9.1

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,986 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 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe:

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

problem #2

Aug 112006

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 10 miles
I am experiencing a problem that threatens my safety every time I drive the vehicle. The problem has to do with delayed acceleration when applying the gas pedal, which causes fear when entering traffic or making a turn as opposing traffic approaches. The delayed acceleration is then followed by a lunging acceleration which reduces the feeling of control over the vehicle. I went back to the dealer in elgin, il a few days after purchasing the vehicle, but they brushed it off as a common characteristic of Hyundai vehicles with the 3.5 liter engine. They claimed that after some time the vehicle would ''adjust'' to my driving habits and the symptoms would go away. After driving the vehicle for a month, I made an appointment for service to have them check the vehicle over. The problems that I had described previously had not subsided at all. The service manager and I took a ride and he acknowledged the symptoms as they occurred and told me they would do a very thorough check of the vehicle. When I picked up the vehicle, the service manager told me that they could find nothing out of the ordinary with the vehicle. After driving the vehicle for about four months, I received a call from the dealership's new service manager and from a sales person who replaced the sales person that I had bought the vehcle from (he was fired). I told them about the problems with the vehicle, and they had me bring it in. The computer that controls the acceleration was swapped with one from another vehicle. The problem lessened in severity, but continued to be quite noticeable. I never did get a response from Hyundai corporation to a March 17, 2006 letter complaining about the problems. To this day, the acceleration was still erratic and makes me very uncomfortable when accelerating from a stop or even when accelerating on the expressway.the dealer service department says there is nothing more they can do, because no official recall has been issued.

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #1

Nov 292005

Santa Fe 4WD 6-cyl

  • 3,962 miles
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe brake pedal and steering wheel vibrated. Rotors had already been resurfaced. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer replaced the canister purge valve. The left speaker was making an noise.

- Stony Point, NY, USA