Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints
8,019 consumer complaints on file.
- #11430945August 29, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Recently I Viewed a low oil light on the dash board, turned motor off waited 30 min checked oil the level it was correct, called the local Hyundai dealer (Miami lakes Hyundai) they told me since I was the 2nd owner my vehicle has 60 months factory warranty and my car has 70 months since purchased, I asked if there was an engine recall they said no for that model year, SORRY. I took my vehicle to an independent auto shop they concluded that at 180 degrees Fahrenheit engine running temperature I had between 8 to 9 Lbs. of oil pressure at idle and that it should be a least 25 Lbs. The Auto shop informed me that the cause was excessive bearing wear that was causing my low oil pressure light. I found that to be very implausible because of the low mileage 42000 miles with oil services done every (3000) miles not 4000 or 5000 miles as recommended by the factory specs, The shop also told me that 2.4 Ltr. had that defect so did a little searching and found Hyundai 2.4 ltr. Theta engine with a massive recall except my model year. hoping someone in NHTSA can point me in the right direction.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430773August 27, 2021ENGINE
The car engine completely shuts off while driving multiple times. While driving on highway and the streets the car just stops almost causing an accident. In order to get the car off the road we had to move it physically off the road.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430799August 27, 2021ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 60-65 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine and an abnormal popping sound coming from underneath the passenger’s side of the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated as she continued to drive, the vehicle started shuddering and stalled. The check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle and drive, but the vehicle would not shift into 3rd gear. The contact stated as she was veering to the side of the road, the engine threw a rod. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430448August 25, 2021ENGINE
There has been a recall on vehicles like this one with the smaller engines. But, not for the 3.3 engines like I have. Everything the small engines were recalled for, this one is doing too. When you get up to high speeds on the highway the engine starts to knock/stall. I almost was in a car accident with my children because of this. Hyundai is refusing to help pay because they are saying the 3.3 engines weren't affected. But, clearly they were. I took it to a mechanic and he confirmed it was the engine and he has seen dozens just like mine going through the same issues. The check engine light came on last September. It only blinks when at high speeds on the interstate. We had tried fixing other things on it, not thinking it was the engine itself. Until when we took it in yesterday and they ran a test and said that this has been reported multiple times on the tsb mechanic website of these 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles, the engines going out. My car only has 94k miles and they are still refusing to help us. I am floored with how we are being treated. This is a known problem and I have four children who need a vehicle to get around for school, doctors appointments, activities. This has been some the worst stress of my life dealing with this SUV. I have kept up so well on my vehicle, only for something that is not my fault to go wrong and now my kids/family is having to suffer because of it.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430564August 25, 2021SERVICE BRAKES
driving in the rain hit brakes they locked up
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430266August 24, 2021SUSPENSION
The contact's friend owns a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while a friend was driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began to veer off to the right without warning and the driver began losing control of the vehicle. Despite the failure, the contact's friend was able to drive the vehicle to her home at slow speeds. Another friend was able to inspect the vehicle and discovered that the rear passenger’s side trailing arm had fractured due to severe corrosion. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V123000 (Suspension) which he linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure and he was informed that his vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430321August 24, 2021ENGINE
Engine made a loud pinging noise. No warning lights appeared. I had it towed to dealer and they said that metal shavings were in the oil and the engine is shot and needs to be replaced. Car had 95,400 miles. Hyundai denied warranty because I was second owner after ignoring me for approximately one month and they never did reply to me directly, only to the dealer. How can so many Hyundai engines not last for over 100,000 miles?
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430124August 23, 2021SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owned a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, when he lost control of the vehicle and multiple warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while attempting to park on the side of the road, he saw smoke entering the AC vents. The contact and his son (front passenger) were able to exit the vehicle before it exploded. The contact stated the fire was located in the front of the vehicle. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire, but was unaware if a fire report was filed. The police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance company deemed the vehicle total loss. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact stated two days after the incident, he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V303000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and associated the failure with this recall. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430153August 23, 2021ENGINE
Took 2017 Sante Fe to dealer for a oil change and to look into an intermittent hard shift from a stop. During test drive dealer stated car engine warning light came on and vehicle stalled, mechanic was able to steer vehicle to side of road, vehicle would not restart, after several hours they informed me that engine had seized and would need to be replaced.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430225August 23, 2021VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This will be the fourth time our vehicle has to go to the dealer. We purchased this car in April of this year and the car has lived more at the dealer service department than with us. The first time, the car started smoking and left us stranded. The dealer changed out the fuel injectors. When it randomly started smoking it smelled strongly of gas and we were scared that the car would catch fire. The other times were due to the car not accelerating as it should on the highway making it quite difficult to merge and speed up as needed on the highway. This time, it's the same thing. The car does not want to shift gears and it's very dangerous when you are trying to accelerate to get to the right speed and you have cars coming in close from behind and there is no way to signal to them that the car is having trouble shifting. This problem started again yesterday. The check engine light turned on yesterday as well and we took the car to Autozone to scan it. the only code that came up was abs. The car just got towed to the dealer yet again but I have lost hope that they will be able to fix the issue as they have failed 3 times already. (one of these times the dealer failed to refill my radiator coolant after the flushed it causing the car to overheat as well and the car ac malfunctioned as well as a result.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11430041August 22, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
