poor gas milage

35

Asked by erock Jul 08, 2008 at 02:56 PM about the 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

i have an 01 santa fe and am averaging a paltry 14mpg! any ideas why? anyone else have this prob?this almost hummer territory!

21 Answers

16,725

What condition are your filters in air filter and fuel filter (People tend to forget about the fuel filter, check your owners manual for recommended replacement interval... It varies greatly between vehicles usually between 15-75k miles, with 30k and 45k the most common. As for the air filter, replace it if it looks dirty) Are your plugs and wires in good shape? (If not get them replaced, once again check your manual for recommended replacement interval) Is there oil around the plug wire boot boot(the part that goes around the plug) (If there is your valve cover gasket is leaking which can reduce spark propagation which can reduce engine efficiency or cause misfire) Have ever run an intake cleaner? Seafoam or similar product? (If not your injectors and intake valves may be getting gummed up and you should look into have the system cleaned, not just the cheap bottle in the tank, but also the kind that runs through the intake...Manufacturer's don't have a set recommendation for this, but I do it about ever 30-45k on my vehicles...) Hope that helps getting you started...

10 people found this helpful.
2,515

Check your air filter. If it's dirty, replace it. Spread the fins on the paper and hold it up to the light. If you can barely see light, replace. What are your tires set at? If you read the sidewall, there will be a maximum pressure. Set your tires 3-5 psi lower than that when they are cold. In other words, let it sit for a day and then set your tire pressure. Use cruise control as much as possible. Avoid sharp turns, sharp acceleration, and lower your speed on the freeway. Driving techniques can change gas mileage in upwards of 30%.

7 people found this helpful.
16,725

I did forget the tire pressure, but set it to the specifications in the door, not based on the sidewall as suggested... That=bad idea not accurate to the slightest.... Example= 03' Axiom sidewall max 40psi... What they should be set at... 26psi (Depends on the vehicles weight and suspension, not just the tires)

3 people found this helpful.
2,515

OEMs spec tire pressures to what will make the car perform/handle the best and provide the best ride comfort. To get the best mileage and best tire wear, it's best to follow the sidewall. For even wear, chalking across the tread and driving a couple hundred feet will indicate if you need to inflate or deflate. Remember the Firestone/Explorer tire debacle? Guess what tire pressure spec was being followed.....the door.

2 people found this helpful.
255

Well I work for a Hyundai Dealer and have a couple questions is it the 2.7 or the 3.5 I would check the plugs, wires, and check your service history to see if you have ever had a fuel induction service it's about $139.95 but on an 01 I am assuming that the mileage is higher. Also I am pretty sure that the fuel filter is in tank and not a servicable item

8 people found this helpful.
35

thanks for responding,i have the 2.7 and just changed air filter but thats it for now.am gonna get a tune up soon

75

i dont know about all of you but my santa fe gets excellent gas milage.

6 people found this helpful.
90

I just purchased a 2003 Santa Fe V6 for my wife and we are getting about 16-17 mpg avreage. I was very disappointed with this but I did not do any research on fuel economy before the purchase so I guess it is my bad. I am hoping some basic tune up work will help at least a little. I would like to see at least 20mpg out of this car.

9 people found this helpful.
50

I just purchased a Sport 2.0 2013 with 27,000 miles. It' only getting 15mpg UGH!!

5 people found this helpful.
90

I purchased used a 2007 V6 Hyundai Santa Fe limited AWD My gas mileage sucks worse than anybody's. I drive 3.8 miles and this thing sucks up a 1/2 a tank of gas, That it cost me $30 to fill it backup to full. This vehicle has over 85000 miles on it.

9 people found this helpful.
20

Part of the issue is its a V6. We want the power, but with that comes lower mileage. I just bought a 2018 4 cyl and am averaging 25 in town. I'm a hospice nurse so I drive a lot. I'm heading for a 6 jr road trip next week so we'll see how it does on the hwy.

2 people found this helpful.
80

I own a 08 Sante Fe V6. It’s getting terrible mileage. Like 12-14 in town an 18-21 On highway! I do in town driving mostly. It’s got about 92k on it now. Runs well and never had any mechanical issues.(knock on wood). I have tried everything!!! When I first got it two and half years ago, it got 18 in town 22-24hwy. so crazy how much has decreased. New tires and been to shop and checked out and they say A-Ok. Wish I too could find a solution!!

