2002 Hyundai Santa FE problems
NHTSA has received 219 complaints about the 2002 Hyundai Santa FE, and 28% of them involve suspension. Next are engine (11%) and brakes (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 219 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 105,000 miles 173 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 11 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 22 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 38 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 17 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 20 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 22 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 19 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 13 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 173 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 105,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 137,000 miles (45 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 9 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 26th most-complained-about out of 26 model years of the Hyundai Santa FE with enough data (43 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
4/6/06 I had an auto accident going 75 MPH in a 70 zone. Full impact of my front end to the opposing parties vehicle (SUV). I did a 360 and flipped and landed on my driver's side. My airbags did not deploy at all. Neither driver side or passenger side. I sustained back and neck injuries - currently in treatment. My vehicle was a total loss and is now in a salvage yard.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 hyundai (model unknown). The contact was involved in a crash while driving 35 MPH. The driver side front air bag failed to deploy. Although she was wearing her seat belt, the contact struck the left side of her forehead on the steering wheel and was transported to the urgent care center for examination. The vehicle was destroyed. The road was slightly damp at the time of the crash. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 84,000. Updated 01/02/08.
My husband was in a frontal crash with the side of a school bus and the air bags never deployed on our 2002 hyundai santa fe. We reported this incident to hyundai and they sent an independent company out to investigate. A few weeks later we received a letter from hyundai telling us the airbags were operational and my husband needed to use his breaks in order for the air bags to deploy. This is ridiculous what are air bags good for when you get into an accident where you don't have any time to react.
My 2002 hyundai sante fe control arm rusted through causing the wheel to come off. I understand this was a recall which I was not notified about. Because of this dangerous situation I am not comfortable driving this car. Not only did the control arm rust , we had to change to hub, bearing,and the axle and have the car towed to a repair shop at my expense. I am asking hyundai to pay for the labor and parts to repair my car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The contact stated she had to shift into neutral and turn the vehicle on and off in order for the vehicle to work normally. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 196,000 and the current mileage was 197,000.