking lot too. I do not feel safe driving the car.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. While driving approximately 55 MPH a noise was coming from the rear passenger side wheel. Upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the wheel was very hot and smelled as if it was burning. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the brake calipers were covered with rust. He was also informed that he would be responsible for the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 30,731.
I have experienced brake failure on 2 occasions. I took my 2008 hyundai santa fe to the dealer on monday, march 1, 2010. The brakes were checked completely, and the vehicle was taken on several test drives. The service tech was unable to duplicate the failure. Therefore nothing was replaced or repaired. The first occasion of brake failure was on wednesday night, february 24th, I was slowing down and getting ready to make a right turn, as I approached the driveway I put my foot on the brake pad, and it went to the floor, and I coasted past the driveway. Went up turned around, with no brake problem. The second incident was on sunday february 28th, as I pulled into the church parking lot, I tapped the brake to slow down and turn to park, as I hit the brake, my foot went to the floorboard, and I again coasted past where I wanted to turn. Luckily there was no one walking or stopped in front of me. I am concerned that the next time this happens someone will get hurt. And, I no longer feel safe driving my car.
The brakes on my 2008 santa fe seem to rust excessively. I had lost almost all braking ability last summer when the calipers froze requiring a complete brake job. Lately the rotors are rusting so bad each night that the brakes almost fail to stop the vehicle for the first mile or so of driving.
My driver side rear brake started squealing. I pulled over and realized the brake was scorching hot. It happened two more times after that. I called the dealership, they said bring it in. It was frozen pads in caliper slides. I was also told I should have the brakes cleaned once a year?! I was also charged $89.95.
This failure occurred on two separate occasions. After starting from a stopped position the brakes were applied and the pedal went right to the floor with no braking action. Within one to two pumps the breaking returned to normal operation.
I purchased a brand new 2008 hyundai santa fe gls awd on 4/13/2009. On friday, may 8, 2009 at approx 5:20 pm I was driving to my sisters who lives 5 minutes away with my son in the car. I had just turned onto the street and a red light was 1 block away. I was slowing down, when I was about two car lengths from the next vehicle I applied the brake it went all the way to floor. I pumped the brake several times with no response. I immediately turned the wheel toward the side of the road to go in a ditch when the brake finally engaged and I stopped. I slowly drove into a nearby parking lot. Tested the brakes and continued to my sisters. Four hours later we were driving home. Still cautious and leaving room between me and other cars. I was completely stopped. The brake let go and my car shot forward. Luckily I hit the brake again and it caught. My son and I both were pulled back and hit the seats by the seat belts. I drove the few blocks home and called a tow truck the next morning. My vehicle has been at the dealer since. They are insisting that I pick up the vehicle tomorrow even though they have not found the cause. They refuse to repair anything because they are unable to duplicate it. I am not comfortable driving a vehicle just waiting for the next brake failure. I may not be lucky next time and may fine myself in an accident where myself and others could be injured. I have seen many reports from others online with the same issues. There must be some defect on the brakes in this vehicle and I hope someone will make hyundai be responsible and fix their vehicles and back their product before someone is seriously injured.
I have a new 2008 hyundai santa fe with 1,500 miles. After driving on an interstate and driving a short distance after stopping for the exit ramp, I attempted to stop again. The brake pedal went to the floor with no action whatsoever. I tried again and it stopped. I checked the brake fluid level and it was still full. I checked for any visible signs of liquid leaks around the wheels, but observed none. Two hours later the same occurrence and the next day the same occurrence. There were no injuries or accidents as I kept driving slowly and checking the brakes frequently. I've scheduled an appointment with the local hyundai dealer.
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