2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

MY DAUGHTER WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AND THE RIGHT REAR TRAILING ARM FAILED BECAUSE IT HAD RUSTED AND BROKE CAUSING THE REAR TIRE TO TURN OUT AND THERE WAS NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, SHE JUST GOT OFF THE INTERSTATE RUNNING 70 MILES PER HOUR, THIS COULD HAVE HAD A REAL SAD OUT COME. WE ARE HAVING BOTH TRAILING ARMS REPLACED. *TR

MY 2001 SANTE FE WAS MAKING " CREAKING" NOISE BY THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR IT, BUT BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT I HEARD A LOUD THUD AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ONLY GOING 35 MPH AND WAS ABLE TO SKID INTO A DRIVEWAY. THE REAR CONTROL ARM SNAPPED OFF DUE TO AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF RUST. THE OTHER SIDE IS ALMOST RUSTED THROUGH. THE REPAIR SHOP HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. *TR

RETURNING FROM 2 HOUR HIGHWAY TRIP, TURNED INTO DEVELOPMENT, HEARD LOUD SNAPPING NOISE. TOOK TO DEALER NEXT DAY, INFORMED DRIVER SIDE REAR CONTROL ARMS RUSTED THROUGH AND BROKEN, PASSENGER SIDE WELL ON WAY. AXLE WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED. ONLY AXLE UNDER WARRANTY--HAD DEALER REPLACE SUCH. TOOK VEHICLE TO REGULAR GARAGE FOR REMAINDER OF REPAIRS. GARAGE EXTREMELY SURPRISED AT AMOUNT OF RUST CONTAINED IN REAR SUSPENSION----PAPER THIN. HAVE SAVED PARTS FOR ANYONE WISHING TO LOOK AT THEM. HAVE NOTED ON-GOING COMPLAINTS ABOUT 2001 HYUNDAI ELANTRAS WITH SAME PROBLEM--MUST BE A HYUNDAI ISSUE--AS MINE IS A SANTA FE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND COULD CAUSE MAJOR ACCIDENTS AND/OR DEATHS SHOULD CONTROL FAIL DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. WAS TOLD CONTROL ARM IS DEFECTIVE, AS THERE IS NO HOLES FOR ANY WATER/CONDENSATION TO DRAIN, THEREFORE WATER SITS AND RUSTS THEM OUT. *TR

VEHICLE: 2001 HYUNDAI SANTA FE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY AND RELIABILITY OF A KEY SUSPENSION COMPONENT: THE RIGHT REAR BEARING ARM. THIS COMPONENT, WHICH ATTACHES THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL AXLE TO THE CHASSIS COMPLETELY FAILED DURING A DRIVE ON A SECONDARY ROAD AT SPEEDS UNDER 55 MPH ON APRIL 9, 2008. THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED TO THE RIGHT A QUARTER OF A TURN, AND THE VEHICLE ALMOST FLIPPED OVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. MY MECHANIC INFORMS ME THAT THIS COMPONENT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. IN MY CASE, IT IS COMPLETELY CORRODED TO THE POINT WHERE IT COULD NO LONGER SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED A STRUCTURAL FAILURE. I HAVE OWNED MANY CARS, AND HAVE NEVER SEEN A WEIGHT BEARING SUSPENSION COMPONENT FAIL UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. HAD THIS FAILURE HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY, I AM SURE THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WOULD HAVE COMPLETED DEPARTED THE VEHICLE RESULTING IN A COMPLETE LACK OF CONTROL AND PROBABLE DISASTER. WE CONSIDER OURSELVES VERY FORTUNATE THAT NO ONE WAS HURT. HOWEVER, THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS EXPENSIVE. THE COST OF THE REPAIR WAS NEARLY $1,000. THE COST OF THE SUSPENSION COMPONENT ALONE WAS $567.79. I CONSIDER THIS FAILURE NOT A NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCE AND WOULD LIKE SOMEONE TO INSPECT THE PART AND VEHICLE FOR COMPLETE ANALYSIS. I HAVE THE OLD PART AS WELL AS DIGITAL PHOTOS OF THE FAILED COMPONENT FOR YOUR REVIEW AS WELL AS REPAIR DOCUMENTATION. I WOULD LIKE HYUNDAI TO COVER THE COST OF THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR. IN MY OPINION, THIS COMPONENT SHOULD NEVER FAIL UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND CERTAINLY NEVER FAIL IN A VEHICLE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS FAILURE HAS REALLY SHAKEN MY CONFIDENCE IN HYUNDAI'S DESIGN AND ENGINEERING QUALITY. IF WE HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY, I AM CERTAIN THAT AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN INEVITABLE. *TR

