10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
136,208 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Hyundai Santa Fe fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2003 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments

problem #6

Aug 022018

Santa Fe

  • 181,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, 180K miles, 2nd owner. Customer states: Fuel leaking from fuel tank onto ground; safety concern & fire hazard. Unable to park in garage/driveway. Fuel light on; low fuel level. Filled with $7 in gas ($2.70/gal). After fueling, fuel gauge hasn't moved. Added more fuel & set gas station fuel nozzle to auto stop when full. Gauge says 3/4 tank (normally would read full tank).then drove 12 miles no issues. Parked on residential street for 1-2 days. Searched online found 'warranty extension' on fuel tank. Driving to certified Hyundai dealer, 15 miles away. Drove 5 miles on interstate, losing power. Pulled off at nearest exit, died while driving in traffic, over interstate bridge. Oil, battery, check engine light, etc. On. cars behind me mad, honking, rush hour. Got it started, nowhere safe to pull over, lane ieads me to interstate, now headed in opposite direction towards home. Lost power, died again, <1 mile from home on exit ramp. Let sit 4-5 hrs. Dark;11pm. Restarted, drove few feet, died. Dark outside. Put in neutral, roll backwards, steer onto shoulder for safety. Dot/sheriff tagged car next a.M. called Hyundai Consumer Affairs & was advised to tow to dealer. I did. Hyundai stating outside of milage allowance & not covered. Why is this not a safety recall? this is a public safety hazard! even when parked! fuel leaks/issues put the public at risk! not safe parking in my garage/driveway, public/residential streets, neighborhoods, schools, businesses/retail properties, let alone driving. What if a cigarette is tossed by a passerby, rolls under a leaking fuel tank & leads to fire, damages, injuries and/or death(s) to those in/around vehicle? this should be taken more seriously! it's a public safety hazard! mileage shouldn't matter (see Lexus recall, June 2018; cbs news). Cust=single mom & ft college student=the struggle is real. Please advise.

- Van Meter, IA, USA

problem #5

Aug 022018

Santa Fe

  • 181,000 miles
2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, 180K miles, 2nd owner. My vehicle is leaking gas from the fuel tank onto the ground. I can't even park my vehicle in my garage or driveway due to the possibility that it will catch on fire. I searched online and found out the vehicle was one that has had a warranty extension on the fuel tank, which is 15 years or 150,000 miles whichever comes first. My fuel light was on indicating my fuel level was low. I live 15 miles away from the nearest Hyundai dealer so I was taking it in to have it inspected by a certified Hyundai dealer. I filled up my tank with $7 of gas ($2.70/gal). After fueling I got into my car and started the car. I noticed the fuel gauge had not moved after fueling. I proceeded to fill up the car until full. Since it is not safe because I can see the file leaking, I cannot park on my property and parked on the street, as far away from other houses. It did not feel safe on a public street, in a residential neighborhood, just sitting there because the possibility of it catching on fire and exploding in flames. What if a driver flicked out a cigarette and it rolled under my vehicle, catching it and anything around it on fire? I attempted to take it to the dealership, after filling it with a full tank of gas. While driving to the dealership, the vehicle started loosing power. I pulled off onto the nearest exit and it died, oil light, battery light, check engine light came on (etc). Cars behind me where honking during rush hour traffic. Able to get it started again and decided to try to get home again. Vehicle lost power again & died, this time not restarting, even after sitting 12 hours. I called a tow truck and had it towed to the dealer. Hyundai is stating I am outside of the miles allowance. Why is this not a mandatory recall? this is a public safety hazard' even when parked! time/mileage shouldn't matter. Many others like mine.

- Van Meter, IA, USA

problem #4

Mar 012012

Santa Fe

  • 150,000 miles
The paint is deteriorating, my fuel pump had to be replaced and my car won't start. I replaced the alternator, battery, crankshaft sensor and still won't start. I also have a break leak that I've tried to fix a few times

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 202015

Santa Fe

  • 74,900 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wifes vehicle is a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe with approx. 75,000 miles on it. We've purchased it new. About a year ago, she brought the car to a stop and it suddenly started lurching forward. She was able to arrest it in 10-12 feet. No damage occurred. About two months later, the exact same thing happened with the same results. Then, six weeks ago, as she was backing out of the driveway, and rolling a few miles an hour in reverse, it happened again. This time, after doing a uncontrolled donut in the street she hit a neighbors garage and a utility pole before the car stopped, in spite of her frantically braking. Fortunately, there was no one in the street at that time. Damage to the garage was $2300.+ and the car was another $1925.+. two weeks ago, it happened again after stopping in traffic. This time she hit the back of a pick-up truck. No damage to the truck, but $1710+ to her front end. Each accident cost us $250 in deductible. The car is being repaired right now and we will trade it in as soon as it is fixed.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #2

Nov 142014

Santa Fe

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was a strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. In addition, fuel leaked from the fuel tank from underneath the rear driver's side seat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

- East Stroudsburg, PA, USA

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problem #1

Apr 012013

Santa Fe

  • 100,350 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that there was an overpowering fuel smell in the interior cabin. The contact also stated that the frame was severely rusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the fuel tank and fuel lines were rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,350.

- Uniontown, OH, USA

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