Model year report

2004 Hyundai Santa FE: what breaks, and at what mileage

What breaks on the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE

On the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE, the failure owners report most often is strut, shock or spring failure, and the reports cluster around 87,500 miles. The earliest to appear is ABS module or sensor failure, reported by a median of 15,000 miles. Overall it scores 67 out of 100, high risk for a 2004.

High risk for a 2004 — 170th riskiest of the 329 2004 vehicles we can rate. 386 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.

What breaks on the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE

Owners have reported 46 named failure modes on the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE, and the three most-reported carry 25% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.

Strut, shock or spring failure leads with 45 reports, about 0.7 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 70k to 110,000 miles.

Other speed control problem follows with 28 reports, usually reported between 5k to 115,000 miles.

Other suspension problem follows with 22 reports, usually reported between 76k to 125,000 miles.

By system, the reports fall mostly into suspension (68), brakes (52) and engine (47).

At what mileage it happens

316 of the reports on the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 74,000 miles.

Cumulatively, 30% by 50,000 miles, 64% by 100,000 miles and 84% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 9 filed above the top of the chart.

The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 12% of the dated reports.

24% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.

In the order they tend to show up: ABS module or sensor failure around 14k, loss of braking around 26k, other powertrain problem around 31k and seat belt or retractor failure around 35k.

Median

Strut, shock or spring failure

88k
Other speed control problem

53k
Other suspension problem

100k
ABS module or sensor failure

14k
Other engine problem

53k
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault

90k
Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure

100k
Other powertrain problem

31k
Other brake problem

109k
Other body or interior problem

52k
Loss of braking

26k
Other electrical problem

37k

Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens

Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 46. The full list is in the table below.

How reports accumulate

Share of reports filed by each mileage

half by 73.8k

Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 9 reports came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.

Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Dashed the median reported mileage

Severity, and what it costs

Across the named modes, 35 mention a crash, 10 a fire and 31 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.

The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.28, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.

What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: strut, shock or spring failure at $500–$2,000, other speed control problem at $250–$2,000, other suspension problem at $350–$2,000 and ABS module or sensor failure at $500–$2,400. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.

17% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.

