Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints (2025)

242 consumer complaints on file.

#11757825August 18, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Auto had a very strong gas smell after arriving at work. Check the engine and underneath the car for leaks but no fluids on the ground or my garage. Smell persisted while out of town and made appointment for inspection. The dealer service man said it was suffering numerous leaks and we’re awaiting parts. Latest info was still leaks present and would advise after making certain no leaks persist.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757711August 18, 2026
STEERING
Multiple occasions of the ADAS lane centering system operating unsafely. The worst one was on a gentle left-hand curve on a concrete surfaced bridge at night. The system allowed the vehicle to slowly drift to the outside of the lane. When it was fairly close to the white line, it jerked the wheel back to the left and then released the steering to my control while pointed hard into the oncoming lane. It will do similarly during the day when approaching a center turn lane on the highway. Sometimes it will decide that it should be in the turn lane, will make a rapid input, and then return control to me, now pointed at the oncoming lane. When the vehicle returns control to me, it indicates it by making the steering wheel and lines in the HUD grey, no chime, no warning icon, just green to grey and release the wheel in whatever direction it's pointing. It also sometimes slows drastically for vehicles that have exited the highway when on cruise control or applies hard braking for vehicles in the other lane while in a curve on a hill. There are no lights or malfunction warnings and the vehicle self-diagnostic says everything is operating correctly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757507August 17, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Gas needle not going down took and dropped off at Lee Hyundai of Fayetteville North Carolina 28309 8/15/2026 picked it up 08/17/2026 They claim they drove it six miles but they didn’t told it was supposed to be that way sold we filled up when we left the dealer ship drove 78 miles needle still not moving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755812August 10, 2026
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On XXX, at approximately 6:30 PM, my wife was driving our 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid on [XXX] when the vehicle suddenly lost propulsion power. It would not accelerate past approximately 55 mph. With the accelerator pedal pressed fully to the floor, the vehicle did not gain speed. I drove the vehicle myself the same day, immediately after she arrived home, to verify the problem, and I reproduced the identical condition. The vehicle accelerates normally from a stop, but at approximately 40 to 50 mph it stops accelerating and will not exceed approximately 50 to 55 mph regardless of accelerator input. No warning lamps illuminated and no messages appeared on the instrument cluster before, during, or after either event. The vehicle health check in the official Hyundai application reports the vehicle status as normal. The driver receives no indication that anything is wrong. This is a serious safety hazard. Sudden inability to accelerate in traffic creates a substantial risk of a rear-end collision and makes it dangerous to merge onto a highway, pass, or clear an intersection. Because there is no warning, the driver cannot anticipate it. The vehicle has approximately 13,741 miles and was purchased new on XXX. Scheduled maintenance was performed at the selling dealer on XXX at 7,924 miles. The vehicle has not been driven since XXX and is available for inspection on request. It is scheduled for dealer inspection on XXX. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. I am aware of numerous owner reports of a similar loss-of-power condition in 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles in which the gasoline engine reportedly fails to engage and the vehicle operates on hybrid battery power alone. In several of those reports the trouble code cleared itself before the dealer inspected the vehicle. 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
#11755330August 6, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid 2025 has a bad factory seal on the high voltage harness - hybrid battery connector that causes water to intrude the connector under normal conditions which can short the battery and pose a major safety issue. Hyundai is refusing warranty coverage of my shorted hybrid battery on my brand new 2025 Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid stating “Flood” with no evidence of flood damage. My car experienced multiple P engine hybrid system faults on XXX and would not drive. I had it towed the Van Hyundai Carrollton on that date. They did not look at the car for over a week and it sat on their lot the entire time. On XXX they finally inspected it and claimed the car had been “flooded” and shorted the hybrid battery. The only evidence they provided was moisture in the high voltage harness. There were no water/silt lines, any other damage to any other components, and no evidence of any water anywhere else on the vehicle. The video they showed of the undercarriage only showed normal splash marks from driving. The car was never flooded/submerged. Any water/moisture found in the harness would have been due to a faulty/defective factory seal that should be impervious to water under normal operating conditions. No water/flooding/submersion damage would have been obvious of this. The dealership refused to provide any evidence and had no follow-up. One key aspect they refused to acknowledge was there was a massive rainstorm in [XXX] onXXX which was also the only rainstorm in the area in the previous 1-2 months. This happened while the car was on the dealer’s lot. The car had no issues with any water prior to being at Van Hyundai. A case was opened with Hyundai Corporate and the Dealship also lied stating the car wasn’t in their system until XXX, which is false as I have phone records, tow records, and appointments showing the 7/10 date, so corporate overlooked that. I disagreed with the dealerships diagnosis as it was a scapegoat finding putting all blame o INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755009August 5, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle suffers from an intermittent, total engine stalling and propulsion failure. Without warning, the engine completely shuts down while driving and automatically drops the vehicle into "Accessory (ACC) Mode". The vehicle is fully intact, operational when it restarts, and is available for immediate inspection upon request How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This issue has occurred five total times in live traffic, severely risking the safety of the vehicle's occupants and surrounding drivers. The most recent and dangerous incident occurred on the freeway in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. A sudden, complete loss of power on a high-speed freeway leaves the vehicle entirely vulnerable to rear-end collisions, as it leaves no room or momentum to safely coast to the shoulder. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The vehicle has been brought to an authorized Hyundai dealership five separate times specifically to diagnose this exact stalling issue. Because the failure is intermittent, dealership service technicians have been unable to replicate the problem during their test drives or resolve the root cause. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected five separate times by authorized Hyundai dealership technicians during the service appointments mentioned above. No police, insurance, or independent manufacturer representatives have inspected the vehicle yet, as the stalling has not yet resulted in a physical crash. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?There are absolutely no dashboard warning lights, check engine indicators, error messages, or mechanical symptoms prior to the failures. The engine shuts down instant
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11754472August 3, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts to repair the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number 25V808000 (Back Over Prevention) were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was able to confirm that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11754202August 1, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Everything normal when parked in store parking lot. When vehicle was started to leave I noticed the vehicle had no sounds ... no radio sound from any source at any volume setting, no turn signal clicks, no parking proximity beeps, no navigation voice guidance, no sounds at all. All dashboard/visual displays were normal. Parked vehicle in garage when I got home and the next morning the battery was dead. Had to jump start the vehicle (the dead battery "fixed" the sound problem). An AI search shows this is a known issue for the 2024 & 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe and I found AI & You Tube fixes saying to "soft reset" the Infotainment/Sound system by turning the ignition to the "On" position (not starting the vehicle ... foot off the brake and push ignition once, then again). Use a paper clip or pen to press and hold the little dimple reset button just below the right side radio knob until the system resets, then foot on the brake and start the vehicle. If this does not work, disconnect the starting battery's Negative battery cable for 15 minutes. This is a mid level safety issue because audible warning systems will not work. Took the vehicle to the Hyundai dealer we bought it from but they didn't offer any acknowledgement that other same model vehicles have had similar problems and said they could not check or do anything since the vehicle wasn't currently having the problem. I had to argue like hell just to get them to record that the issue had occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11754125August 1, 2026
SEAT BELTS
After waiting a month (called in june car went in 7/28/26)for an appointment with my dealer for 2 recalls and a broken rear seatbelt the dealership has deemed my vehicle unsafe to drive and has impounded my vehicle for almost a week. They have to replace not only 1 rear seatbelts but ALL rear seatbelts. The original recall is for the front seatbelt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11753774July 30, 2026
TIRES
