2007 Hyundai Santa FE electrical problems

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am writing to formally report an incident involving the service department at Lakeland Hyundai (1500 W Memorial Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33815). My 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe was brought in on 12/31/25 for an active engine recall involving the Cylinder Head Cover Oil Leak Repair (Recall Code 976 / Campaign 24-01-026H). The vehicle was driven into the dealership in proper working condition. I was later informed that allegedly stripped bolts for the cover would require an out-of-pocket cost of $483.36, despite this being a recall repair. There was also a required Upper Timing Chain Guide repair quoted at $58.38 to complete the recall work. When I was called in on 01/12/26 to pick up the vehicle for completed work, I was charged $29.99 for a Multi-Point Inspection related to the recall, yet no documentation or billing was provided for the timing chain guide repair I was told was completed. Upon attempting to leave the lot, the check engine light was on and the vehicle immediately began shaking violently and producing a loud noise. The service representative could not identify the cause and later advised there was nothing further they could do, citing a P0300 code, and instructed me to return the loaner and retrieve my now-undrivable vehicle. My vehicle remains at Lakeland Hyundai and is undrivable due to issues that arose immediately following recall service. I respectfully request guidance and resolution regarding responsibility for the damage, loaner coverage, and loss of transportation.

NHTSA complaint #11711184 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

UNKNOWN Went to the grocery store and vehicle was working fine. Upon leaving the store, started the car, ESC OFF light was on and when I went to press the brake to put the vehicle in reverse, the gearshift was locked and I couldn't move the gear. Long story short, I had to get my vehicle towed to the house as the vehicle is non-drivable at this time. Kelly's Blue Book indicated there were a few Hyundai recalls related to the ESC but my make and model was not affected but clearly I believe it is based on my experience and find this very unsafe.

NHTSA complaint #11687863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My vehicle had an oil leak from the front cylinder bank valve cover onto the alternator. the oil damaged the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. On 11/09/2021, the engine light came on and my car turned off. I had it towed to my mechanic and on 11/10/2021 he replaced the valve cover gaskets, alternator and belt. On 12/2023, I found out there was a manufacture recall related to the valve cover. I placed a claim in 12/2023. They have asked for several versions of documents and then stop communicating and eventually deny/close the account. I have filed approximately 4 claims and they stop communicating. The last claim was filed on 1/2/2025 and I have only received an email stating "Thank you for contacting Hyundai Motor America." I have tried to ask for an update and no response. I have called and it refers me to the recall portal. What do I have to do to get reimbursed for the towing and repair work I that I have paid for.

NHTSA complaint #11646887 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The E .C. M. PART# 39110-3C561 started faulting out, causing stalling abruptly while stop at an intersection an merging into traffic.This events were randomly happening causing higher risks of accidents. I took the vehicle for service an was informed that the "ECM" was causing this faults. The vehicle had the check engine light on during this time. The service shop advised me to bring the vehicle in to the Hyundai dealer, because the problem is likely to increase. The Hyundai dealer verify that the "ECM " is faulty an extremely difficult if not impossible to find. This faulting "ECM " part has literally but my vehicle totally useless.

NHTSA complaint #11626940 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the battery exploded leaving a hole in the hood of the vehicle. No warning light illuminated. The contact referenced Hyundai Campaign Number: 976. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

NHTSA complaint #11574564 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Brake/stop light switch located behind the brake pedal sticks causing the gear shift to not be removed from or into Park. Hyundai issued Recall #110 for this issue but the recall does not cover all versions of 2007 Santa Fe even though the issue occasionally occurs on non recalled versions.

NHTSA complaint #11504445 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

In 2015 Hyundai issued service campaign 936 for 2007-2009 Santa Fe valve cover & alternator due to the valve cover leaking & dripping oil onto the alternator, potentially damaging the alternator resulting in the charging system becoming inoperative. My 2007 Santa Fe was repaired under this campaign. Now with less than 30K miles since the repair the same problem exists, the valve cover is leaking oil onto the alternator again. I've contacted my local Hyundai dealer but they refuse to repair the issue under the campaign a 2nd time. The issue was detected by the local dealership during a routine oil change & they advised me that the cost to replace the valve cover gasket & the alternator would be in excess of $1,000.

NHTSA complaint #11497605 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON AND THE FUEL NEEDLE STAYS ON EMPTY AFTER THE TANK IS FULL.

NHTSA complaint #11394492 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE VALVE COVER GASKET FAILED AFTER BEING REPLACED UNDER A PREVIOUS RECALL IN THE SAME MANNER AND OIL LEAKS DIRECTLY INTO THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO ULTIMATELY FAIL.