FOR A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, I THOUGHT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE BRAKES REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE. EVERYTIME I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE CAR WOULD SWERVE A LITTLE; THEN THERE WOULD BE A "THUMP" AT THE REAR OF THE CAR. ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT NOISE AT THE REAR OF THE CAR, SO I LOOKED IN THE BACK STORAGE AREA THINKING SOMETHING WAS ROLLING AROUND-FOUND NOTHING. I CONTINUED DRIVING A FEW MILES, HEARING THE THUMPING NOISE AGAIN, I STOPPED AND LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE THINKING THE SPARE TIRE BRACKET WAS BROKEN--SAW NOTHING. LATER IN THE DAY, AS I TURNED RIGHT THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE AT THE REAR. I TOLD MYSELF TO DRIVE SLOWLY--AND THEN THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BROKE CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR. FORTUNATELY FOR MYSELF, OTHER DRIVERS AND HYUNDAI I WAS DRIVING SLOW. THE CAR WAS FLATBEDDED TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER, WHO TOLD ME THAT THE REAR TRAILERING ARM "SNAPPED" OFF DUE TO AN IMPACT. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT AND WANTED TO WAIT FOR THE COMPANY REP BEFORE DECIDING WHAT TO DO. THE REP INSISTED THAT RUST HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PART BREAKING AND THAT I NEEDED TO PAY 1100.00 FOR THE REPAIR (WHICH INCLUDED A NEW BRAKE LINE AND SHOCK DUE TO THE FAULTY PART) THE DEALERSHIP THEN DID NOT WANT TO GIVE ME THE PART BECAUSE IT WAS "TOO RUSTY" TO PUT IN THE CAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE 4TH VEHICLE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM. I DO HAVE THE PART AND WILL BE GOING TO THE LOCAL NEWS MEDIA TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUE NOT BEING ADDRESSED BY THE COMPANY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 HYUNDAI SANTE FE EASTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 275 IN WILDER KENTUCKY AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MILES PER HOUR AT APPROXIMATELY 10PM , WHEN I HEARD A POPPING SOUND AND SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN AGES 8 AND 11 WERE IN OUR SUV WITH ME. THE CAR SWERVED OVER THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC AND THE MEDIAN STRIP VEERING WILDLY FROM LANE TO LANE. THE VEHICLE ALMOST TIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES. FORTUNATELY, NO OTHER CARS WERE NEARBY AND I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE NEWPORT FIRESTONE STORE ON CAROTHERS ROAD. 859-491-1400. THE WHEEL WAS TURNED OUT APPROXIMATELY 10 DEGREES. THE SHOP FOUND THAT THE SUSPENSION TRAILING ARM HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND HAD ALMOST COMPLETELY SEPARATED INTO TWO PIECES. WE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I SAVED THE PART. THE WHEEL WAS LITERALLY HANGING ON BY A THREAD. THE REPAIRS COSTS APPROXIMATELY $800. I CALLED HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY WERE COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. THIS IS NOT WHAT A CONSUMER WOULD EXPECT FROM A SIX YEAR OLD VEHICLE. I AM CONCERNED THAT OTHER CARS OUT THERE ARE TICKING TIME BOMBS. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD CRACKING SOUND COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND BECAME WORSE WHEN HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FISHTAIL, BUT GRADUALLY DECELERATED TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL LOOKED AS IF IT WERE TURNED AT A 15 DEGREE ANGLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE SUSPENSION TRAILING ARM WAS RUSTED AND CRACKED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 103,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000.

TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY TURN TO THE RIGHT AND LUNGED DOWNWARD TO A POINT THE VEHICLE FELT AS IF IT WAS GOING TO FLIP OVER. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND FOUND THE RIGHT REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM HAD RUSTED COMPLETELY THROUGH. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE PART IF NEEDED. WHEN THE REPAIR SHOP CALLED THE HYUNDAI PARTS DEPARTMENT THE PERSON ANSWERING THE PHONE SAID THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WAS COMMON PROBLEM WITH SANTA FE SUVS. THAT NEXT THING THAT MADE ME THINK THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT HYUNDAI WAS AWARE OF, WAS THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART HAD BE REDESIGNED AND NOW HAS WEEP HOLES SO NOT TO RETAIN WATER OR MOISTURE. THE REPAIR SHOP TESTED THE REMAINING CONTROL ARMS ON THE VEHICLE TO FIND THE LEFT REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM WAS ALMOST RUSTED THROUGH. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS THE SAME DEGREE OF RUST ON THESE PARTS THAT A TEN YEAR OLD CAR WOULD HAVE. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN GARAGED DURING THIS TIME. HYUNDAI SEEMS TO BE AWARE OF THE DEFECT DUE TO THE REDESIGN OF THE PART IN QUESTION AND THAT HYUNDAI PARTS DEPARTMENT IS AWARE OF THE NUMBER OF FAILURES. IS HYUNDAI WAITING UNTIL THERE IS A SERIOUS INJURY OR A DEATH? *NM