235/60R18 103H While driving the 1year old car, the tire pressure reading in the vehicle began to go down, upon exiting the vehicle it was determined that two holes blew through in the side wall of the tire. Thankfully, this was not as dangerous of a situation as it could’ve been as the car had just come off the highway and was traveling at a lower speed a residential neighborhood. The tire is not available, it was disposed at the place it was replaced at. There were no major tire stores open as it was a Sunday so it replacement tire had to be purchased from a local tire vendor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752967July 27, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1. The SUV experiences complete power loss and goes into limp mode. Have been in nearly 3 accidents on highways with a vehicle that goes from 65 to 35 with no warning and then cannot accelerate or gain speed. 2. Battery, out of no where, goes from 3/4 full to 1 or 2 bars. 3. Extreme shaking of the vehicle while driving and at rest. 4. Vehicle is less than a year old and has been in for the same issue 4x. Currently with dealership since 6 July with no communication despite calls and in-person visits. 5. Loaner not provided despite car being under warranty and brand new.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11753171July 27, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Vehicles accelerated on its own when going under 10mph and no pressure on pedals.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752903July 26, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
There are two main causes of concern that have occurred numerous times. The first is a driver attention alert will flash on the screen very frequently, which is very distracting to the driver. It says you should take a break but will come on very frequently right after starting driving and seems to be due to someone squinting their eyes. The second is that when sensors get blocked or dirty it will flash messages about the parking system, not being active while you were driving the vehicle, which is a huge issue and very distracting, especially considering that it’s a parking system that you are not using because you’re actively driving the vehicle. These notifications need to be able to be disabled or should be adjusted to not do this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752584July 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle went into limp mode while driving on the freeway and then would not go past 30 MPH even after pulling over and restarting it. At first there were no errors but after a restart the following warning showed up: "Park with engine On to charge battery". Everything worked fine earlier that day.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752261July 22, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Less than 10 month old Santa Fe Calligraphy suddenly started flashing warning signs like Check Drivers Assistance System, Check Headlight LED, Check door assistance system. It comes on randomly, sometimes when the car is running, sometimes when the car is stopped. It flashes these warnings rapidly. When it is going on, the side view cameras stop working. One time when this was happening, I was at a stop light and it automatically went to park. It has happened multiple times so far. I have 2 children ages [XXX] and [XXX] that I drive around with and am concerned about safety. I have taken it to two different service centers at 2 different dealerships based on recommendation from Hyundai and they have not been able to replicate the problem hence they can't find the diagnostics of what is wrong. We have opened a case with Hyundai. The case number is XXX The case manager is [XXX] [XXX] I have taken videos of it whenever it has happened. I am not sure how to upload it as your documentations only allow photos. I am sharing the photos with you. 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
#11751764July 21, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The car immediately stopped driving and went into limp mode and cannot go over 30 mph. It was taken to a service dealer. They could not replicate the problem, therefore the vehicle was given back as undiagnosed. This next incident occurred and almost caused an accident, and that was on, again driving on the beltway around Columbus, OH. The car went from 70 mph to 30 mph. The vehicle stayed at 25 to 30 mph the entire time. Could not get it to do anything else. Drove cautiously on the side of the road and got to the dealership after driving 30 minutes at 25 mph. Dealership ended up saying the transmission needed replaced. It has been at the dealer for 3 weeks waiting on a transmission
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751090July 17, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
