Hyundai Santa Fe 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.

The current Hyundai Santa Fe is 4690mm long. The specifications for the 2019 model have not yet been released.

You should be able to get an example of the current crop of large seven-seat SUVs for under $40k, and we recommend the Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-9, Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Santa Fe, in that order. 

You'll also be able to get a new mid-size SUV for well under that price, with Mitsubishi offering the base Outlander with seven seats for $29,990 drive away at the moment. 

You can also get the Honda  CR-V VTi-L for just under $40k and the Nissan X-Trail. Our pick would be the Honda, but bear in mind it lacks a lot of active safety equipment fitted standard to the other brands.

All models of the Santa Fe are rated to tow 750kg of trailer that has no brakes, or up to 2000kg of trailer if it has brakes. Remember when measuring tow ratings to include the weight of luggage in the vehicle as well as what you're towing. For instance, when towing a boat include the weight of fuel, life jackets, tools, and more.

Diff failures are not common, but not unknown either. I would try to get Hyundai to help out with the cost, their obligations to support their vehicles don't end when the warranty expires.

Hyundai's brand-new fourth-generation Santa Fe SUV is made in Ulsan, South Korea, as well as Montgomery in Alabama, USA. The previous generation (2013-2018) was built in West Point, Georgia (USA), Cairo (Egypt), Beijing (China), Kulim (Malaysia), Kailiningrad (Russia), and Tiaret (Algeria).

Press the button on the key fob and remove the emergency key inside. Use a small flat-head screwdriver in the slot behind where the emergency key located to prise the case apart, turning in an anti-clockwise direction. Replace the CR2032 battery and snap the case back together. Reprogramming the key requires a professional locksmith or Hyundai dealership as specialist equipment is required to code the key.

Driven responsibly and serviced regularly, a Hyundai Santa Fe should be as reliable as any other car in its class. Of course, drive it like a stolen New York taxi or opt not to look after the Santa Fe and you're likely to be making friends with your local tow truck driver.

They have to drain the pan and drain the transmission to fix the faulty solenoid, so they’ll have to refill it with new fluid and use a new gasket. If the solenoid wasn’t faulty there would be no need to drain the pan or replace the gasket, so I think you have a good claim to be covered for the whole cost of the repair, including the new oil and gasket.

You should approach the dealer in the first instance, and then Hyundai directly if that fails to produce a satisfactory resolution.