Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 58000 | 1 | |
| As i was driving at approximately 35mph going up a hill, my 2008 hyundai santa fe accelerated at a very high rate of speed and pushing the brakes at full pressure only slowed the vehicle it would not stop and the engine revved. i was in a panic because vehicles were in front of me and i almost slammed into them. i managed to pull to the side and travel on the side of the road trying to stop my vehicle. i finally shifted from drive to neutral all the while pushing the brakes and got the vehicle in park. i have never been so scared in my life and fortunately did not hit any other vehicle. i called a tow truck to tow the vehicle to my garage because i was to afraid to drive it. i am awaiting diagnosis.. unfortunately it was late friday afternoon and the garage was closed. they will not be able to look at until monday. *tr | |||
| 09/14/2012 | 35000 | 1 | |
| The are three layers of floor covering on this vehicle. the first is the wall to wall carpet. the second is a floor mat, made of carpet material which is securely anchored to the floor of the vehicle. the third layer of floor covering is a thick rubber mat. the rubber mat rests atop the carpeted floor mat unanchored. it slides around on top of the carpeted floor mat and prevents a severe hazard because it occasionally lodges itself under the accelerator pedal, causing the pedal to jam. this danger can be extreme because when the gas pedal jams in an intermediate throttle setting, it lengthens the stopping distance and has been known to cause a traffic accident. *tr | |||
| 05/09/2012 | 55000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that the check engine light was illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the throttle body sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact then experienced a failure in which there was an increase in the engine rpms, but the vehicle did not immediately accelerate. the vehicle then jerked forward and began to accelerate. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that they could not duplicate the failure or diagnose the cause. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 55,000. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 20000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she attempted to accelerate further but the vehicle would not accelerate. there was an increase in engine rpms, but the vehicle would not accelerate. the failure recurred on an intermittent basis. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired yet the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the throttle sensor was replaced but to no avail. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 20,000. kmj | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 20000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she attempted to accelerate further but the vehicle would not accelerate. there was an increase in the engine rpms, but the vehicle would not accelerate further. the failure recurred on an intermittent basis. the vehicle was take to an authorized dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure continued. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and a throttle sensor was replaced. the failure continued. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 20,000. sm. | |||
| 12/10/2011 | 24000 | ||
| I was backing up and as i turned the wheel the car engaged in a sudden acceleration as the motor started to rev. i applied the brakes, but the car would not stop until it plowed through a brick wall at my school. | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 68775 | ||
| While driving on the freeway i accelrated and my car continued to accelerate rapidly by itself. i was going approx. 65mph, and within a few seconds my car was accelerating on its own to 80 or more mph. i applied my brakes but they couldn't counteract the acceleraton very well. i was able to pull over to the side of the freeway and put the car into neutral. when the car eventually slowed down, the gas pedal made a loud sound like it had released itself. this is the second time i have had this very scary event in two months, both on the freeway. the first time i was so shaken and shocked that i felt i hadn't had time to observe what was happening at the time. this last time i was able to pay close attention to what was happening. there was no interference with my floor mat. it was pure and simple: my gas pedal was dangerously accelerating by itself. i took my sante fe into the dealership and gave them a copy of many complaints from other sante fe owners that have experienced the exact incident, some resulting in accidents. in all cases the problen could not be duplicated by the dealership and could not be repaired nor explained. sure enough, in my case the dealership could neither duplicate, explain, nor repair the problem. i am now fearful to drive my car, and i will sell it soon. | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 65342 | ||
| Was driving on a 2 lane road approximatly 20 mph following a backhoe. as backhoe moved to berm and i was considering passing, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. i removed my foot from the gas pedal but the vehicle continued to accelerate. i placed all of my weight on the brakes and was eventually able to bring the vehicle to a halt and forcible put in park. as i turned off the ignition, the engine was revving at a very fast rate. i checked the floor mat and gas pedal and there was no problems noted. i do not believe the floor mat was a factor in this. i believe there is a problem with this vehicle that needs investigated. the vehicle is with the dealer now. | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 68775 | ||
