NHTSA Complaint #10513166 — 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

I WAS ON A RETURN TRIP OF 5 HOURS OR SO EACH WAY WHICH I TOOK AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND NOTICED A VERY PRONOUNCED DROP IN POWER AND ACCELERATION CAPABILITY QUITE SUDDENLY. IT WAS AS IF SOME WIRING OR HOSE HAD COME LOOSE UNDER THE HOOD. A FEW MONTHS LATER, WHEN THE PROBLEM HAD NOT CHANGED AT ALL IN OVER 3000 MILES OF DAY-TO-DAY DRIVING, INCLUDING A DAILY STINT (TO WORK) OF MAYBE 12 MILES EACH WAY ON THE FREEWAY WHICH ENTAILS ACCELERATING UP THE ON-RAMP INTO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, I STILL COULD FEEL THE DIFFERENCE IN ACCELERATION AND RESPONSE TIME WHILE ACCELERATING. WHEN I TOOK THE SANTA FE IN FOR A NORMAL OIL CHANGE, I REPORTED TO THE DEALER THESE SYMPTOMS, AND ASKED TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. THEY CHANGED THE OIL, AND CHECKED OUT THE COMPUTER READOUTS FOR THE VEHICLE, AND SAID THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS DETECTED BY THE COMPUTER AT THAT TIME, BUT WHEN THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR ON THE VEHICLE OCCURRED, IT WAS MOST OFTEN DUE TO THE FUEL FILTER BEING ALL CLOGGED UP, ALTHOUGH THAT STILL MIGHT NOT BE THE PROBLEM. THEY QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $270 TO CHANGE THE FUEL FILTER, AND AFTER I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANY COUPON DISCOUNT FOR THIS SERVICE EVER THRU THEIR DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE MANAGER GAVE ME A COUPON BOOK FOR A FLAT RATE OFF DEPENDING UPON HOW MUCH WAS BEING PAID FOR. (IT AMOUNTED TO MAYBE $25 OFF THIS SERVICE.) THEY DID NOT HAVE TIME THAT DAY TO CHANGE IT OUT, SO I DECIDED TO CHECK OUT BOTH WHETHER THERE HAD BEEN ANY COMPLAINTS, SERVICE REPORTS, OR RECALLS ABOUT THIS FUEL FILTER, AND THAT IS WHAT LED ME HERE TO MAKE THIS COMPLAINT ABOUT BOTH THE COST OF THIS REPLACEMENT AND THE POOR PROGNOSIS OF IT SOLVING THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM. I AM GOING TO CHECK WITH A REPAIR PLACE I FEEL CONFIDENT IN ABOUT THEIR COST TO DO THIS REPLACEMENT. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE MUCH LESS. *TR