10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,187 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #44

Apr 122024

Santa Fe

  • miles
1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I tried to park in the parking space next to it by making a slight right turn. As soon as I stepped on the brake to park, the car began to rush forward. I noticed again and again that my foot was slamming on the brakes, but the car didn't stop. My car went over the ledge between the parking lot and the store, slammed into the pillar of the building on the left, smashed all the glass in the dance studio, and hit the wall on the right before coming to a stop. It took six seconds from rushing forward to into the store. 2) How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I must have been severe injured if the car didn't stop by hitting a right-side wall of the store. And if there were people, I was not able to avoid casualites. 3) Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No, the car was towed and reviewd by car insurance. Car insurance informed that the car will be total loss. No information about reproducing the issue 4) Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No 5) Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, that was suddenly occured 6) Request: I want NHTSA to investigate my car of sudden unintended acceleration. I would like to get EDR, X-ray of PCB board of electrical central unit(a.k.a ECU) managing brake and accelerator and car manufacturer's reliability sign-off report of the ECU board. I have a security footage taking the accident moment. I failed to upload the video. If you want, please let me know. Will send the video file with NHTSA.

- Santa Clara, CA, USA

problem #43

Sep 232023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I have a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. I was notified the ABS module may leak hydraulic fluid on electronics that can cause a fire while driving or parked. This SAFETY issue was found in September 2023. After 7 months a remedy still has not been found. How long is a suitable amount of time to wait for a solution" How long should I need to wait for this to either burn down or get fixed? A remedy has been found for the Santa Fe Sport. Will this same fix, work for my Santa Fe" If it will I am willing to pay for it and wait for reimbursement. The would be better than wondering if my vehicle is going to catch fire while I'm driving down the highway. Any help you can give me will be appreciated. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Hurricane, UT, USA

problem #42

Mar 032024

Santa Fe

  • miles
On [XXX] I was driving down [XXX] doing 80mph with my family in the car, including my 7month old son. As I was going down the interstate, the vehicle malfunctioned and seized up. I had to manually push to get the vehicle off the interstate to avoid getting hit. The vehicle lights all flashed on and cut off. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership to find out what is wrong with the vehicle, if needed I give permission to get information/inspect the vehicle. I am still trying to get clear answers from Hyundai about what happened to the vehicle and to get it repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Meriden , CT, USA

problem #41

Apr 222022

Santa Fe

  • miles
There was a recall with the abs slipper slope and traction this left these warning symbols stay on constantly. I was told by Westside hyundai in Jacksonville this would cost me over $200 but I shouldn't have to pay for something that was recalled that left my vehicle this way. Also the drivers identified seatbelt doesn't click it will come loosen and out unless you hold down the button then put the seat belt in and let go of the button.

- Sanderson , FL, USA

problem #40

Jun 062023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Hi I'm in the car with my granddaughter 9 years old We will ready to visit my oldest son his daughter my 3rd grandchild 9 months old.my 9 year old granddaughter we were on I75 north ready to change lanes into the right slow lane as I am ready to merge onto exit 275 Ramp Land o lakes. I notice my rpm numbers are at zero, my SUV was losing speed, I had a green 18 wheeler tractor trailer exactly on my back end of my Hyundai Santa fe sport 2014, exactly on top of us. I can see the grill count bugs on it. My granddaughter was so upset, crying, panicky afraid to get hit by the cars, trucks, staying stranded.myquick thinking I kept my foot on the gas gave it all I could manage to get my SUV on the triangle safe spot in front of the sign exit 275. Once I took my foot slowly off the gas I notice all of the components were locking up shutting down slowly the lights just dimming into darkness nothing nothing was on as if she just shut down to sleep. It was very scary I am also suffering anxiety flashback what if I didn't think to get out of the tractor trailers way. My god my granddaughter I would have been hit slamed hard or pushed into on coming traffic or teadbone into the divider or over the slope. I dont feel safe my suv. That truck was not stopping he was pushing his way.i am devastated. I paid in full my suv in 2yrs under the 4 1/2 yrs. I bought my suv.from ford dealer Tampa fl.paid infull under a new steering columns has to be replaced? After I heard the clicking sound and I was shown a little tool was going to be put in. I said no a new steering column has to be replace due to safety. the Service tech who put my steering column also broke my power auto seat driver Side. Chair still pops out the electric left side button for lumbar, heat safetychair adjusting. I was told the recall took care of the chemical liquid brake fluid component quick fix I told the dealer about my age lights, traction, slope lights emergency brake lights on. road ranger can smell chemical burn

- Brandon, FL, USA

problem #39

Feb 092023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Clock spring is defective/broken. This could be very dangerous as the airbag may not deploy in the event of an accident. Hyundai has used this exact part on other vehicles that have had issue and have recalled/extended the warranty to cover. Hyundai however won't fix this very dangerous issue on the Santa Fe and even wanted almost $200 just to look at the car even though the part is very obviously broken.

