2012 Santa Fe AWD issue?
 

Hi Guys
I have searched but not found anything that is similar to my problem.

We have a 2012 Santa Fe AWD with the 2.4L engine. 163,000 km's.

Lately there is something funky going on with what seems to be the rear differential. It doesn't happen all the time, but when shifting from 1st and maybe 2nd gear and moving up gears, there is a "thump/jerk" , from the rear only, that seems like possibly the computers don't know whether to shift to AWD or not. If that makes sense.

Here in Ontario, Canada, there is plenty of snow and ice around so it has been easy to check to see if the AWD is working properly and it is. Just fine.

If anyone else has experienced this type of thing or have any ideas, your thoughts would be much appreciated..

I stopped at our local Hyundai dealer to discuss things with them. Of course I couldn't make the issue happen on demand and then the dealer was not of any help to me. When/if it gets worse and does it all the time, come back and demonstrate it is what I was told.

Take care. Be safe.

Jack

If you cannot disengage the all wheel drive I would suspect something is going on with the viscous coupling between the trans and the rear axle.

Thanks for your response Hanky. I will do some research about this viscous coupling. Sounds like if this item is the culprit, it is trying to lock up when not needed. Or something like that.

BTW. This thump/jerk thing happened when turning and backing into a parking spot at the grocery store yesterday. Maybe a wheel slipped on ice or whatever. I also was driving at highway speed up a long incline and this thump/jerk thing happened a few times. If I was very easy on the throttle it wouldn't do it. Only if i kept a steady throttle to keep up my speed.

Thanks again.

Jack

You know your vehicle better than I do, but are you sure the engine may not be cutting out under load?
It can give similar symptoms .

If for one of several reasons the engine cuts out, it could give a momentary jerk that if not completely understood could be mistaken for a different problem.

When an engine loses electrical power to/for the engine to fire smoothly , there is an abrupt jerk when power is instantly restored. This problem shows up when the vehicle is under some kind of load either when attempting to pick up speed or sometimes when trying to maintain it.
What if you were to add some gas line anti freeze just in case your vehicle has accumulated some water in the fuel?

Thanks again for your concern and offer of help hanky.

I see where you are coming from, but I'm pretty sure this is not a fuel management issue. I do use a product called Seafoam once in awhile as a treat for the engine and hopefully cleaning of any possible water/ice in the fuel tank. Seafoam works wonders for all my 2 cycle equipment.

This really looks like your suggestion of a viscous coupling problem. I found this forum post by phatboyc. If you can open it, it is a good read. My thump/jerk sounds exactly like ONLY the rear axle is bumping over a road imperfection like an expansion joint.

Santa Fe's All Wheel Drive System Information Here | Hyundai Forums (hyundai-forums.com)

I am taking the Santa Fe to our Hyundai dealer next week for recalls RO177 and RO204. Maybe I will be able to bypass the Service Advisor and talk directly to one of their mechanics.

Thanks again.

Take care. Be safe.

Jack

Got the Santa Fe to the dealer Saturday morning. They didn’t have time to investigate my issue, but after the recalls were complete, I had a chance for a very short chat with the mechanic. I told him about my intermittent issue which now seems to only happen at low speeds like when leaving a stop sign, coming to a full stop and backing into a parking spot. And not every time. And only after driving for some time (warmed up).

He told me that he had checked for codes before and after the recalls. There were no codes found. His thoughts are that the transfer case viscous coupling is likely not working properly. Those are not “fixed”, but replaced. The service advisor suggested that this is around a $3000 diagnose and fix. I see RockAuto offers a viscous coupling for $1661.60 Canadian.

I’m not sure what I will do just yet. The car is certainly driveable and in great condition for being 10 years old, but hardly worth putting another $3000 into. I have been trying to replace the Santa Fe for a year now. As we know, not many previously owned options out there but I did find that dealers will take my car for $6000.00.

If/when I go further with this issue, I will post the outcome.

Again. Thanks for your help hanky.

Take care.

Jack

I had the same issue on my 2010 Santa fe. It was the coupler. It started the exact same way you are describing. Though we could live with it. Once I got on the highway, when I slowed, it felt like I got rear-ended. It got so bad so fast. We had to pull off. Seems to be worse as it heats up. Hyundai has made 2 new ones as replacement. I think the last numbers are 420, not 400 or 410.

I was able to get a genuine Hyundai one on eBay for around $1000.
It was very easy to replace. 4 bolts on one side, 3 on the other, all the same size.

This was 3 years ago and have not had a problem since.

Thanks for your help Druss100.

Looks like the coupling part number ends in 520. If you can open this link, can you give me your opinion of whether or not this looks to be the right part? Coupling Assembly Fits for Hyundai Santa Fe Tucson Sportage Sorento 47800-3B520 | eBay

There are many people offering the coupling using the same 47800-3B520 part number.

Replacing the coupling looks to be a job I can do myself, but at 70 years of age and weather hanging around -10C to -20C, I'm not too interested in lying on the garage floor and taking a run at this job. If it gets worse, maybe I will see if I can disconnect the wiring of the unit until Spring gets here. :)

Hello. I don't think that is the correct part.
Here is a link for one on eBay. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-OEM-4780...-127632-2357-0

I personally only use OEM parts, but it seems there are a bunch of off brands there days for quite a bit less. Amazon even had them now!!

Hope this helps.