10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,011 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.

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Mar 012014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles

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

Fuel gauge has become erratic and causes check engine light to come on. Informed entire fuel pump would need to be replaced as sensor is a part of pump assembly, total cost $950. This is a safety concern, cannot tell how much fuel is in car. Recall should be issued as the complaint seems to be common.

- Lake Mary, FL, USA

problem #36

Apr 232014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 100,322 miles
When driving our 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe the fuel gauge sporadically moves down to empty and fluctuates giving a false reading and causing major confusion. This is a safety issue and should be recalled. It seems to be a major issue among the 2008 model because when I contacted a mechanic he knew what exactly I was talking about.

- Suisun City , CA, USA

problem #35

Mar 192014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
The fuel gauge is not working properly. The fuel gauge goes from reading half then jumps to empty. Then the check engine light goes on then off again. I went to a Hyundai dealer a they did a diagnostics check on the vehicle and found the fuel level sensor a circuit working intermittent. Hyundai is well aware that this is a common problem, along with many mechanics in the New York tri-state area. I think this should be a recall replacement item, because this is a very dangerous problem. If someone runs out of fuel unknowingly when driving because the fuel gauge is not working properly they will loose power steering and power breaks and most likely loose control of the vehicle and the results can be fatal. The same results can occur if someone is driving in a remote area in the winter and they run out of fuel.

- Merrick, NY, USA

problem #34

Apr 052014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 61,700 miles

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

The Santa Fe gas gauge behaves erratically! as you drive, the fuel indicator needle moves up and down so that you do not know accurately how much fuel remains in the gas tank. The needle may also indicate a very low fuel level by illuminating the "low fuel" warning light on the dashboard as well. The problem appears to be getting worse as drive time goes on as the needle movements increase the longer time the SUV is driven and the volume of fuel decreases in the fuel tank. After a period of time the check engine light will also illuminate to warn of a vehicle engine / drive-train problem. In my case I have reset the check engine manually and after a number of trips the check engine light will reappear. This low fuel warning cycle has been repeated numerous times and may cause a driver to be distracted to see the low fuel warning light, when in fact there may be sufficient fuel in the gas tank. I find that this problem is very disconcerting as you don't know whether you may be running out of gasoline.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #33

Jan 122014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
Over the past six months, the gas gauge will show empty and warning lights come when you just filled up the gas tank completely full. At other times, the gas gauge will go from full to 1/2 tank. Other times when you start the car, it will show empty when it has 1/2 tank. So in other words, the gas gauge is not working. I understand that many 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe car owners are having the same problems. To fix the problem, Hyundai wants either $400 or $700 to replace either one or two fuel sensors. Of all the cars I have owned, I have never had a fuel gauge go bad. Very disappointed with Hyundai right now ! with as many problems with the fuel gauge reported, this should be fixed by the Hyundai.

- Springfield, MO, USA

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problem #32

Apr 112014

Santa Fe

  • 85,100 miles
Fuel gauge jumps around leaving you wondering how much gas is in the tank. Most likely a faulty fuel sensor which should not go out on a car this soon. Can be very hazardous as a car may stall due to unknown gas amount. This needs to be recalled. This seems to be a very common problem in this particular car.

- Springville, UT, USA

problem #31

Mar 282014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 78,000 miles

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

Once my car has gone 200 miles on a tank the check engine light comes on and the fuel gauge is not accurate. The fuel gauge will show completely empty and then change to more than 1/4 tank and back. Once the tank is refilled the check engine light goes off and then comes back on and acts the same after again going 200 miles. The dealer said the warranty is only good to 60000 or 5 years on the fuel sensor but reading online this is a problem that a lot of Hyundai Santa Fe owners are having after reaching 60000 miles. I had the check engine code checked and it listed P0 464 - fuel level sensor a circuit intermittent. With the amount of complaints on this part Hyundai should recall and fix this problem at no cost.

- Santee, CA, USA

problem #30

Dec 052013

Santa Fe

  • 52,000 miles
Was second vehicle at stop light with foot on brake. Vehicle suddenly lunged forward overriding brake, and hit back of vehicle in front causing damage and possible injury to other driver. Had pedestrians been in front, could easily have run over them. Months prior, twice on same day engine power died while driving. Hyundai replaced throttle position sensor.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #29

Mar 142014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 161,249 miles
The vehicle's check engine light came on and the diagnosis was that the fuel tank sender assembly was malfunctioning. The vehicle has a saddle tank design with a fuel tank sender assembly in each tank saddle. We were told that when a failure is indicated you can not know which assembly is failing and both have to be replaced. The rate of failure is sufficiently high that Hyundai dealers keep the parts in stock at all times. Since the purpose of the assemblies is to send fuel from the secondary tank to the primary and then from the primary to the engine you need to replace both to ensure that you have corrected the problem. This would appear to be a serious design flaw as you could believe you still had up to a half a tank of gas and run out of gas.

