Overview & Reviews

The 3.5-liter V6 is now standard on all LX models and optional for the GLS.

• Reasonable price, strong warranty, roomy interior, long list of standard features, solid construction, good crash test scores.

• Underpowered with base engine, soft suspension limits handling ability.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 440.00

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  Lemon Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DebbieK - January 21 - 2:00 am

  My Santa Fe is 5 months old. It has broken down 5 times. I would never buy another Hyundai again. The customer service has been the worst I have ever dealt with. My brand new car keeps breaking down & they act like Im bothering them by wanting it fixed.

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  Not a good SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lighthouse - July 27 - 10:00 am

  After 3 month of buying this SUV I needed a new engine. I have 4wd 6 cyclender and this vechile does not have any power at all.

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  My Hyundai Nightmare - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ed K - January 29 - 2:46 am

  Ive owned 2 Santa Fes (2001 & 2004). Both had engine failures and had to have their small blocks replaced at around 60,000 miles. Both failed on the freeway. Both had all their regularly scheduled maintenance performed by the book. These 2 freeway failures placed me in very serious safety conditions. The 2004 failed at night in the middle of the Arizona Desert- I was driving at 70 mph when the engine lost power & made a terrible noise. I end up getting towed over 150 miles to Hyundai Dealer. Small block failed (60,068 miles – 68 miles past the warranty). Hyundai initially refused to pay for the repair; but, after a tremendous amount of effort on my part; they finally cover 30%

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  I cant wait to trade in my Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Shane - July 13 - 4:21 am

  I would not recommend buying this vehicle. The car has many leaks such as the power steering fluid and the A/C refrigerant. I constantly am buying more fluid for the car. Every summer I have to recharge the A/C. My headlights are faded and my car is slightly rusted. The seats arent very supportive. The dealer offers $816 to trade it in. The car does not get very good fuel economy. I hate my Santa Fe

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  Cant Believe It - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DC Lee - April 13 - 2:00 am

  After 8000 miles car broke down in bad weather. Roadside service very good for tow. After 2 trips to dealer and 11 days I finally got the car back. Needed a new engine module. Am fearful of breakdown now. Also had to have cloth seat rep[lace as it tore at the seems. Also do not like breaking feel. Wish i had bought ABS. This car will not get old with me

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  Dead car in middle of freeway - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By woman - April 24 - 6:56 am

  A few days ago my car lost all power while driving on the freeway at night. The car has been acting up now for about 5 months, maybe more. while driving, sometimes, with my foot on the accelerator the car looses all RPM then after about three seconds it comes back to normal. It happens all over, on the freeway to neighborhoods at 10 miles an hour. But A few days ago at night the car did its no RPM thing then died. all lights turned on. And now, two mechanics shops cannot tell what is wrong with it. (one had a reading about transmission) but then the transmission place cant get the same reading.

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  HYUNDAI DOESNT CARE!!!!!! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MISTY FITZGERALD - May 14 - 10:00 am

  WARNING!!!! DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT BUY A SANTA FE. I HAVE A 2001 SANTA FE THAT IS NOW GOING IN FOR SERVICE FOR A FOURTH TIME IN 10 WEEKS AND LESS THAN 5000 MILES.

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  Disappointed - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Disappointed - April 7 - 6:20 am

  I have had this car for 18 months, having bought it used with 20,500 miles on it.It now has 49,000 miles and I just picked it up from the dealership from having the transmission replaced. The check engine light, is always on, and it didnt fail me today, 8 miles from the dealership (where they also fixed a vacuum problem to correct the CEL), it was on again. I had high hopes for this car, but after being in the dealership at least 8 times in 18 months (CEL and tranny issues), I no longer have any hopes for it. Although I love the style and size, it gets fairly decent gas mileage and it rides nice, those things just do not make up for the mechanical problems and being w/o my car.

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  Worst Vehicle Ive ever had! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Samsara - March 21 - 10:00 am

  The moment I drove this vehicle off the lot, Ive been having problems. Molding on the hood is coming off again; no pickup whatsoever; braking is poor; gray panel across bottom of vehicle chips very easily; back door of vehicle is way tooooo heavy. Previously had a Honda CRV -- the best! Mileage is terrible. Not sure what good I can find. Every week, if its not one thing, its another.

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  LOVE GROWN COLD - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Linda L. Evans - January 17 - 6:41 pm

  Oh the tears I have shed. I have owned two of these vehicles. One was 3.4 v6 and the one I have now is 2.7 v6. I truly loved this car enough to purchase my second one. I didnt drive my first one but for 30,000 miles. It had 67,000 miles on it when I traded it in. I have been very happy with the vehicle and would have purchased a third one had I not lost my career employment. I drove over 1,000 miles per week so went through 100,000 mile warranty in two years or so. It has been a mechanically sound vehicle until the latter years. I have experienced power steering going out, while driving in the rain, and no one can find why it does that. Now I cant use the hand operated door open and lock because it triggers something to do with the parking lights or signal lights not sure which, coming on and wont go off. I can hear a ticking sound like the signal lights. When this happens and I do not realize it the car is dead the next morning and I have to jump it. Plus the automatic lock feature is not a good idea. The seats are not that good. They were hard when I bought the car new and they are hard now 11 years later. Now the paint is peeling off on the hood and the clear coat is coming off in other places causing the paint to peel. On the hood the paint was peeled by a hard rain, not hail, but rain. It peeled on the hood on each side and in the same place on each side. Strange to say the least. The clear coat had not come off on the hood but paint still peeled. I have persuaded a few friends to purchase this car because of its performance which I can say is the best on the highway. But now that they have seen how my paint has done they are reconsidering. This was to be my last car because now I am old and unemployed and cant purchase another car. I was so proud of the one I have now because I took care of it. It still looked in appearance nice enough, but now is an atrocity from the paint peeling. I could cry a lot over this. Now the vehicle I once loved has turned cold like the car. T