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Research · Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD

2004 Hyundai Santa FeRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 303 owner complaints for the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe. Most complaints involve suspension (69) and air bags (43). The EPA rates it 17–20 mpg combined.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
17–20mpg
EPA · 6 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
3campaigns
Latest Jul 2014
Owner complaints
303
Top: suspension
Fuel cost / yr
$3,200est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

3 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Suspension: coil springs

Free remedy

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model Year 2001-2006 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2000, through February 15, 2006, that are registered and operated, or which were originally sold and registered, in the following 20 “salt belt" states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The affected vehicles may experience front coil spring corrosion from road salt, causing the coil spring to fracture and make contact with the tire.

SuspensionReported Jul 18, 2014NHTSA 14V435000

Service brakes

Free remedy

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.5 LITER V-6 ENGINES, 4-WHEEL DRIVE AND ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS (ABS), IF THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 3 AND 12 MPH WHEN THE BRAKE PAD FRICTION SURFACES ARE WET, A VIBRATION MAY OCCUR BETWEEN THE BRAKE DISCS AND PADS CAUSING ABS SENSOR ELECTRONIC SIGNAL NOISE TO DEVELOP. AT SPEEDS BELOW 5 MPH, THE ABS SENSOR SIGNAL NOISE MAY CAUSE THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO ACTIVATE THE ABS, EXTENDING THE STOPPING DISTANCE.

Service brakes, hydraulicReported Mar 16, 2004NHTSA 04V131000

Equipment: labels

Free remedy

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS."

EquipmentReported Dec 18, 2003NHTSA 03V520000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 28, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

303 complaints filed with NHTSA · Jan 2004 – Dec 2023
  1. Suspension69
  2. Air bags43
  3. Vehicle speed control39
  4. Fuel/propulsion system25
  5. Service brakes, hydraulic24
  6. Engine and engine cooling22
  7. Power train21
  8. Electrical system18
  9. Engine16

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Santa Fe model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2001209
2002171
2003308
2004303
2005216
2006106
2007684
2008541
2009359
2010260
2011181
2012355
2013605
2014494
2015255
2016236
2017972
2018110
2019203
2020218
2021168
2022202
2023214
2024156
2025137
202637
Crashes reported
32
Fires reported
7
Injuries reported
35
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Suspension

69 reports
“IT HAD 124 RECALL NHTSA 14V43500 I CALL HYUNDAI OFF GOVERNMENT SITE TOLD THEM ABOUT 124 AND BROKEN SPRING THEY SET UP APPOINTMENT SO THEY ONLY PUT ON BRACKETS BUT NO SPRING WANTED $1004 FOR THE STRUT SPRING ON THEY TOLD ME ON CALL CENTER THEY REPLACE SPRING AS IT SAID ON NHTSA SITE THEY WOULD NOT DO IT CALL BACK TO HYUNDIA AS NUMBER ON GOVERNMENT SITE THEY MADE A CASE NUMBER 16604156 AMBER AT 714 594 1764 SHE SAID SPRING WAS NOT IN RECALL I SEND PICTURE OF IT BEFORE UP THERE TO DEALER SHE HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS SO I DONT WHO RIGHT ON RECALL SHE SAID GOVERNMENT NHTSA SITE ARE NOT CORRECT BROWN LEESBURG HYUNDAI LEESBURG VA 20176”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 3, 2020SuspensionODI 11296864

Air bags

43 reports11 crashes
“MY AIR SBAG LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. IT WON'T TURN OFF.I DON'T IF IT IS A PROBLEM WITH MY AIR BAGS OR JUST THE LIGHT.IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY FOR YEARS.THERE WAS NOT REASON FOR IT TO TURN ON. I'VE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT,SO I DON'T IF IT WILL WORK WHEN NEEDED. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD FOR IT. I THINK THIS A MALFUNCTION AND SHOULD CHECKED BY A DEALER AT NO COST.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 17, 2019Air bagsODI 11256061

Vehicle speed control

39 reports5 crashes
“VEHICLE WAS SOLD WITHOUT TITLE OR DISCLOSURE DEALERSHIP TOOK MONEY REFUSE TO HEAR COMPLAINTS. CONTACT ME AS I AM HANDICAPPED AND HAVE NO TITTLE TRYING TO RETURN VEHICLE IT VEERED TOWARD DITCH AS THE VEHICLE IS INOPERABLE AND DANGEROUS PER DMV”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 20, 2019Vehicle speed control, Wheels, Electronic stability control (esc)ODI 11208686
All 2004 Santa Fe problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

6 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD
Engines
2.4L 4-cyl · 2.7L 6-cyl · 3.5L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic 4-spd · Manual 5-spd · Automatic 5-spd
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 28, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Santa Fe 2WD
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182520$3,200444
Santa Fe 2WD
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182420$3,200444
Santa Fe 2WD
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182520$3,200444
Santa Fe 4WD
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
162218$3,550494
Santa Fe 2WD
Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L · Front-Wheel Drive
152017$3,800523
Santa Fe 4WD
Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
151917$3,800523
  • Santa Fe 2WD
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    18 city · 25 hwy · $3,200/yr
    20
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe 2WD
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L
    18 city · 24 hwy · $3,200/yr
    20
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe 2WD
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    18 city · 25 hwy · $3,200/yr
    20
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe 4WD
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L
    16 city · 22 hwy · $3,550/yr
    18
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe 2WD
    Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L
    15 city · 20 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe 4WD
    Auto 5-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L
    15 city · 19 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 28, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

1 tested variant
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe as of Oct 28, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Oct 28, 2026Vehicle 1160
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2004 Santa Fe questions

How many recalls does the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

3 safety recalls as of Oct 28, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?

Owners filed 303 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are suspension (69), air bags (43), vehicle speed control (39). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

The EPA rates the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe at 17–20 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (6 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Oct 28, 2026