2011 Santa Fe stall while driving

[xtaski]

Scared me half to death. Yesterday while driving (coming down a very steep hill), I applied brakes softly as I had to make a right turn in about 300 feet. I noticed I had no braking power and was unable to turn the car so I coasted into a nearby parking lot. All the lights were on the car but it seemed dead. I turned the key off and made a call to see if my spouse could come and get me. While talking to him, I turned the car on and it started and off I drove with no further problems.

This is horrible. I can't imagine if I were on the interstate at 70 miles an hour. I was debating calling Hyundai and having them tow it but closest Hyundai garage is a 2+ hour drive. When I called to make an appointment with Hyundai service they acted like it has never happened before. Now I am stuck driving it on the interstate for over 2 hours and believe me I am very nervous.

Any ideas?

[Stef71]

Originally Posted by xtaski

Yesterday while driving (coming down a very steep hill)

How much gas was in the tank? If you were close to empty going down a "very steep hill" and slowing down, that would push the gas totally to the front of the tank. Don't know where the pickup is, but that's what comes to mind at the moment. Engine starved for gas. If it was nowhere near empty, we'll have to keep on digging.

[lovemysantafe]

Oh, boy. Welcome to the club of Santa Fe owners whose cars stall randomly. You are member number two.

First comes the bad news; mine has done it five times in the last year and has never once thrown a code. The dealership is stumped as is TechLine who suggested the dealer replace the camshaft position sensor as a shot in the dark. It didn't fix the problem and I have given up on letting them try and because of that, it has become an occasional annoyance that I have just learned to live with.

Here is some good news: It has NEVER done it under throttle and never at speeds greater than 15 MPH (24 KPH). After five or six incidents, I have noticed it comes around only after repeated short trips of slow-speed driving although I've yet to be able to actually cause it by doing so. There is an X-factor in there I just haven't been able to isolate yet.

To be sure you are experiencing the same problem as I, there are a few criteria that I need you to confirm.

1. Were you applying any throttle at the time of the stall? Yes or no?
2. What was your speed at the time of the stall. I don't need a scientific measurement, just a guesstimate.
3. Did it do it so quietly and so subtly that you didn't notice until you needed a power-assisted function.

Your reply is most appreciated because now that I know I'm not alone, I'm hoping we can team up against Hyundai and finally get this figured out once and for all.

[Stef71]

Andrew, have you performed the ground strap fix that SBR mentioned a while ago? If not, I wonder if the bad ground connection could be the cause of your stalling?

[PoMansAWD]

This issue sounds like how "Idle air control" equipped vehicles would behave if they had IAC issues; Let off the gas and you *might* get a stall. Cold starts would have erratic idle as well.

Our Santys don't have an IAC motor/system because we've got electronic throttle control. It modulates itself- which leads me to think possible throttle position sensor issues? It's a tough find until something fails completely it sounds like.

Joel

[lovemysantafe]

Here has what they've tried so far, to no avail:

> Scan for codes, pending or otherwise. None found
> Check fuel trims. No anomalies.
> Clean ground straps
> Replace camshaft position sensor per TechLine dartboard.

[lovemysantafe]

Originally Posted by PoMansAWD

Our Santys don't have an IAC motor/system because we've got electronic throttle control. It modulates itself- which leads me to think possible throttle position sensor issues? It's a tough find until something fails completely it sounds like.

Joel, I seriously think you're on to something here. I found myself heading down the hill where my car has stalled out three of the five times it has done it and I made a point to watch the tachometer as I slowed for the first turn. Despite holding the transmission in 3rd gear using sport mode and I could feel the engine under load, I noticed the tach swung quickly and wildly to below 500 RPM while under final braking for the turn. Based on the position of the needle, I'd say it's entirely possible for the revs to have dipped as low as 375 which, given a quick brain fart of the DBW computer or an unexpected stop, could lead to a stall. A quick experiment later in the day found that even under hard braking on level ground at the same speeds, the tach would not drop below 500 RPM and would idle at around 600 RPM.

Given the Santa Fe and its history of throttle-related issues, I think I'm going to give my dealer one final go at trying to nail this once and for all. Unfortunately it will have to wait until I get back from Texas on Sunday.

[xtaski]

Originally Posted by Stef71

How much gas was in the tank? If you were close to empty going down a "very steep hill" and slowing down, that would push the gas totally to the front of the tank. Don't know where the pickup is, but that's what comes to mind at the moment. Engine starved for gas. If it was nowhere near empty, we'll have to keep on digging.

My tank was just under full. I had filled it up just 1 day before. I had at least 7/8 tank of gas.

[xtaski]

Originally Posted by lovemysantafe

Oh, boy. Welcome to the club of Santa Fe owners whose cars stall randomly. You are member number two.

First comes the bad news; mine has done it five times in the last year and has never once thrown a code. The dealership is stumped as is TechLine who suggested the dealer replace the camshaft position sensor as a shot in the dark. It didn't fix the problem and I have given up on letting them try and because of that, it has become an occasional annoyance that I have just learned to live with.

Here is some good news: It has NEVER done it under throttle and never at speeds greater than 15 MPH (24 KPH). After five or six incidents, I have noticed it comes around only after repeated short trips of slow-speed driving although I've yet to be able to actually cause it by doing so. There is an X-factor in there I just haven't been able to isolate yet.

To be sure you are experiencing the same problem as I, there are a few criteria that I need you to confirm.

1. Were you applying any throttle at the time of the stall? Yes or no?
2. What was your speed at the time of the stall. I don't need a scientific measurement, just a guesstimate.
3. Did it do it so quietly and so subtly that you didn't notice until you needed a power-assisted function.

Your reply is most appreciated because now that I know I'm not alone, I'm hoping we can team up against Hyundai and finally get this figured out once and for all.

I was coming down the hill and it is pretty steep with an elementary school at the bottom so I am pretty sure no throttle.

I would say speed was 10-15.

yes it did it stall quietly. I had no idea it stalled until i tried to turn at the bottom. I did not have the strength to turn it. Noticed all the lights were on as if I had just started it up.

I took it to the dealer yesterday and they have no clue. No codes, not bad gas. Nothing.

Sorry I can not provide more info. I had no clue it woudl stall so was more concerned watching out for children crossing the street directly below me.

How did you get in touch with TechLine?

[xtaski]

Originally Posted by PoMansAWD

This issue sounds like how "Idle air control" equipped vehicles would behave if they had IAC issues; Let off the gas and you *might* get a stall. Cold starts would have erratic idle as well.

Our Santys don't have an IAC motor/system because we've got electronic throttle control. It modulates itself- which leads me to think possible throttle position sensor issues? It's a tough find until something fails completely it sounds like.

Joel

My SF was not cold. It had been running for approx. 25 minutes when it happened.