2007 Hyundai Santa Fe SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

NOISE FROM DRIVERS SIDE REAR BRAKES IN LATE APRIL 2009. CHECKED BRAKES ROTORS EXTREMELY HOT-REAR ONLY. FRONT BRAKES FINE;HOWEVER, REAR WORN ALMOST TO METAL. MADE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALER FOR MAY 13. CAR IS ONLY 17 MO OLD, 15,000 MILES (MOSTLY HIGHWAY DRIVING). DEALER WILL REPLACE PADS BUT WILL CHARGE A REAR BRAKE SERVICE$150. I BELIEVE THERE IS A BRAKE DESIGN FLAW. DEALER WANTS $160/AXLE EVERY 15000 MILES TO "SERVICE" BRAKES- CLEAN CALIPERS. BRAKES SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 15,000 MILES. *TR

BRAKE FAILURE ALMOST CAUSED ME TO SKID THROUGH A RED LIGHT THAT WAS AT 50 MILES A HOUR HIGHWAY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW 7/18/2007, AND WAS RECENTLY INSPECTED BY THE DEALER AS PART OF A 15,000 MILE CHECK UP AT THAT TIME I EXPRESSED A CONCERN ABOUT THE CAR'S HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION NOVEMBER 5, 2008 I WAS TOLD THAT MY 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HAD IT'S REAR BRAKES LOCKED ON AND THE WHOLE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND I SKIDDED BECAUSE THEY HAD FAILED AND MY FRONT BRAKES WERE DOING ALL THE WORK. I WAS TOLD BY MANY CAR SPECIALISTS THAT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITH A VEHICLE UNDER 18 MONTHS WITH ONLY 15,198 MILES AND THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH HYUNDAI'S INFERIOR BRAKE SYSTEM AND THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN! I FEAR THAT NEXT TIME, I WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP AND LOST OF LIFE MAY OCCUR. *TR

FRONT BRAKE CALIPER STICKS AND WILL TURN ROTOR A VERY HOT RED COLOR, WHICH CAUSES VEHICLE TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND INCREASES THE TIME NEEDED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP HAS HAD THE VEHICLE FOR OVER 2 WEEKS AND SAYS THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE CALIPER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, WHICH IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I BELIEVE IT GOES DEEPER THAN JUST REPLACING A CALIPER, WHICH TAKES ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. *TR

MY 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED (16,600 MILES) BEGAN MAKING A VERY LOUD SCREECHING/SQUEALING NOISE AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING THAT GOES AWAY WHEN YOU EVEN LIGHTLY TAP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I TOOK IT TO THE NATICK, MA HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT, WHO SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT SUGGESTED THAT I PAY $89 FOR A REAR BRAKE SERVICING, WHICH THEY EXPLAINED WILL CLEAN ANY RUST/CORROSION ON MY ROTORS AND WILL ADJUST THE REAR BRAKES. I ASKED IF THEY SAW ANY SIGNS OF RUST OR CORROSION ON MY REAR BRAKES WHEN THEY WERE INVESTIGATING THE NOISE, AND THEY COULDN'T ANSWER THAT. I ASKED IF IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE RUST OR CORROSION OR TO REQUIRE AN ADJUSTMENT OF THE REAR BRAKES IN A CAR THAT IS 1 YEAR OLD, AND THEY SAID NO. I ELECTED TO SKIP THE REAR BRAKE SERVICE, AND TOOK THE CAR HOME, AT WHICH TIME IT STARTED MAKING THE NOISE AGAIN. I TOOK IT BACK AND HAD THE MECHANIC GO FOR A DRIVE WITH ME AND HE SAID IT SOUNDS LIKE THE REAR BRAKE PAD ON THE DRIVER SIDE SLIPPED AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. HE SAID IT IS VERY COMMON IN THE 2007 SANTA FE. I LEFT THE CAR TO BE FIXED, AND WHEN THEY CALLED TO LET ME KNOW IT WAS READY, THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $89 FOR THE REAR BRAKE SERVICE. IF MY BRAKE PADS SLIPPED AND IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS CAR, WHY WAS A FORCED TO PAY $89 TO CLEAN AND ADJUST THE ROTORS? AFTER SOME INTERNET RESEARCH AND SPEAKING WITH AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THE CALIPER FRAME IS MACHINED WRONG AND HYUNDAI IS CRAMMING THE BRAKES IN, CAUSING THE BRAKE PADS TO SLIP, OR EVEN WORSE, CAUSING THE BRAKES TO SEIZE. MY CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY AND IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT AFTER A YEAR OF DRIVING IT (PURCHASED BRAND NEW) I HAD TO PAY FOR WHAT IS CLEARLY POOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION BY HYUNDAI. *TR