Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving or stopped the vehicle would accelerate to the highest rate of speed, on it's own, and I had to put it in neutral to stop an accident from happening. This happened more than once, almost fatally injuring several pedestrians. We took it to the dealer for repair and it was so unsafe due to the acceleration problem they wouldn't even drive it ! I had to have it towed back and forth to the dealer twice before they could even figure out what the problem was. Now they are saying it is the throttle body assembly. $1,753.11 for a vehicle that was garaged and only driven in the winter. 53,567 miles on it. For a part that regulates your speed? This is not the first time this is reported - there was a case in Japan where people actually died - after going to court they said it was driver error - stepping on the gas instead of the brake. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly increased acceleration. The brake pedal was applied repeatedly; however failed to reduce speed and crashed into the proceeding vehicle. There were no personal injuries and a police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle sustained minor damage to the front end bumper and was not towed. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Random unintended gradual acelleration. Happens at any speed. Feels like when you resume cruise control to a higher speed. Except it doesn"t stop and continues acellerating. Though it May not be related to the cruise control at all. Pumping the gas pedal once stops the acelleration. Although last time it took 2 tries. Can live with it. So far anyway. But don't want to sell it without fixing the problem. The Hyundai dealership is no help. Happens maybe 3 or 4 times a week (100 miles).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. While at a completed stop, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact had to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing;, however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and applying the brakes, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a building. The contact was not injured however, a police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was not inspected for the cause of the acceleration failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000.
On 3 separate occasions vehicle revved and accelerated while at a complete stop but idling. Consumer's foot was depressed on the brake pedal at the time of these incidents. On the third occasion it resulted in a rear end collision.
I've owned my 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe since July 2003 and I have been mostly pleased with the vehicle. On 4/30/10, I left home for a trip to another town approximately 100 miles from home. The trip was mostly on an expressway traveling at speeds of 60 - 70 miles per hour. As I neared my destination, I got off the expressway, onto a surface road. Within 1 mile of being on the road, I was changing lanes and sensed my car "pulling" me, while I was lightly breaking. I looked down to ensure that neither my foot, floormat or anything else was touching the accelerator pedal. There was no explainable reason for the acceleration. However, by keeping more foot on the brake, I was able to control the car enough to pull into a parking lot. I stopped the car, and put in park. The engine whined loudly. But I was able to turn it off. …
I have experienced my 4th incident of sudden unintended acceleration on my 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. I have reported this to you three times before. I am concerned that I May injure myself or another person when this happens. I now drive with my hand on the shift lever and put the car into neutral when nearing any possible situation where I could hit another car or a pedestrian. I am becoming so adept at this maneuver that last time it happened I put it in neutral automatically. I was badly shaken, but nothing serious happened. I have reported this to Hyundai America and they are not concerned. They have inspected the problem and claim that the car is safe to drive. The consumer stated she had already been driving for a few hours, so the engine was warm. …
We purchased our 2003 Hyundai sante Fe November of 2003. It is a 2003 model with a 3.5 liter engine. After having the car a couple of months, we started having a lurching problem when sitting at stop light. It would feel as if someone bumped into you from the rear. We brought the car in and were told that this was due to an ABS problem. They serviced the car for the recalls that were current, and explained to us that they could not duplicate the problem, but it should be OK now with the recall servicing they had done. The car continued to have the problem, doing it several times a day. Just recently I was parked in a parking lot. I started the car, applied my foot to the brake and shifted the car into reverse. …
My vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while traveling down a busy road traveling at a speed of 55 MPH. The vehicle did not slow down while applying the brakes at full force. The vehicle did eventually slow down to a speed of about 40-45 MPH at which point I was able to successfully make a right hand turn at that speed! Once off the main highway, I was able to shift the car into neutral and turn it off to a complete stop! The vehicle was towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership. A diagnosis was made that the accelerator cable assembly was damaged and needed to be replaced. At this time, the repair has not been completed as the dealership cannot have the part there until Thursday, which is 3 days after the incident occurred! I cannot stress enough how dangerous and scary this situation was! …
Acceleration complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, 8% of the model year's 308 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.