Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints
8,019 consumer complaints on file.
- #11551294October 23, 2023ENGINE
Engine threw a rod and damaged the whole engine. No warnings. Same exact issue my friends 2015 did. Her engine was replaced.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551302October 23, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Recently, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated after refueling the vehicle. The warning lights disappeared after driving for an extended period. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551311October 23, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
My car engine compartment fire while parked in front of my condo
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551319October 23, 2023POWER TRAIN
Driving down rd at 35 mph felt a sudden jolt and loud noise, car lost power and all lights came on. Coasted to a safe driveway and shut it down. Tried to re- start and it was a loud racket so immediately turned back off. Crazy thing is the oil was just changed , no leaks in garage or warning lights. Now I’m stuck trying to replace an engine that should’ve lasted more than 5 years!
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551494October 23, 2023ENGINE
2015 3.3 engine santa fe motor seized 115,000miles, no lights, no low oil indicator, no check engine light, no noise except 6minutes prior!
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551206October 21, 2023ENGINE
Engine made knocking noises and was towed to a mechanic. Mechanic discovered metal shards in the oil pan and all signs pointed to being well maintained. We bought used from CarMax and are the 2nd owners. Mechanics best guess is engine failure due to defect and high oil consumption with no signs of leaks. No codes, no check engine light, no low oil pressure light. No warning. Oil changes were completed by us and valvoline at regular intervals. Safety risk of engine failure while driving and causing an accident. Car was successfully pulled to the side of the road. Hyundai dealership unable to help with repair assistance as we are second owners and warranty did not transfer. Researched community chat forums and this seems to be a common issue for this engine to fail.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551152October 21, 2023ENGINE
I purchased this vehicle 07/05/2022. I have had regular oil changes and maintenance. I have all of my maintenance records. I went in for an oil change on 05/15/2023 and the mechanic told me that there was only 3-4 drops of oil in the engine. I called Hyundai of Nicholasville and they told me that there was nothing they could do until the vehicle showed signs of engine failure. I was driving home from work one day in August and my vehicle would not travel over 40 MPH. I had my vehicle towed to Hyundai of Nicholasville and it has been there ever since. The mechanic at Hyundai has been trying to get Hyundai to do a motor replacement. Hyundai denied the request. We are now trying my extended warranty. I have done so much research on the motors of this specific make and model of car (2013 Hyundai Santa Fa Sport) and I have found several articles and personal testimonies of early engine failure. From the time I bought the car and put it in the shop I had only had the car for roughly 13 months and done all car maintenance on time.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551190October 21, 2023UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
We were driving at around 55mph and Panasonic sunroof exploded as is something hit it: however, nothing did. The glass tattered and fell on top of us (driver and passenger). We were unhurt but quite shook up.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550768October 19, 2023POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Morning of October 16th, wife said engine "clicked" at start and then stopped at idle. I checked oil as it had been changed week prior and all levels were normal, then performed diagnostic with Carista tool and app, no codes. That evening while on the way to my 4 year olds practice, the car stopped in a lane of travel on a main cross town thoroughfare in Charlotte NC in rush hour, my wife, 4 year old, and 1 year old in the car. No light or indicators AT ALL ever came on NOTHING, no check engine light, nothing. Had it towed to local shop and he said this is the 10th or 11th Santa Fe we have seen with the V6, it most likely is the motor. So he does prelim diagnostic and suspects a thrown bearing and recommended we tow to Hyundai dealership, just at 70k, how is this possible? We are second owners and our VIN does not qualify for campaign 168. Shocking to now realize this appears to be an ongoing issues with this engine
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550850October 19, 2023ENGINE
Engine light came on and then the engine lost power and had to be towed to dealership. Dealership said it was internal engine failure. Requested oil change documents for the past 6 years. First/original owner and vehicle only has 74,139 miles on it.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550541October 18, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Per the mandated law in September of 2001 all vehicles sold in the United States are required to have a trunk release on the inside. The 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe does not. The 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe small SUV are very known for the lights to go out due to condensation in the tail lights. So needless to say it was built poorly as an owner like myself has to constantly change the tail lights or be rear-ended because I have NO brake lights. To me this is a serious issue. One that Hyundai has failed to correct. However, I recently took my vehicle in to be serviced and to have the tails lights changed. The dealership Lithia Hyundai of Alaska informed me they could not do them because I had to much water in the tail light cover and that they couldn't get into the trunk due to my junction box having failure. Well I suggested they fix the light cover and change the bulbs so I wouldn't get hit from the back. Service advise there was NO way to open the trunk from the inside. That I had to pay 5000.00 to fix one part to be able to open the trunk. I advised that was illegal per NHTSA and they stated they never heard of that. I would like to make this complaint because even though I cannot get one thing fix I should still be able to get my trunk open from the inside, to fix my brake light bulbs.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550733October 18, 2023UNKNOWN OR OTHER, POWER TRAIN
