10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 86,670 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.
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe. When the contact shifted the gear in reverse, the vehicle accelerated backwards on its own. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a brick wall. The driver then shifted into the drive position and the failure recurred. As a result, the vehicle drove forward through the neighbor's fence before crashing into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The driver stated that the brakes were inoperable during the failures. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 155,000.
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while the brake lights failed to illuminate when the brake pedal was depressed. In addition, the contact stated that the brake lights would remain illuminated after the brake pedal was released. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA recall campaign number: 09V122000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The failure mileage was 113,000.
- Oregon City, OR, USA
On or about July 1st 2015 I was about to change the brake pads on my Hyundai Santa Fe. Upon removal of the tire I notice that the brake backing plate was rusted through and was hanging by a sliver of rusty metal. This auto uses a miniature drum brake affair on the rear wheels to actuate the parking brake. In my opinion, if the center of the backing plate rusts away and causes the brake shoe retaining pins to come out the brake shoe could contact the metal drum area which would cause the auto to have it's parking brake engage without warning, locking up the rear drive wheels, which could result in an serious accident. This auto was into the dealer for an oil change in June of 2015 and at that time the service writer informed me that the brake pads needed changing but no mention was made of the rusted out backing plate even though it was obvious that it needed replacement. I also believe that a backing plate should not rust through in less than 10 years. I base this on the fact that I worked for a service garage for over 10 years and have done the work on my own vehicles for over 40 years and in my experience backing plates should not rust to the point of perforation in less than 10 years.
- Stacy , MN, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 7 mph, the brakes failed to respond without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
- Castle Creek, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. The manufacturer advised that the vehicle was not included in the manufacturer's stop lamp switch replacement recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage were 78,485.
- Nicholasville, KY, USA
Brakes fail to engage, ABS sensor light comes on. Happens when traveling at various speeds, but intensifies when roads are wet.
- Escanaba, MI, USA
While driving and applying the brakes the ABS engaged on the right front wheel, now the same thing has happened on the left front wheel, both times it involved a sensor ring that had cracked in half and the brakes on that particular wheel failed to hold.
- Sterling Heights, MI, USA
I bought this vehicle used in 2012 and experienced my first incident with the brakes approx. 5 mos later. Whenever I have to stop in a hurry at various speeds, the brakes do not engage. Vehicle slides, does not stop. I came close to having several accidents and was fortunate enough to drive the vehicle into next lane to avoid hitting car in front of me or going through a red light. This is very scary and I can't believe Hyundai has not recalled vehicles with similar problems. Brakes work fine if you have plenty of time to stop, but if you have to make a sudden stop and step on the brakes, they will not engage even if you pump them. Vehicle just slows down on its own. I would like Hyundai to explain the reason for this mal-function of the braking system in the Santa Fe models. This is very dangerous, people are going to be injured or die because they cannot stop their vehicle suddenly at average to high speeds when traveling.
- Gold Canyon, AZ, USA
I have had problems with the brakes since I bought the car in September 2012. Had to bring the car back to the dealership twice. They finally got the brakes to feel ok in normal driving conditions, but every time it snows, snow and ice get stuck in my brakes and I can not stop. I almost crashed 4 times on my way to work this morning, and has happened every time it snows. They will not fix without a charge because it's past the warranty.
- Mashpee, MA, USA
Driving back home from work and driver behind notified me that brake lights don't work. I checked all fuses, bulbs and seems okay. I found that the brake light switch is defective. I saw recall on 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe but not 2006. Will the dealer will replace my defective brake light switch?
- Dover, DE, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving approximately 65 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the rear end of the vehicle began to fish-tail uncontrollably. The contact was able to regain control and resumed driving. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated the failure was related to the ABS ring, which was a common defect issue. The vehicle was repaired under the service warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
- Floral Park, NY, USA
- Scotts Valley, CA, USA