2002 Hyundai Santa Fe

2002 Hyundai Santa Fe questions and answers

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Q: 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe- The brake and battery warning lights on dash keep illuminating and there is a bad smell
The brake and battery lights were illuminating off and on for a couple of weeks- usually accompanied by a smell of something burning. Today, the car wouldn't start at all. We got a new battery and, of course, it started, but the lights still are illuminating and the smell is still going on. Any ideas? Thanks!!!

A: get it to the dealer if you just happen to be smelling an electrical burning, you're goin to HATE the amount of the repair bill.

Q: 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe Transaxle Case?
Are there service bulletins out for the Transaxle Case for a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe? What, if any breaks would I get if mine has to be replaced?

A: there are about 56 bullitens about that transmission, however only one of them is for the replacement. what type of troubles are you having?

Q: What might cause my 2002 Santa Fe Hyundai to sputter when air is on?
It sputters when going up hill or accelerating. It does not stall and there aren't any engine lights on.

A: Sounds typical of the early Santa Fe's with 4 cyl engine and auto transmission. These vehicles are just a little too big for a 4 cylinder engine. No fix for it, just how thaey are. If yours is a six cylinder, then it needs to go to the shop for evaluation.

Q: Hyundai Santa Fe 2002 AWD V6 - Any issues with towing a boat?
My '02 has 131,000 miles and I need to tow an 18' Searay (approx 2,500 lb total towing weight). Has anyone towed with their Santa Fe? Any problems?

A: ANY Hyundai will just blow up when put under stress...you see, Hyundai's really suck. Why buy a shoe box when you can buy a car? You know, a true American car.

Q: How do I setup/program my 2002 Santa Fe Keyless Remote?
I just got new batteries for my Keyless Remote for a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe but it no longer unlocks the door. I'm told I need to reprogram it. Does anyone know how to do this or where I can find the info online? Thank you,

A: i would suspect that if you dropped by your local dealership they would do it for free while you wait...good luck

Q: When I play a burnt cd in my factory cd player {2002 Hyundai Santa Fe} it reads "er6. What can I do to fix it


A: it could be that you have burnt the cd as a data and nots as a music cd.I know my cd player only plays if the cd is burnt as a music cd and even then it sometimes plays up and won't play them for a few tries.(old stock player still in mine).

Q: 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS SUV - FWD V6?
I have an option to buy this vehicle - it has 75,700 miles on it (right now I have a gas hog Dodge Durango that has 111,000 miles on it.....) so my real question is: Is this a reliable vehicle????? I don't know anything about Hyundai's. I need reliable, safe (baby on the way) and good on gas. Something that'll last me a few years. Is a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe a good pick or should I keep looking??? How are they in the snow?

A: Yes, it is reliable. Hyundai's had a bad reputation in the 90's. But they are much better now. The Sante Fe is one of the best SUV's. It has won many awards. It is safe too. If it is FWD, then it will be the same as any other FWD car in the snow, but a little better since it is a high car.

Q: 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe air freezing up even when freon gets put in it, why does it do that?


A: you need to evacuate the system and ckeck for moisture. you may have to replace the reciever/dryer .also check and make sure cooling fans are working properly.

Q: 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS SUV FWD V6 - good auto or no??
I have an option to buy this vehicle - it has 75,700 miles on it (right now I have a gas hog Dodge Durango that has 111,000 miles on it.....) so my real question is: Is this a reliable vehicle????? I don't know anything about Hyundai's. I need reliable, safe (baby on the way) and good on gas. Something that'll last me a few years. Is a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe a good pick or should I keep looking??? How are they in the snow?

A: The 10 year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty might be transferable to the second owner if the required maintenance was done on the vehicle. That means it should have had a new timing belt installed at 60,000 miles to prevent damage to the engine if the belt breaks (a $750 job). Also, the transmission fluid should have been flushed at least twice. I'd avoid any used car no matter who manufactured it if you can't get good evidence from the first owner that regular engine and transmission oil changes were done as well as at least two engine coolant changes. If a similar Toyota RAV4 was compared to the Hyundai, I'd take the Toyota in that year vehicle.

Q: What AT fluids are used in a 2002 hyundai santa fe v6?


A: +4 like a dodge

Q: I have a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe that the engine just failed on at 148,000 kms...any thoughts?
My wife and I bought a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe in Sept/07. I have driven it approximately 25,000 kms since then. I noticed about two months ago that it was starting to consume oil at a higher than normal pace (but no burning). I was adding about a litre of oil every few weeks. Last Friday with no warning the engine started hemorrhaging oil and pressure would not stay up. The diagnosis this morning from my local garage is a "pinkie" sized hole going from inside out (apparently) through the engine block. The service manager stated that he has never seen anything like it, as there is no indication of a rod letting go or anything else....does anyone have any knowledge that this is something that Hyundai Santa Fe's are prone to? (significant engine problems). Also, where can I go from here? Thanks for any help/insight.