My engine started making a loud knocking noise suddenly. It only has 84,000 miles on it and I haven't missed any maintenance appointments. The Hyundai dealership was thoroughly unhelpful when I called them so I had another mechanic look at it. Turns out there is metal in my oil and my engine is shot. I have a reasonable expectation of not needing a new engine at 84,000 miles but I am not sure if this has to do with the most recent recall with engine fires.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550736October 18, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Numerous different occasions since I bought the vehicle this year in March 2023 when on highway, side streets and even in parking lots with nothing, no cars no objects or humans in front or behind the vehicle my forward collision warning and rear end collision warning has came on which caused the car to break on its own and it is a safety concern. I have been to the dealer numerous times since I’ve bought the vehicle and currently have reached out to Hyundai Motors of America and pretty much got told to suck it up nothing they can do for me as the computer isn’t showing any codes or issues my car has now been at dealership where I bought it for 2 weeks now and no resolution besides come get the car and figure it out on my own and as a single mother with a child with disabilies I don’t know what else to do.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550323October 17, 2023ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
After crossing 90,000 miles the vehicle started to consume too much oil too quickly. After a professional analysis the mechanics found no problem. Going on 112,000 miles now and the vehicle is going through and/or burning oil much more rapidly than what one would expect
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550374October 17, 2023POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
We took our 2018 Santa Fe in for service because the check engine light came on and we lost power when accelerating. We were told that it has "catastrophic engine failure" and that we need a full engine replacement. On a less than 5 year old car. We are being blamed for this although we have kept up with regular oil changes and service. We were told that we could not get any warranty on the engine. We have been quoted $7,500 for an engine "replacement" and a 1 year warranty. They do not make the engine any longer so it is not even a true replacement. We brought it in to Hyundai of Metairie. They will not answer or return our calls. Do not buy a hyundai.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550274October 16, 2023ENGINE
Engine crank rod bearing is failing just bought this and within a month it starting failing on me. Have a loud knocking sound and no check engine light ever went on. Just woke up one morning turned it on and the noise was there
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11550142October 16, 2023ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated. The check engine warning light illuminated, and a message displayed on the infotainment screen indicating “Engine System Emergency, Take Vehicle to the Nearest Dealer”. The contact was able to veer the vehicle into a parking lot where it was idled. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that no appointments were available; however, the technician used a code reader that retrieved message: “5 Volts drop to the ECM”. The contact stated that the technician then pressed the START/STOP button to restart the vehicle and reset the check engine warning light. The contact stated that he was able to drive the vehicle back to his location where he parked the vehicle. The following day he restarted the vehicle however, the failure recurred. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised that if the check engine warning light was not illuminated there was no need to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 1,108.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11549939October 14, 2023ENGINE
On 9/16/23 in Pierpont, OH, my 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's engine seized driving 55 mph. No warning as engine lost power. Drifted to side road into parking lot. Engine smelled of electric burning (diagnosed at dealer with burned out battery as well as burned out starter as well as catastrophic engine failure). I have always carried an auto fire extinguisher in this car as they have been known to catch fire when engines seized and I had researched the problems with these engines since being notified of the engineering defects they have. At the time of the engine failure, I had my husband and my dog in the car, as we were on vacation leaving us stuck on the side of a road in 80 degree heat and we were 100 miles away from home. My vehicle was towed to Victory Hyundai in Jefferson, OH, about 11 miles from where I broke down. It has been there since awaiting diagnosing as well as submission to Hyundai for engine replacement under current powertrain warranty. I promptly had all recalls & services (oil changes) done throughout my ownership of car, as part of lifetime engine warranty program due to known engine issues with Hyundai and Kia GDI Theta engines. Engine replacement was granted on 10/13/23 by Hyundai. Will be approx 3-6 months to wait for engine to be received and replacement to be installed. Prior to engine failure, engine went into limp mode in May of 2019 with P1326 code and was towed to dealership where I purchased my vehicle (Preston Hyundai in Boardman, OH). Second software update was completed and engine checked for any defects and was cleared to drive. Had no issues with engine until it seized in September.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11549888October 13, 2023ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Engine light coded 1326 on July 28, 2023. Car engine was replaced Aug- September 20, 2023. September 27 the engine light coded 0263. October 4 the engine light coded 0263. October 5 the engine light coded 0263 October 13 the engine light coded 0263.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11549527October 12, 2023ENGINE
Engine failure. The vehicle was towed to Crenshaw Hyundai in Burlington, NC. Crenshaw Hyundai advised me the engine needed to be replaced due to rod failure. I cannot confirm if the parts are available for inspection. Engine failure while driving causing a stall. The problem has been verbally confirmed to me by Crenshaw Hyundai. The problem has not been inspected by police, insurance representative, or anyone else other than Crenshaw Hyundai. There were no warning lamps displayed prior to failure of the engine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0