How reliable is the original Hyundai Santa Fe?

Could you please tell me how reliable the 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0-litre four-wheel drive is with 93,000 miles on the clock already?

L C (Corkscncun)

Feb 2014 Filed under: reliability

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Expert answer

Hi there,

No major problems to report. The only mechanical malady that's been reported on the original Santa Fe is a juddering clutch, which was fixed by Hyundai in a recall. Other than that, they have a clean bill of health bar the usual checks. Actually, make sure you check for damage to the underside of the car - despite having four-wheel drive, they're not really designed for off-roading and could easily have been abused by a former owner in that respect.

One other thing - the original Santa Fe is dreadfully crude and nasty to drive. It's well worth trying to stretch your budget to get the post-2006 model, which is a superb car and far superior to the old one in every area.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe