Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints
8,019 consumer complaints on file.
- #11643152February 17, 2025ENGINE
Engine failed mixing oil and coolant
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11643002February 16, 2025ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine locked down due to the improper power train, driveline, driveshaft. Oil leaking and malfunction of power train, driveline, driveshaft caused motor to knock and lock down
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11643004February 16, 2025POWER TRAIN, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Brakes locked
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11643027February 16, 2025SERVICE BRAKES
[XXX] - On re-entering the highway, after getting gas. accelerating slowly on ramp (passing 35-40 mph) - I crossed a patch of snow, the brakes locked up briefly! (Fraction of a second) I was about 2/3 up the ramp. No other vehicles near. 1000 miles on 2025 Sante Fe. Arriving home and searching on line I find others have experienced similar brake events on a range of Hyundai products. 29 degrees light snow, some slush, mostly clear road. Cruise control had been on prior to stop. I didn’t notice status during ‘event’ but noticed it was on when I was back on the highway. Lane keep and centering indicators on. Adaptive cruise was not on. No other events in the 20 miles home. No prior similar incidents 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
- #11642945February 15, 2025ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Transmission. Less than 6 months of buying the vehicle, Hyundai replaced the transmission and now I’m still having problems..it revved up to 2.3 rpms but didn’t change gears then jerks into gear..not everyday but atleast once a week. I’m waiting now on the dealership to look at my car now..but they’re dragging their feet.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11642761February 14, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Our vehicle continues to experience loss of power driving , on cold days below freezing. When driving normally this hybrid vehicle will be in hybrid mode at a stop, then when accelerating, the ICE engine will not start to assist the hybrid, causing a bare minimum of power to be available, just enough to pull over. On several occasions this has led to very near rear end collisions from the driver's behind. So far I've been able to avoid injury, as I recognize the condition and am hyper attentive to its possible happening. The vehicle handed shown any Check engine warnings until yesterday. As it was dying I pumped the accelerator to see if it would go, latching a TPS out of range code. The condition has been brought to Hyundai Corporate and dealerships with no repair, and no resolution, they say it's fine. This is well documented by others driving Santa Fe Hybrids, and Tucson Hybrids on forums. No one fix has been established, with some dealerships replacing parts, and others no work being done because their scan tool sees nothing. With dozens of recalls for minor inconvenience issues, I do not understand why a recall for this drivability safety issue has not been mandated! These vehicles are defective, and potentially very dangerous. Loss of power, acceleration when others are behind you anticipating you to go, is a real serious danger, not to mention you being stranded in frigid weather. This began happening at 23k miles and continues today with 48k miles on mine. If the vehicle is shut off, then restarted, it is again drivable, until the next happening. One reason Hyundai, says nothing's wrong, and often blames the owners. I can't be without a vehicle, and Hyundai has washed their hands on this, so I'm stuck Hyundai must be forced into an investigation, and a safety recall on this or nothing will be done. How many accidents or deaths are required to get a recall accomplished?
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11642620February 13, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The battery warning light illuminated. The alternator was not holding power. I was on the freeway and the vehicle lost total power. After seeing a certified mechanic I was made aware of a oil leak from the valve gasket that was leaking on to the alternator wires and caused it to loose power. There is a recall for the same vehicle with the exact same issues, however my vehicle is not on the list of vehicles affected by this recall.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11642629February 13, 2025VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Wipers are in the office position, but suddenly go up and down 2 inches, while off, and won't turn on. It snowed the day before, but wasn't while I was driving. Also, my hood is peeling. I have white paint.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11642538February 13, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Every time it rains, one of the dual tone horns will fail. I have had the horn replaced 2 times. I am beginning to have a problem with the horn again after this last rain. It is a matter of time before it fails completely after a rain and becomes unusable. I feel this is a significant warning feature that MUST be reliable.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11642049February 11, 2025ENGINE
In October I took my car to dealership for an oil consumption test and I was going through 10-15 quarts of oils between oil changes. In 322 miles I used 2 quarts of oil.Replace the engine is what I was told and manufacturer denied all goodwill. I ride around with a 5qt jug of oil and funnel in my car at all times. 10 days I was driving down the highway with my husband and child with the cruise control on, when I noticed that my tactometer was continuing to increase and the engine reving for no reason. I shut the cruise control off and the car speed slowed immediately, and when apply my foot to the gas I was not gaining any speed only slowing down. I pulled over into the break down lane and put the car in park. Once I put the car into park, it started to idle very loud and hard with the check engine, oil pressure and battery lights coming on and stalled, would not start. Had towed to personal mechanic he recommended taking it to the dealership as he was coming up with no pressure in the 4th cylinder and the 3rd at about 50%, checked with boarscope for faulty valves and saw nothing. Towed to dealership they say valve was consumed thru the engine it runs fine but not because engine needs to be replaced.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11641712February 10, 2025UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Auto stop/go disables car’s ability to resume driving after stopping at a light etc. This is without activating feature. You have open and close door and press button on/off over and over. Turbo was changed bc mechanic assumed it was the problem. Now it is happening after reaching destination and then attempting to leave if not sitting long enough. New battery and $2000 turbo!
