Hello,
Just wanted to start off by saying I'm a noobe to the forum and hyundai's,but far from a noobe when it comes to cars. The issue I'm having is with my sister's 04 santa fe with63k on the clock. When cold, the transmission takes awhile to engage into drive. No slipping once warm though. She brought it to the stealership and they told her it's shot and it'll be 3g's for a new transmission. NowI highly doubt it is shot since it's fine once warmed up, sounds electircal to me. So after she left the stealers,I told her to have my dad check the level and color of fluid(i'm two states away at school so i can't do it myself). My Dad said the fluid was low and starting toturn brown. He took it for a ride himself and said there was no slipping. The dealerships are absolutely horrible andI wishI would have talked to her before she decided to bring it there. Obviously idiots working there since they didni't say anything about the fluid level being low. [:@]
So has anybody had a similar problem, and what wound up being the issue? Any input is appreciated!
Thanks in adavance,
John

 

Ask her if she has a AAmmco transmission shop in herarea and if there is a AuotZone there also..They can get a Free inspection at AAmcco if there is thru the AutoZone..brown color of the trans fluid is not good...burnt smell is also not good.

WheelBroker1

 

The 2004 Santa Fe has a history of transmission slippage. Especially coming out of park and accelerating. (Happened from day one.) I took mine to the dealer and was 'given the standard line of -no problem-'.

However, I did my homework ahead of time. There is a factory procedure out there that tries to fix this problem by reprogramming. YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR IT. It will cut down the slippage by about 70%. NO COST to owner. I have a '04 2.7 It is not exactly listed as a 'recall' item, but IMHO should be.

 

Hi, I am new to this forum. I have a 04 Santa Fe whit this same problem. I just shipped her with me to England. How can I get this fixed. Please help.

 

Make sure that whoever services the tranny that they check the owner's manual for the correct fluid. Most Hyundai's use a proprietary formulation called SPIII, which shops like AAMCO seldom have on hand. It's not compatable with Dextron III or "Universal" fluids. Some Hyundai SUV's (and I think the Santa Fe is one of those) do use Dextron III in the tranny. If it does use Dextron III, a bottle of Lubegard Red will help with some of the torque convertor shutter and clutch slippage.

Yes, I would do some looking through the Hyundai TSPs on the service site about the reprogramming option.

 

There's not one, but at least 6 technical service bulletins covering transmission reprograming/shifting issues on 2001 to 2004 Sante Fe's. Goto the NHTSA TSB web site at:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr.../tsbsearch.cfm

and enter these NHTSA TSB numbers to pull up the TSB summaries:

10006733
10015866
10008809
10011793
10015731
10018734

I would ask the dealership about these once you have printed copies.

 

damn.. i have an 03 santa fe gls v6 4wd and i'm having the same exact problem when it's cold..dammit... this is the reason i am in this forum..

can someone show me what/how to get the dealership to reprogram my ecu or whatever it is so the slipping wont happen as much?

 

Don't say "damn". See your local dealer about the TSB's and having the corrections made to your Santa Fe.

 

so i simple just print out the tsbs related to my issue and show it to the dealer and they will do it @ no charge?

 

Technical Service Bulletins or TSB's are issued by car manufacturers to dealerships to address problems that were unforeseen during the design, engineering and manufacturing of the car. The target audience are service managers and the mechanics (aka, technicians). Implementing the TSBs is an educational process and how dealerships incorporate these TSB's into their systems varies from very good to very poor. From my perspective, the dealerships that tend to have a stable work force with little turn over keep better track of TSB related issues than shops with high turn over rates. If the service manager at your dealership says they have no idea on how to solve the transmission slippage problem in your Santa Fe, simply point out to them that Hyundai has issues several TSBs discussing that exact problem. Once they know that you know more than they've led you to believe about possible solutions, almost always gets them to review the matter. If the dealer still claims they have no idea of how to address the problem, take the vehicle to another dealership.

Will they do the work for free just because a TSB has been issued? No, not likely. Demanding that the work be done for free simply because a TSB has been issue for a problem will not get you very far. You purchased a used Santa Fe, so you are not covered by the original 10 year/100K power train warranty. If the car is still under the 60K warranty, the answer is yes unless the TSB specifically states that the corrective procedures involved are not covered by a warranty. An example of this is the TSB explaining the procedure involved with setting the speed sensitive door lock mechanisms on the latest Sonata variant. The last line of that TSB specifically states the work is not a warranty covered procedure. If a problem is widespread and significant, the TSB's will sometimes indicate the corrective action is provided at no cost to the owner beyond normal warranty coverage. The Santa Fe transmission reprograming issues may or may not be one of those. I know dealers have some discretion in how they charge for TSB procedures not covered by warranties.

All TSBs are reviewed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the NHTSA maintains a searchable database listing them. The Hyundai service site has PDF copies of the actual TSBs you can download and read. If the situation described by a TSB is deemed a threat to public safety along with supportive evidence, the NHTSA will issue a vehicle recall mandating the repair. Recall services are free to the customer. NHTSA currently lists two defect and safety recalls for your Santa Fe. One concerns a replacement label on the car describing proper tire pressure values. The second concerns a problem with antilock brake systems on 4 wheel drive version with the 3.5 V6 engine and ABS option. If you Santa Fe has the 2.7 V6, this recall does not apply to you. Any Hyundai service manager can look up the VIN on your car to determine if these procedures are necessary or have been performed.

Good luck.