10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,469 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 5 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #29

Sep 022015

Santa Fe

  • 73,000 miles

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

The fuel gauge sending unit is inoperative. Perusal of the internet shows it is a common problem with 2007-2013 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. The fix is $ 500. Hyundai usa and Hyundai worldwide H.Q. refuse to acknowledge that the problem exists or offer any repairs for the faulty unit or why indeed it failed. Try driving any distance without a gas gauge. The car is useless unless repaired. Manufacturers should either stand behind their vehicles or the public should be advised to look to a more reliable manufacturer for a better, safer and more reliable product.

- Williamsville, NY, USA

problem #28

Jul 142015

Santa Fe

  • 90,000 miles
Fuel float in gas tank stuck therefore no fuel gage reading.

- Evergreen, CO, USA

problem #27

Jul 012015

Santa Fe

  • 99,000 miles
After filling the gas tank, the gas gauge read empty, along with the low-fuel warning light. After driving approximately 10 miles, the gauge then appeared to be functioning normally. The gauge continues to malfunction if the gas tank is filled. When the tank is below half full, the gauge will randomly read empty or half full. An internet search quickly revealed that many owners are experiencing this problem. I hope Hyundai will initiate a safety recall too correct the issue.

- Cicero, NY, USA

problem #26

Aug 032015

Santa Fe

  • 87,000 miles

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

When the fuel gauge gets around half full, the gauge bounces around below the half full and empty. The check engine indicator light comes on and stays on. Cannot exactly determine how much fuel is left in tank. Had fuel sensing parts replaced at a cost of approximately $600 by a master ase certified technician. After repairs we filled the tank with fuel. Although tank was full it only registered 3/4 full with a range of 254 miles. Before this incident, the range was 320 - 324 miles. Returned to technician who alerted us that he has seen many similar problems with Hyundai and Kia. He believes Hyundai should recall and fix problems. This attested to by similar problems listed on your site safer car.gov. My wife and I are in our 70S and are concerned we will run out of gas on a remote highway or engine will stall in traffic.

- Avon, NJ, USA

problem #25

Jun 012015

Santa Fe

  • 132,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. While having the vehicle inspected, the inspection technician notified the contact that the vehicle failed due to the fuel sensor gauge. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Dsoto, TX, USA

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problem #24

Feb 202013

Santa Fe

  • 36,410 miles
I have taken this vehicle to the dealership 11 times in the last 2 1/2 years trying to fix an issue where I randomly cannot put fuel in the car. The nozzles click off as if the tank is full, usually after pumping a few gallons. The dealership says they have replaced every single piece of the fuel system, but it continues to have issues and they're not sure why. Sometimes it works fine; sometimes pumping gas slowly helps and I'm able to fill up; sometimes nothing I do works and I have to drive off and try again another day. The check engine light has only come on once, with the first repair attempt in 2013. Since then, there are no warning lights, just the inability to pump gas. I've tracked mileage to make sure it's not just an issue with the fuel gauge showing as being emptier than it really is. Unless this SUV is getting 60+ mpg, it's not the gauge. I generally start attempting to fill up when I get down to half a tank of gas, because I never know how much gas I'll be able to put into the vehicle at a time.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #23

Apr 012014

Santa Fe

  • 80,000 miles

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

We had a sudden loss of power while traveling on the interstate at 70 mph. Had to get over quickly as the traffic was heavy and the car had no power. The engine would not deliver any power, other than idle. Turned the car off and let it sit for about 15 seconds, then started the car and had power back for about 3 miles. Happened again and did the same for about ten miles until got home. Recently started to happen again, same codes come up each time. Took car to dealership and they told me that it was just glitches causing codes to come up and cause the ESC to go into safe mode. Since then I have seen the exact same codes and not a lot of codes, but codes that indicate an ignition/fuel/control module problem. This is not as bad as acceleration, but if pulling out in traffic or on an on ramp, could be deadly. Has now happened seven times. First date was April 2014, could not enter date in your form for some reason.

- Perry, OK, USA

problem #22

Jan 302014

Santa Fe

  • 79,000 miles
Check engine light coming on. Had it checked out and it was the fuel level sensor. Gas gauge not working properly now. I checked and there has been many more reports for this type of problem. Company should fix this problem at little or no cost.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #21

May 282015

Santa Fe

  • 110,000 miles
Check engine light came on May 28 2015, dealer advised fuel sensor/pump issue, repaired it $$$$ June 5th same issue back at dealer, also will not start and fuel gauge acting up 33rd record of the same issue at ntsha for this 2009, over 100 for the cumulative years for the Santa Fe same issue

- Fort Washington, MD, USA

problem #20

Mar 052015

Santa Fe

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the fuel gauge failed to provide a proper reading and would fluctuate from full to empty after the tank was refueled. The contact mentioned that the vehicle stalled due to the failure. The failure was reported to the authorized dealer who stated that the contact was not included in a manufacturer recall and that the vehicle would need to be diagnosed to determine the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

problem #19

Apr 172015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 81,000 miles

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

Noticed fuel gauge started to fluctuate whenever vehicle was parked for a while. Stopped at church showed 1/4 tank with a range of 90 miles, stopped at walmart showed between 1/4 & 1/2 tank and a range of 147 miles. About to take this vehicle on the road and really have no choice but to have it fixed. Drove old vehicles for years and never had a fuel gauge go bad. This is only under warranty for 5/60K so thanks Hyundai, I am crossing them off the list of my next car model. Btw $600 bill for this. People want to know if it's a safety factor. Of course not, running out of gas on the middle of an interstate can't be a safety problem. To me it's no different than having your keys turn your ignition switch off cause they're too heavy.

- Papillion, NE, USA

problem #18

Nov 052014

Santa Fe

  • 84,637 miles
The check engine light came on and fuel gauge went down to empty, even though I had a full tank. Took to my mechanic and he said the check engine code indicated "P0464 - fuel level sensor 'a' ckt intermittent" problem. He informed me of his price, but recommended I go to a Hyundai dealership first to see if covered under the 100K power train warranty. Took to local dealer on 11/10/14 and they said it wasn't covered or considered a recall, and it would cost over $800 to repair. My mechanic suggested I use a bottle or two of chevron techron fuel additive with my next fill up because it may clean the sending unit, as gasoline tends to coat the grid that contacts pass over causing the gage failure. A 20 oz and 12 oz bottle were added and shortly after, the check engine light went out and the fuel gage began to register properly again. This lasted about 2 months, but then the light came on again in January and gage went down when I started up the car one morning. I tried the same thing again with the techron, and it worked for about 1 month. The problem has occurred several more times lately but the gage problem is inconsistent. Sometimes everything seems good then if I happen to accelerate quickly, everything goes haywire again. I don't want to keep paying for bottles of techron on every other fill-up or use premium gas (which didn't work btw), and I also think this problem is common enough on 2007-2009 Santa Fe's on internet postings that its time for Hyundai to step up to fix this problem as a recall. Some think it's not important because it hasn't caused a crash, fire, or accident resulting in injury or death, but if someone ignores it and runs out of gas on a major highway, in a tunnel (I go through one 2X per day), or another dangerous spot, it very well could cause a major accident or death. Do the right thing Hyundai and issue a recall for this issue!!

- Forest Hill, MD, USA

problem #17

Mar 192015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 81,300 miles
Vehicle fuel gauge is erratic. With a full tank of fuel the gauge sometimes reads empty with the low fuel light on. Other times it may read as half or anywhere in between. Probably defective fuel sending unit.

- Maple Grove, MN, USA

problem #16

May 072014

Santa Fe

  • 100,700 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the fuel gauge failed to operate. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not provided. The failure mileage was 100,700.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #15

Mar 112015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
RPM jumped without driver increasing pedal pressure, causing sudden unintended acceleration. Dealership unable to identify issue. This is the second occurrence in the last couple months.

- Jarrettsville, MD, USA

problem #14

Feb 132015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 51,300 miles
Filled up gas tank and a short time later gas gauge showed half tank. We paid particular attention to watching gauge and it randomly would go up and down. A few days later the check engine warning light came on. We went to our mechanic who checked for the reason for check engine light and the result was a code indicating that the fuel tank level sensor was working intermittently. This is a real problem as we're not sure at any time what the level of fuel is since it goes up and down. It is obvious in researching this problem that this is an ongoing issue. We love our Santa Fe but these types of issues will certainly weigh in on our car replacement decision.

- East Islip, NY, USA

problem #13

Feb 142015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 65,250 miles
I was parking my car in a space at a local store. The car took off. Sudden acceleration. Went forward probably a good 15 feet before I was able to stop. I also had to have both fuel tank sensors replaced. My gas gauge would not register properly. Fluctuated up and down at random moments. Cost me $364.51! seems to be a continuing problem.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #12

Jan 142015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 37,682 miles
Pulled into gas station with a hair under a 1/4 tank of gas, shut off engine and had the attendant fill the tank. After the fill was complete I started the car engine and the fuel gauge read "E" and the yellow light came on. I moved the car forward, backward and forward again and the gauge moved slightly off the "E". I drove home the gauge move to just under half. I turned the car off and when I started it this morning with the remote start the gauge read half a tank but when I put the key in and turned it the gauge went to "E" again and the yellow light was back. After about 10 minutes on my ride to work the gauge went to 1/4 tank and the light went off and so far today it has stayed there. By the looks of complaints on the internet it seems to be a problem Hyundai has.

- Seaford, NY, USA

problem #11

Jan 072015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
I own a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe, the check engine light came on with odbii code P0464, fuel level sender(sensor) unit malfunction "intermittent operation". I normally repair my own vehicles and have repaired cars for many years. The issue I have is that, only on rare occasions should these fuel tank parts go bad on a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles on it. I'm now seeing more and more complaints about these fuel tank issues, consider a recall for Hyundai vehicles.

- Wynantskill, NY, USA

problem #10

Dec 032013

Santa Fe

  • 94,000 miles
Engine light came on and then fuel warning light came on even though I had a least 1/2 tank of gas. Filled up my gas tank, all lights were out. When I had approximately 1/2 tank again, the engine and fuel lights came on. I brought my car to my mechanic and was told the 2 fuel sensors need to be replaced at a cost of over $350. Upon online researching, I learned that there are many others who are experiencing the same problem. I feel that because this is happening to other Hyundai owners, it is a problem that Hyundai needs to repair at no cost to the owner of these vehicles. In my case, I need to be reimburse the cost of the repair.

- Langhorne, PA, USA

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