24th Mar 2006, 02:26

Thank god for the Internet!!! Until now I thought I was the only one with a clutch problem. I bought my Santa Fe in January 2004. Last August (2005) I had to replace the clutch. They made it sound like it was my fault so I had to pay 250pounds (parts and labour). Yesterday I changed my clutch again!!! I took it in to have the second gear replaced and they told me that the clutch needed replacing too (again). the service manager was new and had no idea I had it replaced last August. Turns out the clutch was a big disaster on my model so Hyundai issued a replacement part and instructed the dealerships to replace it for FREE. The first time I changed the clutch they installed the same defective clutch the car came with. This time is the updated version. Let's hope it performs better.

3rd Jul 2006, 11:09

I also drive a Santa Fe and the clutch needs to be replaced again. I suspect I also have the defective clutch the previous posting mentioned. where do I get more info?

24th Jul 2006, 22:00

I am so sorry for all of your troubles, but I am so glad to hear about everyone else having the same problem.

I was heartsick when the dealership my car was towed to, said that the clutch replacement would probably not be covered by the warranty, and I would have to pay $900 or more.

I live in Texas and noticed most of these posts are European. I have contacted Hyundai USA, but they have not been helpful at all. Was there any resolution with anyone else? Are there strategies that I need to know?

24th Aug 2006, 14:00

I have a used Hyundai 2001 Accent. Recently I just put my second clutch in. It has only been one year eight months. I was traveling through the California desert to Nevada. The clutch on this car is certainly unreliable.Hyundai parts dealers need to take responsibility for some of the costs. This is very dangerous for people with children and elderly relatives and also very expansive.

26th Oct 2006, 01:54

I too have experienced clutch problems with my 2002 Santa Fe. The clutch was first changed in 2004 after 30000 miles. Hyundai classed it as premature wear and tear and replaced it under warranty. Thumbs up Hyundai. Well it has gone again, but this time after 33000 miles. Hyundai have reported that there are no defects and I have had a huge battle between the garage and Hyundai regarding the repairs. Apparently the previous clutch was a known problem and when changed for the fist time a new upgraded clutch was put in which does not have the problem. I would argue this case as 85% of my mileage is on the UK motorway network. The garage eventually agreed to lower the labour rate by £5.00 and Hyundai discounted the parts by 50%. Still not happy with the result though as I have just had to pay the bill which was still a whopping £631.88 even after all the discounts have been applied. I am now trying to gain evidence regarding the parts that were used the first time the clutch was changed. Thumbs down to Hyundai I'm afraid.

7th Mar 2007, 12:43

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone that has a Hyundai Santa Fe, preferably a 2002, that has had clutch problems. I am having my car fixed tomorrow, 3/8/07 to the tune of $1200-$1300 and it is not covered under warranty. My car has 37,500 miles on it. Please answer back if you have had problems as I want to pursue this, but I need to see if it is all of their clutches that are defective. Thank you.

8th Mar 2007, 07:19

We also have a serious issue with a Hyundai 2003 Santa Fe.

Complete clutch and flywheel failure at 57,000 miles, requiring 2700 dollars in repairs. Both my wife and I have driven standard shift cars for more than 4 decades without a clutch failure so early...plus, the clutch obviously wore out at 40 thousand miles or so, since the fly wheel was hopelessly scored. There is obviously a problem with Hyundai clutches... there is a class action law suit on some Tiburon models. I am at a loss as to any recourse, but something should be done to make sure Hyundai doesn't get away with putting inadequate clutches in their cars. Another class action suit? Lemon Law? What can we do. I liked the car and the dealership, but this is a serious defect... if the clutch needs replacing again in another 30,000 miles the car is becoming prohibitively expensive.

10th Mar 2007, 01:01

I have 2002 Santa Fe. The clutch failed suddenly just after the first 3000 miles. The dealer replaced it under warranty. Well, the clutch started failing after another 4000 miles. This time the dealer denied warranty coverage and blamed my driving habits. They told me that I had to pay $1100 to fix that. Even though I told them that I did not want their defective clutch, they still charged me $500 for their labor. I decided to fight and contacted the BBB. Eventually I got my $500 back, but I still had to find a mechanic and replace the clutch at my own cost. The mechanic changed the clutch for $450, an after market product. The clutch is still good as of today after 40,000 miles. Another interesting thing is that after installing the new clutch the gas mileage increased from 20 to 25 (sometimes even 27-28.)

I will never buy a Hyundai car again. The company may make some good cars, but their business ethics really suck. They do whatever it takes to make money.

27th Mar 2007, 01:33

Another clutch problem. This is my third clutch with 111,700k's on the clock. Never been off road. Hyundai say that a clutch is only supposed to last for 50,000k's at the most. Maybe I should have bought yellow to match the lemon that it is. I was the first person to purchase a Santa Fe in my area and was given VIP status, big whoop.

12th Nov 2007, 08:55

Have the newer models still got clutch problems? Thinking of buying a new one in January.

3rd Dec 2007, 07:43

Hi All.

I have 2002 Santa Fe 2.0 Diesel and on the way to work this morning the clutch started slipping. There is 42K miles on the clock.

I knew before I bought the car that the was maybe a weakness in the clutch as I had read a review of a guy having had 4 replacements, but he was reversing a canavan up a hill!

I have always thought with the car that it put a lot of power into the 4 wheel drive at take off, but maybe this was just a bad clutch from day one.

I have also noticed that the thrust bearing has been noisy too.

Paul.