2009 Hyundai Santa FE Fuel/propulsion System Problems
Owners have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about fuel/propulsion system problems on the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE, 30% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 88,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “fuel gauge” (43% of reports).
- 109fuel/propulsion system complaints
- 88,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $910typical repair cost reported by owners
- 44%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Fuel gauge: mentioned in 47 of 109 complaints (43%)
- Much gas: mentioned in 14 of 109 complaints (13%)
- Half tank: mentioned in 7 of 109 complaints (6%)
- Empty even: mentioned in 6 of 109 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical fuel/propulsion system repair on the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE at $910, and half of them between $700 and $1,100.
Based on 12 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2021), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do fuel/propulsion system problems happen?
Based on 91 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 109 complaints, 2 mention a crash.
Hyundai Santa FE fuel/propulsion system complaints by model year
| Model year | Fuel/propulsion System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Santa FE | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2025 Santa FE | 5 | 4% | — |
| 2024 Santa FE | 3 | 2% | — |
| 2023 Santa FE | 11 | 5% | — |
| 2022 Santa FE | 28 | 14% | — |
| 2021 Santa FE | 9 | 5% | — |
| 2020 Santa FE | 14 | 6% | 1,000 |
| 2019 Santa FE | 12 | 6% | 1,534 |
| 2018 Santa FE | 5 | 5% | 27,000 |
| 2017 Santa FE | 60 | 6% | 10,000 |
| 2016 Santa FE | 8 | 3% | 43,200 |
| 2015 Santa FE | 13 | 5% | 51,474 |
| 2014 Santa FE | 27 | 5% | 39,500 |
| 2013 Santa FE | 32 | 5% | 59,600 |
| 2012 Santa FE | 8 | 2% | 56,500 |
| 2011 Santa FE | 5 | 3% | 64,000 |
| 2010 Santa FE | 10 | 4% | 78,000 |
| 2009 Santa FE | 109 | 30% | 88,000 |
| 2008 Santa FE | 215 | 40% | 80,100 |
| 2007 Santa FE | 121 | 18% | 90,000 |
| 2006 Santa FE | 3 | 3% | 11,137 |
| 2005 Santa FE | 14 | 6% | 102,000 |
| 2004 Santa FE | 25 | 8% | 124,337 |
| 2003 Santa FE | 6 | 2% | 140,000 |
| 2002 Santa FE | 4 | 2% | 143,595 |
| 2001 Santa FE | 8 | 4% | 119,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists fuel/propulsion system for the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My kids and I were going to town one afternoon and I started to smell gas coming from the air vents the gas smell was very strong I opened the hood and could see that it was wet I touched the spot and smelled it and it was fuel.i was worried about driving home with my children in the car so I…
Pulling into driveway. Car engine accelerated suddenly. Was just coasting in. The car wouldn't stop. Hit front of a home. The engine sounded like a race car.
The vehicle's check engine light came on and the fuel gauge shows "E". I did an OBD scan and it shows the fuel sending unit has issues. The gauge will work intermittently and the check engine light will go away. Further reviews from others show the same issues with their vehicle with each needing a…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Hyundai Santa FEs have fuel/propulsion system problems?
No. NHTSA has 109 owner complaints about fuel/propulsion system for the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE (30% of the 358 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE fuel/propulsion system?
No recall currently lists fuel/propulsion system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do fuel/propulsion system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 88,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix fuel/propulsion system problems on the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE?
Owners report a typical cost of $910 (half paid between $700 and $1,100), from 12 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about fuel/propulsion system problems on the 2009 Hyundai Santa FE?
The most frequent phrase is “fuel gauge”, in 47 of 109 complaints, followed by “much gas” (14).
Other 2009 Hyundai Santa FE problems
See all 2009 Hyundai Santa FE problems or fuel/propulsion system problems across all Santa FE years.