My 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GL, 3.3 liter engine suffered an oil leak from the valve cover and the oil dripped onto the alternator, causing the engine to stall when I was travelling at 65 mph in Idaho. The gasket and the alternator were fixed (under warrantee), but Hyundai initially refused to pay for the new battery that was also installed. After reporting them to the Better Business Bureau, they did reimburse me for that expense, but no other expenses (meals and lodging while stranded overnight), and they denied knowing anything about this problem, but the local service manager told me that they had already suggested replacing the old gasket with a new (better) gasket. The same problem happened in October, 2012, just before the warrantee expired and the valve cover gasket was replaced (I didn't notice any damage to the alternator at that time). In 2014, same problem. While my wife was driving, the engine stalled while she was driving. The car wasn't under warrantee any more and Hyundai wanted $850. to do the repairs. I refused to pay and had a mechanic that I know do the work. Unfortunately, this gasket leaked, too, since there was a defect in the T-joint of the valve cover, engine block and timing chain cover.

In 2016, Hyundai issued a 'Special Service Campaign Notification’, telling owners of 2007/2009 owners to take the car to Hyundai for repair. Their bulletin said that they would pay for repairs that the owner had completed. When I submitted my bill, they refused because the repairs weren't done by Hyundai - even though Hyundai's repair didn't work. This was on top of Hyundai telling Transport Canada that they would repay customers for out-of-pocket losses. A few months later, I spoke to the owner of a 2008 Santa Fe and looked at the repair that Hyundai had completed. It was a disaster, after that vehicle being driven only 6,400 km, there was oil leaking all over the front of the engine and the alternator. I asked Hyundai if they were willing to give me (and other owners) a lifetime warrantee, because their 'fix' didn't work. They refused. I didn't get this 'fix' done, as I had no faith in their repair.

In 2022, Hyundai issued a new recall (yes, they have actually called it a recall now) telling owners to bring their vehicle to a Hyundai dealer for repairs. I attended the local Hyundai dealer and asked for a copy of the instructions that Hyundai was using to do this 'fix'. They refused, citing privacy concerns (I guess it is privacy for Hyundai - not the affected customer). They did tell me that the part number for the oil protector is #3C000QQH. I have been able to locate the repair instructions for this part and it is actually a 'drain' so that any oil that leaks from the valve cover gasket will be deflected away from the alternator. What is the underlying reason for this part? Because Hyundai doesn't have confidence that they can actually fix this problem, but they won't admit that. As I studied this deflector, it is apparent that all it does is attempt to channel the leaking oil away from the alternator, but there isn't anything that collects this oil, so it drips (drains) onto the engine and ultimately must fall to the garage floor, driveway or street. Not really an environmentally acceptable solution. AND, they still won't offer a lifetime warrantee on this fix, even though they realize that it will probably fail!!! They even admit that the failure of the gasket could lead to damage and injury.

I've had nothing but issues with this car. Valve cover gasket replaced before my ownership, and a year and a half later its leaking again, Hyundai didn't seem to want to cover the COMPLETE part of the recall being the valve cover AND alternator. They only approved the valve cover gasket so they left my whining alternator that's had oil spilled on it for over a year in my car even though its a safety issue that required a RECALL.

The alternator whines on every single acceleration. The car makes horrible noises every time its cold-started and the valves make a horrible noise on the first cold acceleration (even if I let it warm up for over 5 minutes). Hyundais are crap, and they don't like to own up to their MANY vehicles flaws and safety issues, so I will never purchase one again. Back to Toyota it is.

In June of 2019 I was inspecting the engine of my wife's 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe and noticed the engine block and cylinder head were covered in oil and grime(way more than normal older car leakage would cause). She had owned the car before we were married (recently) and I had never really taken a look at the engine. The alternator(including the visible windings) was completely caked in a layer of sludge. I traced the leak to the valve covers, did some searching online and found that this issue is so common on this model/year that a recall had been issued by the maker. I entered the VIN number of the vehicle and sure enough, it was covered by this service campaign. Great! An easy fix, I thought and proceeded to make an appointment at our local dealership to replace the failed valve cover gaskets, happy that I had caught the problem in time to prevent my wife and new son being stranded somewhere by a failed alternator. So the next day, the dealer calls me up and says that they had already performed this recall, replacing both valve cover gaskets two years prior, shortly after she had moved into our state and had the vehicle serviced for an electrical issue. The service department tells me it will cost $350 dollars to do again, I asked him how a new gasket could fail in two years and he had no answer. I declined and picked up the vehicle, found the procedure online and replaced the valve cover gaskets myself. That's the only reason it cost just $50. Either they didn't actually do the repair the first time(maybe it wasn't leaking)and pocketed the money from Hyundai, Hyundai OEM valve cover gaskets are junk (I used a different brand) or the Sante Fe 3.3L engine design is flawed. Either way, I'd never buy a Hyundai again. This is not the only quality issue I have seen on this car.

I was driving from Chicago, IL to Kalamazoo MI, and my car died in Chesterton, IN. Turns out the recall work I had done, where Hyundai replaced the valve cover gasket and the alternator seems to not have worked. The alternator was fouled again. I brought it to Hyundai and they said that the leak was now coming from the Timing Cover Gasket, that the repair would be $1200 to $1600. The vehicle now has 145,000 miles on it. The Hyundai rep suggested that I douse the alternator in brake cleaner occasionally to remove the oil. So now I'll just buy brake cleaner spray and wait for the next failure.

I'm probably going to trade it in for a Toyota. We'll see.

Had this problem fixed 2 times. Seems like a problem on the bigger 6 cyc. Now the timing cover gasket is leaking. Think there are enough leaks? Never by another Santa Fe. Stay away from the 2007. Also had fuel sensor go. All was covered under extended warranty. Timing cover I missed it. Want $1400 to fix a lousy gasket? Still working with Hyundai.

Update from May 26, 2015: Working with Hyundai to seek some relief . Talked to a rep in California today. Hopeful but not thinking much will happen.

I am the second owner of a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe limited and I have never had problem with a vehicle that could not be fixed until now. At this point my wife and I have had the front valve cover replaced twice due to it leaking oil into the alternator and shorting it out. We have been stranded on the road twice as a result, including one trip 8 hours from home and 3 hours from our destination. Hyundai has been nothing but difficult to deal with and fails to recognize that there is a problem even though the Vera Cruz with the same engine has been recalled for the same issue. Over all a horrible experience, and I will never purchase another Hyundai ever again. The issue has still not been resolved.