2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Fuel System

AFTER FILLING THE 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH FUEL, I STARTED THE ENGINE AND THE FUEL GAUGE WAS ON E AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT WAS ON. LATER THE FUEL GAUGE NEEDLE MOVED BUT NOT TO FULL. THIS HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THAT FIRST INCIDENT. THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT REGISTER ACCURATELY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON OCCASIONALLY. THE DISTANCE TO EMPTY MILEAGE INDICATOR IS ALSO INCORRECT. THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL REMAINS IN THE TANK. *TR

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS BAD CAUSING FUEL GAUGE TO ACT ERRATICALLY. CAUSES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO CONSTANTLY STAY ON. AFTER FILLING GAS TANK, GAS PEDAL MUST BE PRESSED WHEN STARTING AND SHIFTING INTO DRIVE SO CAR DOESN'T STALL ,CREATING DANGEROUS SITUATION AT THE PUMP. *TR

THE FUEL SENSOR ON THIS VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. THE READINGS ON THE FUEL WOULD FLUCTUATE WILDLY FROM FULL TO EMPTY. THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN THE CAR AND CAN CAUSE THE CAR TO STALL OUT AT THE HIGHWAY. I FIRST HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENSOR 2 YEARS AGO AND HYUNDAI FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM HAS COME UP AGAIN AND ITS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE FUEL SENSOR. THE COST OF THE REPAIRS IS APPROXIMATELY $750. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE FUEL SENSORS. *TR

FUEL GAUGE BEGAN INDICATING WRONG LEVELS OF FUEL IN FUEL TANKS. THE FUEL GAUGE NEED RANDOMLY WILL SWING ANYWHERE BETWEEN FULL TANK AND EMPTY TANK OVER A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MANY TIMES AFTER A COLD START THE FUEL GAUGE WILL INDICATE EMPTY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF DAYS THEN ALL OF SUDDEN WILL START TO INDICATE FUEL LEVELS OR MAY OSCILLATE BACK AND FORTH. NOTE THAT HYUNDAI IS FULLY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE ACROSS A NUMBER OF THEIR AUTO MODELS AND YEARS, BUT REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

I FILLED UP WITH GAS WHEN I LEFT THE GAS STATION MY GAS GAUGE REGISTERED EMPTY AND MY GAS LIGHT CAME ON AND I JUST FILLED THE TANK WITH GAS. MY TRIP ODOMETER WAS GOING CRAZY COULD NOT RESET IT, THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME WHICH GOT ME CONCERNED I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE THEY PUT IT ON THERE MACHINE AND THE CODE CAME UP FOR FUEL SENSOR, THIS SEEM TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF THESE SANTA FE MY DAUGHTERS 2007 SANTA FE DID THE SAME THING COST HER 600.00 DOLLARS TO HAVE FIXED. *TR

THE GAS GAUGE BEGAN FLUCTUATING BETWEEN HALF FULL AND EMPTY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO MY NEAREST O'REILLY'S WHERE THEY TESTED IT AND SAID IT WAS A FUEL SENSOR PROBLEM. AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS IT BEGAN TO SEEMINGLY WORK AGAIN, BUT I BEGAN HAVING SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH IT A FEW WEEKS AFTER THAT. MY GAUGE NEVER REGISTERS FULL AFTER FILLING IT. SOMETIMES IT STARTS OFF AT EMPTY (LIGHT ON) BUT AS I DRIVE IT CREEPS UP TO HALF FULL. I BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE ONLINE AND AM SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MANY OTHER 2008 SANTA FE OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY IT IS A DEFECTIVE PART ON HYUNDAIS BEHALF. I NEVER KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE. I HAVE TO USE MY TRIP METER TO ESTIMATE WHEN I NEED TO FILL IT. I HAVE INVESTIGATED THE COST TO FIX THIS ISSUE AND IT IS EXPENSIVE - BETWEEN $500 - $800. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BY HYUNDAI. *TR

WITHIN THE PAST WEEK I NOTICED MY FUEL GAUGE DROP TO EMPTY AND THE FUEL LOW LIGHT GO ON. I HAD PLENTY OF GAS KNOWING THAT I HAD JUST FILLED UP THE DAY BEFORE. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE ENGINE THE FUEL GAUGE WENT UP TO 3/4 FULL AS WHERE I EXPECTED IT TO GO. SUDDENLY THE GAUGE WAS GOING DOWN AND THAN BACK UP AGAIN. I PUSHED THE TRIP BUTTON TO SEE THE RANGE OF MILES TO EMPTY AND IT WAS ALSO DROPPING AND CLIMBING. I SEEMED TO WORK IT'S SELF OUT AND WAS FINE FOR THREE DAYS. THAN I WAS DRIVING AND THE GAUGE DROPPED TO ZERO AGAIN AND RETURNED TO 1/2 FULL, THAT'S WHEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THAT SAME DAY I DROPPED IT OFF TO MY LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER. THEY WERE BUSY AND LOOKED AT THE CAR THE NEXT DAY. THEY TESTED THE CAR AND CAME UP WITH CODES THAT STATED FAILED FUEL LEVEL SENSORS. REPLACE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS A AND B. THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE AS FOLLOWS, QTY.OF 2 #31115 PACKING FUEL PUMP, QTY. OF 2 # 31152 RING LOCK, QTY OF 1 #94430 SENDER ASSY, AND QTY OF 1 #94460 SENDER ASSY . THIS REPAIR AT THE DEALER COST ME 714.39 AFTER TAXES ,CODE CHECK AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEES. AFTER I AGREED TO THE REPAIR, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS YOUNG. I WAS AMAZED WHEN I RESEARCHED THIS ON LINE, THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF VEHICLES. HOW MANY CARS HAVE TO FAIL BEFORE THERE IS A RECALL ON THESE SENSORS. *TR

