2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems & Complaints

Most common 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

• Fuel & propulsion system~85,000 miles
  12735%
• Engine & cooling~85,000 miles
  6719%
• Speed control & acceleration~27,000 miles
  5114%
• Electrical system~80,000 miles
  5014%
• Brakes~40,000 miles
  5014%
• Other / not specified~93,000 miles
  319%
• Air bags~80,000 miles
  298%
• Transmission & drivetrain~95,000 miles
  247%
• Steering~48,000 miles
  175%
• Body & structure~58,000 miles
  134%
• Lights~112,000 miles
  93%
• Windows, wipers & sunroof~96,000 miles
  82%
• Suspension~89,000 miles
  72%
• Stability & traction control~83,000 miles
  62%
• Equipment & accessories~1,000 miles
  51%
• Seats~0 miles
  31%
• Seat belts~79,000 miles
  31%
• Wheels & tires~29,000 miles
  21%
• A/C & heater~87,000 miles
  10%
• Driver assistance
  10%

Share of the 358 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

Hyundai Santa Fe complaints by model year

Best Santa Fe years: 2018, 2011. Years to avoid: 2017, 2025, 2023, 2013, 2024. Compare all years →

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe recalls (2)

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe:

What 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe owners say

Fuel & propulsion system all 127 →

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Stalls out/DEATH TRAP, occasionally with no warning, seem to be when going up or down hills usually with quarter tank of gas approx. Possibly when decelerating. We have replaced both fuel pumps and it was ok for a while. The other day I was going down steep hill and it quit, i coasted to bottom and tried at least 10 times to restart. A DEATH TRAP for people, i had cars flying up on me almost rear ending me even thou I had my emergency flashers were on and my arm out the window flagging then around. I let car sit still a few minutes and it finally cracked. I started looking online for solutions but found many 2009 Santa Fe's have this problem. I called Hyundai and no Recall. I have already spend over $500 trying to repair this. I do see settlement against Hyundai for this problem on other years. They seem to know it is a problem but are not fixing unless forced. …

My kids and I were going to town one afternoon and I started to smell gas coming from the air vents the gas smell was very strong I opened the hood and could see that it was wet I touched the spot and smelled it and it was fuel.i was worried about driving home with my children in the car so I called my brother he came looked and tracked down the issue and the fuel leak was coming from the front fuel rail.i had never heard of a fuel rail going out on a vehicle before so calling around to parts stores and auto parts recycling places to get it fixed and no one will sale me one they have all told me to take it to dealership.please help it's the only vehicle my children and i have.

Engine & cooling all 67 →

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for an oil change, she was informed that oil was leaking onto the alternator. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired under Service Campaign 976 (Cylinder Head Cover Oil Leak Repair With Oil Protector Install And Alternator Voltage Test), with the valve cover replaced twice; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who related the failure to Service Campaign 976 and determined that the valve cover needed to be replaced for the third time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the failure occurred mostly while decelerating from highway speeds. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Speed control & acceleration all 51 →

While driving on the interstate, I approached my exit. As I am slowing down, the engine shuts off and steering becomes very hard. I quickly shifted into neutral to restart the car to avoid a crash. There were no warning lights on the dash before shutting down. I immediately took it to a mechanic to see what the problem was. He said he saw none. This has been going on since September 2020 and it is happening more than one time a day. Since then, I have taken it to 4 other mechanics who have all told me that they don't see any problems. I take chances everyday not knowing when the car will shut down on me while driving because this is my only vehicle that I just bought in April of 2020. This is a very serious problem that should've been looked into.

1.) Throttle Control failure, and is available for inspection 2.) My and the public saftey was put in risk, as I lost control of the vehicle an almost had an accident, and could have hit another vehicle or person or building. 3.) The problem has not occured again other than the multiple times on 10/10/2023. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. I had O'Reilly Auto Parts check for failure codes on 10/10/2023 and found none. 4.) The vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. 5.) There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The next morning when I started the vehicle the "Cruise" lamp was on. …

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe engines & fuel economy

EPA ratings. Class: SUV.