2004 Hyundai Santa FE problems
NHTSA has received 386 complaints about the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE, and 18% of them involve suspension. Next are brakes (12%) and air bags (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 386 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 40 and 11
- Injuries and deaths
- 61 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 74,000 miles 316 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 | 50 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 35 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 23 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 57 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 36 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 37 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 17 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 25 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 17 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 10 |
| 200k+ miles | 9 |
What the data shows
Of the 316 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 74,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 91,000 miles (59 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 40 complaints mention a crash; 11 complaints mention a fire; 61 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 81% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 26 model years of the Hyundai Santa FE with enough data (136 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 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.
My pregnant wife was driving down the highway. There was no accident. There were no warning signs before it was to late. Wife saw smoke coming up from the engine of our 2004 hyundai santa fe (odo 24,000 miles). She pulled over to the curb. The vehicle had never done this before. My pregnant wife was pulled out of the burning vehicle by a passerby. Wife suffered a contusion to her right cheek during this incident. She did not know the vehicle was on fire. She notified 911 who sent a fire truck and police officer.
While traveling through an intersection at which I had the green light, another vehicle, traveling perpendicularly, ran the red light and my hyundai santa fe smashed right into the passenger side of that vehicle. My speed was approximately 25 MPH, yet the air bag did not deploy. The entire front of my vehicle is smashed and the car may possibly be totaled (we are waiting for insurance claims adjusters to examine). Our concern is that the airbags did not deploy on impact, as they should have.
I have a 2004 hyundai santa fe.12/9/06 my wife and daughter were involved in a accident were neither front air bags went off. The point of impact was the drivers front left. Paramedics as well as myself were concerned that the air bags did not deploy.
My 2004 santa fe has serious rusting on the under frame. Rust is on the weld points and the fuel and engine covers are completely covered with rust and have chunks missing. A recall of 2001 through 2003 sante fe vehicles does not include ours. We have 64,000 miles on it and well taken care of and we our very concerned that further rusting will cause important parts to give way. I was told by hyundai that nothing could be done but I could write a letter of complaint to hyundai of america.
Air bag light keep on this vehicle 15 years old brakes also not like use to be I am own this SUV last 15 years I need your help and support I am worry need to be fixed foe my safety [xxx] owner, c [xxx]