| While driving on the freeway i accelrated and my car continued to accelerate rapidly by itself. i was going approx. 65mph, and within a few seconds my car was accelerating on its own to 80 or more mph. i applied my brakes but they couldn't counteract the acceleraton very well. i was able to pull over to the side of the freeway and put the car into neutral. when the car eventually slowed down, the gas pedal made a loud sound like it had released itself. this is the second time i have had this very scary event in two months, both on the freeway. the first time i was so shaken and shocked that i felt i hadn't had time to observe what was happening at the time. this last time i was able to pay close attention to what was happening. there was no interference with my floor mat. it was pure and simple: my gas pedal was dangerously accelerating by itself. i took my sante fe into the dealership and gave them a copy of many complaints from other sante fe owners that have experienced the exact incident, some resulting in accidents. in all cases the problen could not be duplicated by the dealership and could not be repaired nor explained. sure enough, in my case the dealership could neither duplicate, explain, nor repair the problem. i am now fearful to drive my car, and i will sell it soon. | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 65342 | ||
| Was driving on a 2 lane road approximatly 20 mph following a backhoe. as backhoe moved to berm and i was considering passing, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. i removed my foot from the gas pedal but the vehicle continued to accelerate. i placed all of my weight on the brakes and was eventually able to bring the vehicle to a halt and forcible put in park. as i turned off the ignition, the engine was revving at a very fast rate. i checked the floor mat and gas pedal and there was no problems noted. i do not believe the floor mat was a factor in this. i believe there is a problem with this vehicle that needs investigated. the vehicle is with the dealer now. | |||
| 09/14/2011 | 64000 | ||
| I was backing out of a driveway when the accelorator began racing. i was able to stop the vehicle and put it in drive while my foot was on the brake, when the car raced forward, accelerating out of control. i had my feet on the brakes but the brakes did not work and the car continued accelerating forward crashing into a neighbors yard and demolishing their landscaping before i managed to stop the vehicle and turn it off. i was not seriously injured, but it could have ended much differently as i crossed a main highway before the car came to rest. because i have floor mats other than those issued by hyundai, i was told by the dealership that the floor mat caused the gas pedal to become stuck in the down position. this is not what happened and would also not explain why the brakes did not work at all. | |||
| 05/28/2011 | 14000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated while driving 50 mph the esc, check engine, awd warning lights illuminated and then the vehicle stall. as the acclerator pedal was being depress the vehicle continued to drive very slow. the vehicle was pull to the side of the road turn off and on and it resets it self and the contact was able to drive home. the dealer was contacted and informed the contact to bring the vehicle in for an inspection. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 14,000...mw | |||
| 05/12/2011 | 47000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated while driving various speeds the vehicle would surge forward. during the failure the accelerator pedal would move back and forth. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the throttle needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure continued. the vehicle was in the process of being taken to another authorized dealer. the failure and current mileages were 47,000. | |||
| 05/12/2011 | 47000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated while driving at various speeds the vehicle would surge forward. during the failures the accelerator pedal would pump back and forth. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed the throttle needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure continued. the vehicle was in the process of being taken to another authorized dealer. the failure and current mileages were 47,000. sm. | |||
| 12/23/2010 | 12000 | ||
| Sudden unintended acceleration. occurred twice within two months. | |||
| 12/20/2010 | 22000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated to 67 mph. she was trying to decelerate by flooring the brake and the vehicle would not stop. the vehicle eventually stopped by constantly pumping the brake. after she got the vehicle to stop she then contacted the nearest dealer and they advised her to bring the vehicle in for a diagnosis. upon an inspection of the vehicle they were unable to replicate the failure that she experienced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 22,000. tb | |||
| 01/01/2011 | 28881 | ||
| During the last few weeks the vehicle had a slight acceleration/deceleration. then while moving the car lost engine pwr.acceleration was reduced to about 5mph had to stop and turn the car off then on to regain full pwr. the check engine light remaind on. | |||
| 02/15/2010 | 51000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. while driving approximately 15-20 mph the vehicle began to accelerate. she engaged the brakes harder and the vehicle continued to accelerated. she stated she placed both feet on the accelerator and the acceleration continued. she engaged the vehicle into neutral, reverse and park and that stopped the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and they could not duplicate the failure. the dealer had the vehicle for 5 days. the dealer contacted the manufacture and was advised they could not locate the failure in the history of the vehicle. the failure had happen on three occasions and on the other failures the vehicle stopped when she engaged the brake. the vin was unavailable. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 51,000. vwb | |||
| 11/22/2010 | 7400 | ||
| Was driving freeway, noted sudden deceleration (about 20 mph and not more), check engine lights and esc off lights were on. had to pull over the left side of lane # 1. a police car had to stop traffic to safely exit the freeway. vehicle was towed to a dealer and they replaced throttle position sensor assy | |||