NHTSA complaint #11386424 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

IT STARTED OFF AS WHAT SEEMED LIKE JUST THE BULBS BURNING OUT IN ANY WHICH LIGHT. THEN MY PASSENGER WINDOW STOPPED WORKING THEN STARTED WORKING. THE LIGHTS STILL WERE HAVING ISSUES. IT TOOK A BIT FOR ME TO REALIZE THAT THERE IS A SHORT OR SOMETHING IN THE CAR. THE LIGHTS GO OUT THEN COME BACK ON THEN SWITCH WHICH ONE IS OUT. THE WORST TIME WAS WHEN IT WENT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND CAME BACK OUT WITH NO LIGHTS WORKING. I CONTACTED THE COMPANY TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NO FOUL PLAY AND THEY CHECKED THEIR CAMERA. I'VE HAD THE LIGHTS LOOKED AT MULTIPLE TIMES BY MULTIPLE DIFFERENT COMPANIES. IT NEVER FIXES THE PROBLEM PERMANENTLY. A FEW WEEKS AGO THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER LOCK STOPPED WORKING THEN THE NEXT WEEK THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW AGAIN. THEN YESTERDAY THE LOCK STARTED TO WORK AND TODAY IT DOESN'T AGAIN. AND SPEEDOMETER IS OFF. HARD TO SAY BY HOW MUCH. DEPENDS ON WHICH SPEED READER I GO BY.

NHTSA complaint #11340624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD AND ENGINE FAILURE. OIL LEAKING FROM TOP, ANTERIOR, PASSENGER SIDE OF ENGINE AGAIN CAUSING ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND ALTERNATOR FAILURE. MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES, CAR NOT STARTING, CLOCK RESETTING, DRAINING OF BATTERY. SOLUTION: REPLACED VALVE COVER GASKET AT OWNERS EXPENSE FIRST TIME AT 114900 MILES, BEFORE SERVICE CAMPAIGN 936 WAS KNOWN. MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AGAIN, CLOCK RESETTING, CAR NOT STARTING, TRIPOMETER RESETTING. SOLUTION: DEALERSHIP REPLACED VALVE COVER GASKET SECOND TIME AT 136,434 MILES, UNDER RECALL. DEALERSHIP ALSO REPLACED FAULTY, OIL COVERED ALTERNATOR. DEALERSHIP NOTED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN COVER WAS LEAKING OIL. THE TIMING CHAIN COVER IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE SERVICE CAMPAIGN 936, BUT SHOULD BE AS THE LEAK IS THE SIMILAR ISSUE TO THE VALVE GASKET COVER.

NHTSA complaint #11328658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CAR HAS RECALL. DEALER TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN THEY WOULD FIX IT. DEALER THEN TELLS ME CORPORATE HYUNDAI WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO DO THE WORK EVEN THOUGH DEALER HAS THE PART. AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WITHIN THE ABS MODULE MAY CAUSE AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF, INCREASING THE RISK OF AN INJURY.

NHTSA complaint #11323398 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY VEHICLE STALLS AND EXPERIENCES A LOSS OF POWER AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES PER HOUR FREQUENTLY, WHICH SHUTS OFF THE VEHICLE IN A MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, POSING A SAFETY RISK.THIS HAPPENS EVERYDAY AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN

NHTSA complaint #11316626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FEATURE WOULD NOT OPERATE WHEN NEEDED. IN ADDITION, THE ECM WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHEN THE FAILURES OCCURRED. ALSO, WHEN THE CONTACT REPLACED THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TURN SIGNAL BULB, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE BULB ALSO FAILED TO OPERATE. FURTHERMORE, THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH BRAKE LIGHTS BEGAN TO FAIL AFTER THE BULBS WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM FAILED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V113000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, EXTERIOR LIGHTING), WHICH LISTED THE SAME FAILURES SHE WAS EXPERIENCING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000.

NHTSA complaint #11270656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ISSUE 1) FUEL SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED, ONE WAS DONE BY ME THE OTHER BY MECHANIC. IT STOPPED SHOWING HOW MUCH GAS I HAD IN TANK SO I HAD TO GUESS. SEEMS TO BE A KNOW. AND RECURRING ISSUE ISSUE 2) HEADLIGHTS HAVE ALL OF A SUDDEN STOPPED WORKING, THE HIGH BEAMSS WORK ISSUE 3) THE DRIVER LOCK NO LONGER WORKS BUT OTHERS DO AND THE GAS DOOR NO LONGER UNLOCKS FROM DRIVER DOOR SO I HAVE TO USE THE EMERGENCY RELEASE TO GET AT THE TANK. ISSUE 4) THE LATCH FOR THE HOOD IS STUCK OPEN, THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN ISSUE ON ANOTHER MODEL FROM THE SAME YEAR. I CAN GET MECHANIC RECORDS FOR FUEL ISSUE, THAT WAS ABOUT 1.4 YEARS AGO. HEADLIGHTS WERE YESTERDAY AND HOOD AS OF TODAY. THE DOOR ISSUE WITHIN LAST FEW MONTHS AND GAS DOOR WITHIN 2 YEARS.

