F-SUV
MAF failure is caused primarily by poor design. GM and Ford have a million TSB and recalls under their belt for the little buggers. I think Chrysler may have had some problems with the ones on the Mitsubishi 3.0 V-6's too as I recall. They mostly just get dirty and you can't clean them. Do you have an OBDII reader? If not, you can save big bucks here by purchasing one (about 50 bucks for a good one). The plug is inside the car behind the fuse panel cover. Follow the instructions, read the code, look up the malfunction, replace the part, reset the computer and off you go with no CEL. Well, maybe that's a simplified version, but it could happen.

My 2 worth for your second question is that this is the first MAF problem I've heard of on a Santy.
Duck-O-Gram