Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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).
My airbags were defective. I was in a car accident, and the airbags did not deploy. After the accident, I was taken to the hospital to treat multiple bodily injuring, which could have been prevented if the airbag had deployed. I was driving in town when the accident occurred. I overshot a turn and hit a poll on the left side of the car. The car flipped and was totaled. Again, no airbags were deployed. I have included pictures of the car after the accident. My main concern is the issue with the airbags. I feel as though these should have worked properly and that I am fortunate enough that the accident was not any worse, as more serious injuries could have then occurred. If needed, I have more pictures; however, due to the file size allowed, I have limited it to key picture. Please let me know.
My airbags were defective. I was in a car accident, and the airbags did not deploy. After the accident, I was taken to the hospital to treat multiple bodily injuring, which could have been prevented if the airbag had deployed. I was driving in town when the accident occurred. I overshot a turn and hit a poll on the left side of the car. The car flipped and was totaled. Again, no airbags were deployed. I have included pictures of the car after the accident. My main concern is the issue with the airbags. I feel as though these should have worked properly and that I am fortunate enough that the accident was not any worse, as more serious injuries could have then occurred.
Interior door handles on 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe are separating from the chrome plating exactly as in the recall for, NHTSA campaign number: 09V317000, dealer will not correct as there has not been an official recall announcement, but these appear to be the same type, style, make handles as that in the recall. Handles are sharp and will cut passengers if handled improperly. Dick dean of ballwin missouri (dealer)suggested placeing tape of the handles which is totally unacceptable. Filing this for my father who owns the vehicle. I owned the sonata in the recall and know first hand these are the exact same handles with the same problem. I also own a 2004 Santa Fe where the problem has not started to occur yet, but they too appear to be the same handles.
Sub frame was replaced due to hidden rotting of internal mounting structure separation of suspension components, causing poor control of vehicle and tire wear in aug. 2013. Under body was exposed to corrosive water in July, 2017 about three years ago and has turned the steel to " crackers " rust condition and made it unsafe to be road worthy due to possible separation of sub frame at body mounts.. All repairs where at my expense. I found some recalls to late on the computer. I`m in the process of replacing the unit. I kept all records of repairs and maintenance since I purchased it used. The power train is in good running order. I`m not to computer savey ! I have a fax mechine. Thank you.
Brought my vehicle in for a alignment and they discovered the rusted and corradiated rear left trailing control arm on my 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, I brought to dealership after that to get a recall and the told me that since the vehicle was bought in nd and that state is not included in the recall they will decline the work, even thou minn. Is right next door like I live about 1 mile to mn they still wouldn't except the recall, it is obvious the part that is on recall fits my car, when looking on the right side arm there is no rust or corrosion. The dealer states it is not safe to drive vehicle, because the arm is starting to bend also. So what do I do now, it will be very costly to fix,
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving at 55 MPH and attempting to roll up the front driver side window, the window failed to roll up and curved. The contact heard a grinding noise from the window. In addition, the door opened independently and the contact was unable to close the door. The contact had to hold onto the door from the outside in order to keep the door closed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the actuator in the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. While inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the spare tire rack located under the vehicle experienced severe rusting and corrosion and could no longer secure the spare tire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving various speeds, the vehicle veered to the right. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the k-frame was severely corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,995.
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
The right front rocker arm rusted out causing the right front wheel to no longer be properly supported. The lower support arm is no longer fastened to the front support frame. This caused the alignment to be off, improper and excessive tire wear (replaced tires well before the warranty was up). Hyundai had a recall for this problem on other models (front sub-frame) but not on Santa Fe's (only rear trailing arm was included in the recall). When experiencing issues in multiple vehicles for the same reason, but different locations, all locations should be checked and not only the only that is prominent. A 5 minute additional inspection vs. The ultimate worse case scenario of a death, seems like a no brainer. Hyundai knew this could be a problem and refused to address it. This has now cost us almost $3000 in repairs that could have been avoided. …
Body complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the body & structure of the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, 10% of the model year's 308 complaints. The component named most often is body (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure 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 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 140,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to body & structure 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.