As I was driving on the freeway, I heard something that sounded like a bomb go off overhead. I safely pulled over and discovered that my panoramic sunroof had exploded. There were no other vehicles nearby that could have kicked up anything, especially because it was directly overhead. Thankfully I had the interior closed, but if it had been opened myself along with my 4 passengers (three who are young children) would have been covered in glass shards not to mention I could have ran into the wall or something else. Upon investigation, this is a known issue with Hyundai sunroofs. I have not yet been able to have anyone inspect it since it is Sunday. There were no warnings at all that this was going to happen.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11429826August 20, 2021VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
This vehicle is the first Santa Fe that only comes with adaptive cruise control and there is no way to disable it and set regular cruise control. Here are just a few examples of the safety risk. We were on State Highway 29 which is a rural 4 lane highway. There were 4 cars near us. Our cruise was set for 70mph. A vehicle came in front of us to pass which it did. There was no issue. However, our vehicle saw this as a threat and our vehicle slowed from 70mph to 50mph until the other vehicle was out of the set car length distance. Meanwhile the other cars around us had no indication or warning why we would have slowed down this much and we were nearly rear ended. There was screeching of tires and brakes suddenly applied by the other vehicles. All for nothing. I am on the highway with the cruise set at 75mph when again vehicles will come in front of me and my vehicle slows from 75 mph to 54mph, causing the surrounding vehicles to not know what is going on and I hope they are paying attention because there is nothing really going on other than normal driving. It is terrifying to have your vehicle control itself and you don’t know when it will start to accelerate again so for the most part, I am shutting the cruise control off and on constantly. At our most recent Hyundai service appointment for this problem, we were told by Hyundai Care Manager that this is exactly how it’s designed and there is no problem. And we’ve been told just simply don’t use the cruise control at all. That is not a solution. We feel like all these “safety” features are creating a sense of driver coma on our roads. Instead of the left lane being used for faster cars as a passing lane, the adaptive cruises are creating a chain of vehicles that are well under the speed limit
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11429571August 18, 2021ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, a knocking noise was present coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine bearings had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11429636August 18, 2021ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer and was diagnosed with needing the throttle body module to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11429664August 18, 2021EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the driver’s side front wheel felt wobbling. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V113000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11429483August 17, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I took my 2014 Santa Fe in for ABS recall and replacement. Shortly after, about 1 month and a couple hundred miles, my ABS light, traction and engine lights, and my ebrake light remain on. My speedometer does not work and reads at 0 even while moving. I can feel my traction not working and the vehicle slipping under the wheel. I took the vehicle to Hyundai dealership and there is an issue with my whole HEC unit and needs to be replaced. The HEC unit works with the ABS system and could have been shorted from the ABS recall. It reads multiple sensor issues with the wheel sensor and HEC unit needing to be replaced.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11428752August 11, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 5/28/21, while driving vehicle noticed a knocking/banging when in reverse then also began when driving. Took to local Midas dealer and was told rear differential gear was broken and needed repaired. Upon further research, Midas discovered that an upgraded coupler had been replaced on other Hyundai Santa Fe's as the old coupler wasn't protecting the gear. The coupler on my vehicle was therefore not protecting the gear in the rear differential causing it to break in half. I work in a manufacturing company (Honda of America) and could not miss work due to strict attendance policies. Local Hyundai dealership could not assist me in repair asap so had no choice but to have it repaired with Midas so that it would be ready for me to drive to work on Monday. Filed case with Hyundai to ask for reimbursement since vehicle wasn't recalled for defective coupler. They advised me to take to a local Hyundai dealership to ensure work was performed properly and correct parts were used. This cost us an additional $99 on top of the $5066 for the repair. Hyundai then told us after having the local dealership look at the work performed that because we didn't have it repaired at authorized dealership they could not provide assistance. After not accepting this response, I escalated the issue and was told Hyundai Consumer Affairs would contact us. We have yet to hear from them on any type of financial help with this costly repair that was through no fault of our own. This is a truly awful customer experience with Hyundai and am pursuing for some or all financial reimbursement.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11427841August 5, 2021AIR BAGS
The vehicle, (2007 Hyundai Santa Fe in excellent condition) struck a cow head on at 60 miles per hour and the airbags failed to deploy. It is available on request for a few months. The three occupants of the vehicle suffered from banging around inside. Concussion and sore muscles a few minor cuts but were otherwise very lucky. There was no prior indication of a problem with the airbags.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 3
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11427914August 5, 2021ENGINE
UPON START UP ENGINE IS VERY LOUD, CONTINUES TO BE LOUD AND DEALER SAYS IT IS JUST ENGINE NORMAL ENGINE NOISE
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11427778August 4, 2021FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Unnecessary emergency brake activation has occured 3 times. Vehicle lease new 3/31/2021. 1. First incident late April, early May at approximately 1,000 miles. Cruise control was not on and car abruptly stopped when there were no other vehicles in front of mine. Traveling at about 35 miles a hour on local two lane road. (Activation setting on normal) 2. Brakes activated at highway speed of about 60 mph. Car was passing on right side. No threat in front of vehicle. Cruise control was off. (Activation setting on normal) 3. Was following well behind the car in front of me at approximately 30-35 mph. Other vehicle turned right into parking lot and was completely off the road when brake warning appeared on dash. (Activation setting on "late" warning) We are concerned we will be unnecessarily rear ended and causing a multi car accident. Vehicle was in for service 8/2-8/3/2021. Dealer did all they could including 62 mi test drive. Per Hyundai, no parts were replaced due to the inability to dupicate the problem.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0