2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Steering Problems

Vehicle will suddenly shutdown in the middle of the road. This could easily have caused a crash at any time. Several batteries have been replaced due to alternator not charging the battery. Then the battery has to be jumped for emergencies. I have taken the car in for repairs of the recall twice. I was told that the front end would come off and parts would have to be replaced because of the age of my vehicle they would not fit again. I need a solution to this problem.

NHTSA ID

11711436

Incident

Dec 30, 2025

vehicle will randomly shutoff. example coming off the interstate and off the exit ramp and accelerating into traffic vehicle with completly die, no power steering or power brakes. after pulling off the road the vehicle will restart and run normally. may not happen again for several weeks. dealer had performed recalls and cannot duplicate issue

NHTSA ID

11585201

Incident

Mar 12, 2024

Took my car in for repair because I was told that my power steering pump and gaskets were bad. Upon further investigation it wasn’t neither. It was the power steering hose that goes from the power steering to the racket pinion. Both of the hoses had holes in them and were rusted out. Here Hyundai upgraded the power steering pump because of problems and I was never notified about the upgrade and you cannot purchase the hoses needed you have to purchase a whole new power steering pump that I don’t need. The airbag light is on and I couldn’t even order the airbag it was on back order when asked. The seat belt on the right passenger side in the back will not lock in place due to I don’t know what. Campaign 947 the under body corrosion treatment didn’t protect what it was suppose to causing my frame and control arms to go bad. I have had to replace upper and lower ball joints more than 4-5 times since I purchase this vehicle new from the dealership.

NHTSA ID

11552789

Incident

Jun 15, 2023

I am having a serious issue with my car that mechanics are unable to figure out. On multiple occasions, while driving at low speed in preparation for making a turn, my car has completely shut off, making it impossible for me to steer, brake or accelerate. I lost all control of my vehicle. I noticed the ‘check engine’ and ‘battery’ lights illuminated each time, but this information, along with incident descriptions, has proven less than helpful when I’ve taken it into a shop for inspection/repair as mechanics have been unable to reproduce the event or to accurately identify the problem. This has happened on the road (at intersections and once at a traffic circle) and on two occasions while I had a passenger in the vehicle with me. I currently have my vehicle back in an auto shop because it happened most recently about a week ago. However, since the problem has yet to be successfully identified and since I feel as though this is a serious safety issue that could impact others with the same type of vehicle, I am filing this official complaint.

NHTSA ID

11542467

Incident

Aug 25, 2023

While I was driving home, I went to make a turn and I heard a cracking noise and it felt like the steering wheel went one way and the frame was going the opposite way. I drove very slowly to a service station and when they looked at it they said they couldn't believe I drove the car without getting into an accident, they said the car was undrivable because the frame broke, They went on to say it was due to rust. I'm a 2nd owner and when I called the Hyundai corporate Headquarters they informed me there was a recall #947 Santa Fe underbody corrosion. I was told I should've received the recall when I received the new registration, I never received the recall, where do I stand with getting my car repaired, is Hyundai responsible to do the repair, I left a message with the service group at the dealership and haven't received a response yet.

NHTSA ID

11510054

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

(Service brakes, hydraulic, exterior lighting, Recall started in 4-1-2013, Recall #13V113000. Car was brought to authorized dealer on the same occasion as mentioned below and told the vehicle did not need that repair performed.) (Air bags : Frontal Sensor/Control module, Recall started 7-24-2012, Recall #12V354000.Car was nbrought to authorized retailer and told Hyundai no longer makes the part in order to resolve this issue.) There are 5-6 different lights, all of which are mentioned for the recalls as stated above and seems to be a solvable issue. I just don't want to learn one day that my husbands cruise control did not disengage and he collided head on full speed. Hyundai needs to to start producing the part in order to fix the cars or recall them all together for fear of multiple lawsuits. Photo evidence of dash lights and screenshots of recalls can be provided upon request.

NHTSA ID

11448932

Incident

Jan 17, 2022

While driving on the interstate, I approached my exit. As I am slowing down, the engine shuts off and steering becomes very hard. I quickly shifted into neutral to restart the car to avoid a crash. There were no warning lights on the dash before shutting down. I immediately took it to a mechanic to see what the problem was. He said he saw none. This has been going on since September 2020 and it is happening more than one time a day. Since then, I have taken it to 4 other mechanics who have all told me that they don't see any problems. I take chances everyday not knowing when the car will shut down on me while driving because this is my only vehicle that I just bought in April of 2020. This is a very serious problem that should've been looked into.

NHTSA ID

11417793

Incident

May 19, 2021

WHEN I FIRST "TESTED" THE CAR I MENTIONED TO THE SALES PERSON THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT. HE CONVINCED ME IT WASN'T. ON 7/31/19 I PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES AND HAD A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. I TOOK IT BACK FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE ALIGNMENT 3 TIMES BEFORE THE COVID OUTBREAK (TWICE BEFORE JANUARY). IT IS NOW MAJORLY VEERING TO THE RIGHT AND I HAVE TO KEEP IT FROM GOING THAT WAY WHEN DRIVING. I DON'T DRIVE FAR TO WORK WHICH IS WHY IT WASN'T AS MUCH OF A PROBLEM BEFORE.

