Hyundai Santa Fe Rear Differential Problems: Symptoms and Fixes

The rear differential is an important component of Hyundai Santa Fe, and any driver who knows well about this car will understand its importance. The expectation is to enjoy a smooth ride while driving, but this can be short-lived with a faulty differential.

The reason why Hyundai Santa Fe can experience a faulty differential is because the wrong lubricant was applied to it. Water is also a common factor that can damage the rear differential of this car, especially when you drive in high water. The water normally enters through the vents or seals of the vehicle emulsifying the rear differential lubricant, this can cause the gear or bearing surface to rust.

In this article, I will cover the following:

• Is Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential failure a common issue?
• Reasons for Hyundai Santa Fe bad rear differential
• Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential troubleshooting
• Fixing Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential issue
• When to replace Hyundai Santa Fe Rear Differential
• Cost of replacing Hyundai Santa Fe differential

Is Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential failure a common issue?

Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential issue is not really common. Although there have been some cases of differential failure reported by Hyundai Santa Fe drivers, this doesn't make it a common issue.

There could be several factors at play here, there is a possibility that new owners of this car may experience differential issues if the former owner did not take proper care of the car, for example, if they used the car to tow heavy objects, it can cause the rear differential to wear prematurely.

Reasons for Hyundai Santa Fe bad rear differential

The rear differential of the Hyundai Santa Fe can go bad as a result of the following reasons:

• over-speeding especially when it is newly acquired: if you have just bought the car, you should follow the break-in rules;
• hauling or towing with the car;
• ignoring the gear lube;
• excessive wheel speed: this can heat the differential and cause major damage to the internal components of the differential and drivetrain.

Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential troubleshooting

1. Whining noises

This is one of the first symptoms the car will experience when it has a failing differential. A common reason why you are hearing whining sounds is that the components of the differential were not lubricated properly. Also, if fluid is leaking from the differential, it can normally result in your differential wearing prematurely. The whining sound increases as the differential loses more fluid.

2. Damage on the tires

Although this symptom is uncommon, it happens when you are traveling long distances. The failing differential causes what is generally understood to be tire scrubbing. You will hear this scrubbing sound as the tires slip and grip at regular intervals.

The inner tires of your car will begin to wear as you travel at the same speed or when those tires rotate faster than needed. The premature wear on the tire is a clear sign that the rear differential is failing.

3. Difficulty in turning

A differential that functions properly allows you to turn the steering as intended at corners. With a failing differential, this will be difficult. A faulty differential will change the cornering ability of the car and this can cause unstable control while driving.

Ensure you contact an automobile mechanic that knows well about the workings of Hyundai Santa Fe to check out the car immediately after you notice this symptom. It will be a nasty experience if you lose control of your car while driving as it can lead to an accident.

4. Vibration

You will start feeling the vibration from your driveshaft once the differential is disjointed and worn. The vibration gets worse as you accelerate, fluid leaks are other reasons that can cause this vibration. The vibration is one of the early signs of a faulty differential and fixing it right away will save you cost from repairs in the future.

5. Grinding from the gears

When the rear differential is failing, the gears will begin to grind against each other or there will be a misalignment of the gears, this can create a humming noise from the differential and it gets louder as you accelerate. A simple change of fluid may be the solution to this problem but if ignored, you will probably spend much on damages and possibly on the transmission.

Fixing Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential issue

There are several services that you may need to look at when it comes to fixing Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential. In some cases, a faulty differential may not necessarily mean it has to be replaced, these differentials are built to last long, thus they may just require minor fixing or part replacement.

For example, you may only need to replace the differential gasket if there are fluid leaks. The gasket usually wears over time so it is normal that it may need replacement at some point, therefore, all you need to do in this case is to remove the cover and reseal it.

If the need arises, you may also have to reseal the differential piston. The seal which surrounds the yoke may start leaking as a result of damage or because it has become old. In this case, just take out the yoke, and seal it with a new one. Be careful not to damage the seal in this process.

Another situation is when the seals at the side of the differential are faulty, you can easily fix this by removing the axle shafts.

The differential bearings can also develop faults. However, this is not an easy fix and it takes longer time to fix compared to other components of the differential, but with the right experience and qualified mechanic, you can get it fixed within a day.

The challenge of fixing the differential gears is the same as the differential bearings only that this will cost you more. The worst case of this issue is that you may have to replace the entire differential with a new one. Usually, before it gets to this stage, it means you have ignored and neglected to fix smaller issues of the differential on time. You should contact a Hyundai Santa Fe mechanic expert in this case or just take it to the manufacturer service shops.

When to replace Hyundai Santa Fe Rear Differential

The signs of a failing differential begin mildly before it becomes severe. While you can still drive your car in the early stage of a faulty differential, you shouldn't keep driving for longer periods. Instead, you should tow it immediately to a repair shop or any Hyundai-authorized car repair center.

If you drive with a failing differential on a rough or bumpy road, the differential will wear faster than when you drive carefully on a smooth road. You should use the service of a mechanic in identifying possible issues with the rear differential.

Cost of replacing Hyundai Santa Fe differential

Some models of Hyundai Santa Fe have either a rear or front differential while some have both, an example is the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, which has a four-wheel drive with both differentials. This allows the car to drift in any direction, in this case, the differential may develop some symptoms over time that can make it malfunction.

The amount you will spend to fix or replace the rear differential of your Hyundai Santa Fe varies and it depends on the severity of the issue. The expenses can also depend on the number of parts you want to fix, heavy repairs are between $500 and $700 and light repairs may cost you between $200 and $400.

When it comes to replacing the differential, you should also consider the model of your car and the year it was built, the cost of replacing the rear differential of older models may cost more as some parts are not as common or available as the recent models, and the technicalities in replacing older models are quite different from newer models due to changes in technology and design.

But in general, you should budget between $2,000 and $5,000. And if you are lucky, you can spend lesser with a used differential. One thing about replacing a differential is that you must use the service of an expert technician for a perfect job.

Final thoughts

The Hyundai Santa Fe rear differential is strong and rarely fails with proper maintenance. The differential issues don't just happen suddenly as it develops over time. In essence, you must avoid driving your car with a failing differential as this is a dangerous act and if you don't address this issue on time, it could result in an accident and more expenses on repairs.

With the wide range of problems highlighted in this article, it will be easy for you to identify these problems and address them immediately. To prevent further problems with your differential, have your car fixed right away!