Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints

8,019 consumer complaints on file.

#11662419May 21, 2025
STEERING, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Steering made clicking sounds when turning. Injectors caused the car to run very rough!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661979May 19, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The windshield showed a semi circular crack on the upper center directly below the rear view mirror cluster. It happened during a day of exceptional heat there is no indication of impact and the crack is symmetrical.The plastic cover of the rear view mirror broke simultaneously with the appearance of the windshield crack.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661942May 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Early March 2025 the vehicle was put car in park, got out of car to close yard gate, turned around to walk back to car but car was rolling forward and hit the flat bed trailer causing approximately $5000 in damage. It was put in park before getting out but jumped gear before getting back in. Another common problem is slamming the emergency brake on when attempting to drive. Was at a red lite left turn stop sign with foot on the brake. When the light turned green took foot off brake & put foot on accelerator to go forward, the car slammed the emergency brake on. This has happened approx 6 times in the 1-1/2 years of ownership.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661759May 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN, SERVICE BRAKES
Front brake failure at 3k miles. Rotors warped so badly they failed to properly stop the vehicle. Vehicle shaking immensely Transmission failure at 11k miles. While vehicle is in Drive mode the transmission is stuck in first gear and will not shift. The tachometer was redlining at 6k I had to use the paddle shifters to get the transmission to shift. I was driving the vehicle as a manual transmission when I own an automatic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661714May 18, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
First of all the transmission locked up at 97,423 miles when I was on my way to work. It took almost a month to get this fixed under warranty. I bought the vehicle in 2021 with 55 miles on it. Now at 164,000 it has to have a new motor. It has burnt more than a quart of oil every week for the last 2 years. I have had it to the dealership multiple times to be checked and never got a response as to why it was burning oil. Then in December of 2024 I was on my way to work and the vehicle was struggling to go. I would push the gas and it would go a little but as soon as I let off the gas it would stop running. Took it to the mechanic recently (due to other issues) and was told that it is only running on 3 cylinders. Also that in order for it to stop burning 2 quarts of oil a week that the pistons needed replaced. Mechanic stated it would be cheaper and better with the other issue to replace the whole motor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661720May 18, 2025
ENGINE
Leak coolant and oil
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661124May 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I took my vehicle in on 2/03/25 for a back up camera recall and to have my transmission checked due it not shifting correctly. I was called within two hours and told the transmission needed to be replaced. Weeks later they called and told me they had good news and bad news, the transmission was replaced, however it would not work. They replaced the transmission for the second time and had me pick up the vehicle on April 17th. I picked the car up and immediately went back in and told her it was not shifting right. They told me to drive it home and see how it did and they would have the service advisor reach out. On the way home, the car was at 5000RPM at 60mph. It was not shifting. The check engine light came on the next day. The car was taken back and I was told on April 21st the transmission needed to be replaced again. I was called on April 7th and told that there was a wire they needed to check that went from the transmission to the pcm and they were going to check it and see if that would fix it. That is 3 total transmissions that have been in this 2022 vehicle. The vehicle is unsafe to drive and Hyundai corporate is not doing anything to help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660982May 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN
This vehicle has two instances of transmission disengagement. One at highway speed and the other while driving in a residential area. In both cases the vehicle suddenly started to slow down, and the rpms went up to 4-5 thousand. I was able to stop the car and turn it off and after a few minutes restarted the car and completed the journeys without any further issues. I have contacted the dealer and will be taking the car in for a diagnosis. I did not notice any warning lamps or other symptoms before each occurance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660786May 13, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The horn has failed and been replaced 2 times after purchasing from brand-new. It has failed again but the vehicle is now out of warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660125May 10, 2025
ENGINE
Time Belt problem. Check engine, yellow.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659658May 8, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On a bright sunny day, the Hyundai Forward Attention Warning (FAW) SHUT OFF my adaptive cruise control while doing 70 mph, indicating that I was not focused on the road. I was looking straight ahead at the road the whole time. I later determined that the system was reacting to glare on my glasses (not sunglasses, no tint whatsoever, just glass). This led to a very dangerous condition because I was fighting with the car to determine what had happened (at 70 miles per hour), not focused on the road as I just had been prior. The system is checked as OFF in setup (as described in the manual) but clearly that was not the case. The driver CAN NOT shut the system like the manual says. I actually love the car, EXCEPT for that "feature". This subsystem should never have been permitted into a production vehicle and, had I known, I would never have purchased. It's that big of a problem. The system appears to be very dependent upon ambient light because I never have this issue when it's cloudy, raining, or at dawn or dusk. I have complained at 2 Hyundai dealerships here in the Chicago area, to a total of 4 Hyundai personnel, even sent a video my daughter recorded of me driving and exhibiting the issue. In 3 of the 4 cases, they replied the "system was performing as designed". That appears to be their mantra. The one service person replied that they had never heard that before. I guess they don't ever check Reddit or write down my many complaints. I think it's clear Hyundai, as a service organization does not intend to do anything about this and, perhaps worse, the company at large has no intention of doing anything as this same subsystem is part of an extensive line of their 2025 models as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659712May 8, 2025
