Overview & Reviews

For 2001, Hyundai comes to market with its very own sport-utility. The Santa Fe is based on a modified Sonata midsize car platform and is available with either front-wheel drive or full-time four-wheel drive with either a four-cylinder or V6 engine.

• Relatively inexpensive price, super warranty, roomy interior.

• Unproven reliability, unimpressive four-wheeling capability, underwhelming powertrain performance.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 82.00

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  Hyundai doesnt honor its warranty - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By theiowan - November 5 - 10:00 am

  I just found out that Hyundais "best warranty in America" is bogus. They claim a faulty power window is an "adjustment item". The fact is it is not functional because of faulty design.

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  Best Car out there - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Neozen - October 26 - 12:38 am

  If you want a car this car is everything you need in one it has 4wd, key less entry, electric starter and more!!!

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  Great small SUV - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hank - August 31 - 9:36 am

  Only one problem since purchase. Crankshaft positioning sensor. Fixed by dealer with no problem within an hour.

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  The Lucky One - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By john_can - August 30 - 6:02 am

  My dad bought this car back in 01 and I remember the day we traded his old saturn for it. The car has 216,800 miles as of today and finally the transmission is "going" out, which is very good for an automatic. The engine is a bit small for a V6 but the car gets me around and safetly. The airbags are all still operable, other than normal maintanence like oil and the timing belts. This car has been amazing. The AC has been out a while and being in Arlington Texas and having 22 straight days of triple digit heat, it kinda sucks but the big windows rolled down help out a lot. My mileage has gone down a little cause of my transmission, but growing up with this car and now driving it is awesome.

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  too many problems - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mantza - July 6 - 10:00 am

  Since I purchased this car, I have had problems with the rotors and the lift gate latch. The rotors are constantly needing replacement. At first the lift gate would not open at all, and then it wouldnt lock. I wish that I hadnt been so hasty in my decision.

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  15 year owner - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sambo - July 2 - 2:31 am

  Excellent car, I did my regular maintenance no major issues. beats any 4x4 jeep truck or SUV my extended family or friends have ever owned...I have had to rescue them many times or go pick them up..... to this day 15 years later runs great with 178,000 miles on it, best car thus far in my lifetime, I will always have Hyundai vehicles on my list to consider now... I might cry when I sell this, if I ever do! I have purchased the newly redesigned Tucson because the measurements are now very close to the 2001 Santa Fe but enjoy driving the Santa Fe better so far!

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  1+ Year Report - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By RBENTRIDER - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Bought the Santa Fe about 15 months ago for my wife. We considered just about everything including the Lexus RX300 and decided this was the best value. So far we havent been disappointed. In 18,000 miles there has been only one mechanical failure and that was a crankshaft sensor. Two weeks later Hyundai issued a recall on crankshft sensors so it must be a common problem.

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  Best car I got ..! - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dapril32 - March 20 - 6:20 pm

  Look at this .. after 176,000km on the count. I decided to chage my tire for the first time! They are still good for one summer so I will keep them for next year. The best tire on this thing I never had. No problem at all with this SUV. Did change oil every 5000km, regular maintenance, the closer dealer in my area is about at 200km. Dont need them anyway .. haha The paint still great on it after these years. The one thing is the break that need to be change every 50000 at least. I paid this SUV after 3 years then its money in the bank! I cant compaint at all ...!

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  Lots of miles = lots of repairs - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Wiser Next TIme - October 17 - 10:00 am

  My Hyundai was great .. for the first 60K miles or so. After that, replaced the fuel injector (twice), spark plugs (twice), and wheel bearings (in 3 wheels - twice in the left front wheel.) I now have 88K miles and it is in the shop for the 3rd time in 3 months. Theyre just not made for high mileage. Whats worse is that the dealership does not stock a lot of parts, so many times they keep the truck for several days. Also, watch out for the warranty. The front wheel bearings are covered, but the back ones arent. In the DC area, its a $400 repair. Also, had 6sensors go out. None were covered by the warranty (after the bumper-to-bumper ends).

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  What was I thinking - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dissapointed - October 11 - 9:56 pm

  So, I purchased this vehicle about 1 1/2 years ago. I tell you what you need that 100,000 mi warrenty. Everything that goes wrong is time consuming. I was sucked in by the cheap price as most people are. Well I have now come to realize that you get what you pay for with Hyundai. Everything in the car is plastic, it all snaps and hooks together. It is not a quiet drive by any means. The gas tank is too small. It tows my snowmobiles but not with out some effort. You cant make it a 3 hour trip with anything in tow without a stop for gas again. Keep in mind that this car is worth nothing in 1-2 years time -- you cant get rid of it. No dealership wants it. You will be buried in negative equity.