2003 Hyundai Santa FE: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2003 Hyundai Santa FE. The newest campaign is 14V435000. NHTSA received the report on 18 Jul 2014. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs. NHTSA has 296 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 14V435000, in the NHTSA record

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the coil spring, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 124.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 15 May 2019. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 621,838 units in total.

14V43500018 Jul 2014Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs
09V12300016 Apr 2009Suspension / Rear
04V13100016 Mar 2004Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module
03V52000018 Dec 2003Equipment / Other / Labels

14V435000Received 18 Jul 2014. 271,773 units.
Suspension / Front / Springs / Coil Springs
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the front coil spring fractures due to corrosion it could cause the coil spring to make contact with the tire, possibly puncturing the tire and increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the coil spring, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 124.
Report filed by Hyundai Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 124. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Oct 2014.
09V123000Received 16 Apr 2009. 83,355 units.
Suspension / Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Hyundai is recalling 83,355 my 2001-2003 santa fe vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Road salt applied in these jurisdictions during the winter months may result in progressive, internal corrosion of the rear trailing arms, which could lead to thinning or perforation of the rear trailing arm steel. Owners may see or feel slight to moderate changes in vehicle operation which will increase if the vehicle is not repaired. These changes include a lowering of vehicle height that can lead to tire misalignment and steering pull. Owners may also notice a creaking sound.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the corrosion is allowed to progress, the rear trailing arm may fracture while driving, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the rear trailing arms for internal corrosion damage. If specified levels of corrosion damage are found, the rear trailing arms will be replaced. Rear trailing arms that do not require replacement will have drainage holes added and will be treated with rust-proofing material to arrest the corrosion process. Inspection, treatment and replacement procedures will be conducted at no cost to owners. The recall is expected to begin during may 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by Hyundai Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 090. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 Jul 2009.
04V131000Received 16 Mar 2004. 17,401 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip / Control Unit/Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If an extended stopping distance occurs, it could result in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will reprogram the ABS ECU. Owner notification began on march 24, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 065. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Mar 2004.
03V520000Received 18 Dec 2003. 249,309 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The tire pressure labels do not contain the information required by the standard.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with a correct label and installation instructions. Owner notification began on october 29, 2003. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 064.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

296 complaints, 375 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2003 Hyundai Santa FE
All 2003 vehicles

2003 Hyundai Santa FE: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2003 Santa FE	All 2003 vehicles	Santa FE, all years	Mentions
Suspension	144	57.2	72.4	54
Air Bags	112	82.2	76.2	42
Power Train	96	121	81.5	36
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	82.7	58.7	32.4	31
Electrical System	74.7	123.7	80.1	28
Structure	72	62	33.8	27
Vehicle Speed Control	64	42	82.6	24
Engine and Engine Cooling	56	77.7	31.4	21
Visibility	48	40.1	21.7	18
Steering	45.3	47.3	50.2	17

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 27.

Complaints that report a crash: 25
Complaints that report a fire: 5
Injuries in the complaints: 20
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 2 Feb 2019

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Hyundai Santa FE, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2004, with 30 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Hyundai Santa FE
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA08023	Engineering analysis	REAR TRAILING ARM CORROSION FAILURE	Suspension	28 Oct 2008	17 Apr 2009	09V123000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Hyundai Santa FEThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Hyundai Santa FE: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/hyundai/santa-fe/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 15 May 2019
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Hyundai Motor Company

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Hyundai Santa FE?: 621,838 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Hyundai Santa FE have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 45 recall campaigns for the Hyundai Santa FE, model years 2001 to 2026. 4 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Hyundai Santa FE name most often?: Suspension: 54 of 375 component mentions, or 144 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 57.2 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Hyundai Santa FE open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.