NHTSA ID

11339140

Incident

Jul 17, 2014

Mileage

33,000 mi

2 ISSUES - (1 )WHILE TURNING, LOSES POWER STEERING MOMENTARILY, BATTERY AND SEAT BELT LIGHTS COME ON TEMPORARILY (2) WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT AT LOW SPEEDS, CAR "BUCKS" AS IF TRANSMISSION JAMMED OR BRAKES LOCKED UP MOMENTARILY --BOTH ISSUES ARE INTERMITTENT, AND MAY BE UNRELATED--

NHTSA ID

11307990

Incident

Feb 8, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF NO STEERING NO GAS NOTHING QUITE DANGEROUS AND QUITE SCARY WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION ON THE STREET

NHTSA ID

11048292

Incident

Nov 24, 2017

WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. POWER STEERING AND BREAKS ARE GONE. THE CAR WILL CRANK RIGHT BACK OFF BUT THIS US VERY DANGEROUS. I'M NOT SURE IF WEATHER IS A FACTOR BUT WHEN IT HAS HAPPENED WHICH GAS BEEN MULTIPLE TIMES, IT HAS BEEN IN THE 80'S. MECHANICS AND DEALERSHIP HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING AND NO CODES ARE RECORDED.

NHTSA ID

10970982

Incident

Mar 27, 2017

Mileage

120,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING THE 2009 SANTA FE THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. POWER TO BREAKS AND STEERING IS LOST. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL START AGAIN WHEN THE CAR IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT START AGAIN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE CAR IS MOVING ON A HILLY ROAD. THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE IS 09/20/2016

NHTSA ID

10908449

Incident

Sep 20, 2016

Mileage

89,780 mi

WE WERE EXITING A RAMP OFF RT 75 IN FLORIDA. OUR SPEED WAS ABOUT 30 MPH. SUDDENLY WE LOSS POWER STEERING AND BRAKING AND ACCELERATION. WE COASTED TO A STOP. WE TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES...EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL. IT WAS THE SECOND SUCH EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST WAS AUGUST 2013. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR AT THAT TIME. THIS LATEST EXPERIENCE IS THE EXACT DUPLICATE OF THE FIRST. I AM TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW MORNING.

NHTSA ID

10715557

Incident

May 8, 2015

Mileage

21,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING MY WHITE HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED, 3.3L, 6CYL SUV HOME FROM WORK AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME. I WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AT 70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUTS DOWN AND I LOSE STEERING CONTROL AND BRAKES, VEERING ONTO A NARROW SHOULDER AND INTO A SLOPE THAT SENT MY SUV INTO A SWAMP DITCH, SUBMERGING THE SUV UP PAST THE FLOORBOARDS. MY INSURANCE CLAIM SPECIALIST NOTIFIED ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS, AND PAID A CLAIM PAYOUT AND SETTLEMENT FAR LESS THAN THE AMOUNT STILL OWED ON THE VEHICLE. IT IS MY OPINION THAT A CYBER-ATTACK SIGNAL SENT TO THE SUV'S ENGINE IMMOBILIZER SWITCH, SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING, ELECTRONICALLY. THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED FROM ANY HAND HELD DEVICE, MOBIL PHONE, LAP TOP COMPUTER, SATELLITE FEED, ETC. ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS A VIN NUMBER, AND ANY SIGNAL TO THE ENGINE IMMOBILIZER SWITCH CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE DANGEROUSLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LOWER SPEEDS OF 20MPH, WHERE I WOULD JUST TURN THE IGNITION KEY, THE SUV WOULD START THE ENGINE, AND I WOULD PROCEED. HOWEVER, AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I DID NOT HAVE THIS OPTION.

NHTSA ID

10715370

Incident

Apr 22, 2015

Mileage

112,833 mi

WHEN ENTERING AN UP-RAMP TO A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY AT SLOW SPEED, LESS THAN 30 MPH, AND TURNING TO THE RIGHT, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY DIED AND POWER WAS LOST TO STEERING AND BRAKES. WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND RESTART, BUT WERE JUST LUCKY THAT THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN ON A CURVE AT HIGH SPEED OR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10537149

Incident

Aug 17, 2013

Mileage

48,186 mi

WHILE SLOWING DOWN, APPLYING BRAKES TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY INTO THE CLOVERLEAF OFF RAMP, STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT AND I WAS FORCED TO CONTINUE IN THE CURRENT DIRECTION OFF THE ROAD INTO THE GRASS. UPON STOPPING NOTICED DASH LIGHTS WERE ON AND THE VEHICLE HAD STALLED. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS HEADED INTO A GRASSY AREA AND NOT INTO A WALL AS I COULDN'T STEER IN ANY OTHER DIRECTION FROM WHEN I LOST POWER. HYUNDAI FOUND NO ERROR CODES AND COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR PAGES OF SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH HYUNDAI SANTA FE: 15 PAGES OF RELATED ISSUES - HTTP://WWW.HYUNDAI-FORUMS.COM/187-CM-2007-2012-SANTA-FE/133580-2011-SANTA-FE-STALL-WHILE-DRIVING-13.HTML ANOTHER - HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/HYUNDAI/SANTAFE/ENGINE-STALL-PROBLEMS.PHP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10533472

Incident

Aug 1, 2013

Mileage

26,400 mi

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT NIGHT TIME. ABOUT 10 MIN FROM A COLD START, I TURNED ONTO THE 210 FWY. THERE WAS A 270 DEGREE DOWNHILL TURN (A STEEP CURVE) SO I HAD THE BRAKES ON WHILE DOING 15 MPH. HALF WAY INTO THE TURN, I SUDDENLY LOST BRAKE AND STEERING WHEEL FROZE. WITH SOME EFFORT, I MANAGED TO TURN THE STEERING AND STOP THE CAR. THE ENGINE DIED WITHOUT WARNING. LATER I SENT THE CAR TO DEALERSHIP BUT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE EVENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10500712

Incident

Oct 1, 2012

Mileage

7,800 mi