10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 3
Average Mileage:
60,670 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.

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #47

Nov 092018

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 74,936 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received a notice for TSB: [XXX] and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the campaign was completed. The contact stated that while an oil change was being performed, she was informed that the valve cover gasket was leaking. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The fuel senders and O rings, the spark plugs, and the valve cover gasket were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The dealer replaced the oil sending unit; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the valve cover gasket, the valve cover gasket kit and the spark plugs were replaced. The contact stated that the dealer later replaced the oil pan due to oil leaking. Additionally, the contact stated while attempting to make a left turn from a complete stop, the vehicle chugged and started losing electrical power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the alternator internally shorted, the vehicle was stuck in drive(D), and the key was stuck in the ignition switch. The battery warning light was illuminated. The dealer performed an unknown repair. The contact stated that she then received a notice for [XXX] and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the right bank valve cover gasket was fractured, distorted, and was leaking onto the alternator. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the left valve cover gasket was leaking; however, the part was not covered. The dealer only replaced the right bank valve cover gasket. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,936. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). The contact stated there seems to be a defect in the valve covers.

- Salado, TX, USA

problem #46

Aug 252023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I am having a serious issue with my car that mechanics are unable to figure out. On multiple occasions, while driving at low speed in preparation for making a turn, my car has completely shut off, making it impossible for me to steer, brake or accelerate. I lost all control of my vehicle. I noticed the -??check engine-?? and -??battery-?? lights illuminated each time, but this information, along with incident descriptions, has proven less than helpful when I-??ve taken it into a shop for inspection/repair as mechanics have been unable to reproduce the event or to accurately identify the problem. This has happened on the road (at intersections and once at a traffic circle) and on two occasions while I had a passenger in the vehicle with me. I currently have my vehicle back in an auto shop because it happened most recently about a week ago. However, since the problem has yet to be successfully identified and since I feel as though this is a serious safety issue that could impact others with the same type of vehicle, I am filing this official complaint.

- Edgewater, MD, USA

problem #45

Dec 282021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Alternator failed Due to valve gasket leaking, Hyundai issued a recall during time vehicle was in probate, I did not receive notification and had the valve gasket, manifold gasket, and alternator replaced. In June 30, 2022, When I learned the recall had been issued I filed for reimbursement of repair costs, Approximately $1900. The reimbursement claim was transferred to warrant department. The claim was transferred to claim reimbursement 8/29/2022, I received an email stating it would be 3-4 weeks for reimbursement. I called 9/29 and was informed it would be 120 days from submission date, On 12/6 additional information was needed. I was not notified, and saw the status changed, and called for update on 12/13. I submitted the same day. On 12/22, I received the repayment notification, but not the amount. I called on the phone for 4 hours for amount $727.74 breakdown missing $410 of labor costs.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #44

Mar 012017

Santa Fe

  • 75,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the heater and air condition spontaneously activated without warning and failed to turn off. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

- Neenah, WI, USA

problem #43

Jul 072017

Santa Fe

  • 118,000 miles
Contact owned 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe sport utility vehicle. At 2pm on July 7, 2017, driver experienced a sudden, uncommanded acceleration that caused a fatal crash that resulted in the death of the driver and two passengers. Manufacturer was informed about the subject incident. Hyundai is aware of a statistically significant number of unintended accelerations with this generation of vehicles. Other public voqs and private consumer complaints support the contacts allegations that the vehicle had a catastrophic failure with the electronic throttle control system. The 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe was not equipped with available 'smart pedal' brake throttle override technology. In 2012, Hyundai admitted that "with virtually all cars using electronic throttle control today, there remains the remote possibility for an unforeseen electronic throttle control malfunction, causing a vehicle to accelerate contrary to driver input. Although very unlikely due to various built-in electronic safety protocols, unforeseen circumstances could still exist that could cause this type of malfunction.' Hyundai introduced `this critical safety technology' on 100 percent of its new models anticipating the government might mandate it sometime in the future. 'with Hyundai's brake pedal throttle override capability, any brake pedal input by the driver, even with a runaway throttle condition, completely overrides any throttle malfunction, ' stated the director of certification and compliance affairs for Hyundai's american technical center, Inc. (hatci), said in a statement. 'it is no longer possible to have increasing engine power once the brake pedal is depressed by the driver. This adds a reassuring, incremental safeguard of control for Hyundai drivers.' Per Consumer Affairs, 'local police Agency suggests that Hyundai accelerated on its own before fatal crash'. special crash investigation.