NHTSA complaint #11258631 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FRONT CORNER OF VALVE COVER IS LEAKING OIL ONTO MY ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO BECOME SATURATED WITH OIL AND ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN. THE SAME OIL IS SPREADING ALL AROUND MY DRIVE BELT FROM THE ALTERNATOR AND SATURATING ALL PULLIES AND THE ENTIRE DRIVE BELT AS WELL. I AM HAVING PROBLEMS CHARGING MY BATTERY ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWNS ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITH OTHER COMPONENTS SUCH AS STEERING, A/C AND BELT NOT WANTING TO GRIP THE PULLIES THAT IT RIDES ON. VERY DANGEROUS. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS SIMULAR TO THE SAME EXACT ENGINE ON THE HYUNDAI CROSSOVER THAT HAS THE SAME ENGINE TYPE BUT WAS RECALLED TO FIX. WHY ARE SANTA FE OWNERS LEFT OUT OF THIS RECALL IF IT IS THE SAME EXACT ENGING AS THE CROSSOVER THAT WAS RECALLED AND FIXED.

NHTSA complaint #11218113 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

HYUNDAI RECALLS SANTA FE FOR ALTERNATOR OIL LEAK.SANTA FE CROSSOVER TO FIX AN OIL LEAK, CAUSED BY A FAULTY VALVE COVER GASKET, THAT COULD AFFECT ALTERNATOR PERFORMANCE..DEALER SAID THEY WONT HONOR THE RECALL CAUSE ITS OUT OF WARRANTY.ALSO THE COIL WAS NOT REPLACED AND A RECALL WAS SENT OUT ALSO ON COIL SPRING. THE WONT HONOR THAT.

NHTSA complaint #11204475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON AFTER A PROFESSIONAL RESET BRAKES LIGHT WONT GO OFF UNLESS I UNHOOK THE BATTERY

NHTSA complaint #11141634 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WE HAVE A 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED V6 3.3L WITH ~80K MILES THAT SUFFERED AN ALTERNATOR FAILURE WHILE DRIVING YESTERDAY 8/14: CAR LOST ALL POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND STALLED... HOPEFULLY WITHOUT MUCH TRAFFIC AROUND. WE THOUGHT IT WAS A BATTERY PROBLEM, SO WE GOT A NEW BATTERY BUT PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN. WE CHECKED TO SEE IF OTHERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND FOUND THERE WAS A SANTA FE 2007'S RECALL ON A VALVE GASKET IN 2016. NOW, IT SEEMS OUR OLD HYUNDAI DEALER CHANGED IT DURING THE 60K MAINTENANCE (WE DIDN'T RECEIVE A NOTICE OR WERE TOLD ABOUT IT AT THAT TIME, ALTHOUGH TODAY WE FOUND THEY DID IT IN 2016 B/C WE WERE INFORMED ABOUT THAT IN THE DEALER THIS MORNING). IN ANY CASE, WE TOWED THE CAR TO A CLOSER HYUNDAI DEALER (CAR WOULD NOT MOVE EVEN AFTER BATTERY JUMP) AND THEY BASICALLY TOLD US THE REPLACED GASKET DIDN'T WORK AND IMPACTED THE ALTERNATOR. PROBLEM IS, THE CAR IS 11 YEARS OLD AND IS 'OUT OF WARRANTY'. THEY ARE 'CHECKING WITH CORPORATE' WHETHER THEY SHOULD CHARGE US FULL PRICE FOR THE REPAIR ($1700) EVEN IF THE PROBLEM IS -MORE THAN LIKELY- RELATED TO THAT RECALL... SO, MY QUESTION: SINCE THE PROBLEM THAT THE WORK DONE IN 2016 SHOULD FIX STILL HAPPENED, AM I STILL COVERED BY THAT RECALL? DO FREE-COST RECALLS END WITH THE WARRANTY (10-YR) FOR THE CAR? I REALLY THOUGHT RECALLS DO NOT END.THANKS IN ADVANCE. P.S. I ALSO WROTE A SIMILAR NOTE THROUGH YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

NHTSA complaint #11120109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VALVE COVER GASKET AS ITS POOR DESIGN CAUSED IT TO FAIL AND LEAK INTO THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING THE ALTERNATOR TO EVENTUALLY FAIL. I'VE HAD IT REPLACED TWICE AND THE THIRD GASKET HAS FAILED AND IS LEAKING INTO THE ALTERNATOR ONCE AGAIN. HYUNDAI HAS FAILED TO CREATE A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO REPLACE THE GASKET AND ALTERNATOR IF NECESSARY UNTIL THEY DO.

NHTSA complaint #11093849 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT TURN ON WITHOUGHT CYCLING OF THE SHIFTER FROM PARK TO DRIVE REPEATEDLY. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO A REPUTABLE ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS A BAD SHIFTER CABLE. HE ALSO STATED THIS WAS A KNOW PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint #11084375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CRANKSHAFT HARMONIC BALANCER BROKE APART WHICH CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL: ( OF THE STEERING, BRAKES, LIGHTING, ETC. ) THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT A VERY LOW SPEED WHILE TURNING INTO A DRIVEWAY! FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY STOP AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE WHICH PREVENTED EXCESSIVE DAMAGE FROM SHRAPNEL. IF THIS OCCURRED AT THE INTERSTATE SPEEDS, IT COULD HAVE PROVED CATASTROPHIC FOR MYSELF, PASSENGERS AND OTHER HIGHWAY TRAVELERS. MY CHECKING ONLINE DISCLOSED THERE ARE MANY OCCURRENCES OF THIS NATURE! UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT TAKE PHOTOS.

NHTSA complaint #11056038 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BOTH FUEL GAUGE SENDING UNITS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 91,000 MILES. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND IMPROPER/INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READINGS PROMPTED THE REPAIR WHICH COST OVER $400 AT MY LOCAL MECHANIC. PER THE MECHANIC AND INTERNET RESEARCH, THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE PREVALENT WITH PRE-2010 SANTA FE MODELS AS HE RECENTLY REPLACED ANOTHER SET OF FUEL GAUGE SENDING UNITS IN A SANTA FE. CLEARLY NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR.

NHTSA complaint #10993942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FOR THE LAST 3-6 MONTHS MY ENGINE LIGHT AND FUEL GAUGE HAVE BEEN ACTING UP. MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON TO CHECK ENGINE AT SAME TIME MY FUEL AMOUNT READS EMPTY OF 1/4 TANK AMOUNT AFTER I JUST FILLED UP. I'M TOLD THAT I NEED TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE SENSORS FOR 600.00 PLUS DOLLARS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I DONT WANT TO RUN OUT OF FUEL BY A BAD READ OUT OR STALL IN TRAFFIC.

NHTSA complaint #10984416 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TURN SIGNAL COLUMN, TURN SIGNAL RAPID CLICKING, TURN SIGNAL DOESN'T TURN OFF, SMOKE FROM STEERING COLUMN.

NHTSA complaint #10980965 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ON A TWO LANE HWY MAKING MY WAY TO THE MAIN HWY THE CAR LOST ALL POWER, WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. I PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL WHILE TRYING TO STEER THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. THE POWER STEERING WAS ALSO OUT, VERY HARD TO STEER. AFTER PULLING OVER I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TRIED STARTING THE ENGINE. IT STARTED UP, I DROVE HOME IN THE SLOW LANE SO IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN I WOULD BE CLOSE TO THE SHOULDER. THIS WAS VERY SCARY, NOW I'M AFRAID TO GO ANYWHERE. AFTER SEARCHING GOOGLE TO SEE IF I COULD FIND SOMETHING THAT MAY HAVE CAUSE THIS, I READ ABOUT A RECALL THAT MAYBE THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE MY CAR HAS ALREADY HAD THE RECALL REPAIRED BUT FEEL IT MAYBE DEFECTIVE AGAIN.

NHTSA complaint #10972274 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THERE IS A GASKET LEAK THAT DRIPS OIL ON TO MY CAR'S ALTERNATOR, AFFECTING ITS ABILITY TO WORK. LAST YEAR, THIS PROBLEM CAUSED MY CAR NOT TO START, AND COMPLETELY DRAINED MY NEW CAR BATTERY (WHEN I THOUGHT THIS WAS SIMPLY A CAR BATTERY ISSUE). LAST YEAR, IT WOULD NOT START FOR ME AT ALL - I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM TOO LATE. THIS PROBLEM WITH THE GASKET LEAK IS OCCURRING AGAIN AND CAUSES MY BATTERY LIGHT TO COME ON WHILE DRIVING. WHILE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR EVALUATION AND REPAIR, I WAS BY HYUNDAI'S CAR DEALERSHIP TO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT AND TO NOT DRIVE WHILE IT'S RAINING.

NHTSA complaint #10954294 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

GASKET LEAKS OIL ONTO ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO FAIL. HYUNDAI HAS A RECALL ON THE SISTER CAR HYUNDAI VERACRUZ FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT NOT THE SANTA FE. I HAVE SPENT ALOT OF MONEY ON THIS REPAIR AND THINK THAT I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN.

NHTSA complaint #10937954 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.