10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
10 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,758 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 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe:

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

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #34

May 312014

Santa Fe

  • 68,308 miles
As I was driving the clutch pedal suddenly dropped to the floor from underneath my foot. Then the car started to accelerate, even though my foot was on the brake and over the clutch. I was luckily able to get it back under control without hitting anyone, and get it pulled over, but it wasn't easy. Having a friend and 2 babies in the car with me, it was fairly terrifying. We got it pulled over and stopped, and finally got the clutch moving up to put the car in neutral and turn it on and off again, but we never did get it back into gear so we had a tow truck come clear it from the road. Never would have expected anything like that, let alone on a car with only 68000 miles.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #33

Jun 112013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while attempting a turn. The brakes also failed and the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact crashed into the passenger's side of a large truck and sustained injuries to the head, a fractured finger and ankle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop but was neither repaired nor diagnosed to determine the cause of the braking or acceleration failure. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 01/14/14

- Forrest City , AR, USA

problem #32

Sep 252013

Santa Fe

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle started to shudder and decelerate. The contact mentioned that the electronic stability warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the throttle position sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 80,000.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #31

Aug 072013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 43,492 miles
The brakes light was functioning (not on) when the brake pedal is depressed. The ESC off light start to stay on.

- East Longmeadow, MA, USA

problem #30

Jun 262013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
I bought this vehicle new. It has only 32000 miles. The fuel sensors do not work giving me inaccurate readings on the fuel gauge. In addition, in an incident that may or may not be related, while driving my six year old granddaughter, I experienced an extreme slowdown. This happened a total of three times on different days. This is an extremely dangerous event, especially if you are on an highway with high speed traffic. The ironic thing is that a friend bought the same kind of vehicle at the same time and she has had the same two problems.

- South Abington Township, PA, USA

problem #29

Jul 112013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 49,000 miles
Hello, I am the original owner of a 2007 Santa Fe. I was driving last week to pick up my 6 year old daughter when all of a sudden in the middle of an intersection I had no power when I pressed on the gas pedal. I coasted into the parking lot, noticed the check engine light on, shut off the car and immediately grabbed my manual to see what happened. When returning to the car after getting my daughter from camp, the car started and we made it home. I am fortunate that my work, camp, and our home are very close. The next morning I called my Hyundai dealer and discussed what they thought may have happened. They and I agreed it was better safe than sorry to bring it in to be checked. I just returned from the appointment and was told it was the "throttle position sensor", which is a very important part considering you can just lose power in the middle of an intersection or a highway. I only have 49,000 miles on my car, which is great for a 2007. I would expect these important parts to hold up much longer than that. I would appreciate you investigating this very important matter. I and many other families have very precious cargo we carry in our cars...our kids. Thank you!

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #28

Jul 032013

Santa Fe

  • 84,500 miles
Engine light and ESC light came on and would not accelerate appropriate.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #27

Sep 032012

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
While driving the car suddenly loses power. Pressing the accelerator has no effect even though the engine is still running and in drive. This has occurred multiple times at different speeds. So far I have managed to pull to the side of the road without incident. Turning the engine off and on multiple times restores power again.

- Milliken, CO, USA

problem #26

Apr 032013

Santa Fe

  • 87,245 miles
When I would begin acceleration the vehicle would hesitate then take off rapidly then I would loose power to a speed of @ 15 miles per hour and the ESC off switch would appear on the dashboard followed by the check engine light. I safely pulled over and turned the vehicle off for about 30 seconds. Once I turned the vehicle back on, the dashboard lights would go out and I would repeat this cycle 8-9 times before being able to drive normally. On several occasions after driving normally for about 10 miles the ESC off light would reappear on the dashboard and I would loose power while driving sometimes on a highway which was extremely dangerous to go from 60 mph to coasting at @ 15 mph. Diagnosis from the car dealer is the throttle position censor and throttle body part. In my opinion this is a serious malfunction and certainly dangerous combination and should be labeled as a recall. Hyundai should value the safety and expectations of their car buyers. When we as consumers purchase a vehicle we expect an excellent quality product. I researched this vehicle before purchasing and was led to buy it because of the many solid qualities I found. As a consumer, I am disappointed in this malfunction and equally disappointed in Hyundai for not stepping up to the plate to correct this major safety, quality and important issue. Furthermore, I was in the market to upgrade my sante fe, however now I will be looking into another vehicle to purchase.

- Knightdale, NC, USA

problem #25

Apr 242013

Santa Fe

  • 75,000 miles
While accelerating to pass a car, my accelerator got stuck and I couldn't get my car to stop with the brakes. This had happened once before, a couple of years ago and I was able to get it 'unstuck' by pumping brake and accelerator. I took the car in to be checked and the dealer said they couldn't 'recreate' the issue and that it was probably my floor mats. I basically chalked it up as a fluke, although I never agreed with the floor mat scenario. When it happened this time, I tried pumping brakes, accelerator, downshifting, etc. And the car slowed down some, but wouldn't actually stop until I ran into the back of another car. Even then, the engine was revving and the only way I could get it to stop was to turn it off. I was too afraid to drive it again so it was towed and is being checked for mechanical malfunction. I see that there are numerous complaints about this issue and don't understand why there hasn't been a recall!!

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #24

Feb 092013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
While traveling on the interstate at approximately 70 mph, I attempted to deactivate the cruise control by tapping on the brake pedal. The cruise control did not turn off even with holding the brake down harder. I was able to shut off the cruise control using the off switch on the steering wheel. Upon exiting the interstate and reaching my destination, I could not get the shifter to go into park. After shutting the car off and on several times, I got it to go into park. It has only done this one time and never happened since then. Fortunately, I was driving and not my teenage daughter who normally drives this vehicle. Her lack of experience may have caused her to panic when the cruise control failed to deactivate with the brake pedal.