I'M ALSO EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL SENSOR FAILING.THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY AND THEN LATER THAT I HAVE FUEL. I CALLED MY DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THEY SAID AT THIS TIME THERE'S NO RECALL OUT FOR THIS REPAIR, BUT AGREED THAT THERE SHOULD BE. THIS CAN BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE DRIVER AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. I LOVE MY VEHICLE AND WOULD HATE FOR THIS TO CAUSE ME TO SWITCH IF I'M GOING TO CONTINUALLY HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE. I FEEL THAT HYUNDAI SHOULD STEP UP AND THAT CARE OF THIS FAULTY PART. *JS

AFTER FILLING TANK GAUGE SHOWED EMPTY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. NOT SURE OF. HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 60000 MILES,I NOTICED THAT MY FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT REGISTERING CORRECTLY. WOULD FILL IT UP AND THE GAUGE WOULD REGISTER A 1/4 TANK, PROBLEM GOT WORSE IN THE PROCEEDING WEEKS. CHECK ENGINE CAME ON TOOK IT TO AUTO PARTS PLACE AND THEY SAID THE FUEL SENSORS WERE BAD. TOTAL COST TO REPAIR $440. NO HELP FROM DEALER. EXTENDED WARRANTY NOT HELPFUL EITHER. *TR

THE GAS GAUGE FLUCTUATES ON MY CAR AS WELL AND I ONLY HAVE ABOUT 33,000 MILES! ONE MINUTE THE CAR WILL REGISTER 1/2 OF A TANK OF GAS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL GO TO EMPTY AND THE GAS LIGHT COMES ON. WAIT A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND IT COMES BACK UP. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER YESTERDAY, TOLD THE SERVICE AGENT ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AND SHE SAID THAT THEY HAVE TO CHARGE A $108 DIAGNOSTIC FEE TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. I THEN GET A CALL THAT IT IS THE FUEL ASSEMBLY PARTS A & B AND WILL COST $615 PLUS TAX. OF COURSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY HUSBAND CALLED A FRIEND'S MECHANIC AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND HE KNEW RIGHT AWAY WHAT IT WAS WITHOUT HAVING TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC. THEN I LOG ON TO THIS SITE AND CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. HYUNDAI KNOWS ABOUT IT BUT YET THE DEALER WILL HIT YOU WITH A DIAGNOSTIC FEE THEN A REPAIR FEE. NOW THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, I'M GOING TO SUPPORT MY LOCAL MECHANIC INSTEAD OF A DEALERSHIP! *TR

WHILE DRIVING FROM MARSHALL, NC TO ASHEVILLE, NC, MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55-60 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THEN ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE FUEL TANK WAS FULL AND THE FUEL GAUGE STARTED TO ACT CRAZY TELLING ME THAT THE TANK WAS EMPTY. UPON NOTICING THIS PROBLEM, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED HYUNDAI AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN. WHEN I TOOK IT IN, THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC FOR $45.00 AND CAME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT BOTH FUEL SENSORS HAD GONE OUT. THEY PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT THE JOB WOULD COST AROUND $600.00 OR SO. I TOLD THEM THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AND THAT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED ESPECIALLY ON A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT THAT OLD. I WENT HOME AND LOOKED THE PROBLEM UP ON LINE, ONLY TO FIND THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, SOME EVEN WITH NEWER HYUNDAI VEHICLES. MY WIFE AND I FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND SAFETY ISSUE ITEM. IF THIS MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM, THEN OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. THIS SITUATION IS NOT SAFE BECAUSE IF THIS HAPPENS TO SOMEONE WHEN THEIR FUEL MAY BE LOW, THEY MAY BE DRIVING ALONG AND STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY OR THEY MAY BE IN A REMOTE AREA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT FUEL LEVEL SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 73,120. UPDATED 12/5/12 *CN

SUDDEN DECLARATION OF AUTO . ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR THE CAR JUST SLOWED TO A CRAW . THIS SUDDEN SLOWING ALMOST CAUSED A PILE UP AND I HAD TO LIMP TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THIS CAR IS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE A FLY BY WIRE SYSTEM . IT HAS 67,000 AT THE SHOP I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC NOT FOR PUBLICATION THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE FLY BY WIRE CAR WHEN THEY REACH ABOUT 60,000 CARS 2008 SANTA FE'S, CARS ARE JUST REACHING THIS POINT AND THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BEFORE THIS SUDDEN DECELERATION CAUSES A DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING OUR 2008 HYUNDAI SANTE FE LIMITED WE BEGAN HAVING A PROBLEM WHICH STILL EXIST TO THIS DAY. AFTER FILLING WITH GAS, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WILL COME ON AND STAY LIT. THE FIRST SEVERAL TIMES OF THIS EVENT, I WAS TRULY CONCERNED THAT I HAD AN ENGINE PROBLEM AND RETURNED TO THE DEALER ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE GAS CAP NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED FURTHER. I HAVE TIGHTENED THE CAP AT TIMES SO MUCH SO THAT I VERY NEARLY WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE IT.*TR

2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE ACCELERATOR SENSOR WENT BAD WHILE ENTERING THE INTERSTATE. THE CAR ONLY WENT 20 MPH. IF I HAD BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE, I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED AND CAUSED A MAJOR PILE UP, OR BEEN KILLED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND A NEW PART WAS INSTALLED, BUT FOUND OUT THERE IS NOT A CABLE CONNECTED TO THE ACCELERATOR. THE SENSOR RUNS THE GAS INPUT, WITHOUT A BACK UP IN CASE OF FAILURE. *TR