10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 19
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,927 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #69

Aug 152019

Santa Fe

  • 60,000 miles
Our vehicle had the turbo fail. After replacing the turbo, the engine died upon test drive. They replaced the engine and gave us the vehicle back. The next day it would not crank. Dealership jumped the vehicle off. The next day it would not start again. This time they had to tow it. It has been in and out of the dealership for 4 months and towed 3 times. Each time the vehicle would not crank with 48hrs of getting the car returned to us. They blames security system, key fob, brake switch, grounding, and now the starter. Each time they stated it was fixed and then we had the issue happen again. I filed a safety concern with Hyundai but they refused to address our concern. They said they were told by palmer's Hyundai that the vehicle was fine. I explained I was concerned of my families safety of the vehicle died while turning or on the interstate. There are multiple reports of this online for the vehicle. They stated I can take it up with the dealership but they couldn't help with anything. They said if it failed in traffic and someone was hurt, then I could call back and they would address it then. I own 4 Hyundai vehicles and have had another previously. It is very sad to be treated like this when you are a lifelong customer

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #68

Dec 202019

Santa Fe

  • 113,456 miles
I was driving on the highway, after picking up my grandchildren from school (about 15 miles away), and started to speed up so I could pass a semi truck and my SUV just went completely dead without warning. My accelerator stopped working and I lost power completely. It was a frightening experience, as I looked into the review mirror the semi truck was barrelling down upon us and I couldn't get the SUV started back up. As my car was slowing down, I quickly put my emergency lights on and the semi truck had to swerve around us, blaring his horn. Thank goodness, no one was coming towards us in oncoming traffic, or this would have been a horrible accident. My car slowed down and I managed to pull off the shoulder, I tried starting it but it puttered and went out. I had no warning lights on -on my dash to let me know what was wrong. I waited and tried starting my car but same thing, it started but died out. I looked under the hood and couldn't find anything wrong. After about 15 minutes, I tried again and this time it started and we slowly drove home. I had a mechanic look at my car and he says I need a new engine.

- Window Rock, AZ, USA

problem #67

Dec 142019

Santa Fe

  • 78,000 miles
Car completely shut off while driving on road. Was maki G loud ticki G noise. Had it diagnosed. Was told the engine is no good. Destroyed engine. Is this under recall

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #66

Dec 022019

Santa Fe

  • 77,000 miles
Vehiculo en movimiento comenzo a tener ruido SE lleva a mecanico Y descubren que las bering estaban rotas Y dao el motor.

- Comerio, PR, USA

problem #65

Sep 132019

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
The contact owned a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving, the engine blew up and flipped the hood in an upright position. In addition, the brakes malfunctioned and all the electrical functions turned off. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over as black smoke filled the cabin. The contact was barely able to exit the vehicle after inhaling black smoke. The vehicle caught fire on the side of the road and was totally engulfed in flames. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact visited his doctor rather than a hospital and was prescribed an inhaler to help with his respiratory needs. A police and a fire report were filed. The vehicle was towed away to a scrap yard. The manufacturer was contacted and provided a case number and a loaner vehicle. The manufacturer also offered to pay off the vehicle, the contact's medical expenses, property expenses, and a flat monetary amount of $5,000. The contact tried to negotiate with the manufacturer and agreed to meet after the 25 day waiting period. The contact was contacted by manufacturer they will investigate why the engine failed. The failure mileage was 51,000.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #64

Sep 112019

Santa Fe

  • 102,000 miles
Started car and engine light came on. Started driving car and it hesitated eventually it would accelerate. When getting onto freeway and tried to accelerate it was slow to do so but eventually would. This kept reoccurring. No noises or other issues. Brought car in same day I first noticed this happening and had code of P1326.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #63

Aug 212019

Santa Fe

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owned a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. While the contact's husband was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle did not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road as smoke appeared from underneath the hood. The driver opened the hood and noticed flames in the core of the engine without warning. Another driver stopped to assist but both men were unable to extinguish the fire. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The police arrived and both fire and police reports were filed. The vehicle was totaled and towed to a tow yard. The contact called hudson Hyundai at 866-710-6765 (located at 977 communipaw ave, jersey city, NJ 07304) and was informed that there was no recall. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

