2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 14, 2009, HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER, INC (HYUNDAI) NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 THROUGH 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO JANUARY 27, 2003, THAT ARE REGISTERED AND OPERATED IN THE FOLLOWING SALT BELT STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN.HYUNDAI IS RECALLING THE VEHICLES TO REMEDY A CONDITION WHERE INTERNAL CORROSION OF EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT REAR TRAILING ARMS MAY RESULT IN FRACTURE OF THE AFFECTED ARM WHILE DRIVING, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A CRASH.THE REAR TRAILING ARMS WILL BE INSPECTED IN THE RECALLED VEHICLES USING A PROCEDURE DEVELOPED BY HYUNDAI TO MEASURE METAL THICKNESS.PARTS WITH PERFORATIONS FROM CORROSION OR WITH METAL BELOW THE SPECIFIED THICKNESS WILL BE REPLACED WITH REDESIGNED TRAILING ARMS.IF THE MINIMUM METAL THICKNESS IS MET, DRAINAGE HOLES AND AND RUST PROOFING MATERIAL WILL BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING REAR TRAILING ARMS.ALTHOUGH NOT SUBJECT COMPONENTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION, HYUNDAI NOTED IT WOULD PERFORM A SIMILAR PROCEDURE FOR THE FRONT SUBFRAMES OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT DATA REVEALED THAT 99% OF ALL CONSUMER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO TRAILING ARM CORROSION WERE FROM VEHICLES EITHER ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES. SIMILARLY 92% OF THE WARRANTY CLAIMS WERE FROM VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES.ODI IDENTIFIED 30 REAR TRAILING ARM FRACTURE INCIDENTS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY INFORMATION AND CONSUMER INTERVIEWS.TWENTY-NINE (29) OF THE FRACTURE INCIDENTS INVOLVED VEHICLES IN STATES COVERED BY THE RECALL.BASED ON HYUNDAI'S DECISION TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.

IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) DURING THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION, HYUNDAI PROVIDED ODI WITH 15 ALLEGATIONS OF CORROSION FAILURE OF THE LEFT- AND/OR RIGHT-REAR SUSPENSION TRAILING ARM.THREE OF THE 15 CONSUMERS ALLEGED A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AS A RESULT OF A REAR TRAILING ARM CORROSION FAILURE.SIMILARLY, ODI HAS RECEIVED 12 COMPLAINTS OF REAR TRAILING ARM FAILURE (ONE IS A DUPLICATE OF A COMPLAINT FILED WITH HYUNDAI).OF THE 12 ODI COMPLAINTS, 4 CONSUMERS ALLEGE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. IN TOTAL, ODI IS AWARE OF 26 CONSUMER ALLEGATIONS OF REAR TRAILING ARM CORROSION FAILURES AND 7 ALLEGATIONS THAT THE FAILURES AFFECTED VEHICLE CONTROL.ALL OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE BEEN OPERATED PRIMARILY IN SALT BELT STATES (CONNECTICUT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VIRGINIA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN AND WEST VIRGINIA).HYUNDAI IMPLEMENTED A DESIGN CHANGE IN THE MODEL YEAR 2003 PRODUCTION TO ADDRESS THE CORROSION ISSUE.THUS, THE SCOPE OF THE ENGINEERING ANALYSIS WILL BE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN MYS 2001 THROUGH 2003 AND SOLD IN SALT BELT STATES.THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA08-023) TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY AND POTENTIAL SAFETY CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT.

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I live in Roy city utah and i drive a santa fe 2001 and my trailing arm in the rear driver side snaped while i was going 45 mph. when i took it in to a shop to have it looked at they said that my trailing arm had snaped do to the rust corrision under the car. I know that there are recalls on the santa fe for the rear suspention trailing arms but only if you live in a salt belt state and utah is not one of those states and i think it should be because of the salt we use on our roads as well as i live 20 mins from the great salt lake . i have bearly had my car 5 months befor it broke i paid 2000.00$ for it. i guess i didnt fully understand the saltbelt state thing and i called young hayndai in ogden utah and they called a tow truck and had my car towed to the dealer ship they had it like 12 days or something befor they diganosed it. when they said that its not on recal because of the salt belt state thing they are trying to charg me 274.00$ just for them to tell me what i already knew was wrong with it and for the towtruck. because of my broken car i just had lost 2 highpaying jobs and i have no money to pay the dealership so they said that i cant have my car till i pay them then they said that they can only hold my car for 10 days . idont know what to do cause my santa fe was not only my only ride but its where i lived. so now im back to sleeping in the street and i dont know where or what the dealership has done with my car. please help me and order a recall on my santa fe because of the rust from living utah and all the salt here. Thanks for your time.

NHTSA ID

11513870

Incident

Sep 7, 2022

The contact owns a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on separate occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was towed to Marco’s body shop where it was diagnosed that both struts, new tires, front passenger side wheel cylinder, wheel mount, tie rod, and wheel bearings needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the mechanic noticed that the driver’s side cross member had fractured and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the subframe was corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer at a different location. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11501060

Incident

Dec 10, 2022

Mileage

140,000 mi

The suv stalls while driving. This has happened multiple time. While driving, driving slow, taking a u turn. The battery, alternator, starter, power steering pump, water pump, rack and pinion, timing belt, serpentine belt, idler pulley, harmonic balancer, front axles, shocks, struts, some sensors, spark plugs/wires, gaskets, and many other parts are replaced in the last year. Don't know what is wrong but it is scary when it stalls suddenly.

