Malfunction indicator - 2002 Santa Fe

Hi Group,
This malfunction light just came on today. Car has 26,500 miles on
it.
Should I worry about this? I live 90 miles from the closest dealer.
Thanks,
Arold
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Arold "Al" Green

 

You can try to make sure the gas cap is on tight, but if it is not
that you need to have it looked at. It is a "warning" indicator in
other words it is informational and not an emergency. It most likly
means there is something wrong in the emission control part of the
car. If you live that far, you may want to invest in a code checker
from Sears or some other car place. I have an AutoXray just for these
situations. A quick will tell me if it is something important, plus I
can clear the MIL light and see if it returns. You need an OBD II
checker.

 

If it was the "Check Engine Soon" light then I'd be worried, at least
until I knew what caused it. If there is an AutoZone near your home
then you can go there and they will do the diagnostic work for free.

 

Thanks for the replies. Autozone (at least in CA) has been ordered
not to use a code checker - dealer complaints. But, the guy told me
to disconnect the battery for a few minutes and then try again. This
worked - the light is out and apparently was just a fluke. I hope it
stays out.
Arold
__
Arold "Al" Green

 

HI there.,..
One of the other causes of the Engine Check light is the O2 sensors
going bad. We had it happen on out 01 SF last fall, sorry can't remember the
mileage on it at the time.

as a side note to other SF owners - once you get to 30,000 miles start
watching the rear differential housing. Ours went sour and had us off the
road for 4 weeks.

Rick

 

That does not apply to 90% of them out there. That only applies to the
4WD version and even then, the failure rate is low. Just check for
leaks, that's a clue. As far as the 4 weeks go, that is a hyundai
problem. Parts are slow to arrive to the dealer.

 

I just had the same light come on at 19000 miles. It happened on a Saturday
(dealer is closed) so I disconnected the battery and the light went out.
After about 6 miles of driving the light came back on. Monday morning the
car went to the dealer. They called me Monday afternoon and said the car was
fixed (they ran the diagnostic and everything checked out ok). I picked up
the car and not 1/4 mile from the dealer the light came back on. Back to the
dealer with the car. Now I have to make another appointment to have it
checked again (not real happy with this since I had arrainged to leave the
car overnight originally and now my ride has gone home). Anyway the service
person said not to worry about driving the car with the light on. Only be
worried if the light starts flashing. Anybody know if driving with the light
on will cause any damage?
R Larkin

 

YELLOW lights are "Caution" (Information only), RED lights are "BAD",
Stop the engine immediately and call for service. An MIL light (the
yellow check engine light) most likely is emission related. The car
may run bad, or use more fuel etc. I would not drive around for a week
with it on, but have it checked at my earliest convenience (a day or
two is fine).

 

I was told by my dealer that if it's "just on" it's a "fault" but if it's
flashing, it's a "problem"

--

S.


If it ain't broke, we can fix that.....

 

Had a yellow check engine light at around 44000km, took it to the dealer,
immediately diagnosed as the downstream O2 sensor failed, had to wait
approximately 10 days for the part to come in and be replaced under
warranty. No problems since, but I did notice that while the defective
sensor was in my fuel economy suffered by about 2-3 mpg.

 

Hi. Check the oxygen sensors. I had the same problem with my Sonata 2000 V6
with 37000 kms. I think they used crappy sensors.