2007 Hyundai Santa FE problems
NHTSA has received 984 complaints about the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE, and 16% of them involve fuel system. Next are air bags (11%) and electrical system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 984 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 42 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 45 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 76,000 miles 802 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 | 100 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 63 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 105 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 158 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 163 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 103 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 40 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 34 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 20 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 8 |
What the data shows
Of the 802 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 76,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 87,000 miles (131 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 42 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 45 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2007 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 26 model years of the Hyundai Santa FE with enough data (380 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 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.
I was traveling to a friend's house on wyda way in sacramento county. I was getting ready to stop at a stop sign and had my foot on the brake. Suddenly, I felt my car being pushed from behind, and then I heard a loud acceleration noise. Right after that moment, my car accelerated on its own and would not stop. I had my foot on the brake the entire time and also tried moving the gear shift lever. It would not move and the car kept accelerating.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while attempting a turn. The brakes also failed and the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact crashed into the passenger's side of a large truck and sustained injuries to the head, a fractured finger and ankle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop but was neither repaired nor diagnosed to determine the cause of the braking or acceleration failure. The manufacturer was notified.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that he attempted to park in his driveway, but the vehicle would not shift into park. The contact also noticed that the brake light was not illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and they stated that the VIN was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 09v122000 (service brakes, hydraulic:switches:brake light). The failure mileage was 43,000 and the current mileage was 44,800.
2007 santa fe limited 6 cyl 3.3l. Oil is leaking from valve cover gasket killing the alternator and battery and the motor. Lights flash on dash seat belt light, battery light, ESC , TPMS. Replaced battery in the dark at first. I saw the same issues with a new battery. Then researched and saw similar issues pointing to valve cover gasket leaking oil onto alternator. I checked the valve cover in the light and saw the leak immediately and the alternator covered in oil.