- West Allis, WI, USA

problem #38

Jan 022023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving my 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS (Lambda II, V6 3.3L, 104k miles) late at night with my wife, daughter (age 2), and son (age 6 months). No notification lights alerted me to any problems. We missed our turn on the highway and had to drive through a neighborhood with a high crime volume. We stopped at a red light and the engine seized. When the light changed, I tried to start the car, but the engine wouldn't budge. We were stranded in the dark in a dangerous area. I said to my wife, "This is one of the worst places and times for a car to go kaput." Two good samaritans with car knowledge stopped to help. First, they tried charging the battery. No luck. Then they checked the oil. To our surprise, the oil tank was nearly empty (again, no notification lights alerted me, and we never saw leakage). We tried filling it with oil, hoping it might solve the engine seizure. No luck. I had it towed to my family's mechanic. Once he checked it, he immediately realized it needed replacement (once it turned on, it was making knocking sounds). He said a new engine would cost $10k-?"more than half of the car's value at the time of purchase. I called Hyundai corporate, and they said to bring it to my local dealer to get examined. They checked it and chose not to repair, giving a pretty nondescript reason for denial. They wouldn't give many details; they just said the motor suffered a mechanical failure, showed sludge, and needed to be replaced. They quoted me $9k for a USED engine. Later I learned that countless others have experienced the same problems with this vehicle. I'm preparing paperwork to seek help from higher-level Hyundai mechanics. I will update NHTSA if their response is helpful or not. I believe Hyundai and Kia are in deep water with many GDI engines from the last decade. Countless others have reported similar engine failures; a whole Facebook group documents it (FB search "Engine Failure- Kia/Hyundai"). Here's praying NHTSA swoops in and enforces a recall.

- St. Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #37

Jun 202022

Santa Fe

  • miles
My 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport broke down while driving home on 5/30/2022. No active warning lights at time of incident. Vehicle slowed down while driving on interstate and lost the ability to accelerate. A noise was made (may have been considered knocking). Once parked on the side of the highway, nothing happened when START/STOP button was pressed except random lights across dash (NO WARNING LIGHTS). Vehicle did not appear to be ON. Vehicle had to be towed to local Hyundai dealership. Dealership replaced the starter, performed an engine diagnostics, then parked vehicle on lot. The vehicle caught fire on 6/20/2022 after service tech exited it; considered a total loss. The vehicle was inspected by Hyundai Dealership representative, owner's insurance company, and vendor for Hyundai Motor America. HMA ruled incident as No Root Cause for engine seizing: no fault of workmanship nor manufacturer. In addition, in January 2022, this vehicle went into LIMS mode, no active warning lights were observed, and the same dealership replaced Knock Sensor. The vehicle passed engine diagnostics test.

- Mcleansville, NC, USA

problem #36

Jul 052022

Santa Fe

  • miles
When entering a busy intersection, the car seized with no power and would not restart.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #35

Jun 062022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Drivers side rear passenger door lock became inoperable. Door will not lock or unlock with key fob or from the drivers door arm rest door lock/unlock switch. Door lock on the door panel does not move positions when fob or door lock switch is operated. Door lock within the door handle on the inside is in between the locked and unlocked position. If the silver lock on the door is either pushed or pulled, the door lock will function. Power lock does not work.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #34

May 232022

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving to pickup my dog from daycare centre and when I arrive to house, put my car in Park then a huge amount of smoke came out from the front hood of car. The smoke got bigger and bigger within 30 seconds I couldn't see anything from front of car and around driver's seat. There was no Hazard alerts or signs on my car that my car was overheating. There was no signal or emergency shut off on the car when the overheating began. My boyfriend was in car at time. My dog was walking outside with daycare caretaker when a flame started on Driver's side engine. The flame lit and sparked into a huge flame. I ran out of car while my boyfriend yelled for everyone to back away from car before it explodes. The flame grew and engine bursted into flames, a loud explosion followed. I did not have any time to even gather what was going on before my eyes, I was trembling in shock and could not speak clearly. Immediately, I called police to come put out the fire. The fire department was transferred into my phone call. I was able to give address and they arrived on scene within 3-4 minutes. Fire department put out the flames with a water hose. The car was completely damaged, falling apart into pieces, front hood was on fire to the back seats, doors were on fire, steering wheel was gone, entire front dashboard and chairs were melted and gone in pieces. I started feeling sick and overwhelming stressed.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #33

Dec 152021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving on interstate felt car stall pulled to side of the road placed in park. Looked under hood noticed car hot checked oil and was completely dry. I know for a fact there had not been any leakage prior that was on the ground where I parked and none under where I pulled off road. Not one check engine light or low oil light had came on prior or during the time of the car stalling. Called tow truck to have it taken to dealership where they turned it back on after I advised of issue and that it shouldn't be turned on they said they had to to know what it was doing and the engine at that point was making loud knocking noise. I was told engine would have to be replaced. I was told I'm not the only one that has had this issue with this model car but there is no recall so it would be out of my pocket even though there is a "known issue". This was dangerous as it stalled in middle of interstate and left me stranded. Also, I got regular oil changes and was actually on my way to appt to have oil changed and never had been told that I was leaking or ever low on oil by dealership either. If looked up the known issue is with oil consumption. Dealership still cannot explain where yhe oil leaked from or went to.

