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 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 10 MPH into a parking spot, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. As a result, the vehicle crashed against a building. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a broken wrist that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to camelback Hyundai (1500 e camelback road, phoenix, az 85014) and was awaiting diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 3,600.
I was coming from food shopping, on August, 26, 2019 and was trying to leave out my parking spot. While me backing out, my vehicle accelerated backward and while I tried to stop my vehicle it tapped into a light pole. I was trying to get my self out of this weird situation. I switched gears to park my car, and my car accelerated forward slamming into a brick wall and also rubbing against it. My car then slowly started to back up not even letting me be able to break or switch gears. For the last time it accelerated forward side swiping a lady car and hitting the brick wall again. My air bags did not go off, leaving me with an concussion and also sever neck and head pain. This all happen so suddenly and randomly. I barely remembered what happened until seeing a video off of the camera at a near by gas station. …
Contact owned 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe sport utility vehicle. At 2 pm 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. …
I get acceleration problem in my Hyundai Santa Fe 2009., whenever my car gets slow it see car it going by it self even thou my foot in my the break. It also gives my feeling that car is stops and go something like car is jerking off. I even see lot of other people having the same problem. In March 201, my wife got in to the accident because of the acceleration problem. But, we did not realize that at that time. And, my wife told me that was the problem but we did not believe it at that time. Now, we are facing more problems. Dealers are not doing anything. They just told me that they don't see the problems. Can you guys really do something about this, before somebody gets killed or get in to the accidents. Hope you consider our genuine complain about acceleration problem complain for Hyundai Santa Fe 2009.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact was backing into a parking space when she tried to accelerate slightly, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. The contact crashed into two parked vehicles before they were able to shift into neutral gear and stop the vehicle from accelerating. The contact didn't mention if there were any injuries. The vehicle was unable to be driven because of the way the wheel was turned and stuck. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and then to a body shop. The vehicle had not been inspected. The failure and current mileages were 22,000. Updated 07/21/11 updated 07/22/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal traveled to the floor more than twice when depressed. In addition, the tachometer increased as the vehicle accelerated above 90 MPH. The contact had to quickly place the vehicle in neutral to reduce the speed when the failure occurred. The dealer (huffines Kia mckinney, 1201 n central expy, mckinney, tx 75070, [phone]) was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
Entered horseshoe casino parking garage and turned into parking level. As I followed Ford taurus, Hyundai engine changed from normal speed to a roaring acceleration in an instance. I couldn't brake it to a stop and it rammed the rear end of the taurus. Damage to the sante Fe was limited to front bumper damage while the back end of the taurus was driven forward and torn up. My husband thought the cruise might have gone on; but, he decided the acceleration was too rapid for the cruise. He was in the passenger seat. We drove home without any further trouble.
We were exiting a ramp off rt 75 in florida. Our speed was about 30 MPH. Suddenly we loss power steering and braking and acceleration. We coasted to a stop. We turned off the ignition and restarted the car after about 2 minutes...everything returned to normal. It was the second such experience. The first was August 2013. The dealership replaced the throttle sensor at that time. This latest experience is the exact duplicate of the first. I am taking the car to the dealership tomorrow morning.
NHTSA investigations
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.
Acceleration complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe, 14% of the model year's 358 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe, though it has 2 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 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 27,000 miles, and 46% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 0 fires and 9 injuries and 3 deaths 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.