- Federalsburg, MD, USA

problem #28

Mar 122014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
When fuel tank is filled gas gauge registers empty, only will catch up with itself when a quarter tank is gone. Check engine light came on reporting a "fuel level sensor" error. Seems to be a common error with the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe.

- Tarawa Terrace, NC, USA

problem #27

Mar 082014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 55,400 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the fuel level gauge failed to display correct fuel levels. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised that fuel level sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 55,400.

- Macungie, PA, USA

problem #26

Feb 012014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
The fuel gauge shows empty when we would just put gas in the car. The gas gauge will show 1/2 tank than sometimes go down to empty quickly. We also notice that sometimes after we fill gas into the car we would have to try a few times before the car will start. But this happens only when we just put gas in the car. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Canyon Country, CA, USA

problem #25

Sep 252013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
After the vehicle reached about 70,000 miles, the gas gauge started to show erratic levels and then after a month the fuel gauge stopped working at all. The engine check light would go on and off also then stayed on constantly.

- Palmdale, CA, USA

problem #24

Jan 312014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
The fuel gauge on my 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe at around 67K miles started reading empty and then it started reading normal and then empty. Finally it has only read empty for the past couple thousand miles. I was hoping that it would fix itself which it never did. Wishful thinking. I ended up bringing my Santa Fe into the local Hyundai service department to troubleshoot the problem plus replace the front and back brakes, and perform existing recalls. They told me that one of the two fuel pumps located in the gas tank had failed. The fuel pump that failed was the one with the sending unit which provides the signal to the fuel gauge. They told me that I was fortunate that the other fuel pump did not fail as my Hyundai Santa Fe will stop running.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #23

Jan 202014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • miles
As of late, the fuel gauge has been acting very erratically. The low fuel light is lit even when the fuel tank is full. As I'm driving, the amount of fuel on the fuel gauge fluctuates from empty to 3/4 or from full down to empty. Seeing that there are several complaints about the same thing, Hyundai should issue a recall - obviously this is a defect with the fuel sensor. Overall, this vehicle has been a really good vehicle, but this fuel gauge thing is starting to drive my crazy. I'm afraid one day I'll run out of gas in the middle of nowhere because the fuel gauge is giving me a false reading!

- Cheektowaga, NY, USA

problem #22

Dec 272013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 137,000 miles
After filling the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe with fuel, I started the engine and the fuel gauge was on E and the low fuel light was on. Later the fuel gauge needle moved but not to full. This has occurred several times since that first incident. The fuel gauge does not register accurately and the check engine light comes on occasionally. The distance to empty mileage indicator is also incorrect. There is no way to know how much fuel remains in the tank.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #21

Jan 022014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the fuel level sensor circuit was providing erroneous fuel level readings. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were both notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 02/27/14

- Farmingville , NY, USA

problem #20

Jan 212014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 82,059 miles
Fuel level sensor is bad causing fuel gauge to act erratically. Causes check engine light to constantly stay on. After filling gas tank, gas pedal must be pressed when starting and shifting into drive so car doesn't stall, creating dangerous situation at the pump.

- Cheektowaga, NY, USA

problem #19

Jan 022014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 67,500 miles
Fuel sensor is bad and causing the fuel needle to fluctuate and give incorrect warnings about low fuel and amount of fuel left in the fuel tank.

- Cologne, MN, USA

problem #18

Dec 022013

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 46,128 miles
The fuel gauge on dash has begun fluctuating wildly even with full tank of gas. No check engine light yet but based on what I have read I am anticipating a problem code coming soon. My research is pointing to the fuel level sensor attached to the fuel pump. However, only the whole assembly appears to be available and as such, it is highly costly to correct. Hyundai should provide a recall for this due to the huge number of people experiencing the same problem. It has also been noted that this has caused vehicles to stall while on the highway creating a hazard to other drivers and myself. When the car ran out of gas, the power steering went out and it became very hard to steer. Please see the following web site for a current list of many other Santa Fe owners having the same problem. www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2008/Hyundai/santa+fe/fuel+system.

- Incline Village, NV, USA

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