- White Hall, IL, USA

problem #32

Mar 202021

Santa Fe

  • miles
One day Im driving to work and out of the blue, my car stereo stopped working, it turns on but no sound comes out of it. Tried replacing amplifier, speakers etc, nothing worked. After that, my car wouldn't start several times a month, had to jump start it frequently for about 4-5 months. Eventually it became if I didn't turn on my car atleast once a day, it would die and need to be jumped. So Ive been jumping my car almost every 2-3 days for the past month & 1/2.. Changed the battery multiple times. Took it to different mechanics and dealers, NOBODY knew what the issue was. Apparently something is draining my battery and no one knows how to figure it out!

- Franklin Township, NJ, USA

problem #31

Aug 232019

Santa Fe

  • miles
The vehicle is in excellent condition with all maintenance complete. Starting intermittently at approximately 40,000 miles, and now consistently since 49,000 miles, 3 warning lights illuminate on the dash simultaneously; 1: ABS warning light, 2: TCS warning light, 3: Hill Assist warning light. Reading the codes with a code scan tool indicates the Right Rear Wheel Speed Sensor has a short circuit, an open circuit, or has failed, or the wire connector has failed. If the ABS or TCS systems are not functioning, there is a higher risk of crash. This is a very common problem according to simple google searches, and affected vehicles should be recalled and repaired.

- Danbury, CT, USA

problem #30

Mar 132021

Santa Fe

  • 120,000 miles
The engine started knocking like a rod maybe. It was sitting over night no previous issues and when I started it that was the noise it was making. Just bought the car in July of 2020

- Marlow, OK, USA

problem #29

Dec 232020

Santa Fe

  • 62,000 miles
Recently brought up a Hyundai sante fe 2.0T and now shortly after purchasing the rear view/back camera no longer works. Just a black screen when put into reverse. I see it's a extremely common problem post on forums all over the web. It's not a necessity but could be hazardous given the moment it decides to quit.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #28

Dec 162020

Santa Fe

  • 78,000 miles
I purchased my 2014 Santa Fe sport from Ford motor sales located@10700 Ford road dearborn, Michigan in October 2020. After a week of driving it back and forth to work, it started not accelerating and I kept smelling like something was burning in it. I took it back and forth to the dealership for this same issue now the engine is knocking and the oil wont stay in it either, after its been changed too. Im heartbroken and its christmas and I have no transportation at all to get to work for me and my family. I'm a frontline worker for the covid-19 team here in Michigan at the be well medical center for biotech laboratories and can lose my job if I dont get this fix immediately. This recall explains alot thats why my poor truck is dying. Please help

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #27

Oct 262020

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • miles
It was indicated by a letter from Hyundai motor America that the brake system on this car can possibly react to a electrical short in the anti-lock brake system, causing a fire within the engine compartment. Therefore a recall was initiated, but a solution for repair, for the past 4 months, is not yet available. It is my opinion that a car with this condition is not safe to drive and therefore Hyundai should furnish a loner car for the period it takes to make a safety repair or replace the car. The consumer referenced recall 21V-303. The consumer inquired about the purpose of the recall.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #26

Dec 092020

Santa Fe

  • 16,635 miles
Battery only five months old and something is bringing the battery down. Alternator has been checked as well as several other things including the battery. Nothing can be found that could bringing the battery down. Vehicle hadn't been started in 24 hours when this happened twice

- Gulf Shores, AL, USA

problem #25

Nov 212020

Santa Fe

  • 113,000 miles
11/21/2020 around 12 pm we were pulling out on to the highway in heavy Saturday traffic in between roswell and norcross. As we were accelerating to get onto the road the engine seized and we couldn't get the car to respond. The pedal was being pushed to the floor and the car wouldn't respond. There were no dashboard warning lights or any loud engine noises to say there was an issue. No smoke or steam. We were able to direct the car onto a side street but the car stopped in the middle of the side street. The car electronics started going crazy, the navigation screen and interior lights kept turning themselves on and off like it was a computer rebooting. We smelled something burning so I turned the car off and we got out of the car.. I let the car rest for a few minutes and tried to turn it back on so we could get it in to a safer position and get help but the car wouldn't restart. We even tried using the battery jumper box to try to get it restarted but it wouldn't respond. Had the car towed to the dealership. This car has a theta gdi engine that is currently part of a recall but when I look up my VIN the recall doesn't show up.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

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