Faults:

- Passenger side lower control arm ball joint replaced.

- Rust on rear passenger door on the inside of the vehicle below the door gasket.

- Oxygen sensor troubles, fixed with fuel treatments.

General Comments:

Love it, no regrets at all. Out of the 150,000km, the majority of it is city km. Which is harder on vehicles, and it is holding up really well for a 2004.

I can tow 3500lb, easily move my dog or family around, tons of room in the trunk, can sleep in it with seats down, better gas mileage than a truck, but holds more than a car. What more can you ask for? I will be keeping this SUV till it stops rolling.

I have done the maintenance on this vehicle since its purchase date. It is easy and a low cost to maintain. Where I live you can pick these up for a very reasonable price. If you do your own wrenching, the parts are very cheap to buy used or new, which are plentiful.

It's bulletproof. Get the 2.7 V6 front wheel drive. It is the most reliable out of all the engines (not sure if better than the diesel). The 2.7 gets the same mileage as the 4 cylinder gas model and has a higher towing capacity than the 3.5 V6. Amazing right? It's a no brainer.

I live in -30°C and the Santa Fe has no issues starting whatsoever. For winter it handles really well at high speeds >60kph, but not so well at low speeds <30kph. Below 30kph in sharp turns it understeers a lot. This is winter conditions only. But I can only speak for the FWD models.

One thing to note is that the quality of paint was garbage for this generation. If you don't mind touching up rock chips with a $10 paint pen, then go for it. Rust is starting to form on the inside of the passenger door near the weather stripping. Not worried at all. From my understanding of their commercials, they have stepped up their paint game since then.

I favor reliability and low operating costs more than anything for my daily drivers, and I would highly recommend this vehicle for that. It has surprised me and has given me a different outlook on Hyundai. Please try it if you're curious!

Faults:

Electrical:

My seat belt sensor stopped working and the seat belt icon blinks at all times - at around 72,000 miles.

Sometimes the passenger door won't unlock electronically. It happens intermittently, but is only a minor annoyance. Started around 77,000 miles.

CD Player refused to play, eject, or change discs and was practically a fancy radio until one day it decided to work again. During this period it simply said "Player Err", 87,000 miles.

Cosmetic:

Rust developing along window panes and on rotors. Very minor rust underneath, far from Toyota territory though so that's good. 71,000 miles.

Seat belt latch plastic covering broke during a cold winter morning, 74,000 miles.

Engine/Steering/Transmission:

Check engine light lit up at 81,000 miles and found it to be an EVAP code, smoke test blown and found the solenoid to be sticking. CEL reset several times, but came back and throws the same code every time diagnostics are ran; have checked gas cap, am simply ignoring it now.

Power steering whine developed around 78,000 miles, and finally flushed the system the same time I had the CEL cleared. $300 fix, whine came back with a vengeance.

Timing belt, water pump, and all accessory belts soon to be replaced at 88,000. $930 fix - cheapest I could find from a reputable mechanic.

Power steering pump started to whine heavily and go out at 86,000; soon to be replaced next week at around 87,000 - $300 to replace.

Sludge deposit build up visibly noticeable around the 75,000 mark. I use quality oil at sensible intervals and had an oil analysis run with no engine damage or unusual wear. Small % of water dilution in oil, possibly due to evaporation from EVAP system or condensation from winter weather. No coolant found.

Transmission flushed around 53,000 miles before I owned it. I did a partial transmission flush using a suction pump at 75,000 miles. The thing shifts like a dream.

General Comments:

The Santa Fe has been a joy to drive. The interior and design is spacious and luxurious. The sunroof is great and everything is tailored to the driver and passengers. My time with these luxuries may be limited however. The Hyundai has a tendency to start failing on electrical components such as the CD player, door locks, power windows, power anything. The mechanical aspect of the vehicle is strong - very strong. I have had no problems with the transmission or engine, but when it comes time for typical maintenance, such as the timing belt and water pump, you're paying 10+ hours of labor for the mechanic to finish the job - if you can find a mechanic who will do it.

My power steering has been making noise for a while now, but it has gotten to the point where it's practically yelling at me that it's injured. So, in a few days the call will be answered and my little guy will be replaced.

Hyundais as a whole are not bad vehicles. In fact I would say they are much better than some domestic vehicles. They are nowhere near the quality of a Toyota, per se, which we have also, with 177,000 miles and less than half of the issues our Hyundai has had. Hyundais depreciate in value and that's a shame. If you can find a Santa Fe that's been well maintained and cheap enough that you won't be tied down for more than 2 or 3 years in a loan, I say go for it. They are great vehicles, but be prepared for expensive maintenance costs. We got ours with a 5 year loan, and it smarts knowing that we still owe money, yet we have to pay another grand or so for some preventive maintenance. If it were paid off, there would be no problem. But we only have a year and a half left to go, so with that being said it's worth keeping the vehicle.

Again - great vehicle if you can find one well maintained and at a low cost. If you're paying more than $10k for a Santa Fe this age, walk away quickly.