SANTA FE 2001 GLS

Lost a wheel from a defective rear trailing arm breakage.
This could add been a FATAL ACCIDENT!!!

Bought in 2002 from Chrysler dealer @ 23,000km.
Just finished payments 3 months ago. up to 128,200km
Warranty is over at 100,000 km.

The hole family was ridding along, plus a friend youngest boy.
I'm not abusing the vehicule.
Small hunting trips in the last 4 years.
About 10km in the bush on very decent trails.

The Hyundai dealer telling me that is normal ware,
and there not replacing the part nor paying for the damages.

Anyone else got the same problem ?

I find this LIFE threatening! Don't you ?
I'm now affraid to ride the car, when it's going to get fixed.
Look at the other side (last picture) starting to rust as well.

Let me know what you think!

So far, I add few problems, dead alternator, twice changing the battery,
dead air mass flow switch, the ABS rings broken with rusting, ABS not used anymore, the clock flickering, The D, when in drive not showing in dash, leaking high pressure hose for the transmission oil. RADIO makes a loud noise until it's warm, the back door doesn't stay open when temperature is cold.
The rear whipper motor seased, not usable anymore.

Not the best of cars... at 42 years old the first and only car I buy.
Cars that expensive should last 15 years. Dont you think!

This post has been edited by Joceber: Mar 5 2008, 11:16 AM

the under carriage does look a little bit more then normal with rust, oxidation and wear and tear. the northern U.S. states get this thick rubberish undercoating on the cars to reduce the time the weather elements take effect on the under carriage and components.

Few things that could of contributed:

1. Mild mud caked up and not fully cleaned off.
2. Road salt
3. components and suspension are 7 years old ( so oxidation will occur just with everyday rain)

You can try to fight for Hyundai to help you replace the parts, but everything under the santa fe's are easily removable/repairable on your own. goto the salvage yard, find the parts in better condition then the ones you have. Replace the parts you can, then take the car in for a good alignment (cause changing the suspension parts will throw your alignment out)

Hyundai parts for 06 and older are a dime a dozen, finding the parts new/used shouldnt be a problem at all.

Sorry to hear about all of this... Hope this helps.

-J

I agree with Santafe06, that part rusted out at the top from the looks of the pics and probably had stress crack after that. When I was looking at the Santa Fe's we looked at several older models on the lot and the under sides had no rust protection (black stuff) on them and they were rusty after just two years. Road salt kills them especially if you travel on any of the major highways. Soon as I got my new 05 home I got a few cans of undercoating and sprayed it all down I even took off the plastic panels in the wheelwells and did under them. I then used a rust spray on all the suspension arms and as much as I could inside them. There are places around that spray this type of product for around $60 and up and it stops the rust.
Just my two cents :)

When is it too late to undercoat?

I moved from California to Minnesota where they DO salt the roads. I was worried about rust, but I have been here for 2 years now. I have heard people say that if you undercoat a car that is not new, you just block your access to the rust that may already be there, so you are sealing the rust in, and that this would be worse.

Is there truth to that?

Victor

After calling HYUNDAI CANADA and explaining my case.

They decided out of a goodwill,
to do the repairs, pay for the bodywork resulting of the accident and one month of car rental. :clap:

I guess they realized it was out of the ordinary failure of a part.
And could add been life treathening.

I went to the garage yesterday morning, with my Santa Fe on the lift
looked carefully at the arm that failed.
Was currious to find out if it was dirt inside the broken arm (visible in picture).

It's all RUST. The drainage of water wasn't working from the couples of holes
underneath and the piece rusted from the inside.

I really was missing my AWD when I got stuck with a @%**... PT Cruiser
after a foot of snow storm.

This post has been edited by Joceber: Sep 15 2008, 11:34 AM

Are you not covered under the rust out warrenty? I think up here in Canada it is 10 years unlimited milage. I would also check the other arm to see if it is starting to go.
And to the other question somebody asked, about rustproofing. We use something called rustchk that is a goo type of stuff that sticks to anything. It blocks moisture and if applied over rust will slow it down but not really stop it. The trick is to do it before the rust starts.
It stops the oxygen from getting to the metal that causes the rust. I have take old grease off parts that are twenty years old and the metal under it looks just like new and this works the same way. Putting the black stuff over the rust will not work

So you have a Hyundai & a Chrysler ........ Oki dokey

Don't you guys have annual safety checks ?...... See they are important

Their was something amiss with your Hyundai, I don't think your going to get any more out of Hyundai tho, Had you approached the NTSB for advice you may of got further.

Go out & buy yourself a Toyota .......... All the farmers in Australia use them. What happened to you was unfortunate & no harm done. If that would of happened out at a cattle station you would have about 8/12 hours to live without water ....... After that your dead meat.

Hyundai Canada, (not Australia) is going to fix my Santa Fe free of charges. :clap: :banana:

Maybe I should ask for this to be on paper !!! Someone please pintch me !!!
Told the hull hyundai garage to check every other wheel.
Not so shure I wan't to drive this car again.
They offered me $7,000 can. I refused it.
It worth more like $8,500 to 10,000 on the used market.
That after repairs of course.
More too come...

Maybe there should be some sort of recall to have them all checked, you should report it to the proper authorities so they do a TSB on it.

This sure looks like a "flood" car. No car that young rusts out that way. A flooded car would. I bet a "car fax" would follow the car as a "flood" or "junked" car !
Still, that many years without checking the frame and parts.

Hey guys, I just noticed that some of you all are having rusting problems on the Santa Fe as well. The http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov website has a recent acitve investigation for 99-01 Sonatas. There are 35 to 40 right now that have bad rusting and one guy in the 1G Sonata forum has settled 18 of those 40 so far. If you have rust you should look into it and if you dont think you have bad rust, look again. Here is a link to the rust topic in the 1G Sonata

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?sh...=0&#entry164684

Steve

Thank's Steve

I found the following investigation.
http://nhthqnwws112.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms...8040-29714p.pdf

Maybe with the pressure of U.S. Department of Transportation,
Hyundai will emit a recall for rear suspension defect.

I will investigate for Canada Ministry of Transport

I just change my brakes and noticed a rusted hole the size of a Looney in the lower right arm now.