NHTSA ID

11474365

Incident

Mar 28, 2022

The rear trailing arm cracked in half causing my wife to run off the road11

NHTSA ID

11439998

Incident

Nov 7, 2021

The contact's friend owns a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while a friend was driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began to veer off to the right without warning and the driver began losing control of the vehicle. Despite the failure, the contact's friend was able to drive the vehicle to her home at slow speeds. Another friend was able to inspect the vehicle and discovered that the rear passenger’s side trailing arm had fractured due to severe corrosion. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V123000 (Suspension) which he linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure and he was informed that his vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11430266

Incident

Mar 15, 2021

MY WIFE WAS ACCELERATING TO 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWERVE LEFT TO RIGHT RAPIDLY. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. SHE COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. SHE NOTICED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL WAS ALMOST TOUCHING THE INSIDE OF THE REAR FENDER. SHE WAS ABLE TO LIMP IT ABOUT A MILE HOME TO DRIVEWAY. SHE CONTACTED HYUNDAI & THEY TOLD HER TO TOW IT TO CLOSEST HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP & REAP SUSPENSION PROBLEM WILL BE FIXED UNDER RECALL. AFTER WE PAID TO HAVE IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR TRAILING ARM WAS CORRODED AND ALMOST BROKEN & NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIAN CALLED MY WIFE THE NEXT DAY TO INFORM HER THAT HER SANTA FE REAR TRAILING ARMS HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED BY HYUNDAI. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED HYUNDAI TO SPEAK WITH PERSON THAT TOLD HER TO HAVE IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. HYUNDAI OPENED A CASE NUMBER FOR HER SANTA FE. HYUNDAI CALLED BACK COUPLE DAYS LATER SAYING THEY HAD RESEARCHED HER SANTA FE UNDER RECALL CAMPAIGN 090 AND THAT IT DID NOT QUALIFY BEING THAT IT HAD NOT REGISTERED WITHIN THE 20 SALT BELT STATES REQUIRED FOR RECALL. HYUNDAI CASE WORKER SAID THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REPAIR THE SANTA FE UNDER RECALL.& HYUNDAI WAS CLOSING THE CASE. AFTER A VERY EXTENSIVE SEARCH ON THE SANTA FE FRAME CORROSION RECALL SHE DISCOVERED THAT THE FRAME CORROSION RECALL HAD BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE EVERY SANTA FE WITHIN THE 50 STATES, ALTHOUGH HYUNDAI DID NOT SEND NOTICES TO ANYONE UNLESS THE SANTA FE HAD BEEN REGISTERED IN THE 20 SALT BELT STATES. WITH THIS NEW INFO SHE HAS BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT THE HYUNDAI CASE WORKER TO RE-OPEN HER CASE. AS IT STANDS HER SANTA FE WAS TOWED TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP WHERE IT SITS IN BACK LOT UNTOUCHED & UNDRIVEABLE. AFTER CLOSER LOOK AT TRAILING ARMS BOTH SIDES ARE RUSTED COMPLETELY OUT.

NHTSA ID

11387403

Incident

Dec 22, 2020

Mileage

185,000 mi

GAS PUMP PROBLEM KEEPS CLICKING AND I'VE REPLACE MANY PARTY BUT STILL LIKE ITS FULL OF GAS BUT I BE ON EMPTY.CAR ALSO JERKS LIKE I'VE BEEN REAR ENDED WHILE DRIVING LIKE IT HAS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND I'VE REPLACE TRANSMISSION 2 TIMES. GEARS ONLY WORK MANUAL IT'S LIKE THE CAR HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN .ALSO MY TIRE FLEW OFF MY CAR ON THE BACK AND HAD TO TAKE TO DEALER SHIP AND THEY WAS SAYING IT'S SOME PROBLEM THEY CAN'T HELP .

NHTSA ID

11325885

Incident

Feb 14, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL POPPING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DROVE BACK TO HER RESIDENCE WHERE HER HUSBAND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND DISCOVERED CORROSION ON THE REAR CONTROL ARM. DUE TO THE CORROSION, THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR CONTROL ARM FRACTURED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT LINKED HER FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V123000 (SUSPENSION) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 161,000. *LN*JB

NHTSA ID

11325011

Incident

May 16, 2020

Mileage

161,000 mi

This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.

This bulletin contains information about the proper removal of the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all models. If the protective cover is not removed correctly, there is a possibility of the rubber insert and rail spring becoming partially separated on the inner side of the wiper blade, which could lead to poor wiping performance and/or possible scratching of the windshield glass. Follow the procedure in this bulletin to properly remove the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all new wiper blades.

This bulletin provides important checkpoint guidelines when performing engine oil and filter change services.

Hyundai applies a Paint Protection Film (PPF) on new vehicles before delivery to dealerships. It provides a barrier between the paint and contaminants, such as rail dust, acid rain, and industrial fallout. In rare cases, the paint can become clouded under the PPF. These spots are the result of moisture trapped between the PPF and the paint.

This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.

Follow the guidelines outlined in this bulletin to inspect and clean or replace certain components of the engine intake system accordingly during engine short block or sub-assembly replacement.