Santa Fe TM inspection checklist

Look for: A manufacturing issue meant the airbag wiring harness under the rear passenger seat may not have been adequately secured and could be damaged by seat adjustment over time, risking inadvertent deployment or failure to deploy the rear side airbags.

Look for: The on-demand HTRAC AWD coupling and rear driveline rely on fluid being serviced; neglected fluid can cause shudder on tight turns, noise or coupling wear on diesel and AWD petrol cars.

Look for: The Theta II GDi engine family is the subject of well-documented oil-consumption complaints and, in the worst cases, bearing knock and engine seizure - the issue behind US/Korea class actions, extended warranties and a knock-sensor detection software update on related engines. Worn rings or contaminated bearings cause rising consumption, ticking/knock and stalling.

Look for: Theta II GDi engines were covered by software updates that monitor for the onset of bearing knock and can illuminate the engine light / enter limp mode to protect the engine before catastrophic failure.

Look for: The facelifted diesel replaced the torque-converter 8AT with Hyundai's 8-speed wet DCT. It can shudder or hesitate from a standstill, give rough 1-2 shifts and lose drive; it was the subject of recalls over rough shifting / power loss, and in the US Hyundai moved related models back to a conventional auto. Clutch and mechatronic faults are expensive out of warranty.

Look for: Short-trip urban use stops the DPF completing regenerations, leading to blockages, forced regens, oil dilution and EGR/intake carbon, with limp mode and warning lights. A signature concern on small-displacement turbo-diesels used mostly around town.

Look for: The R-series piezo injectors are sensitive to fuel quality and can cause rough running, smoke and hard starting; the VGT turbo actuator/vanes can stick with soot, causing boost faults and limp mode at higher km.