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11641440February 7, 2025ENGINE
This is my 2nd engine on my 2016 Santa Fe Sport. My car has 190,000 miles and had a catastrophic engine failure, it’s been at the dealership for 2 months. Hyundai said my lifetime warranty on my engine is not covered cause I had a misfire in the #4 cylinder with less than 2,000 miles on the spark plugs. Hyundai warranty department only spoke to the dealership directly and had me speak to a case manager (which did nothing, they never even talked to the warranty department only the dealership) So in December I dropped my car off, it took over 2 weeks to take pictures and send them in to Hyundai warranty department, a week later Hyundai asked the dealership to further take the engine apart and get pictures of the rocker’s. The dealership is down to 2 technicians and said they will get to it when they can (remember I’m without a car and waiting for approval for my engine so they can get me in a rental car while my engine gets replaced). Over 3 week later the dealership finally sends the pictures in of the rocker’s, I know cause I called and asked the dealership. I then asked why does the warranty department need pictures of the rockers for my engine failure (misfire in 4th cylinder) and they said to check for sludge. They also pointed out my engine isn’t bad and don’t have sludge so the warranty department should approve my engine replacement. A week later my case manager called and said that they will only approve 50% and I said NO there a lifetime warranty and I’m the original owner, so they went up to 65%. I feel betrayed by the dealership, case manager and Hyundai warranty department for NOT honoring the engine replacement knowing there’s a class action law suit due for failing rod bearings which they said wasn’t the issue. How would they know? The rod bearings are on the bottom of the motor and if they took it apart they would see THAT WAS the cause, but they say they don’t warranty misfire’s yet tens of thousands of Hyundai buyers are having same problems. Help
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11641254February 7, 2025SEAT BELTS
The seat belt is incredibly slow to retract. Most times I need to help it along. I've tried pulling it out to check for kinks (none there) and tried cleaning it but it still won't retract
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11641251February 7, 2025FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
This is for the Forward Attention Warning…..this feature is misleading. I can be looking straight at the road and it will beep at me. We need a way to turn it completely off. This alone causes me to look at the camera instead of the road.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11641064February 6, 2025FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
>>>>What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? According to the Hyundai Bluelink app, the problem is caused by the battery management system, producing error code P0AA600. The result is that the vehicle does not get power to the wheels for a few seconds after giving it gas. It looks like the car is not moving, then it very slowly gains speed, followed by sudden acceleration. It is available for inspection upon request. >>>>How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? It is a safety issue because other vehicles on the road may not be able to stop in time when the car pauses unexpectedly. Also the driver cannot predict when the car will surge forward. Merging or crossing traffic is very dangerous. >>>>Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The vehicle has been to the dealership two times to be inspected for this problem. They state that they cannot duplicate the issue but of course they can see the error code in the vehicle history. It is an issue that occurs at random; not every time the car is driven. It has occurred a total of 9 times during the 2,872 miles we have driven since we purchased it. >>>>Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Only the dealer has inspected the vehicle. Police, insurance, or others have not been involved. >>>>Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There is no warning that the error is going to occur. There is a warning when it is occurring, and the check engine light comes on. We purchased the car as new when it had 6,934 miles on it. It had been used as a demonstration car for the dealership. The error first occurred at about 7500 miles.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11640779February 5, 2025ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I purchased a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid in November of 2023. Within a couple of months of purchase I had 2 incidents where without warning the car lost power and made a noise sounding like some sort of fan. One of the incidents was on [XXX] in Massachusetts, the heavy traffic cleared, I was in the fast lane, and the car would barely move. It was a safety issue as there was no place to go on the left side of the highway and traffic to my right had already picked up speed. After a minute or so the power again became available. This has happened to me several times but Hyundai has told me there is NO RECORD of this happening with my car model. On occasion I have my grandkids in the car and I am very concerned that Hyundai will not acknowledge this problem. By the way, it happened again this morning as I was pulling away from a Starbucks drive-up window. Can something be done about this? Hyundai should have records of my complaints as I visited the dealership where I bought the care and conversed via email with one of their service representatives that I do have a record of. 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
- #11640824February 5, 2025ENGINE
This has been an ongoing issue since the date of purchase 10/23. I've been taking my vehicle for regular check ups and oil changes. My vehicle appears to be consuming oil. I have to put a quart in every week, but no one can find the issue. The dealership told me there is a recall on these particular vehicles engine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11640859February 5, 2025POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the turbo was replaced. The contact stated that months later, the vehicle hesitated and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where a part on the transmission was replaced; however, the failure returned, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and had the transmission replaced. The contact stated that months later, the vehicle began to sputter with an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light returned, and the vehicle was taken to the nearest dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11640941February 5, 2025UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I attempted to sound the horn and it failed to sound. I have experienced this problem 2 times previously. The dealer replaced it the 1st time when the vehicle had about 18000 miles. The 2nd time they did not even note it on a service report but when the vehicle was returned to me after an oil change it was working. I contacted the dealer this time because the vehicle is no longer in warranty and requested they repair the horns for free. I was told they would have to get clearance from Hyundai. I noticed that Hyundai issued a TSB 23-BE-009H for the Hyundai Venue for this same problem. The horns on the Santa Fe are mounted low behind the front bumper which subjects them to water from the road when it rains, as it does often, here in Louisiana. I am forced to drive a vehicle without a horn to warn other drivers.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11640616February 4, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The Forward Attention Warning at times alarms constantly, even though I am looking forward. It is highly distracting as it alarms many times per minute. A menu option exists in the settings to disable it, but that doesn't work. I have read online that this is a common problem with 2024 and 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe models.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0