Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints

8,019 consumer complaints on file.

#11734584April 29, 2026
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 50-55 MPH, the sunroof made an abnormal, exploding sound and shattered. The shade cover was closed during the failure. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was driven to the workplace of the contact's brother-in-law, and the sunroof was taped to prevent the shattered glass from flying off. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was inspected. The contact was informed that it was a common failure caused by the intermittent expansion of the body of the vehicle under certain temperatures. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734704April 29, 2026
SEATS
I bought a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD Calligraphy on April 25, 2026 from Pohanka Hyundai. On April 27, the second row captain's seat on the driver's side folded, pressing my child's chest to his knees. He had his seatbelt on and stated that, even though he tried, he was unable to resist the pressure from the automated collapse/folding feature. While I was in park, a child sitting in the third row pressed the second row collapse button next to their third row seat. The second row captain's seat with a 60+ lbs. child belted in folded. There were no indications that the seat was moving, no alarms or flashing lights on the driver's dashboard notified me. Had I not gotten out to look for someone, my child would have been folded in that position for the next 30 minutes as we drove from school to our home. I called the dealer on April 27 to ask about the collapse feature and if it should sense the seat is occupied before folding. The person who sold me the vehicle asked that I bring it in on April 29 for a diagnostic because he was not aware of a recall on the Santa Fe Calligraphy. A diagnostic was run on the vehicle on April 29 by Pohanka Hyundai Service Center. They stated that no codes came up and no recalls were reported.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734590April 29, 2026
TIRES
Size & Description 245/45R-21 I just took my 2024 Santa Fe Caligraphy with 20k miles to get it inspected and I have 3 bad tires due to bubble/buldge. I can see that a lot of people are having this issue online. The tires are 500 each. I purchased this car new a year ago and the tire place said they had another one with the same issue. Looking for some help
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734398April 28, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, WHEELS
Hi vibration after 55mph, tire balancing and wheel alignment doesn't help
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734394April 28, 2026
TIRES
Hi vibration over 55 mph
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734271April 28, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The seatbelt buckles for the rear seats are limited to raising up beyond about a 45 degree angle. This makes safely and securly fastening a car seat that requires the seat belt essentially impossible. After the buckle is fastened and the seatbelt is somewhat tightened, the seatbelt starts to pull up at a sharp angle perpendicular to its guide through the buckle. Rather than being pulled through flat, as all seat belts are intended to work, the belt starts pulling through as if it were trying to cut through the side of the buckle. This causes the seat belt to bunch up and stop passing through the buckle. This happens before the belt can be tightened enough to secure the car seat in place. It also places a significant amount of sideways torque on the seatbelt buckle, which is not the angle that resistance should be applied. This is a design defect existing at least in all 2024+ santa fe calligraphy trims; it may be present in more trims though. The Santa Fe subreddit has reports of multiple other owners encountering the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734221April 28, 2026
SEAT BELTS
There has been an active recall on the front seat belts of Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles for almost a month. I scheduled an appointment online to have this fixed and was called by the dealership to let me know that there is currently no way to fix this. According to what I have read online, letters won't begin going out from Hyundai regarding the recall until June 2026. That is a very long and unacceptable time for people to drive cars with malfunctioning seat belts. Hyundai needs to be forced to do something sooner regarding this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734049April 27, 2026
ENGINE
While driving home on the highway from our sons hockey game at about 8:30 pm we were going about 60 mph when the car made a noise and began smoking and as we were trying to pull over on the side of the highway noticed by the reflection of a passing car that the engine on our vehicle was on fire under the vehicle. We had to evacuate the vehicle quickly and get our children out on the side of a busy highway with fire showing under the front end of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734056April 27, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
It is not just this vehicle; it is ALL vehicles with adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking. When sensors get snow or debris on them, they shut the vehicles down without warning. I have had 3 times this winter when the roads were fine, cruise control set, and because another vehicle was kicking up road salt, the vehicle instantly shut off the cruise control without any warning to the driver, all 3 times I had traffic behind me at 55mph or on the highway at 70mph. The emergency braking is another issue, as it will bring the vehicle to almost a stop, and does not take into account if there are other vehicles behind it or not! How more people have not been killed because of these 2 systems is beyond me! BOTH of these systems and the vehicle they are on NEED to be recalled and either sensors removed or workarounds implemented, that at least give the driver some advanced notice before the cruise control is turned off or before a vehicle decides to hard-brake itself!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734022April 27, 2026
TIRES:SIDEWALL
My car has 11,000 miles and there is a bulge in the sidewall on the front passenger side. I did not hit a curb or pothole to cause this damage.Multiple people have complained of this same defect in their Hyundai Santa Fe around the same mileage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733955April 27, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
