Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints
8,019 consumer complaints on file.
- #11506575February 10, 2023ENGINE
I was driving down the street when the engine suddenly seized up. My wiring caught fire and my starter blew apart. No warning at all
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11506694February 10, 2023ENGINE
Oil consumption bulletin, piston slap, engine failure causing vehicle to shift into limp mode while driving at 70 miles per hour.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11506459February 9, 2023AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Clock spring is defective/broken. This could be very dangerous as the airbag may not deploy in the event of an accident. Hyundai has used this exact part on other vehicles that have had issue and have recalled/extended the warranty to cover. Hyundai however won't fix this very dangerous issue on the Santa Fe and even wanted almost $200 just to look at the car even though the part is very obviously broken.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11506093February 7, 2023VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
While driving the Panoramic Glass Roof exploded on its own.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11506143February 7, 2023ENGINE
I purchased a pre-owned certified 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe from a Hyundai dealership on 10/13/2020 and the vehicle had 21,770 miles. Then on 10/25/2021 (vehicle mileage was 31,950), I was driving my vehicle on the onramp to i-10 West lanes at Gessner Road. As I was accelerating at 40 mph to enter the freeway, my car engine seized and immediately I lost the ability to accelerate since the engine died. I immediately pulled over and had my car towed to the local Hyundai Dealership, HUB Hyundai Mitsubishi West. The Hyundai Dealership Service Manager, Daniel Castillo (832-739-6353), inspected my vehicle and after an inspection of the engine/underside of the vehicle, Hyundai found no damage or impact on the vehicle or the underside of the vehicle besides a missing drain plug. Their analysis concluded that the full result of the mechanical issue with the engine was a result of the missing drain plug which caused the oil to leak from the engine. Hyundai denied the warranty on the engine citing due to the drain plug issue is a direct result of a third party, Brake Check, that recently changed the oil (See attachment). The Brake Check Store #545 (11564 Westheimer Road, Houston TX 77077) had conducted recent oil changes performed on the vehicle on 12/8/2020 when the vehicle had 24,300 miles and on 5/5/2021 when the vehicle had 27,681 miles. I filed a claim (#3419328-1) with Brake Check for the damages however after 5 months of correspondences I was denied since I could not prove they did anything and the drain plug was missing. I also tried to file a claim with my personal auto insurance carrier, Progressive, however I was denied since the claim did not involve an accident. There was no warning lights that ever appeared on my dash prior to the incident. However, when I did go home that evening, I noticed a fresh large oil stain on my driveway were my car had previously be parked. The oil stain just occurred that day (See attached photo)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11506039February 7, 2023POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505554February 4, 2023ENGINE
The car lost all power in he middle of a busy 4 lane highway. Was able to coast to the shoulder. Engine light came on had car towed to mechanic. I then took car to Hyundai an they told me it had to do with update. Got car back an less the 6 hours later the car went into limp mode not exceeding 2000 rpm. Took the car back an now they are claiming the piston has dug into cylinder wall an need new engine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505566February 4, 2023ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving on highway and car engine light came on then car engine kicked down like it was going to stall then drove normally then kicked down again . Kept kicking down , drove it home and shut it off. The car starts but is knocking and the engine light comes on and blinks constantly .
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505378February 3, 2023ENGINE
On 11-12-22 my Sante Fe stuttered and came to a stop on a busy highway. On inspection we found there was no oil in the engine, there was no crack in the oil pan and otherwise no way for the oil to leak out. We did all the maintenance on schedule according the Hyundai's recommendations. My two young kids, my husband and I were stranded on the side of the highway for hours until we could get the car towed to the nearest dealership. Clearly, an engine seizing on the highway is very scary and unsafe. Hyundai is aware of the excessive oil consumption and did not inform consumers, putting lives at risk. The car is sitting dead in a dealership and in the mean time has been vandalized, the steering column was busted and the lift gate was disabled. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and an insurance rep is scheduled to inspect it for the damage from the break-in. Insurance has already said the engine is our problem because it wasn't caused by an accident but by manufacturer defect. There was no warning that the engine was consuming excessive oil, it just seized. Hyundai is requesting a tear down of the engine so they can determine if the engine will be covered. I fear they will find a way to not cover a new engine, when it was clearly a manufacturing defect. My families lives were at risk because of Hyundai's disregard for their customers.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505179February 2, 2023POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