Every reported failure mode

Mileage figures are percentiles of owner-reported readings. Click a column to sort.
Failure mode	System	Reports	With reading	25th	Median	75th	Per 1,000	Typical repair	Severity
Strut, shock or spring failure	suspension	45	38	70k	88k	110k	0.7	$500–$2,000	Moderate
Other speed control problem	adas	28	24	5k	53k	117k	0.4	$250–$2,000	Critical
Other suspension problem	suspension	22	16	76k	100k	125k	0.4	$350–$2,000	Moderate
ABS module or sensor failure	brakes	21	17	2k	14k	38k	0.3	$500–$2,400	High
Other engine problem	engine	21	12	21k	53k	70k	0.3	$300–$4,000	High
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault	airbag	18	13	60k	90k	150k	0.3	$300–$1,600	High
Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure	fuel	15	13	92k	100k	149k	0.2	$250–$1,800	Moderate
Other powertrain problem	transmission	13	10	9k	31k	115k	0.2	$400–$4,500	High
Other brake problem	brakes	13	8	93k	109k	153k	0.2	$300–$1,800	High
Other body or interior problem	body	13	11	34k	52k	121k	0.2	$200–$2,000	Moderate
Loss of braking	brakes	12	8	7k	26k	100k	0.2	$400–$3,000	Critical
Other electrical problem	electrical	11	10	5k	37k	69k	0.2	$250–$2,000	Moderate
Other fuel system problem	fuel	11	7	—	63k	—	0.2	$300–$2,200	High
No-start or intermittent start failure	engine	10	10	66k	73k	87k	0.2	$200–$1,800	Moderate
Fuel leak or fuel odor	fuel	10	9	81k	107k	115k	0.2	$300–$2,500	Critical
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash	airbag	10	8	57k	63k	63k	0.2	$1,000–$5,000	Critical
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure	engine	9	9	60k	68k	102k	0.1	$1,200–$4,500	Critical
Seat belt or retractor failure	airbag	8	8	18k	35k	111k	0.1	$200–$900	High
Other steering problem	steering	6	6	—	67k	—	0.1	$350–$2,400	High
Other visibility problem	glass	6	4	—	83k	—	0.1	$150–$1,400	Moderate
Stalling while driving	engine	5	4	—	28k	—	0.1	$300–$2,500	Critical
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure	electrical	4	4	—	7k	—	0.1	$700–$3,000	High
Rust or structural corrosion	body	4	3	—	100k	—	0.1	$500–$6,000	High
Wiper or washer failure	glass	4	4	—	126k	—	0.1	$120–$800	Moderate
Other wheel or tire problem	wheels	4	4	—	152k	—	0.1	$200–$1,500	High
Engine sensor failure	electrical	3	3	—	217k	—	0.0	$180–$900	Moderate
Parking brake failure	brakes	3	3	—	5k	—	0.0	$250–$1,300	Moderate
Tire blowout or tread separation	wheels	3	3	—	28k	—	0.0	$200–$1,500	Critical
Other driver assistance problem	adas	3	1	—	142k	—	0.0	$250–$1,800	High
Fuel pump failure	fuel	2	2	—	100k	—	0.0	$600–$2,600	High
Fuel injector failure	fuel	2	2	—	72k	—	0.0	$450–$2,800	Moderate
Master cylinder or brake booster failure	brakes	2	2	—	37k	—	0.0	$450–$2,200	Critical
Cruise control failure	adas	2	2	—	58k	—	0.0	$200–$1,400	High
Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure	steering	2	2	—	136k	—	0.0	$700–$2,600	High
Power steering pump or fluid leak	steering	2	2	—	89k	—	0.0	$350–$1,600	Moderate
Complete engine failure or seizure	engine	1	1	—	4k	—	0.0	$4,500–$12,000	Critical
Engine knock or bearing noise	engine	1	1	—	125k	—	0.0	$2,500–$9,000	High
Water pump failure	cooling	1	1	—	25k	—	0.0	$500–$2,200	High
Radiator or coolant leak	cooling	1	1	—	60k	—	0.0	$350–$1,900	High
Overheating	cooling	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$400–$3,500	High
Transmission will not engage a gear	transmission	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$1,500–$6,000	Critical
Complete transmission failure	transmission	1	1	—	84k	—	0.0	$2,800–$8,000	Critical
Brake line, hose or caliper failure	brakes	1	1	—	127k	—	0.0	$250–$1,600	Critical
Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure	suspension	1	1	—	91k	—	0.0	$400–$2,200	High
Wheel, stud or lug nut failure	wheels	1	1	—	29k	—	0.0	$150–$1,500	Critical
Sunroof failure or glass breakage	body	1	1	—	119k	—	0.0	$700–$4,500	High
Unclassified problem	other	28	25	64k	105k	140k	0.4	—	Moderate

Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.

How often, against how many were built

Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE draws about 6.2 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 82nd percentile of complaint rates among 2004 vehicles we can rate.

That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.

The working figure is 62,327 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2004 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.

What owners wrote

Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.

Strut, shock or spring failure

Engine- defective short block engine car is back in shop now for the 5th time for the same problem. Check engine light on, loud rattling noises coming from engine. Dealer informed me it's a defective factory engine. Brand new short block engine replaced twice and car now back in shop for same problem. No longer feel safe in this vehicle, as twice I had to be towed to dealer b/c of engine failure and I had my 2 yr old son with me. In reviewing this website, I see countless numerous and similar complaints! The engine is the heart of a car so how many new hearts is hyundai willing to put in this one car? It cost more to fix this problem than to just accept the loss and properly compensate me! Repairs are as follows: new short block engine installed; return car same day b/c engine felt "loose"; told it was the sway bar links- installed same day; car still felt loose, next day check engine light on- car returned. This time told it was strut top needed to be replaced- done. Picked up car, 2 days later back in shop for same initial loud engine noise and check engine light on again. Told same problem with short block engine to be…