My 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN starting with 5NM) began experiencing a significant failure of the air conditioning system during its third year of ownership. The vehicle developed a persistent refrigerant leak that now requires annual recharges to remain functional. Multiple inspections suggest the failure is due to a porous evaporator core, a component defect that is increasingly reported by owners of this model year as they reach the 3-to-5-year mark. Despite being a documented manufacturing issue, there is currently no recall or warranty extension for this expensive and vital system. The failure of the AC system in a high-humidity environment like South Florida creates a severe safety hazard: Loss of Visibility: Without a functional AC compressor to dehumidify the cabin air, the interior of the windshield fogs over rapidly and completely during rain. This occurs even when the defroster is set to maximum, as the system cannot remove moisture from the air without refrigerant. Driver Impairment: In extreme Florida heat, the cabin temperatures reach levels that cause heat-related fatigue and stress, compromising the driver’s ability to remain alert and react safely to road conditions. On several occasions during heavy Florida rainstorms, the windshield fogged so severely that I had zero visibility of the road ahead. Because the AC system had leaked its refrigerant, the defroster was unable to clear the glass. I was forced to pull off the highway in dangerous conditions because I could not see other vehicles or lane markings. This defect prevents the vehicle’s primary visibility safety equipment (the defogger) from performing its required function.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733833April 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel injector failed the entire engine on my 2022 Santa Fe had to be completely replaced. The dealership put in a new engine. Santa Fe is only four years old. That is highly unusual.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733693April 24, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS, STEERING
The steering left side electrical components quit working at the same time without warning. This is all related to the Air Bag clock spring a serious safety defect that disables the airbag and possibly horn. I have taken the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership for diagnostics and this is what was found. "Needs immediate attention [Primary]: SSD : STEERING OR SUSPENSION DIAGNOSIS Air Bag - Clockspring Assembly / Spiral Cable: CLOCK SPRING HAS SHORTED OUT CAUSING ALL THE BUTTONS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL NOT TO WORK This assembly consists of a clock spring, which is a coil that retracts and expands inside its housing as the steering wheel turns. Its function is to maintain electrical continuity for all the components on the drivers airbag.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733709April 24, 2026
ENGINE
I was driving out of the parking garage at work and happened to catch the oil light flicker on and then go off. I immediately drove it to an auto shop where I told them what happened. They looked at the dipstick and there was no oil showing on the dipstick. If I had just written the light off as an oddity I would have driven the car home from work (around 20 miles) and the engine could have stalled at 60mph creating a safety hazard. I have the oil changed regularly (about every 5,000 miles) and have my receipts. My car has around 80,000 miles in it and I’m the original owner. The auto shop said that I would need to take it to the dealership for an oil consumption test. I called and scheduled the appointment immediately and am in the process of having the test completed. The dealership noted a TSB for the issue on the write up and based on my research online this is not an unusual problem. Why have owners not been made aware of this issue? I don’t feel safe driving my car and am frustrated that this seems to be a known issue. There was no oil on the dipstick, no indicator that stayed on indicating an issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733668April 24, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On two occasions, five months apart, the windshield cracked for no apparent reason. No foreign object hit the windshield. The replacement was NOT a generic. If was a Hyundai OEM. Two cracks, which spread over the windshield is not “normal”, in my opinion. Thank you
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733368April 23, 2026
ENGINE
My engine just died wont start has 121099 and hyundai wont fix it
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733373April 23, 2026
ENGINE
My wife's 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited experienced a sudden crack in the engine and lost oil without any warning signs. There were no warning lights, no check engine light, and no unusual noise before the engice crack. A certified independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and confirmed the engine has no oil, whick it did a couple days before when I checked the oil and topped it off, which is the same issue described in Hyundai’s known engine safety recalls. I was never notified of any safety campaigns or recalls. I am not the first owner, so the required recall inspections and updates were never completed on this vehicle before I bought it. The sudden engine crack and loss of oil created a serious safety risk, especially because there was no warning before it happened and it almost left our family stranded two hours from home. This failure matches the symptoms described in Hyundai’s Theta II engine defect investigations. While at the mechanic shop, we were quoted $10,000 to get a new remanufactured engine put into this car. I certainly (and I know most families) don't have $10k sitting around waiting to be used for car repairs. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this vehicle should be included in the affected group, and whether this engine failure is part of the broader safety defect already identified in many Hyundai engines from the same model years. This vehicle is currently parked in our yard waiting to be repaired or sold. I would prefer it be repaired by Hyundai since one of the car plants is only 1 hour from our house. I was unaware of the current safety recall until I read it today.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733192April 23, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Since February 2026 I have had daily incidents of the hybrid system error where the vehicle is only relying on the hybrid battery to move. I've had a few near miss accidents as my car crawls through an intersection. Was almost rear-end after leaving a stop sign and the hybrid system error popped up and the car doesn't accelerate. In order to temporarily fix the system, the car must be shut off and restarted. There is not always a safe place to be pulled over to perform this shut down. It is a driving hazard and not safe to drive. It has been to the shop now a 3rd time with no resolution. I have reached out direct to Hyundai Corporation with my concerns and they have documentation. The car is a 2025 model and has less than 5,000 miles. I fear a serious accident from this system error and Hyundai needs to resolve ASAP.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733241April 23, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Rearview camera has failed with a green screen instead of the camera view. This recall was covered by recall 24V87900 (Hyundai recall 271) for 2022 Santa Fe but my 2022 Santa Fe is not covered by this recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733051April 22, 2026
ENGINE
Vehicle engine started knocking heavily while driving down the road. Had vehicle inspected for issue and was told vehicle had burned all the oil down to one quart and the engine was destroyed. Vehicle recently serviced with oil change within roughly 3,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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