2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Transmission Problems

Your engine suddenly surges to high RPMs without warning, as if the accelerator pedal is fully pressed, making your car lurch forward unexpectedly. This has happened multiple times since you've owned the vehicle, particularly during highway driving after extended periods of driving. The issue stops when you shift to neutral or restart the engine, but it creates a serious safety risk of collision.

Your cruise control isn't disengaging properly when you press the brake pedal, even though it eventually works. This happens repeatedly, and your check engine and powertrain warning lights are on. A mechanic found that your brake light switch has failed, which prevents the cruise control from turning off like it should when you brake.

Your engine is leaking oil from either the valve cover or head gasket area. You may notice oil pooling under your vehicle or a burning smell from the engine. This requires prompt attention to prevent engine damage from low oil levels. The repair will involve removing the cover or gasket and resealing it with new parts.

ON HIGHWAY, CAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE CAUSING ME TO SLOW TO 50 MPH AND NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH SPEED IF TRAFFIC. PULLED OVER, DASH LIGHTS FLASHED AND CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. OIL HAD LEAKED OUT OF VALVE COVER GASKET ALL OVER THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING THE CAR TO MALFUNCTION AND BECOME INOPERABLE.

WITH ONLY A LITTLE OVER 113,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN, WITHOUT WARNING, MAKING A JET ENGINE TYPE WHINING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING, AND A NOTICEABLE WHIRRING NOISE WITH A FAIRLY ROUGH "WIND DOWN" OF THE TRANSMISSION WHEN DECELERATING. NO INDICATIONS OF A AN IMPENDING FAILURE WERE NOTED PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION SYMPTOMS BEING NOTED. ONLINE RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THESE WERE THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS NOTED AS A RESULT OF A RECALL OF NEARLY 6000 2010 HYUNDAI VEHICLES, WHICH REQUIRED A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES. THE 2008 SANTA FE IN THIS CASE HAS THE SAME OR VERY SIMILAR TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE CONFIGURATION, AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER 2008 OWNER HAS COMPLAINED OF THIS SITUATION. IN ADDITION, IN DISCUSSING THIS WITH THE HYUNDAI DEALER SERVICE MANAGER, HE STATED THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW, IF ANY, IN STOCK AND HAVE TO COME FROM THE MANUFACTURER IN ATLANTA DUE TO THE DEMAND FOR REPLACEMENTS (LATEST ESTIMATE IS 10 DAYS TO 2 WEEKS JUST TO GET THE PARTS!). NOW, HYUNDAI HAS BEEN "GRACIOUS" IN AGREEING TO PAY FOR HALF OF THE COST (SO NICE, CONSIDERING IT ONLY HAS 113K MILES ON IT BEFORE IT FAILED), BUT I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT THE CAMPAIGN 102 RECALL ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2010 SANTA FE VEHICLES NEEDS TO BE FURTHER EXAMINED, AND I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT IT WILL BE FOUND THAT THE SAME CONDITIONS, NEED FOR RECALL AND KIT INSTALLATION, ETC. FORGET THE YEAR MODELS WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE FOCAL POINT - FOCUS ON THE TRANSMISSION PARTS AND MODEL NUMBERS, AND SIMILAR CONFIGURATIONS, PLEASE! THE HYUNDAI DEALER HAS PROVIDED HYUNDAI WITH PART NUMBERS, DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION, TECHNICIAN OBSERVATIONS, ETC. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE (HENCE NO PHOTOS) WAS DISCERNIBLE ON MY (THE OWNER'S) PART. TRANSMISSION FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING IN COLORADO SPRINGS (PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN BROKEN ARROW, OK).

THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE. VERY HARD TO SHIFT AND WHEN I FINALLY GOT IT INTO "DRIVE", THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE. UNABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FORWARD. IT WILL GO INTO REVERSE, BUT NOT DRIVE. SHIFTER BECOMES HARDER TO MOVE AFTER ATTEMPTING TO MOVE IT SEVERAL TIMES. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY.

HYUNDAI'S SLAVE CYLINDER IS A FAULTY PART KNOWN ABOUT ONLINE AND IN MECHANIC SHOPS. IT HAS FAILED TWICE IN 65,000 MILES AND CAUSED ADDITIONAL DAMAGE. IT RECENTLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING AS THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO TURN AND SHIFTED TO ACCELERATE AGAIN. THE CLUTCH WAS DAMAGED BY THIS PART AND WE HAD A $2,000 BILL. THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CLUTCH PRIOR TO THIS AND THE DEALERSHIP EVEN INFORMED US IT WAS DAMAGED BY THE SLAVE CYLINDER. HYUNDAI DOESN'T CONSIDER THE SLAVE CYLINDER "PART OF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY" AND IS DENYING OUR CLAIM FOR REIMBURSEMENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A WHINING NOISE. ALSO, WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED FROM FIRST TO SECOND OR FROM THIRD TO FOURTH GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PURGE VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,432.

AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AS THE ENGINE COMPUTER ENTERED "LIMP HOME" MODE. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT. DIAGNOSED AS THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR FAILURE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES, WITH AN ENGINE RESTART CLEARING THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. WHILE THESE INCIDENTS DID NOT RESULT IN A CRASH, THEY COULD EASILY HAVE, DEPENDING ON TRAFFIC CIRCUMSTANCES.