- Hurricane, WV, USA

problem #23

Apr 072013

Santa Fe

  • 100,195 miles
Car began accelerating as if cruise control was on. I put my foot on the brake and the car hesitated for a second. My foot then returned to the gas pedal and again the car began to accelerate at a very fast pace. My foot then returned to the brake and the speed continued to increase. I then put the car into park and shut off the ignition. Prior to turning off the car the speedometer showed speed of 90 miles per hour. My vehicle then rolled to a stop. When the tow truck driver attempted to start the vehicle the steering column was locked and he was not able to turn the key in the ignition. The car was towed to the Hyundai dealership. The following morning they claimed they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle and suggested that the incident was caused by my floor mat.

- Sheboygan, WI, USA

problem #22

Mar 282013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 61,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while parked, she shifted into drive when the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a parking sign. The contact shut the ignition off in order to stop the vehicle and avoid crashing into other vehicles. The police reported to the scene and filed a report. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

- Gerry, NY, USA

problem #21

Mar 252013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 75,450 miles
While attempting to accelerate on an interstate to pass a vehicle, the accelerator pedal became stuck and the vehicle quickly sped up to 80 mph in a matter of seconds. Thankfully due to recent accelerator issues/recalls for other manufactures, I was able to shift the vehicle into neutral. The engine was pegged at max rpms while I frantically tried to get over through the lanes with the car in neutral. With three children aboard, this was a very harrowing experience. I was ultimately able to reach down, grab the accelerator pedal, and yank it back. After doing this, it again drove normally. I immediately looked at the pedal, floor mat, and carpet once arriving home. It is clearly obvious that the floor carpet itself (not the mat, the actual vehicle's carpeting) just under the pedal has hardened and developed a bulge such that the pedal will get stuck in it if depressed to far. This was brought to the immediate attention of the Hyundai dealership who indicated the warranty was no longer valid as the vehicle was past 60K miles (75K), and a call placed to Hyundai usa again yielded the same results, that the owner would need to pay $1400 to replace the flooring. There is clearly a design flaw in the floor carpet and raised section directly under the accelerator pedal that lead to this unintended acceleration, putting my safety at risk, and Hyundai is willing to hide behind the warranty to avoid keeping its once loyal customer safe.

- Maple Grove, MN, USA

problem #20

Mar 182013

Santa Fe

  • 100,000 miles
Cruise control would turn on but not allow a speed to be set. Also ESC off light remained on dash solid. We never received any notice of a recall from Hyundai. I see numerous other Hyundai owners who have had this problem.also the check engine light has been on and won't turn off no matter how many times the cap is taken off then put back on after three turns. Fuel reads empty when tank is full.

- Winter Park, FL, USA

problem #19

Nov 302012

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 28,500 miles
While driving at 35 mph, accelerator suddenly did no longer respond and "check engine" and ESC warning lit up and speed decreased. I was able to coast at 5-10 mph to the nearest dealer 8 miles away. They immediately diagnosed it to the tps unit (throttle position sensor), which was replaced under an extended warranty. However this is the second incident with this car. The first time happened in October 2007 just a week after we bought the car. We had to coast down a mountain from 8000 feet. At that time the tps unit was also replaced but under the original warranty. It is scary if/when it happens while passing a vehicle on the freeway or even in dense city traffic. I will alert Hyundai to this problem myself.

- Green Valley, AZ, USA

problem #18

Mar 302009

Santa Fe

  • 19,443 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that when driving at any speed, the accelerator would lose power and the vehicle would decelerate independently. All of the warning lights on the dashboard were illuminated constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the cause of failure was the tps sensor. The tps sensor was repaired however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,443 and the current mileage was 60,278.

- Trail , OR, USA

problem #17

Aug 152012

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 56,000 miles
Faulty brake switch A/B. obd codes P0571 & P0504 recorded. Symptoms: Brake lights would not light with brake pedal depressed. Cruise control would turn on but not allow a speed to be set. Also ESC off light remained on dash solid. Seems to be exact symptoms associated with NHTSA campaign id number 09V122000. We never received any notice of that recall from Hyundai. When I brought it to the attention of my local Hyundai dealership, I was told that recall did not apply to my vehicle. When I contacted Hyundai support I was told the same thing. I see numerous other Hyundai owners who have had this problem were also told the recall did not apply to their vehicle (via internet reports). I believe the recall should have applied to my vehicle. I have replaced the part myself and the repair seems to have corrected all the symptoms. The removed part is a genuine part of Hyundai/Kia. It is P/N 92810-3K000. Below the P/N is ">PA66-GF30<" and "infac". there is a red and a green stripe painted across this face of the part. On another face of the part is stamped "6D07".

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #16

Jul 312012

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 3 mph the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a building. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for repair however they would not repair the vehicle until the manufacturer sent someone to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to get repaired. A complaint was filed with the manufacturer. The failure and current mileage was 69,000. Updated 10/11/12 updated 10/16/12

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #15

Jun 212012

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,500 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start consistently. The electronic stability control warning light was illuminated as well as the four wheel drive warning light. The service engine light was also illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the failure was located as a faulty sensor of the throttle body that led to the pedal. The vehicle was repaired by replacing the electronic throttle control system with throttle position sensors one and two. The approximate current mileage was 50,500. The approximate failure mileage was 48,500. Updated 9/10/12

- Redmond, OR, USA

Read the next 14 complaints »