8 people found this helpful.
150

Even 10 years later this thread is relevant.

15 people found this helpful.
100

We just bought a certified pre-owned 2016 Santa Fe 3.3 and I’m only getting 13-14 mpg in the city! I’m not a crazy driver slamming on my breaks or aggressively accelerating. This is awful. I would never have bought this car if I knew the EPA mileage estimate was nowhere near accurate. Buyer beware.

10 people found this helpful.
10

My 2019 Hyundai Tucson is getting only 13 mpg in the city. I've had it for 2.5 months and it has just under 700 miles on the engine. I'm on my 4th refuel. Hyundai is clearly lying about the estimated mpg on their SUVs. I drive conservatively and even coast to red lights but nothing works. Add to the fact the cruise control sticks and keeps accelerating until I hit the brakes.

1 people found this helpful.
10

I have 2017 Tucson with 2.0 motor non turbo fully loaded it's getting 12 mpg or what ever burning more than my pick up truck dealer says there's nothing wrong try better gas only has 40 000s kks on it been serviced twice in year died on my wife and kids had to tow it to dealer just to have them tell me gas tank is full of water extended warranty won't cover anything so 500 bucks for some gas and water remover agent blamed the gas station I was at last I have full extended warranty won't cover anything if I could take it back I would in the whole for $30 000 grand for shit box my 800 dollar Dodge pickup is better

10

have 2017 Tucson with 2.0 motor non turbo fully loaded it's getting 12 mpg or what ever burning more than my pick up truck dealer says there's nothing wrong try better gas only has 40 000s kks on it been serviced twice in year died on my wife and kids had to tow it to dealer just to have them tell me gas tank is full of water extended warranty won't cover anything so 500 bucks for some gas and water remover agent blamed the gas station I was at last I have full extended warranty won't cover anything if I could take it back I would in the whole for $30 000 grand for shit box my 800 dollar Dodge pickup is better

1 people found this helpful.
30

Well I have a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe started my experience with 23-24 miles to the gallon on the highway,18-19 city! For some reason now that I’ve got 110,000 miles on it I found myself at times only getting 13.5 in the city I think it’s very odd that I have noticed that if you fill the tank completely I will be encroaching around the 19 miles to the gallon! I am a dealership tech for Hyundai still have a valid HMA number! The head tech and I’ve been scratching our heads over this and we’ve only come up to a conclusion that I might need a computer update and fuel systems induction cleaning! Could have Fowler the plugs! When there’s no check engine light there’s not much to go looking for! As far as a fuel filter there is one inside the tank I have not yet bothered looking for a part number it is not a normal service item, I have changed internal tank parts in Hyundai suv’s (?) I would check all vapor recycling systems on the vehicle! There are problems on other Hyundai products (vapor canister) cracks with no check engine light! Sonata recalls! Of course obviously check to see if there is resistance in the drive train! A wampus diff or wheel bearing or dragging breaks will suck up your gas!!!

20

I have 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe V2.7L V6 model and initially it worked at 12 miles per gallon. And power was also very poor. As I noticed from the beginning this model heats its engine bay very badly and make all rubber and plastic dry and brittle. All wirings and plastic parts including sensors have become very dry and brittle due to that excessive heat. I think introducing an additional fan inside would be better. Some people say operating AC is better as the AC fan will be operating at that time and cooling the engine down little bit more. But I replaced the air filter didn't notice an improvement. Then I cleaned the air intake side but no improvements. The I replaced spark plugs again no improvements. Now I am going to replace coil, wires, injectors and fuel filter. I just need to see improvements in milage. Even with all those if there will be improvements, I would install an additional fan inside and try.

1 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 2007 3.5 Santa Fe. Up until about a month ago I had been getting between 21 and 26 mpg. The car has a little more than 200,000 miles on it. Now it is getting between 13 and 16 mpg! I've had the induction service performed and there has been NO change in mpg. One thing to note is that the gas gauge does not work. The sensors are under the rear passenger seats. It or they failed a few years back and I had to have it repaired when the car decided that it had no gas because the sensor told it so. The car had worked with the failed sensor/s for several months. The gas gauge (and hence the sensors, I suppose) worked for several months and then failed again. I was still getting the same mileage - about 320 miles per tank-full. My check engine light is usually on after I fill the tank. It goes off after about 100 miles. Any suggestions? I'd like to see my mpg back where it used to be.

1 people found this helpful.

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