48,600 miles NHTSA complaint 697459 filed 2008-11-24

I drive a used, 2004 hyundai santa fe gls. Very recently, I was just leaving work when a seemingly very ordinary thing happened to my car. I was stopped at a stop sign, waiting to take a left turn. As soon as I accelerated and began to turn, my vehicle suffered a blown-out front-passenger side tire. As the tire blew out, I heard a loud "clunk"and then a "pop". Surprised, I pulled the car over as soon as I could, off of the main road. I had roadside assistance come out to change the tire, because I found that I did not have the tools required in my car to change a tire. After the tow truck driver put on the spare, I paid him for his services and went to leave. As I turned the wheel to leave, my vehicle suffered another blow-out, same side. My car then had to be towed to the nearest shop to be looked at. Turns out, my front-right coil spring snapped and pierced my tire(s). I currently have 73,000 miles on my car, which is a good amount, but at the same time, coil springs do not just snap from normal wear and tear. The vehicle is 7 years old, not twenty. How could this happen? I found out that when the coil spring snapped, it also…

73,000 miles NHTSA complaint 836362 filed 2011-01-12

Recalls on the 2004 model year

NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE, affecting an estimated 116,322 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.

The campaigns cover suspension:front:springs:coil springs, service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electron and equipment:other:labels. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.

Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.

14V435000

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

271,773 vehicles 2014-07-18

Defect: 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…
Consequence: 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: 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.

04V131000

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

17,401 vehicles 2004-03-16

Defect: 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: If an extended stopping distance occurs, it could result in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the ABS ecu. Owner notification began on march 24, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

03V520000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

249,309 vehicles 2003-12-18

Defect: 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: The tire pressure labels do not contain the information required by the standard.
Remedy: 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.

Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.

How it ranks in the 2004 field

The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.

Risk score against the rest of the 2004 field

Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.

Left fewer and less serious reports
Right more, or worse
Marker this vehicle

Better and worse years of the same car

High risk for a 2004 — 170th riskiest of the 329 2004 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.

Across the 26 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2002 comes out best at 61 and 2017 worst at 85, with 2004 itself at 67.

If the model year is negotiable, 2002, 2001 and 2006 score lower than 2004 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.

Within the 2001–2006 generation specifically, 2002 is the strongest year at 61 and 2003 the weakest at 67.

Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.

Risk score by model year, out of 100

Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.

Within the 2001-2006 generation, 2002 Hyundai Santa FE scores best at 61 and 2003 Hyundai Santa FE worst at 67.

What the numbers say to check

The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: ABS module or sensor failure from about 2k, other speed control problem from about 5k, other electrical problem from about 5k and loss of braking from about 7k.

On a 2004 Hyundai Santa FE with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether ABS module or sensor failure has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.

None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.

What this page cannot tell you

386 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.

Of those 386 reports, 316 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 82% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".

Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.

And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.

Questions this page answers

What are the most common problems with the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE?

The most-reported failures are strut, shock or spring failure (45 reports, median 87,500 miles), other speed control problem (28 reports, median 55,000 miles) and other suspension problem (22 reports, median 100,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.

At what mileage do 2004 Hyundai Santa FE problems start?

Abs module or sensor failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 15,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 2,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 74,000 miles.

Is the 2004 Hyundai Santa FE reliable?

It scores 67 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 170th riskiest of the 329 2004 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2004 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.

Which year of the Hyundai Santa FE is best?

Within the 2001–2006 generation, 2002 scores best at 61 out of 100 and 2003 worst at 67. Same body, same engines, different luck.

Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.

What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car

Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt 20 August 2026 Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed