Hyundai Santa Fe 2018 Problems

How long is a piece of string? If driven with care and serviced by the schedule (at minimum) any well-built modern car like the Hyundai Santa Fe should last at least a decade and several hundred thousand kilometres. As with all cars there will be repair bills when consumable or wear items degrade through use, but the Hyundai shouldn't be as expensive to repair as top-end European or Japanese competitors.

You’re not doing many kilometres and only short trips, so would go for the petrol version.

It sounds to me as though you’ve only talked – at this stage – to your Hyundai dealership. I’d be taking the time to contact Hyundai Australia’s customer service division and asking for a firm timetable of when the work will be carried out and when you can expect to be driving your own car again. There’s always the ACCC to talk to if you don’t get a satisfactory answer, but give Hyundai Australia the chance to make things right. Hyundai is a brand that is very serious about its reputation and sometimes enquiries at dealership level don’t always get straight through to head office.

The key difference is the Tucson is a medium-sized five-seater while the Santa Fe is a large SUV that seats seven. Both have similar equipment levels, safety features, and powertrains. You haven’t told us what your boat weighs, but the Tucson is rated to tow up to 1600 kg (braked trailer) while the Santa Fe will haul up to 2000 kg (braked trailer).

Hyundai's new-gen Santa Fe has just launched in three model trims, all offered in all-wheel-drive in Australia. While other markets could have front wheel drive options, there are no Santa Fe models offered in rear wheel drive.

You’re very close to the limit at 1920 kg, but it is within Hyundai’s maximum for the Santa Fe. That said I would be conservative and try and lighten the load on tow somehow.

 Using a trim removal tool pop the vents out of the dashboard on either side of the radio. There are two screws on each side to remove, then the radio pulls forward and can be unplugged.

The fourth-generation TM-series Santa Fe was launched earlier this year, so a new model is not expected for another five years, or 2023.