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Santa Fe Interior Lights

30K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  canderson 
#1 ·
Just bought a used 2011 SF GLS and the interior lights weren't coming on. I engaged the "door" button on the back seat dome light and they now come on as they should when the doors are opened or closed. BUT I can't get the front map lights to come on at all when the door opens. Engaging the "door" button for the map lights doesn't do it. Any suggestions?
 
#4 ·
My '07 SF (made in Aug '06) and the very first batch of this generation had that common problem, I remembering searching the Santa Fe forums here couple of years ago - found a Hyundai KIT as part of a TSB, dealer installed under warranty (free), the USA and Canada had same problem, not sure about other countries, but I believe (not 100% sure) that was fixed for cars made after '08 .. I'll see if I can find the paperwork from my dealer visit..
 
#6 ·
Link here might be helpful: http://www.hyundai-forums.com/187-cm-2007-2012-santa-fe/78846-poor-interior-illumination-update.html

Thing is, when mine was installed / repaired (btw, I never saw the wiring "kit" dealer had to order) it behaves a little strange - when second row of passengers turn their Dome light (central above them) the Map lights come on upfront also, and is kind of annoying / distracting at night, only way to disable that is on that Dome (central) second row passengers have to push disable the button "Door" while turning their "Dome" light while using it.. kind of tricky, but it works.. my wife and I rarely have other people in the vehicle..at least the Map lights work when entering / exiting, it used to be so dark at night upfront.. I had discovered that strange behavior past the 30 days and past the factory warranty, so I and never went back to dealer for this.

I just wished there was a way to engage that second raw Passenger central dome light from the driver's seat !
I am over 6'3" with seat all the way back as I drive / ride upfront it is still hard to reach back and get some light in the car looking for stuff on that back seat / foot well at night..oh well.. it can't all be perfect, can it :)
 
#10 ·
pare_john where do you have this on the later CM Santa fe's, like yours ? With the kids in the back seat I can really benefit from this ability.. I just went and searched the car again, the entire front / dash area, did not find a dedicated button for central dome light, I played with the IP dimmer switch also, but unlike other vehicles when you turn it up all the way up, it doesn't switch the dome lights on..Car manual doesn't say anything. Where should this be ?
 
G
#14 ·
As an alternative to replacing the whole assembly, it is possible to replace the diode to correct the problem.
In my 2009 Santa Fe, the diode was soldered to a terminal and I desoldered the defective diode.
Make sure to note polarity before you remove the old diode.
Then I replaced and soldered the new diode to the terminal (noting polarity / orientation of the old diode).
The diode required is 1N4007. This is a commonly available diode, I was able to get a variety pack from The Source (in Canada) for $5
Spec sheet is below:
http://www.diodes.com/datasheets/ds28002.pdf

Cheers,

Jamal
 
#14 ·
clueless dealer

It is amazing how many posts I have seen about the know dome light issue but when I called Larry H. Miller Hyundai in Albuquerque today the service department said they have never heard of any dome light problems??? I guess I know what dealer to stay away from.
 
#17 ·
Are you referring to the backlighting in the radio etc. The overhead light at the front windshield is referred to here as the Map light but some might call it a dome even though there is on further back. IF you are referring to back lighting the knob at the lower left dash area in the switch cluster controls all the back lighting intensity. Someone might have adjusted it.
 
#18 ·
I think none of the above, Tripplec. I think the OP on that one is talking about the display illumination on the radio/nav system... hence the mention of not being able to see the map or see the radio settings.

To the OP: When you say 'has gone dim', do you mean it really is dim (lit, but not producing much illumination) or all the way gone? It would be quite unusual for the light itself to fail since, as I recall, is an edge lit LCD using LED for the light, and they tend to last a lot longer than any 2008 model could have run by now.
 
#19 ·
I had the same problem on my 2010 Santa Fe. When front door is opened, the rear dome light comes on OK but the front light does not work.

Based on comments I saw on the internet, I assumed that the diode in my overhead light asm had blown. So I did the following:
1) Removed the overhead light asm by removing 2 Phillips screws, then pulled asm down from ceiling & unplugged cable.
2) Removed electrical board from overhead light asm by removing 4 Phillips screws and unsnapping 2 black plastic tabs.
3) Soldered another diode right next to the existing one (I did not bother removing the old one). I made sure that diode orientation is the same (i.e.- silver bar is on the same side of both old & new diode)
4) Reattached electrical board to overhead light asm.
5) Plugged cable back in, and replaced the overhead light asm.

This fix worked like a champ! Total repair time = 30 minutes. Total cost = $2.02. I bought 10 relatively beefy diodes from Amazon.com, and now I have 9 spares. For the exact diode that I used, so to Amazon.com and search for B009IN1KB8.
 
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