Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints

8,019 consumer complaints on file.

#11675275July 22, 2025
ENGINE
Excessive oil consumption from metal shaving left in engine during production. causes accelerated engine wear and failure. Rod bearing failure. piston ring failure, high chance of fire in engine compartment.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675315July 22, 2025
ENGINE
Engine light was blinking. Hearing grinding from the front. Steering locked up. I was able to pull over safely. Called tow truck. The mechanic diagnosed it said it needed a new engine. The car has 106,000 miles on it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675380July 22, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the failure occurred mostly while decelerating from highway speeds. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675461July 22, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am reporting a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, purchased new in January 2024. The vehicle has suffered from over 30–40 sudden hybrid system failures, including loss of acceleration, “Stop Vehicle” warnings, and check engine lights. These incidents happen without warning, including while driving at legal speeds (40–70 mph), on residential streets and highways. Most recently, the car failed twice in two days, while my teenage son was driving within all road laws, including once with a friend in the car. The vehicle simply stopped accelerating in the middle of traffic, endangering them and everyone around them. These failures have happened at legal speeds ranging from 40–70 mph, on both residential roads and highways. There is no advance warning, just abrupt loss of power and sudden warning messages. We’ve taken the vehicle to the South Charlotte Hyundai dealership multiple times. Each time, they either reset the check engine light or replaced indicators: but never addressed the root hybrid system failure. We filed a lemon law case, and Hyundai responded with only a $2,000 offer including legal fees, requiring us to keep the dangerous vehicle. We rejected the offer. These failures have occurred with children and passengers in the car. We have documented as many incidents as we could, including photos, service records, and communication with Hyundai. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I no longer feel safe driving or allowing my family to drive this car. This is a critical hybrid system failure that continues to place lives at risk. I believe this may be part of a wider pattern affecting Hyundai hybrid vehicles, and I am pleading with the NHTSA to open an investigation before someone is seriously injured or worse.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675248July 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving the sunroof glass out of no where exploded.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675128July 21, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The oil pressure switch has a faulty seal causing oil to leak out onto the engine block. This causes oil on the underbody and ground, smoke amd smell from oil on got surfaces, knocking noises from the engine, reduced power or hesitation, illumination or the check engine light and oil pressure light, high speed stall, and will also cause fire in the engine compartment resulting in death or sever injury. I have taken my car to the Red McCombs Hyundai dealership in San Antonio TX for repair and they have confirmed that it is the oil pressure switch seal that failed. The oil leak has also damaged electrical components causing a malfunction in the dash cluster and steering wheel control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675190July 21, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
back up camera operates very erratically. some times it works properly, some of the time it is very slow to engage. other times it comes on after i have completed my rearward movement, and some times it comes on after shifting into drive. then there are times t never comes on. i spoke to a dealer tech and was told there are a lot of them like that. if i wanted to spend about $900, they might be able to fix it. this has been going on for a couple of years.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674817July 20, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have taken my Hyundai Santa Fe 2022 PHEV under warranty for a fix of being in reverse, the function not working, the car revs aggressively not in gear and then put it in park and the car aggressively jolts forward in park like a hard gear change. Hyundai replaced pcm and said it was fine. I took car and immediately noticed grinding noises and straight back to Hyundai. They claim it's fine. Today same issue with reversing and aggressive car jolting. Hyundai is going to take it back tomorrow. I do not feel safe in this vehicle. It felt like the transmission was going to give out on the freeway. The rpm are maxing out at 5-20 mph and sometimes don't want to engage in drive. Extremely unsafe for freeway driving. There is something terribly wrong with this cars engine or transmission. Unsafe for Hyundai to release for use.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674691July 19, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Stopped for gas, vehicle started but would not go into gear, engine lights indicated 'Check hybrid system', warning lights shown. 1/2 hr on the phone with dealership to assist. No problem detected when returning to home dealer. Second episode occurred, vehicle at dealer for the past 4 weeks. Episode repeated at dealership yet "no abnormalities are detected with diagnostics ".