ENGINE
Engine failed and yes available for inspection. Car stalled and stuttered while driving. Problem was confirmed by an independent service center. Vehicle component has not been inspected yet. Check engine light came on two days ago
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659653May 8, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On [XXX], a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL (VIN: [XXX] ) spontaneously caught fire ~8 hours after parking, per fire report (Walla Walla Fire Dept.). The fire destroyed the hyundai santa fe sel engine compartment and totaled 5 vehicles with a total value of over $400,000 not including personal property to the parties involved. I was not the Hyundai’s renter/operator; the vehicle was rented by a third party from Enterprise. Despite no active recall for this VIN, the vehicle contained: Mando ABS module, Mando EPS module similar to known defective parts of the same year, and Hyundai Mobis tow hitch harness, all of which have known defect/recall history in similar make/Model equivalent vehicles. This case may involve VIN exclusion errors or latent product defects similar to recent defects INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659581May 7, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
White paint peeling off 2019 Santa Fe since 2023 ... Hyundai says they are aware of the defective paint issue but denied any recorse or responsibility. Paint comes off while driving and reduces visibility.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659121May 5, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
this was a CERTIFIED vehicle i purchased. i dont believe it was certified because after returning it after -3- weeks because the windshield wipers werent working properly. after they looked at it the dealership told me that whoever put the windshield in it broke part of the windshield wiper connections and also ruined the calibration on certain safety features, and broke the windshield itself. this was not caught on their CERTIFICATION process and just put out on the lot to sell. they expected me to pay 1/2 of the expense for which i refused.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659118May 5, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Transmission caused vehicle to loose speed on grade posted speed 70mph I could not get over 35 Transmission stuck in 3 gear or would stay in 8th gear unable to gain speed almost got rear-ended vehicle has a 8 speed automatic transmission it will not shift properly loss of power account improper gear for speed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658806May 4, 2025
ENGINE
Yesterday afternoon after running errands, my car was off and in my driveway. Within 15 minutes I noticed it was smoking. When I opened the hood. The engine was on fire. I attempted to put it out but was unsuccessful. 911 was called and responded to put the flame out. The car was destroyed. I recently had my engine resealed and turbo replaced at a Hyundai dealership. I picked up my car following repairs on April 18th.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658825May 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN
A shifter malfunction error appears on dash. When trying switch into any gear it, the dashboard and front headlights flash. When I was parking, I put the car in park, the dash said park however the car kept moving and I almost collided into car in front of me. Another incident happened the same day when I could put the car in reverse from drive. I couldn’t turn the car off. Eventually I was able to turn it off but I had to put the emergency brakes on to keep car from moving. The error will appear when driving which is scary. The check engine light will appear sometimes. The car is scheduled for service on May 7th at Empire Hyundai of New Rochelle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658654May 3, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
I am the owner of a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe in Pearl White (paint code SWP). The paint on my vehicle has begun peeling extensively on the hood, and other exterior panels. This appears to be the same paint defect that Hyundai previously acknowledged for the 2017–2018 Santa Fe Sport under a Customer Satisfaction Program (TXXW), but the 2019 model is not covered. The paint is bubbling and lifting without any impact or damage, suggesting a manufacturing defect. This significantly affects the vehicle’s appearance and may compromise corrosion protection. Numerous other owners of 2019 Hyundai models have reported similar problems. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential widespread defect and urge Hyundai to include affected model years in any extended warranty or recall efforts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658169May 1, 2025
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
On April 28, 2025 my car cut off in the middle of traffic. I turned the car completely off. I was able to turn it back on and move it out of traffic. I called my mechanic and he looked at it, He checked the oil and there was oil I'm it. He drove it around a parking lot and heard a rattling noise, He tried to get it to his shop, the rattling got louder and louder, He was scared the engine would lock up, We parked it and had to have it towed to my residence. In the last 6-8 months I had to put oil in my car EVERY week. I have taken to mi mechanic several times checking for leaks. I have been to the dealer checking to see if they there has been any recalls. Due to this situation I have NO transportation. I am already financially struggling and now I have to figure out what to do I have already paid out of pocket for the ABS to be replaced as well. My sun roof I cannot open due to the rollers r stop working. This has worst experience I have has with a brand new car, I previously owned a Hyundai and had a wonderful experience.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Hyundai Santa Fe