List of Rear Suspension Issues in the Hyundai Santa Fe (Troubleshooting Guide)

In this brief article we are going to discuss the different Hyundai Santa Fe Rear Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

Top 5 most common suspension issues in the Hyundai Santa Fe? 

The most common suspension issues seen in the Hyundai Santa Fe are:

• Rear Spring Corrosion/ Breakage
• Rear Shock Absorber Failure
• Rear Shock Absorber Top Mount Failure
• Rear Wheel Bearing Failure
• Rear Upper Control Arm Failure

What suspension does the Hyundai Santa Fe have?

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a SUV manufactured since 2000. It is currently in its 4th generation.

Rear Suspension

The Hyundai Santa Fe has got a 4-link rear suspension: Trailing arm, Lower control arm, Upper control arm and Toe Link, all working with coil springs, shock absorbers and anti roll bar.

Rear Spring Corrosion/ Breakage

Symptoms:

• You would notice a sudden drop in suspension height on any one side. This can be easily verified by measuring the wheel center height from any reference on the body like the Fender edge.
• Rattling, Squeaking, Creaking noises while driving which are louder when driving over a Bump
• Issue mostly seen in the 2nd Gen model Hyundai Santa Fe CM Models

Troubleshooting Rear Spring Breakage

• The Creaking and Groaning noises are due to either the springs broken pieces rubbing against each other or a heavily corroded spring that is soon going to fail
• In a majority of cases, the spring fails due to the combined effects of corrosion & fatigue over a period of time.

• The service life of the spring depends on whether the car is used over roads that have salt or in an atmosphere where there is a lot of moisture.
• If your vehicle has already crossed 90K to 100K miles, check the springs and look for signs of corrosion. In case there are any then it would be best to replace the springs before they actually break.

Rear Shock Absorber Failure

Symptoms:

• Knocking and Popping Noises from the Rear going over bumps
• Rear end feels bouncier

Troubleshooting Rear Shock Failure

• The Bouncy Ride symptom points to the Shock Absorber as a probable cause.
• The noises coming from the rear are partly due to the failed shock absorber allowing the bump stops to contact more often. And also the noises partly come from the worn out shock mounting bushes that allow the shock to move and hit against the mounting brackets.
• If your vehicle has crossed 40-50K miles, then it could be due for a shock replacement. Due to long-term internal wear, the shock starts losing its damping action over time.
• If the rear shock has started leaking oil due to a failed oil-seal, then it means that the shock will no longer be effective.
• One good way to tell if your shock has failed or not is to do a “Bounce Test”. Put all your weight on one of the front corners of the vehicle pushing it downwards. Keep oscillating the corner till you feel that it has reached its maximum height. Once you take your hands off the corner, observe how it settles. If it takes more than 2 oscillations to settle, that means the damper has failed.

Rear Shock Absorber Top mount Bushing Failure

• Observed in 2012 Model year Hyundai Santa Fe
• Rear knocking noises

Troubleshooting Rear Shock Absorber Top mount Bushing Failure

• The Rubber bonding between the Bush Rubber ring and the outer shell has disintegrated
• There is always a risk of the shock Eye moving out of the Rubber bush
• The Shock absorber will need to be replaced as a whole

Rear Wheel Bearing Failure

Symptoms:

• Droning noise above 30 mph speeds
• Sound is louder with increasing speed

Troubleshooting Rear Wheel Bearing Failure

• Droning noise is generally associated with one of the wheel bearings depending on where the noise is coming from
• Wheel bearings generally have a life of 70K miles, after which, on detecting noise issues, must be replaced
• In the Hyundai Santa Fe, the wheel bearing is housed within the Knuckle and the Wheel Spindle. It is of a single-piece design.
• The Wheel Hub comes as a unit along with the Wheel bearing press-fitted

Rear Upper Control Arm Failure

• Poor Handling. Tail comes out during fast lane change.
• Uneven or Inner excessive rear Tire-wear
• Rear Knocking noises
• Usually happens in the Second Generation SM models (2005 – 2012 model years)

Troubleshooting Rear Upper Control Arm Failure

• The rear tire’s excessive tire wear is an indication of a Wheel-Alignment change during normal driving
• This means that the Upper Control Arm of the rear suspension is unable to maintain the wheel’s Toe and Camber settings while driving normally
• This means the Upper Control arm bushings and/or ball-joints might have worn out and therefore need replacement
• The poor handling and knocking noises are a result of the worn-out upper ball-joint and bushings’ excessive play

Other articles about Hyundai you may be interested in

Hyundai transmission problems

Hyundai dual clutch transmission problems

Hyundai Equus Air Suspension Issues Explained

Conclusion

In this brief article we have discussed the different Hyundai Santa Fe Rear Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

For any questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch with us.