10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,819 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments

problem #12

May 092023

Santa Fe

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2009 Santa Fe's paint is peeling in large portions. It started on the driver's side door right below the window and has continued to crack and bubble all the way down the door. There has been no safety issues as of yet, but it will be a safety issue if I am driving and pieces or chunks of the paint fly off. If pieces or chunks fly off and land on my or another driver's windshield and blocks the ability of our vision it could be very dangerous and potentially cause an accident. I am not talking about little chips of paint here and there, I am talking about large size chunks. I know that I am not the only person who is having this issue, there are hundreds of people having this same issue and why there has not been a recall for this yet is blowing my mind. What is Hyundai waiting for a accident, a fatality" This is something that they need to make right, we work hard and when we purchase a vehicle for a lot of money and we take care of it so it will last us a long time and then the paint starts peeling all over the place and makes it look horrible not to mention it will begin to rust, how does Hyundai not feel obligated to fix it and make it right"

- Gladstone, OR, USA

problem #11

Nov 122022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Paint is peeling/delaminating off the car in chunks - from the roof and the hood. Paint peeled off of the hood in a large chunk while I was driving, and got stuck on the windshield & caught up on the wipers while in use. This damaged the wipers and created a dangerous situation, as it blocked my vision while driving. The paint peels off and flies off the car in chunks and can land on another car windshield as well and block their view. I brought the car to the dealer years ago when the paint first starting peeling, and was told it was just past the warranty and there was nothing they could do. I read online that there was a class action suit on this exact issue and it has been a problem for many, many years and Hyundai continues to manufacture this paint despite being aware of the problem. I contacted Hyundai corporate to report this issue, and they said there is nothing they can do. So I have decided to report the issue to warn other drivers, as the last chunk that peeled off became a safety hazard. Note: Car was only used occasionally, has very low mileage, and is garaged for a portion of the year. The paint should not be in this condition - it is defective. I paid extra for this particular pearl white paint when I purchased the car new - it was an upgrade, presented as self-healing paint.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #10

Nov 152021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Passenger front and driver side rear door handle breaking off. Normal pulls have cause the handle to come in hand.

- Amherst, NH, USA

problem #9

Jul 102020

Santa Fe

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Purchased car new garage kept well maintained at dealer. Had a recall in 2016 for frame corrosion. I brought car in and dealer rust proofed frame. Continued to have car serviced and completed all maintenance that dealer recommended. Some repairs very expensive like timing belt, water pump, idle pulley etc. Last month brought car in for transmission exchange and I was told the side rails of car are rusted thru and car is unsafe to drive. This vehicle was supposedly inspected every time car was serviced. Hyundai never said anything about rust getting worse. I would like your help holding them accountable. They admitted to having defective steel. Please help!!

- Oak Lawn, IL, USA

problem #8

Mar 282017

Santa Fe

  • 96,000 miles
Paint comes off the car in large pieces that, if raining, will stick to windshield of the car and the car behind you, while driving. This blocks the visibility out of the front of the windshield and causes wiper problems as the large pieces get stuck to them. Again this will happen while driving in the rain. The large piece of paint will still come off during normal driving, but the safety concern is while driving in the rain. Pieces as large as 1 inch by 1 inch are not uncommon, with the largest piece currently missing is about 8 inches by 8 inches. Problem started happening over 2 years ago. When the pieces get stuck to the windshield, you have to pull over to remove them from both the windshield and wiper blades. This is also dangerous as we have had to pull over on a major freeway before to remove them from parts of the vehicle, namely the windshield and wipers. This problem again causes problems with visibility out of the front of the windshield of the car and possibly the car(s) behind you while driving in the rain. I don't believe that large pieces (sheets) of paint should be coming off of a car and sticking to a windshield of the affected car and cars around it, while driving in the rain. Truly this is a safety issue.

- Ashland, OR, USA

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problem #7

Jan 032017

Santa Fe

  • 54,000 miles
After routine inspection, engine cradle is rusted through and will not pass inspection. Car has 54,000 miles. #1 cochran took pictures and submitted them to Hyundai, said they never saw anything like this for a 2009 Santa Fe and thought Hyundai would replace the subframe. Hyundai declined replacement of subframe. Hyundai has pictures that were taken by #1 cochran.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #6

Jul 012014

Santa Fe

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The paint on our vehicle keeps bubbling up and peeling off causing the exterior metal on the car to rust in those spots. This has been a recurring problem with the vehicle since 2012 and is occurring in multiple random spots on the vehicle. We have seen multiple other same make and model vehicles with this same problem. We called the local Hyundai dealership who recommended a body shop to fix the paint issues. The owner of the body shop said it was such a reoccurring problem, he didn't need us to bring the car in for a quote, only tell him where the paint was bubbling and peeling and gave us a price over the phone. This has been an issue over time. We are not sure what is causing the problem, whether it is certain weather, road conditions or environment.

- Montgomery, TX, USA

problem #5

Aug 112015

Santa Fe

  • 70,333 miles
At around 4:50 pm on August 11, 2015, my wife was driving our 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe limited 2wd 4 door wagon North-bound on second avenue, through the intersection of second avenue and foothill boulevard in upland, California. While crossing the intersection the Hyundai Santa Fe was struck by a car entering the intersection from the West. The impact to the Hyundai Santa Fe by the other car was severe enough to cause the Hyundai Santa Fe to be a total loss. Additionally, my wife suffered soft tissue injuries to her hip, shoulder, back and right temple (head). While the impact to the Hyundai Santa Fe wagon was severe enough to cause the vehicle to be a total loss and cause injuries to my wife, none of the front or side impact air-bags deployed. The car is now in the possession of the automobile club of southern California (claim number 012002790. I took some pictures of the damage to the vehicles, which I can provide if requ

- Upland, CA, USA

problem #4

Aug 052014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 57,500 miles
I was attempting to parallel park between two cars and as I was about to cut the wheel to the left to finish the park, my vehicle suddenly accelerated (without my doing) into the car behind me. I had no time to compensate and ultimately crushed the right headlight/frame of the car behind me.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #3

Dec 282013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
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.

- Newburgh, IN, USA

problem #2

Jul 202013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 54,000 miles
I was a passenger in the vehicle when it crashed into a fire hydrant doing approximately 40mph. The seatbelt failed to lock and the airbags failed to deploy. The car has major damage to the underbody, front-end, the inside of the vehicle dash, the motor mounts, engine and other damages are unknown at this time.

- Ft. Wayne, IN, USA

problem #1

Nov 212011

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
I was a passenger in my vehicle on the way to the license branch and was sitting still at a stop light, when a vehicle rear-ended my car.

- Ft. Wayne, IN, USA

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