I am submitting a second and more urgent safety complaint regarding the Driver Monitoring and Driver Assistance systems in my vehicle. I previously reported this same core defect: the system falsely fails to recognize my face, sounds repeated warnings, and disables driving assistance while the vehicle is moving. Despite that prior complaint, the defect remains, and the seriousness of the danger has clearly not been recognized or addressed. This defect has now placed my life in immediate danger. While I was driving, the system falsely determined that it could not properly see my face. It sounded repeated warnings and then abruptly disabled driving assistance. That sudden withdrawal of assistance created a near-crash situation. I was attentive and was not experiencing a medical emergency. The danger was created by the system’s false detection and defective response. A safety system should reduce danger. This system detected a supposed problem and made the situation more dangerous by removing the assistance that was helping keep the vehicle under control. Had this occurred beside a concrete barrier, near stopped traffic, in a construction zone, on a curve, or next to a large truck, the result could have been a fatal collision. I could have been killed because of this system defect. When a driver cannot be verified, the vehicle should maintain lane control, reduce speed, activate hazard warnings, and perform a controlled safe stop. It should never abruptly withdraw assistance and create a more dangerous condition. I request that NHTSA investigate why a previously reported life-threatening defect remains unresolved and require Hyundai to correct this system logic before someone is seriously injured or killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11750737July 16, 2026
TIRES
First tire blowout- 6/3/26- on Ohio turnpike tire just blew. No nails / no pothole/ no reason back passengers side Second tire blowout - 7/4/26 on laurel street Pittston ( paved road, hit small bump in road. Nothing unusual) tire just blew out. Front drivers side). No nails no reason) Third tire issue -7 /16/26 large bubble noticed on back drivers side . Going to try to drive it to get ANOTHER new tire. After investing this on the internet, this is a know problem with the pitelli scorpion tire on the calligraphy model. We were never notified . Recommendation in line is to Replace all 4 tires! We just patio 1300.00 for the other 2 new ones which are apparently not safe. We no have to get a tire We were lucky that the 2 blowouts did not cause us to get in an accident or cause injury to someone. It’s only a matter of time and hundai will have a major suit in their hands I am going to file a complaint with Hyundai and the attorney general and anyone else I can think of. People need to be warned and they need to pay for new tires tie me plus the ones I already replaced Ethan now need to get rid of. If you Google you will see this had been a known problem previously reported to Hyundai
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11749471July 10, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on the on ramp to [XXX] the car completely stopped and all systems shut off. There were two dash lights that flashed quickly with one being the check engine light but I did not see the other long enough to identify it. The dealership could not reproduce the issue but has the car now and is doing a more thorough evaluation. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine stopped. Yes it is available How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Extremely dangerous as it came to a stop in the middle of the road. It was late at night so at that moment no one was behind me. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no, the warning lights flashed on as the car died but disappeared once off. 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
#11749047July 8, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHAT FAILED: The 12-volt battery / no-start system. Beginning XXX, my 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid (bought new XXX suffered seven (7) sudden 12V battery failures causing a complete no-start. Each time the vehicle became inoperable with no warning, stranding my family - including two minor children (ages [XXX] and [XXX]) - and requiring roadside assistance and towing. Events: XXX (tow), 1XXX; the vehicle has sat immobilized at the dealer since XXX (~113 days). 5 dealer repair orders are attached to this complaint. SAFETY RISK: A repeated no-start can strand occupants in unsafe locations and prevent the vehicle from starting in an emergency. Once it had to be extracted from inside our garage by AAA after a 3+ hour wait; on XXX the battery died ~2 minutes after a jump-start, before I drove away. CONFIRMED BY SERVICE CENTER: Yes. AAA certified 0% state of charge at each failure; an independent OBD scan showed 4% ('Not Getting Full Done'). Hyundai issued TSBs 26-01-016H (XXX) and 26-01-016H-1 (XXX) identifying the root cause as the Fingerprint Module (FPM) failing to enter SLEEP mode when the ignition is off, draining the 12V battery - the exact defect my vehicle showed, and it applies to my vehicle. An OTA remedy released the week of XXX was never applied. INSPECTED BY MANUFACTURER: Yes - the dealer and a Hyundai field engineer inspected it. The dealer repeatedly blamed my behavior (windows down, unlocked doors, short commutes ~20 mi/day); its own draw test showed no draw, yet the diagnosis was never corrected. A Final Repair Opportunity in Jan 2026 did not fix it; failures recurred XXX and XXX As of this writing (XXX) the vehicle remains at the dealership since XXX without any status on repairs done or pending. WARNING SYMPTOMS: Sudden no-start / no-crank with no prior warning lamp, beginning XXX and recurring repeatedly. 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

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