| 09/19/2010 | 25000 | ||
| Yesterday (september 19, 2010) while merging onto the beltway, the floor mat of my 2008 hyundai santa fe caused the car to continue to accelerate after i had taken my foot off of the accelerator. i pumped the brake and tapped the accelerator and the pedal must have come free from the floor mat. the acceleration lasted for between three and four seconds. after i stopped the car i looked down and saw the floor mat was partially covering the accelerator pedal. i have now removed the floor mat. | |||
| 08/11/2010 | 46700 | ||
| Twice i have experienced sudden unintended accelaration (sua) in the past few weeks. the first time i was traveling on a primary road going the speed limit 45 mph. while my foot was steady on the accelerator, the car just suddenly accelerated without me pushing down on the accelerator pedal. i tried putting on the brake and that didn't seem to help any. i thought it could be my sandal stuck under the accelerator.....after moving my right foot around, that did nothing; then attempted to move the mat with my right hand, that did nothing, and i put on the brake and that slowed the car down and i continued to drive as if nothing had happened. fortunately, there were no cars near me to crash into. the second time i experienced sua, i was traveling on a major highway at the start of rush hour traffic traveling at approx 65 mph (the speed limit) when again the car just suddenly accelerated. i put on the brake which did nothing, then tried the brake a second time, which did nothing, and then i was able to gradually depress the emergency brake and get the car to come to a stop on the right shoulder of the highway after crossing two lanes. again, i was fortunate to be able to make these maneuvers without causing an accident. since this was the second time the car had sua, i didn't think it was a good idea to drive it anymore until i could have the hyundai dealer take a look and find out what why this was occurring. after two days at the service center at the dealership, they have been running diagnostic tests as well as trying to reproduce the sua without any success and have deemed the car acceptable to drive with nothing showing out of the ordinary. | |||
| 09/02/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2008 hyundai sante fe. consumer states unintended acceleration. *tgw the consumer stated the accelerator pedal became stuck, which caused the vehicle to accelerate at a high rate of speed. the consumer stated he applied the brake with so much force, that the brakes began to smoke. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and they knew right away that problem might have been the throttle sensor module. the throttle position sensor was replaced. *jb | |||
| 02/17/2010 | 25400 | 2 | |
| While driving my 2008 hyundai santa on the highway on two separate occasions last week my santa fe decelerated unexpected to ~ 20 mph. the first time the car was on cruise control and started to lose power, the second time i was also using the cruise control and the same problem occurred. at the same time the esc warning light came on followed by the check engine light. the temperature was cold but the road conditions were dry the vehicle failed to accelerate. i took the car to the dealer and the they were able to fix it by replacing a sensor. this could have resulted in a very dangerous situation on the highway. the suv failure and current mileage is ~ 25,400 miles. *tr | |||
| 12/30/2009 | 12300 | 1 | |
| I have twice experienced a dangerous occurrence during acceleration. i press the gas pedal but when i take my foot off to decelerate, the car continues to gain speed and braking has no effect. in each instance, the only way to make the car slow down or stop was to put it in neutral and find a safe place to allow it to coast until i could turn the engine off. the last occurrence i was going 75 mph on i-35, had to swerve to left shoulder to avoid being sideswiped. my 5 year old granddaughter was in the car with me. i took my vehicle to the dealership for repair and was told both times that the pedal must be sticking on the floor mat. after the second experience, i looked for similar stories on the internet and found 5 recent postings of the same issue happening to other people. if more than a couple of people report the same issue, shouldn't hyundai make a dedicated effort to identify and correct it immediately or recall the vehicle altogether? i do not believe the mat is causing the problem because the second time it occurred i visually checked the mat and even pulled it backwards with my feet while trying to find a way out of traffic. in addition, if the pedal was sticking on the mat, why would the only corrective action be to place the car in neutral or to turn the engine completely off ? theoretically, wouldn't the accelerator still be stuck on the mat in this instance? last and most importantly, even if the claim of the mats being the problem is accurate, these mats are the same that came with the vehicle when purchased. i assume they are produced and/or approved by the manufacturer as part of the finished product and, therefore, hyundai is still the liable party for any accidents caused by this issue. i have removed the mats entirely from my car but i am petrified to drive it. does hyundai really want to wait until a tragedy occurs before considering corrective action? *tr | |||
| 09/29/2009 | 8452 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 hyundai santa fe. while driving approximately 60 mph on normal road conditions and applying pressure to the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the contact was able to coast with caution into a parking lot. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the failure was contributed to the throttle sensor assembly. the vehicle was repaired. the contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. the failure and current mileages were 8,452. | |||