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674712July 19, 2025
ENGINE
My Santa Fe limited 2022, has stopped running while traveling at 50 to 60 miles per hour on 3 different occasions. Car has 19000 miles and incidents have occurred over past 10000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674477July 18, 2025
ENGINE
Excessive oil consumption leading to p420 codes every 2000 miles. vehicle is consuming a half a quart of oil every 100 miles. could cause engine to seize while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674415July 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Re: 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe VIN: [XXX] I am facing several issues that require immediate attention. Below are the unresolved concerns: Transmission Problems 1. When driving downhill with the cruise control on, the transmission produces significant vibrations and makes a lot of noise. This is unacceptable and needs to be checked and fixed, as I am very concerned about my safety. 2. When accelerating from speeds above 45 miles per hour, the RPMs exceed 5,000, but the car does not increase in speed. The transmission fails to shift properly. This has happened three times, and it is very dangerous. 3. During hot weather, the car has stalled multiple times when I accelerate. This has put me in dangerous situations when the car stalls in traffic. Gas Mileage 4. I have observed a significant reduction in fuel efficiency during high-temperature conditions. Specifically, the gas mileage decreases by approximately 20% to 30% when driving home in the afternoon heat compared to my morning commute, even though I follow the same route. Message sent to Hyundai.com on 7/14/2025 with supporting documents. On July 12, 2025, I arrived at my scheduled service appointment at Earnhardt Hyundai regarding my 2025 Santa Fe. To ensure a thorough evaluation, I provided the service technician with a detailed list outlining the specific issues I have been experiencing with the vehicle (attached for your review). It is deeply concerning that Earnhardt Hyundai did not document or formally acknowledge all the complaints I submitted to the service department. (attached invoice) This lack of attention is particularly troubling in relation to the persistent issues with the dual-clutch transmission (DCT)   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
#11674369July 17, 2025
SEAT BELTS
Nothing just have a question for me and my friends that all own newer Hyundai SUV’s that seem to be having similar seatbelt issues
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674102July 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Was driving on [XXX] (approximately 130 miles from home), when a loud clunking and metal on metal sound was heard, the causing power loss, slowing of vehicle and necessitated immediate pulling over to the side of the road. The was a catastrophic internal engine failure which caused the spark plugs to blow out. There were no warnings. The car was just inspected and had an oil change earlier in the month. The vehicle suffered sudden power loss and violent metal-on-metal destruction while transporting my child on [XXX] (130 miles from home). Certified diagnostics from Kennett Square Quick Lane Auto confirm: "Multiple spark plugs forcibly ejected due to severe internal engine damage – full replacement required". Quick Lane said they would not be able to replace the Engine. so the Vehicle was towed to Reliable Car Connection (West Chester, PA). I had tried to make an appointment at Piazza Hyundai, but the did not have appointments until Mid August. Result: Stranded overnight requiring hotel and towing/tolls at personal expense (receipts available). This traumatic event directly stems from Hyundai’s acknowledged Theta II defects. Hyundai’s Documented Failures: Recall Compliance: Recall 996 (Piazza Hyundai, 4/12/24) Recall 953 (1/31/19) Recall 163 (7/18/17) Maintenance: All services performed per Hyundai schedules (records available). Unresolved Defects: This failure matches: Recall 20VH4 (Lifetime Warranty Extension) Recall 20VH5 TSB 20-01-033H Current Status: Vehicle at Reliable Car Connection (West Chester, PA) after Piazza Hyundai’s unacceptable 6-week delay. INOPERABLE & UNSAFE – Cannot transport children. 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
#11673630July 15, 2025
ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The turbocharger failed on my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T. It is still on the vehicle and available for inspection upon request. The turbo failure caused a severe loss of engine power, making acceleration dangerously slow and unpredictable, especially when merging onto highways or passing vehicles. This sudden reduction in power could have caused a rear-end collision or made it impossible to avoid faster-moving traffic. Yes. The failure was confirmed by two independent service centers: Mavis Tires and Brakes, and Tires and Trust in Pensacola, FL. Both observed loss of turbo boost and excessive oil consumption consistent with turbocharger failure. Yes. The vehicle was also inspected by Allen Turner Hyundai in Pensacola, FL. They did not detect the failure during their inspection, but the issue persisted and was documented by the other two shops. The check engine light came on around 118,000–119,000 miles. After that, the turbocharger lost significant power, making the vehicle unable to accelerate normally. At the same time, the engine began consuming oil at an abnormally high rate, requiring frequent top-offs between oil changes. This suggests internal oil seal failure in the turbo or related component issues. These symptoms are consistent with failed turbocharger bearings or seals, oil starvation, or blocked oil lines causing overheating and damage. Such failures can release oil and metal debris into the intake and exhaust systems, risking further engine damage or even fire. Hyundai previously issued a software update (KSDS) to detect early bearing wear in these engines, which my vehicle received in 2019 (Service Campaign 953). Despite this, the turbo failure still occurred, suggesting the underlying design or manufacturing issue may not have been fully resolved. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this pattern of failures, given the safety risks of sudden power loss and potential fire hazard from oil leaks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673396July 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I was driving and the car started to loose power and then the engine light came on and the car would not go. Everything happened at one time. The wrecker took the car to the dealer and the dealer confirmed the transmission went out. It is very dangerous for a new car to have the transmission fail while driving. This is a new car. The transmission failed and it is available for inspection at the dealer. The car is currently at the dealer and I am waiting to find out how long it will take to get a new power train.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673292July 14, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The horns stopped working, and this is a safety item since it’s the only way to notify another vehicle or pedestrian if they will be hit by my car. Another day, a car came out of the parking lot and almost hit my car. I was only able to avoid that accident because I reversed quickly. I took my car to the dealership, and it was confirmed that the horns are not working. To fix this issue, I need to replace them. But since my car is out of warranty, I will need to pay for this service. On 07/14/2025, I called Hyundai (Case number 4117-7538) to request the application of an extended warranty that they started to offer for the 2021-2025 model year Elantra (Z03). Since my car is the 2022 model year Santa Fe, they did not accept my request. I noticed that on several websites, Hyundai car owners are complaining about their car horns. Just the fact that Hyundai started to provide an extended warranty for a different model, but in the same year range as my car, confirms that they are having issues with this part. I just know about this extended warranty because I also have an 2024 elantra hybrid, that is covered by it (as you can see on the uploaded letter).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673029July 12, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield washer nozzles spray so low on the windshield that the center and top won’t clean which makes driving unsafe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673031July 12, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
System keeps saying that I am not watching the road, which I am. No eye glasses or sunglasses on. This causes the cruise control to suddenly disengage creating a safety hazard. SUV is up to date on software/firmware.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673090July 12, 2025
STEERING
I was driving on the freeway at 70MPH it was dusk. The traffic was light and I was exiting the freeway. Two lanes exit and then split each direction. There is a car next to me but is not coming into my lane and nobody in front of me. Suddenly a collision alarm starts going off the vehicle brakes and the emergency steering notification lights up on the dash and the vehicle swerves to the left almost hitting the median. After this occurred the transmission started having issues at speeds under 15mph with shifting. It would rev up to about 3500rpms then lunge.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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