A: sounds like the thrust washer let go on the crankshaft. You were probably losing oil near the crank pulley the motor finally failed. Time for a used or rebuilt motor. Good luck A hyundai tech

Q: Strange metallic-sounding clocking noise on my 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe after having the timing belt replaced?
I own a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD with a 2.7L V6. The car has approximately 91,300 miles. I just had the timing belt and timing belt tensioner replaced. When I picked the car up, there was a new metallic-sounding clocking noise present that was not there before. It is proportional to engine speed (i.e. - it is more rapid at high RPMs) and does NOT go away once the engine has warmed up to normal operating temperature. I drove the car for several days and a few hundred miles, and it seems to operate normally (oil pressure and engine temperature are OK, and gas mileage is the same as normal). I took the car back to find out what this noise was, and the service shop (part of a Hyundai dealer) said the noise was due to a faulty sepertine belt tensioner. They replaced it (for $110), but the noise is still there! Now they say it is the lifters (another $600). They are crooks and liars! What is this noise? And is it possible (even probable) that their faulty work caused it? Thanks to everyone for writing in. The mystery has been solved. When the shop replaced my timing belt, they lifted the engine by placing a jack under the oil pan WITHOUT putting a 2 x 4 or something similar between the jack and the oil pan to distribute the load. The force of the jack on the oil pan dented it so much that it pushed the bottom of the oil pan up against the oil pick-up (suction) inside the oil pan. Thus, the pick-up could not pull in enough oil to distribute properly to the engine. (Think of trying to drink something out of a glass with a straw, but having the straw jammed all the way into the bottom of the glass rather than leaving a gap.) This lack of oil flow caused insufficient oil to the lifters (the last part of the engine to receive oil), which caused the noise. Once the dent was removed and the proper clearance restored between the bottom of the oil pan and the oil pick-up, the noise went away.

A: well i don't think the timing is off because the engine in your vehicle is an interference type motor, meaning if the timing is off even one tooth the valves will hit the pistons causing catastrophic engine damage. what possibly may have happened is that the hydraulic lash adjusters were weak but quiet because of extra slack in the timing belt due to it stretching from age. when the new belt and tensioner was installed it tightened the cams up causing the worn out lifters to make noise.

Q: Attn Car Lovers! Need Car help! 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe?
Ok. I have a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe with 108,000mi on it. A couple days ago it started whistling when I pushed on the gas...the harder i pushed, the louder it became. It only did it when I was pushing on the gas, it would immediatly stop when I took my foot off. Then this morning on my way to work I heard a strange windy/whistling/clinking noise coming from the hood (like behind the glovebox on the passenger side) It lasted for only 5 minutes then stopped. I was on my way to the mechanics to have it checked out when all of a sudden it felt like a giant gust of wind hit the car and was trying to hold it back and it kept jerking. I stopped at a stop sign and had a bit touble starting again but I was able to. About 1/4 mile later I stopped at another stop sign and wasnt able to go anymore. When I hit the gas it just would jerk and jump forward. The tow guy said my back brakes where locked and I had black smoke coming out of the tailpipe.....ANY ideas what could be wrong? The car is at my mechanic now but he has a totally full schedual and doesnt know if he can look at it today. Im freaking out because I still owe a lot of money on the car and I cant afford to pay alot of money to get it fixed

A: First of all- 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe w/108,000 miles? God help you!!! No matter what you owe, that thing is probably worth less than $3k right now. Depending on how often you maintained your car, (how often did you have it serviced, when was last oil change??)it sounds like you blew a timing belt, or locked a piston. Either is gonna cost you $$$$$$. Locked brakes, same thing. Figure a few thou' for the engine (maybe less if you buy a rebuild, but not much), and a few hundred for the brakes, if they can be fixed. Sorry, not much good news, but...

Q: i have a 2002 hyundai santa fe if i drive anything over 65 the steering wheel starts to shake is this normal?


A: u need to check your tires...

Q: how much should I expect to pay for the labor to replace a timing belt on a 2002 hyundai santa fe 6 cylinder?


A: Looks like 2.5 hours flat rate time for some engines. At $65.00 an hour that would be about $162.50 labor. At $80.00 an hour would be $200.00. Are they charging you considerably more? Why is a Hyundai dealer trying to rip you off? Isn't that one of the 100,000 mile warranteed vehicles? Why would you care what the shop charges Hyundai? Are you having to pay for it out-of-warrantee? The 10 years isn't up until 2012... Does it have over 100,000 miles on it? That would explain why it might be needing a new timing belt. To answer your question, you shouldn't have to pay anything but that's assuming that the warrantee is in force. If not, it might be better to consult another shop. Anyone can replace the timing belt. Often, however, a broken timing belt can cause bent valves and broken or damaged pistons and valve guides. Then we're talking some serious surgery to get your santa fe back on the road. It's the timing belt that keeps the valves and pistons syncronized. Without this, even for a little while can mean that a valve is fully opened at the same time the piston is at the top of its' stroke. Depending on the engine design, this might cause no problem or catastrophic engine damage. Being a "shade-tree" mechanic (I haven't done any professional wrenching for over 30 years when cars were different.) I would just change the belt and do a compression check and hope for the best. If the compression didn't look good it's hard choices time for your '02 and time for you to look at lease options for the 2007 offerings.