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).
On January 16,2025 I was driving my Hyundai Santa Fe on the freeway with my three children when the automatic brake system suddenly failed, causing me to lose control of the vehicle. As a result, we spun off the road, and the vehicle flipped four times, causing us multiple injuries. Additionally, due to a known recall involving the failure of the airbag deployment system, the airbags did not deploy during the crash. These combined defects caused me and my children to suffer significant injuries, including broken cervical spine. Broken thoracic spine and Broken Sternum. My daughter has a fractured spine and sternum. And both my sons have serious bruising and head trauma. Both the automatic brake system and the airbag system on this vehicle are part of existing recalls issued by Hyundai Motors. …
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. …
Previously I taken my car in to be serviced June 6th 2022 due to two recalls at 110 stopwatch switch and the 947 underbody corrosion after leaving the service area it is now August 8th my abs and ESC light is illuminating at the same time and yesterday I called the dealership to schedule an appointment that is not until October 4th however when I pushed on the brakes yesterday it made a funny sound and it was hard for me to stop I'm confused if the dealership fix this why I'm having issues a month and a half later and it is important for my safety that this vehicle is running correctly as I have children and kids that commute in the car or ride with me everyday I'm afraid to continue to drive it however I need to get back and forth to work so I'm hoping the dealership provides a rental car until my appointment
I was decelarating after going highway speed on the highway and the car stalled electrical still worked but braking power steering acceleation all stopped working and engine lights turned on and esc and other lights i retarted the car and no engine lights turned on i went to my mechanic he said it dosnt show on diagnostics so he cant fix it this is just one incident its happend numerous times and it almost caused accident its dangerous and must be dealt with right away
Brake Lights Stay, On ESC OFF Light Illuminated, Cruise Control Won't Engage, Unable to Shift Out of Park. Fuse had to be pulled because the battery was going dead due to lights not turning off. Its doing the same thing that is outlined in this recall (NHTSA Campaign ID: 13V113000)
I was driving my white Hyundai Santa Fe limited, 3.3l, 6cyl SUV home from work at approximately 4:30 pm eastern standard time. I was driving on the expressway at 70 MPH when the engine suddenly shuts down and I lose steering control and brakes, veering onto a narrow shoulder and into a slope that sent my SUV into a swamp ditch, submerging the SUV up past the floorboards. My insurance claim specialist notified me that the vehicle was a total loss, and paid a claim payout and settlement far less than the amount still owed on the vehicle. It is my opinion that a cyber-attack signal sent to the SUV's engine immobilizer switch, shut down the engine without warning, electronically. This can be accomplished from any hand held device, mobil phone, lap top computer, satellite feed, etc. …
I've taken my 2009 Santa Fe to the rick case roswell, ga on Friday, 7/1/2016 and again today, 7/15/2016, both for the same issue, my car is stalling while I drive it. On 7/1 they told me it was the battery, so had a new one installed while there. Both times, I'm been turning into a curve (it was a right hand turn on 7/1 and a left hand turn on 7/15). The first time I was lucky as it was just coming off a stop light. Last night, however, it was a curve to get on the highway with an 18 wheeler thundering behind me when my car stalled, and I lost the power steering and braking and almost became an 18 wheeler hood ornament. As I mentioned, the dealer is perplexed by the issue, nothing is showing up on the diagnostics and they can't replicate the problem. I had to leave the dealership with the sense that I'm driving around in a ticking time bomb. …
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. …
The vehicle brakes would trigger randomly which is clearly extremely unsafe on: [redacted] which Triple A can validate. The main issue was the vehicle did not pull a code and since the happened randomly without warning there was no way to get this issue repaired. I called the dealership twice. The dealership recommended I call Hyundai customer relations which did nothing because the car was not under warranty and would not even work with me, even though this issue was extremely dangerous The second time this happened almost caused a vehicle pileup, because it happened on the highway when the brakes where triggered. Luckily I was able to get off of the highway with my brakes engaged, which was obviously not good for the vehicle. The last time this happened on [redacted] is when the master cylinder blew costing us $1,703.22. …
Vehicle was being driven and pulled in to driveway of home to a controlled stop by pressing the brake pedal. At which point, vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed through the closed garage door and proceeded at accelerating speed into garage and hit a wall (wooden beams and sheetrock walls) separating interior of garage and interior of kitchen area of home. Vehicle came to a stop against the wall with brake pedal continuously pressed down. When attempting to shift into park, it resisted and key also would not come out. Emergency brake was pressed at this time and after several failed attempts, vehicle finally was able to shift to park and key was able to come out to turn vehicle off. Vehicle caused damage to garage door and interior wall of home.
Brake complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the brakes of the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe, 14% of the model year's 358 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes 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 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 43% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 1 fire and 8 injuries to brakes 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.