On January 20, 2023 I was on my way home from work and was stopped at a traffic light. The light turned green. As I tried to accelerate forward the engine light started blinking and the vehicle moved slow and lost a lot of power and a knocking sound began. As I tried to accelerate more the knocking sound became louder. I found an engine issue after entering my vin# on the Hyundai site. It was found that for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport there was an engine issue. I have attached this issue pertaining to my vin#. I printed this information and took these to my nearest Hyundai dealer, who stated to me that these were not official recall papers and they can't use them. I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle so I never would have received an official recall paper. I proceeded to email consumer affairs at Hyundai and sent these same attachments showing the vehicle issue with my vin#. Hyundai has emailed me back stating and I quote "We have determined your vehicle is not currently affected by any campaigns." I do not see how they determined there isn't a campaign that affects my vehicle when I have proof on paper there is an issue with these engines. My vehicle is a 2013 and under 10 years old. I found a local independent auto garage to look at my Hyundai and they have stated I need a new engine. I am at this time stuck paying out of pocket for a new engine that has clearly an issue Hyundai has had with this particular engine. Thank you for you time. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505247February 2, 2023ENGINE
The vehicle suddenly lost power and acceleration while on the highway. The service engine light began flashing. I was able to drive it to a safe location, though only at a low rate of speed. I had the vehicle was towed to a local garage. The error code indicated a knock sensor error. Hyundai is aware of this error and problem, but will not address the issue until it reoccurs. Also, the garage indicated that the oil "looked dirty", so they changed it, though the vehicle was not yet due for an oil change.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505252February 2, 2023POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11505197February 2, 2023POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was stalling with the transmission, check engine, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer on two occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting parts for the repair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,483.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504726January 31, 2023ENGINE
Driving on the highway the engine started to knock, the oil and/or engine light did not come on. Then the vehicle was undrivable. The mechanic stated the engine popped and that this occurs with Hyundai's and Kia's.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504801January 31, 2023ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Check Engine Light was lighting up on and off sporadically and fuel gage was showing E with light on and now both are not working properly. The check engine light stays on and fuel gage always shows empty even when it is full.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504811January 31, 2023ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
On January 26th, 2023 at 9:57am the vehicle was unable to shift into reverse, drive, or neutral. The vehicle's system sent automatic messages indicating to have the transmission control system checked. We had the vehicle towed to a Hyundai dealer to be serviced. The dealership advised they performed a software update and that nothing else needed to be done. Then on January 30th, 2023 at 7:44pm the vehicle's check engine light came on and the vehicles system sent us another notification to our phone and email that there was a transmission control system issue. The vehicle shakes abruptly when accelerating after a stop. I have photos of the warning messages as well as video of the car shaking.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504390January 30, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, all four doors and tailgate would lock independently. The contact stated that over some time, all four doors failed to unlock while outside the vehicle with the key fob. The contact was only able to unlock the driver’s side door with the key. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that the door actuator needed to be replaced; however, after the repair, the failure persisted. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504445January 30, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Brake/stop light switch located behind the brake pedal sticks causing the gear shift to not be removed from or into Park. Hyundai issued Recall #110 for this issue but the recall does not cover all versions of 2007 Santa Fe even though the issue occasionally occurs on non recalled versions.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504507January 30, 2023ENGINE
ENGINE FAILURE THE CAR WAS CALLING FOR ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11504252January 29, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
I was driving my 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS (Lambda II, V6 3.3L, 104k miles) late at night with my wife, daughter (age 2), and son (age 6 months). No notification lights alerted me to any problems. We missed our turn on the highway and had to drive through a neighborhood with a high crime volume. We stopped at a red light and the engine seized. When the light changed, I tried to start the car, but the engine wouldn't budge. We were stranded in the dark in a dangerous area. I said to my wife, "This is one of the worst places and times for a car to go kaput." Two good samaritans with car knowledge stopped to help. First, they tried charging the battery. No luck. Then they checked the oil. To our surprise, the oil tank was nearly empty (again, no notification lights alerted me, and we never saw leakage). We tried filling it with oil, hoping it might solve the engine seizure. No luck. I had it towed to my family's mechanic. Once he checked it, he immediately realized it needed replacement (once it turned on, it was making knocking sounds). He said a new engine would cost $10k—more than half of the car's value at the time of purchase. I called Hyundai corporate, and they said to bring it to my local dealer to get examined. They checked it and chose not to repair, giving a pretty nondescript reason for denial. They wouldn't give many details; they just said the motor suffered a mechanical failure, showed sludge, and needed to be replaced. They quoted me $9k for a USED engine. Later I learned that countless others have experienced the same problems with this vehicle. I'm preparing paperwork to seek help from higher-level Hyundai mechanics. I will update NHTSA if their response is helpful or not. I believe Hyundai and Kia are in deep water with many GDI engines from the last decade. Countless others have reported similar engine failures; a whole Facebook group documents it (FB search "Engine Failure- Kia/Hyundai"). Here's praying NHTSA swoops in and enforces a recall.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0