- Huron, OH, USA

problem #42

Oct 052020

Santa Fe

  • 88,109 miles
Two times my car has stalled while driving, one at 10 mph and one at 20 mph. There are no signs that the car is going to stall. Have no lights, brakes, steering, can't even use hazard lights.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #41

Aug 072019

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

My 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe has stalled more than 4 times while driving since 2010. It loses power without warning rendering the vehicle unsafe and not able to be driven. The first time in 2010 it stopped while on the exit ramp of a highway doing about 50 mph. The car was brought to the dealership and they "could not duplicate the problem" so they did nothing. Brought same vehicle back to dealership in 2011, 2014 and 2019. Each time we are told "could not duplicate at this time". the most recent on August 7, 2019 they replaced the alternator and battery commenting that "vehicle now operates normally. Vehicle does not stall". the vehicle has since stalled again during driving. The dealership will only look again at the vehicle at the cost of $100 per hour. We have contacted the corporate office and they were not helpful, in fact rude and hung up. After reading so M;any complaints on just this site I hope our government can help get Hyundai to be responsible for their vehicles before someone gets hurt or killed.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #40

Aug 042019

Santa Fe

  • 10 miles
The battery light kept blinking, my battery is new, also the seat belt light for passenger seat kept blinking even when the seat belt was buckled. I stalled out and wouldn't start back up. I was in the street when it wouldn't start back up. I had it looked at when it was towed and the shop said there was alot of oil on my alternator and I would have to replace my value cover gaskets also.

- Leesport, PA, USA

problem #39

Jul 052019

Santa Fe

  • 197,000 miles
I purchased this car used in 2011. Over the years, at random times, the radio will "pop" off and back on again. It doesn't seem to affect the rest of the electrical system in the car, but it's a little scary when it happens - mechanic can't replicate. Now, twice in the last week, my car has stalled while slowing down, once on a multi-lane street and once after decelerating coming off the expressway (complete loss of power, steering, brakes, etc). I put the car in neutral and it started right back up, but this has happened in heavy traffic and scared the cr out of me! I'm terrified that this might happen at a higher speed on the expressway. I have seen several mentions of similar power losses for this same vehicle. I have no check engine lights and no codes come up when scanned. No recalls reported either, although a power loss at the wrong time could kill someone. Not sure if this is electrical, engine or fuel system related - I had over a half a tank of gas in the car during both occurrences.

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #38

Jan 062015

Santa Fe

  • 105,000 miles
Vehicle stalls while slowing down. When this happens, headlights and power steering and braking are lost, and the check engine light and battery light come on. Imagine driving down a dark windy road at night and losing power steering and braking and not being able to see the road. This is accurate to the experience. If I turn car off and back on, it starts just fine. It happens everywhere, on the freeway, while parking, etc. Every person I have talked to with same vehicle confirms the same. I have yet to find anyone with a fix. There is a recall out for 2010 and on for a similar issue. This issue started happening in 2015 when I purchased the car, and it has continued to happen for years.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #37

Jul 012019

Santa Fe

  • 98,000 miles

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

After driving at highway speeds and decelerating, Hyundai Santa Fe 2009 vehicle abruptly stalls with no warning. No error codes show. This is extremely dangerous as vehicle immediately shuts down and is an accident risk. All power steering and brake operation shut down.

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #36

Feb 012018

Santa Fe

  • 40,000 miles
For the last year, my fuel gauge has been malfunctioning. At first, it only happened every once in a while, but once I got to about 8 months, the gauge has constantly told me the wrong fuel level. I have asked a mechanic about it and it is the fuel level sensors located in the gas tank that are malfunctioning. Apparently, this is a problem with many of the Santa Fe's that were built around that time. I have a low mileage vehicle. It was bought in 2016 with 22,000 miles. The gas gauge problem started around 40,000 miles and only happened a few times. The constant check engine light illumination and constant malfunction of the gas gauge started at 50,000 miles and I am now at 60,000 miles. The problem happens when the car is stationary and while I am driving it. I have to keep a full tank at all times just do I don't run out if gas.

