1.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
113,383 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

Jan 012014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 130,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. While fueling the vehicle, the fuel would independently stop before the tank was full. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 4/20/15

- Miami , FL, USA

problem #5

May 012014

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
Kept smelling gas in the car, brought it to dealer. They said gas tank rusted and needs to be replaced. Shortly thereafter, gas started leaking out. Called Hyundai and they said nothing they could do, sorry, etc. Warranty is up. This is the second rust problem with car. When I brought it in for subframe recall, car was unsafe to drive. Also had front end fixed because of leaking struts. I feel that a rusted gas tank is not normal wear and tear and is due to a defect. Now the car is again unsafe to drive, sitting in my driveway leaking gas.

- Westfield, MA, USA

problem #4

Oct 102012

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 200,000 miles
Fueling car takes an inordinate amount of time. It is as if there is a blockage in the tank filler pipe. According to the dealer this is caused by an aging charcoal filter within the fuel system. The dealer is aware of the problem but has no explanation, nor suggestions for a fix.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #3

Dec 172011

Santa Fe

  • 105,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked she smelled a fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel tank was corroded and leaking fuel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 105,000. The consumer stated due to the severity of the leak from the rusted gas tank, she was forced to get rid of the vehicle and had to purchase another vehicle.

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #2

Feb 262011

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated the bottom of the fuel tank was rusted and leaking fuel. Whenever the vehicle was parked there was fuel on the ground under the vehicle. The dealer was contacted who advised that they had never heard of the type of failure and there were no recalls for the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired at the contacts expense.. the manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 86,000.

- Deerfield, NH, USA

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problem #1

Oct 102010

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 60,300 miles
The vehicle for the last 3 years was not getting the gas mileage suggested by manufacturer. It was taken repeatedly to dealer where we were told, "everything checked out just fine". all maintenance was done as required by dealer". as car became more sluggish and finally quit running altogether- we took it to an outside mechanic and learned that the catalytic converter had gone bad. I checked the internet and this is a common complaint with this vehicle- dealers are repairing transmissions and emission controls and customers are still complaining about bad gas mileage, sluggish vehicles. Now that the catalytic converter has been replaced- the car is getting the correct gas mileage and running better.

- El Paso, TX, USA

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