7th Jan 2008, 10:40

Clutch Problems on 2004 Santa Fe. I have owned my car from new and have had occasional problems such as the radio not working etc which are not a problem and sometimes expected. However recently I have been getting clutch judder when changing down into 2 gear. I had the wheels balanced and brake discs checked for warping as I couldn't believe a clutch would go with only 43K on the clock. I always dip the clutch when starting and as I was a mechanic know that I never ride the clutch pedal. I have booked it in for repair and Hyundai are stating that it will be replaced free of charge with a new one if it is a fault. I have found out that the car has a double mass flywheel which causes overheating and accelerated clutch wear. They will change it to a single mass flywheel which should be the end of the problems. I will update this section with the results. I know the warranty has been passed for the clutch, but if there is a design fault of this magnitude Hyundai should have contacted all the owners and come clean. Imagine if my family broke down somewhere and I wasn't there to help. I may buy another if Hyundai come through for me otherwise Nissan here I come.

My registration AE54 AYL Black Santa Fe.

31st Jan 2008, 11:25

Please let us know about the double flywheel issue - as this is what I have been told by the dealership in north england and now I am checking out in London as my clutch has gone- It seems stupid to get it fixed by anyone else, but the dealerships as a normal garage will just replace the clutch and you still have the same problem hence the reason why they are wearing out quickly.

Question- how do we know the dealership will be truthful with us? i.e. how can we check if we have the double flywheel problem. So it is worth checking because Hyundai have to replace the whole lot for free!!!

5th Feb 2008, 09:08

I purchased a new 2007 Santa Fe Limited in October 07. After 2000 miles the clutch went and had to be replaced. instead of 2 days without my vehicle it has now been 5 weeks! Would you believe Hyundai UK do not have a clutch flywheel in this country? It has to come from Korea and I have now been advised it will not be here until 9th March at the earliest, another 6 weeks wait. Meanwhile my car sits in a dealers workshop in bits. This is my first and last Hyundai.

2nd Apr 2008, 18:17

Another flywheel issue here. I made it to 170,000kms on my 2003 and this AM it stuck on me. Had it towed into Hyundai and like I'm reading, they need to replace with a new flywheel. Repairs up to $1500-2000.

Buyer beware.

M.

12th Apr 2008, 07:12

Yep, as stated by all above, I just had to replace my clutch at 61,000 miles... to the tune of 1,500 dollars. My mechanic put a different flywheel on that should last longer.

30th May 2008, 08:23

Hyundai Santa Fe 2ltr Diesel Clutch (2002 - 52plate model)

My clutch went 1 1/2 yrs ago. Hyundai replaced it free of charge along with a new flywheel. Within less than 12months the clutch slips again after a long run & when accelerating hard. Hyundai couldn't get it to slip (when cold!)..so they wouldn't repalce it again! I now only use the car for short journeys & accelerate very carefully as I can't afford another replacement!

It's a shame because I can't fault the car otherwise. It needs a heavy duty clutch... but I've never found one for it.

I won't be buying a Hyundai again due to this.

11th Jul 2008, 17:21

80,000 miles, clutch went bye bye. $1600 including a new pressure plate. Ripped off by Hyundai. Ripped off by the mechanic.

Oceanside, Ca, USA

13th Jul 2008, 12:54

Hi, I have a 2002 sante fe - done 48,000 and clutch has gone. I have always felt there was something wrong with the gearbox but the dealership would never agree whilst it was in warranty. Now it is out of warranty and going to cost a fortune. Is there a recall on these clutches and what do we do about this?? Very angry.

20th Sep 2008, 13:32

I would like to change the clutch in my 2002 Santa Fe, myself, and install the upgraded single mass flywheel, has anyone done this themselves or has any tips?

23rd Sep 2008, 05:44

Got new Santa Fe 2LTR Diesel on 2002. The clutch went. I then changed for new 2004 model with 47000 miles. Later the clutch is gone. I asked my Hyundai dealer about the recall, he said there was no recall and now your car is out of warranty it will cost you 800 pounds to fix. That will be my last Hyundai.

5th Oct 2008, 13:08

I have a 2007 Santa Fe - clutch and flywheel gone after 16,000 miles. Been fixed under warranty; was was clear that bearings had gone on the flywheel. I'm in the UK.

27th Jan 2009, 06:21

I have a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe and my clutch went and the flywheel were in bits. I got it repaired, that was 14 months ago, now it has gone again. So I rang the dealer up and they offered me a clutch plus flywheel for £321, and it is a single mass flywheel they are offering me. I collect the clutch and flywheel tomorrow, so it has only taken 24 hours to get one.

8th Feb 2009, 13:52

My company purchased for me a new Santa Fe 2.0 CRTD in July 2003.

On collecting the vehicle, I mentioned to the garage salesman that I thought the clutch was very "soft". He said I would quickly get used to it.

After 34,000 miles the clutch was slipping badly and was eventually changed under warranty free of charge. Because of my previous challenge that the clutch was not strong enough (soft) for the size of the vehicle, the service manager said they had installed a more suitable and heavier clutch pack into the vehicle.

Everything fine until 80,000 miles; clutch again slipping badly. Back to the Hyundai agents, no arguments, changed again free of charge under warranty.

On 110,000 miles and after being made redundant, I bought the vehicle from my old company. The Santa Fe now has 121,000 mile and guess what, yes the clutch needs changing, no chance of free renewal this time as it is 5 months out of warranty so doing the repair myself. Managed to get the clutch out and found that the clutch plate itself had plenty of wear left on it, so my opinion is that the pressure plate and or release bearing is at fault.

Purchased a new 3 piece clutch kit from a reputable company on the Internet to find on receipt that the kit contained a very light clutch plate & pressure plate, release bearing was the same. After speaking with seller it would appear that his clutch kit is the one that came fitted with the vehicle when it left the factory. Gave the seller part numbers from the bits I removed and he is now trying to locate the parts for me.

One final comment!!! When service managers claim that it is your bad driving that is the cause of the clutch failing, my strong answer was always one of "it was my good driving that allowed the clutch to last as long as it did".