THIS VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED A SPEED SENSITIVE "WHIRRING" SOUND WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS ENGAGED. WE INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A TIRE NOISE, BUT DID NOT GO AWAY WHEN NEW TIRES WERE INSTALLED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US IT WAS THE DRIVE BELT RUBBING AGAINST THE COVER, BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY ANOTHER REPAIR FACILITY FOUND NO EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE BELT, AND NO INDICATION OF CONTACT WITH THE COVER. THE NOISE IS ACTUALLY COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION, AND IS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN RECALL 102 WHICH APPLIES TO 2010 MODELS. I PLAN TO START A FIGHT WITH HYUNDAI OVER THIS REPAIR AS THE TRANSMISSIONS ARE THE SAME ON THE 2008 MODELS AS THE 2010.

9/19/12 VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL ON THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN ALTERNATOR NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. 10/2/12 NEW BATTERY NEEDED DUE TO BEING WORN DOWN FROM BAD ALTERNATOR. 10/3/14 76,589 MILES VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL ON THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN ALTERNATOR NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AGAIN!! NEW BATTERY NEEDED SINCE COULD NO LONGER HOLD A CHARGE. ALSO MULTIPLE TIMES THE LUMBAR SWITCH ON DRIVER'S SEAT REPLACED: 2/3/10, 3/15/11, 9/19/12, 1/19/13, 10/3/14. *TR

MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCE A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATED WITH THE ETC (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL) SYSTEM RELATED DTC P2135 ( FORCED LIMITED POWER) OR DTC P0638 (POWER MANAGEMENT). *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON I-95, THE CHARGING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND THEN ENGINE STOPPED COMPLETELY. WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MAKE IT TO THE ROAD SIDE. DEALER DIAGNOSED A DEFECTIVE VALVE COVER GASKET ALLOWED OIL TO LEAK WHICH DRIPPED ON AND INTO THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO FAIL. SECOND IDENTICAL FAILURE ON VEHICLE IN TWO YEARS. V-6, AUTOMATIC, 2WD. FOUND MANUFACTURER JUST ISSUED A RECALL ON VERACRUZ MODEL WHICH SHARES THE SAME PLATFORM FOR IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS AND FAILURES. *TR

THROTTLE ACCELERATED BY ITSELF AND WAS STUCK WIDE OPEN. COULD NOT GET THE THROTTLE TO DISENGAGE. I TRIED TAPPING THE GAS PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES AND THIS DID NOTHING. MANAGED TO HOLD BOTH FEET ON BRAKE AND DOWNSHIFT INTO LOW. I GOT VEHICLE ONTO SHOULDER AND PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN FULL THROTTLE. I SHOVED IT INTO PARK AND TURNED THE KEY OFF. THE ENGINE DID NOT DISENGAGE UNTIL THE KEY WAS TURNED OFF. VERY BAD FOR TRANSMISSION TO SHOVE IT INTO PARK BUT I HAD NO OTHER OPTIONS. VERY SCARY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS NO RECALL. I CALLED HYUNDAI AND FILED A REPORT BUT THEY HAVE NOT CALLED ME BACK YET WITH REPAIR OPTIONS. *TR

I WENT TO PUT MY CAR INTO REVERSE AND IT GOT STUCK AND WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR ANY OTHER GEAR FOR THAT MATTER. THE WHOLE SHIFTER IS NOW BEING REMOVED. *TR

2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WILL NOT GO OVER 20 MPH. AFTER PRESSING ON THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES IT STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME DURING THIS ORDEAL. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT IT HAS REAR ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND IT WILL NOT GO OVER 20 MPH. I AM NOT THE ONLY OWNER OF A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE CONTACT THE HYUNDAI MANUFACTURER TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, BECAUSE IT CAN LEAD TO A SERIOUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT IF IT'S NOT FIXED. LET'S BE PROACTIVE THIS TIME INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL SOMEONE IS IN A FATAL ACCIDENT. *TR

THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL CAUGHT ON FIRE. I HEARD A CLUNK ON ENTERING REVERSE IN THE MORNING. AFTER 35 MILES OTHER DRIVERS ALERTED ME THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. AFTER PULLING OFF THE ROAD US 90 IN NEWTON MA THE FIRE DEPT WAS CALLED AFTER THE FIRE WENT OUT ON IT'S OWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DESTROYED. *TR

IN NOVEMBER 2010, VEHICLE AT EST. 29,000 MI. CAR LOST ALL ACCELERATION. WAS ABLE TO PULL OF ON SIDE OF SHOULDER ON HIGHWAY. CAR WOULD NOT REGAIN ACCELERATION DESPITE BEING TURNED OFF, ETC. THROTTLE SENSOR CHANGED. MARCH 2011, VEHICLE AT EST. 31,000 MI. SAME PROBLEM. WHILE ON HIGHWAY, CAR LOST ALL ACCELERATION. RPMS JUMPED HIGH, ENGINE ROARED IN RESPONSE BUT CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. AGAIN, TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH 35,000 MILES ON IT. LAST WEEK I WAS DRIVING AT 25 MILES/HR AND IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I TRIED TO BRAKE MULTIPLE TIMES BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND IT STOPPED. OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENCES OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE PRESSING LIGHTLY ON THE GAS AND AT OTHER TIMES WHILE LETTING UP ON THE BRAKE. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THER DEALER IN REISTERSTOWN, MARYLAND. THEY TESTED THE CAR AND DROVE IT AND INSIST THAT THE COMPUTER SAYS THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY DROVE IT AND OF COURSE IT DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE THEY DROVE IT. I WAS TOLD THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DONE. I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO DRIVE THE CAR AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I SEE ONLINE THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT THAT HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY HELP FROM THEIR DEALERS OR FROM HYUNDAI. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, IT WOULD RUN ROUGH AND MAKE A LOT OF NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY AND THE BEARING FAILED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,700. UPDATED 03/16/11 *BF UPDATED 1/4/11 *CN