- Middletown, NJ, USA

problem #35

Nov 162018

Santa Fe

  • 94,570 miles
Right front fog light inoperative. Dealer replaced halogen bulb. Within a few days fog lamp overheated causing bulb socket and lens bulb holder to completely melt down causing bulb to fall down onto the inside of the right front bumper and burned two holes through bumper almost causing a fire as bulb was still functioning. No circuit breakers or fuses blew. Dealer states this has happened before to other vehicles and now dealer needs to replace both socket & wiring and complete lens body.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

problem #34

Mar 012017

Santa Fe

  • 112,300 miles
Gas gauge and light always on empty when tight after it is full of gas and loud humming sound from fuel pump. Stalled out in middle of intersection multiple times.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #33

Apr 192018

Santa Fe

  • 156,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving various speeds, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the fuel gauge displayed an incorrect reading. The dealer (hatfield Hyundai, 1400 auto mall pkwy, columbus, oh 43228) diagnosed that the fuel sender assembly and fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.

- Hilliard, OH, USA

problem #32

Mar 142012

Santa Fe

  • 81,000 miles
Gas gage indication shows empty when the tank is full or empty. This happened with our 2008 Santa Fe too.

- Lake Alfred, FL, USA

problem #31

Jun 282014

Santa Fe

  • 61,000 miles
While traveling on the interstate at speed (70 mph), car stopped responding to throttle with no warning. As I merged to right lane, car died completely and I had to maneuver to shoulder with no power. Stuck here with wife and 2 toddlers until towed to mechanic. The alternator was dead and had to be replaced. One year later, same thing (luckily not on interstate this time, and warning light did come on this time). Alternator replaced again. Later in 2015, Hyundai announced a maintenance campaign (#936), and I was reimbursed for initial 2 events, and local dealer completed the required maintenance in Nov 2015. 2 years later, same thing: Warning lights, oil on alternator, etc. Local dealer again completes the work (thankfully at no charge to me). As of today, oil is on the alternator again, and I feel it is only a matter of time before the issue occurs again. As my wife is typically driving the kids around in this vehicle, I do not like the thought that it could cut off at any moment. I am hoping Hyundai will announce a permanent fix or recall. I am reaching out to them for advice on the latest recurrence. Initial event: 6/28/14 (mileage: 61020) 2nd event: 6/1/15 (mileage: 79800) Hyundai campaign completed: 11/19/15 (mileage: 89512) 3rd event: 08/30/17 (mileage: 119929) Feb 2018 (mileage: 127177) - notice oil building on alternator again

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #30

Feb 092018

Santa Fe

  • 140,000 miles
2009 Hyundai Santa Fe V6 3.3 liter has experienced occasional, random stalling over a few years, always while braking and often while turning. The problem seems to happen after a period of steady speed driving and then slowing down and turning. When this happens, the vehicle steering instantly gets very difficult and braking ability likewise becomes increasingly difficult. After putting the vehicle in neutral, or pulling over and parking the vehicle, it will always start right back up and run fine. The throttle position sensor has been replaced but the problem persists. I am a 50 year old man who can wrestle the car to safety (so far), but my wife, children, or others may not be so fortunate. There are repeated mentions of other Hyundai vehicles with similar problems, and these mostly mention a tps replacement and an accompanying ECU firmware update. There are no apparent recalls or tsbs with Hyundai that affect this vehicle and engine combination, and this is a huge safety problem for which there appears to be a remedy path.

- Farmington, NH, USA

problem #29

Jan 202018

Santa Fe

  • 83,000 miles
My ESC, ABS& AWD symbol came on at the same time & I know other people who own Hyundai & had this issue im guessing this is something major because when I called the dealership they knew exactly what I was talking about they all came on while I was driving

- Johnstown, PA, USA

problem #28

Nov 242017

Santa Fe

  • miles
On several occasions while driving the car completely shuts off no steering no gas nothing quite dangerous and quite scary while the car is in motion on the street

- Temecula, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?