30th Jul 2008, 14:31

I have just purchased a new 2008 Sante Fe Limited. I have had it 1 week and my sunroof is leaking. Not into the vehicle yet but into the lip. Has anyone else had this problem? What resolution did you get? I am waiting for the service department to call me as I write this. Any advice?

18th Sep 2008, 06:52

My 2007 Santa Fe has less than 23,500 kms. Back brakes almost worn out. Pads had to be replaced and rotors ground down to fit properly. $309 later, I find out that the brakes are NOT covered under the warranty.. It seems that brakes fall under the same category as wipers!! Imagine.. they are all "wearable parts"... well so is the rest of the Santa Fe.. so does that mean there is nothing covered under their 5 yr 100,000 km warranty... very disappointed.. may go back to Honda.

3rd Oct 2008, 19:09

We've also got a 2007 Santa Fe with 27,000kms on it. Same thing as everyone else. Brake problems. Driver's rear brake seized up and wore the outside pad down to the metal. Huge gouge in the rotor now. Had to order new pads and a new caliper. Not covered under warranty. Not in stock either at our dealership and not available aftermarket. Not very impressed at the moment. Have already contacted Hyundai Canada directly regarding the problem and basically got the "Oh well" response. Brake pads alone are twice the price of the ones on my Chevrolet pickup. (at least I've got one reliable vehicle I can count on) Will never buy foreign again. Also, word to the wise, never buy KIA. Had two of those and both were POS's with nothing but problems. Never again. Next one will be a GM product.

8th Oct 2008, 19:36

I have a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe in Canada. I've had it for a year and a half, and would personally LOVE to be able to roll back time and undo that purchase based upon personal experience. Make your own decision though. Comments below are based upon actual experience.

Good:

> Comfortable/quiet ride

> Lots of space

> Small town dealers are extremely friendly when we've had to see them (although we do unfortunately have to deal with big city dealers regularly)

Bad:

> My purchase decision

> Fuel economy (3.3L AWD)

> Radio - we've had it replaced after experiencing the same complaints all over the net. $40K vehicle with a radio that has a TSB stating that it's normal to fade in and out constantly. This happens in a big city with no reason for it. The radio in my 81 Future had better sound than this. I don't want to replace it with aftermarket, as I don't think the 07 vehicle is worth the 2-din price of a new radio, as I may get rid of it soon. : (...MP3 works OK though.

> Sale process: I had a bad experience during sale process, which should have been a big warning bell. Sales guy learned I was buying somewhere else and called me to give me 'heck' (light word used here) for not buying with them and to trash talk me. I learned later that a neighbor had a similar experience from same dealer. I'm not naming names.

> Service: Small town dealers seem good. With our dealers in a large town, I constantly have to go back multiple times for the same issues over and over. Because I can't trust dealer closest to me due to sale issue, I have to run to a dealer a fair distance away, which is a royal pain. They try to tell me a Santa Fe with 40K mileage needs $750+ of additional work (ie. replace all fluids - steering, brakes, transmission, etc...) - over and above Hyundai recommended service. They also try to pressure me into this work as if I'm neglecting the vehicle. IMHO - if it was actually required, Hyundai might recommend it as part of regular service??!!

> Rust - on numerous locations of the vehicle. Dealer said it was from brakes 'splashing' rust onto body of the vehicle, thus causing surface rust. I'll let you decide validity of this one...

> ESC light coming on intermittently and can't track code, so no fix.

> Rear drivers wheel smoked and heated up quite a bit once (similar to other web reports) - been 'OK' since, but I'm extremely wary of fire or blow-out.

> Rust on body panels and accessories (1.5 years old)

> Brakes and tires given 'yellow' warning condition at 40K check.

Calls to Hyundai Canada regarding issues above (radio specifically) have been unresponsive. They say 'see the TSB - that's the normal operation'.

As stated above, I would love to undo my purchase and go for something more reliable (ie. Acura). As they say, you get what you pay for. I could've easily justified Acura based upon time and money invested in the Santa Fe thus far. If I only knew then what I know now...

11th Oct 2008, 10:27

Bought Mine used with 35000 on it and love it so far! The only thing I have trouble with is road noise, tires mostly I think. 23 MPG and am happy with that also. Price was right also~~~

13th Oct 2008, 08:59

I own a 2007 Santa Fe. When I took it in for service I was advised the right rear brake was worn metal to metal. However, when I drive the vehicle and applied the brakes there was no indication of the brake being seized. I was advised the the rear rotor had to be turned @ 89.00 and the brake pads replaced for $159.00. The vehicle only has 44000km on it. When I discussed the problem with the dealership I was advised that this was normal wear. When I discussed the problem with Hyundai Canada. I was given a story or woe by the service representation who stated she has a high end vehicle and the brakes were worn prematurely. Was she indicating the Santa Fe is a low end vehicle? No solution was offered by Hyundai Canada. Too bad, so sad. This will be my last Hyundai for sure!!

20th Oct 2008, 10:45

My 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe makes a loud whistling sound when driven between 15 and 45 mph, and there is a burning smell coming from the rear driver's side wheel well after driving. This has been going on for a couple of months and continues to get worse. The car only has 8,000 miles on it. My husband is sure it is a caliper issue - we just called the dealer to have it fixed and were told that this is a wear and tear issue and will not be covered under warranty. We will call Hyundai United States to complain; what I'm seeing online (from other Santa Fe owners) is that the Santa Fe is defective and there should be a safety recall.