1.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
108,125 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #2

Sep 212014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 136,000 miles
For a long time I kept hearing this clunking type noise but we couldn't figure out what it was. Then on sun. Sept. 21, 2014 I noticed some extra play in the wheel. When I made a turn I had to turn the wheel twice as much as normal and then it locked and I had to really pull hard to get it back straight. We very carefully drove it to the auto shop only a mile away. They said my power steering line was ripped open. They said the bolt that attaches to the power steering gear rack sheared off of the subframe. I have pictures. Also since there is a recall on the coil springs for cars sold in the salt belt I thought this also could be a corrosion issue because the mechanic said he has never seen this before. The bolt didn't come loose, the actual subframe tore apart and the steering rack was just hanging there by one bolt and over time it ripped the rubber to shreds. This could have cause fatalities. We had to purchase a new subframe and steering rack to get the car drivable. It seems to me it was faulty manufacturing or a rust corrosion issue. The subframe is a huge thick iron frame where you would think nothing could break it, but in this instance it actually ripped. I would like some compensation for the repairs. I wanted this complaint out there because it could become a safety issue for other drivers.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #1

Aug 162014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 80,250 miles
I was in tn when I heard a slight "thunk" and then a continuous rattle under the vehicle. I assumed a broken exhaust bracket and left tn on 8/17/2014 to return to my home in saint louis mo. I traveled I55 in speeds in excess of 75 mph and listened to the rattle for about 100 miles. And then the rattle stopped and I assumed that the broken bracket had finally come loose and is now located somewhere on I55. I took my car to Firestone and was stunned to learn that my right front suspension coil spring was missing and my right front strut was broken. An inspection of the left front coil spring also indicated significant corrosion and needed to be replaced for safety. Hyundai has recalled 419,000 vehicles of this type in DC and 20 other states specifically stating excessive corrosion as a result of road salt--this list excluded the state of mo which happens to also use road salt. My Hyundai has been in mo for 12 years. Hyundai needs to do the responsible thing and expand its recall to all states that use salt and perhaps to coastal states that have ocean salt.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA