WE BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE ON 8/20/07. THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATES ON THE DASHBOARD. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR THE PROBLEM WAS AT 765 MILES ON 9/13/07. A SPECIAL PART WAS ORDERED PER THE REPAIR ORDER. THE NEXT TIME I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WAS ON 10/4/07 AT 1863 MILES. ON 9/4/08 AT 14721 MILES, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I HAD AN INCIDENT RIGHT NEAR THE DEALER WHERE THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THANKFULLY I DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THE REPAIR ORDER STATES THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE CUSTOMER CONCERN. ON 10/2/08, AT 15462 MILES, I AGAIN TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT ILLUMINATING ON THE DASH. THE REPAIR ORDER STATES A "TAB BROKEN?" ON 10/13/08, I WAS DRIVING DOWN I-95 IN CHERRY HILL, NJ (125 MILES FROM HOME) WHEN THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THE CAR AGAIN MADE A SCRAPING NOISE UNDER THE ENGINE. THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, TURNED IT BACK ON AND PULLED ONTO THE HIGHWAY AGAIN. THE SAME THING HAPPENED. IT WAS TOWED TO BURNS HYUNDAI IN CHERRY HILL. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS A BROKEN YAW RING. AFTER THAT IT SEEMED FINE FOR A WHILE BUT WITHIN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THE "ESC OFF" LIGHT HAS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY AT MILES 17697, 18948, 19292 AND 20076. I HAVEN'T HAD THE DRAGGING SOUND UNDER THE HOOD; HOWEVER, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS PROBLEM HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO BE FIXED. IF YOU CAN HELP ME TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. *TR
2001
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BATTERY
VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHEN LEAVING FROM DEALERSHIP AFTER PURCHASING, CAUSE ACCORDING TO DEALER WAS DEFECTIVE BATTERY. BATTERY WAS REPLACED. ELEVEN MONTHS LATER I EXPERIENCED ENGINE HAD SLOW CRANKING TO START AND LIGHTS DIMMED WHEN AIR COMPRESSOR ENGAGED AND THE CAR WAS AT LOW RPMS. RADIO THEN TURNED OFF LIGHTS WENT OUT, AND VEHICLE ALMOST STALLED. TURNED OFF AIR, RADIO AND LIGHTS (LUCKILY IT WAS SUNDOWN NOT DARK YET) AND PROCEEDED HOME. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP AND ONCE AGAIN PROBLEM WAS ATTRIBUTED TO DEFECTIVE BATTERY. BATTERY WAS REPLACED. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT HYUNDAI HAD INCREASED THE OUTPUT OF THE ALTERNATOR IN THE NEWER SANTA FE MODELS TO 110AMP OUTPUT. IT WOULD SEEM THAT THEY HAVE NOTED THE INADEQUATE OUTPUT OF THE EARLIER ALTERNATOR. I WOULD THINK THIS WOULD WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RETROFITTING OF EARLIER VEHICLES TO THE HIGHER OUTPUT ALTERNATOR. ALSO DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER SANTA FE OWNERS THAT HAVE THIS MAKE AND MODEL HAVE IN SOME INSTANCES OBTAINED A REPLACEMENT FOR THE UPGRADED ALTERNATOR THROUGH WARRANTY.*AK