- Haverstraw, NY, USA

problem #62

Aug 312019

Santa Fe

  • 92,900 miles
08/31/2019 traveled 60 miles on interstate hwy and stopped to go through a fast food drive-through, idling my vehicle for about 10-15 mins. My 2014 Santa Fe sport 2.0L turbo began to emit smoke from under the vehicle engine. I opened the hood and looking from the top toward the back part of the engine I could see the reflective insulation at the back part of the engine and smoke was drifting out of the bottom of the engine and there appeared to be an orange glow reflecting from the reflective insulation. No check engine lights were on and the car seemed to be running fine. I decided to return back to my home and stopped by the Hyundai dealership on the way. Service department was closed, but had one of the sales people take a look at the engine with me as I again opened the hood. This engine was no longer smoking. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership Tuesday. The service department performed a recall service item with complimentary oil change and told me that a fire had happened on the skid panel underneath the engine. They claim that the fire was started from a large plastic zip tie that had fallen on the turbo engine manifold at the back of the engine and had dripped down to the skid pan catching and burning into the plastic pan. I do not understand how a zip tie could have just "happened" to have broken and fallen in just the exact spot to catch fire" I mentioned to the dealer that I had read online about recalls concerning engine fires on Kia sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe sport for my year model vehicle. Their comment was that those problems were only associated with the Hyundai sonata. The service writer said he would not replace the burnt plastic skid panel and stated that this was just a fluke and the car was safe to drive. I still have many concerns as to how this could have happened and what other damage is there from the hot burning fire"

- Bastrop, LA, USA

problem #61

Aug 112019

Santa Fe

  • 95,005 miles
First issue started when the car stalled 3 weeks ago coming off a highway exit ramp while waiting at light. Car stalled a second time while sitting in traffic shortly after. Then worked fine and had an oil change completed at the dealer on 8/2/19. On 8/11/19, car would not accelerate normally after proceeding from a red light on a state highway, check engine light came on and shortly after engine started making knocking noises that became louder after a few miles. Requested a tow truck to tow car to the dealership after noises and acceleration became extremely bad. Car dealer found metal shavings in oil pan and metal build up inside the engine. Long engine block replaced under power train warranty at 95,014 miles.

- Beachwood, NJ, USA

problem #60

Jul 152019

Santa Fe

  • 1 miles
I was driving my car on the freeway, luckily for me L had merged into the slow lane. Upon merging L tried to speed up to leave a safe space between myself & cars merging onto the freeway. When L tried to accelerate there was no response, my dash panel lite up with numerous icons & my engine had no power. L took the next offramp & coasted to a stop, L then put on my hazard lights & lifted the hood to show other cars L was in distress. L called aaa & was towed to the Hyundai dealership in van nuys, California. L was notified that my engine had froze & since it was under warranty they would replace the motor. My car has been sitting at the dealership for almost 3 weeks now and they can't give me any idea of how long this will take to replace the motor. There last response to me was they haven't located a replacement motor at this time and to be patient. Well my patience is growing thin, they only respond when L call. Had L been in the fast lane L probably wouldn't be writing this now ( very dangerous situation ) please do something about this before someone else has the same experience and there is a fatality. Thanks for you help, all L can do now is sit and hope they resolve my situation, and that nobody else has to experience this. P.S L will be trading this car in as soon as its fixed L do not feel my family is safe in this car!

- Westhills, CA, USA

problem #59

Jul 022019

Santa Fe

  • 127,000 miles
I was driving through a 4-way street intersection turning left when the vehicle began making a knocking sound from the engine, then stalled in the middle of the road. All lights on the dash illuminated. Upon getting the vehicle to restart, it would not go over 2000 rpms. The vehicle continued to make a loud low sounding knock from the engine. Being close to home, I was able to drive slowly, mostly in a shoulder, to my home. Doing some research I discovered this model vehicle was subject to a recall due to failing connecting rod bearings. I called my local Hyundai dealership to ask about the repair, in which I was told the repair would cost $4,000-$6,000 for an engine replacement. The recall covered vehicles up to 120,000 miles, my vehicle has 127,000. I was denied the recall. I then called around to local mechanics but none of them, not one, would attempt to replace the faulty connecting rod bearings. I decided to take on the repair myself which Hyundai told me was impossible. I managed to remove the oil pan, oil pump, and finally the faulty connecting rod bearings which showed major scaring and damage. My oil pan was full of metal shavings. I contacted my local dealer, also Hyundai corporate and after both looked up my VIN number, neither could tell me what bearings were inside my engine. Their parts system comes back with 5 options for the bearings. Frustratingly I contacted the local dealer again telling them I will bring the old bearings to them (riding public transportation) but they said they have no way of measuring the part or telling me which part they used. The dealer and corporate both, told me to tow my vehicle to a 3rd party mechanic to measure the bearings, then tow my car back home, then give Hyundai the measurement to get a part number. Hyundai does not know what connecting rod bearings were used in the 2.4L engine!

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #58

Jul 142019

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
Engine suddenly lost power while driving on the pacific coast highway in ca in newport beach. I was able to pull to the side. When restarted the check engine light was on and the care wouldn't go faster than 2 mph. The car was towed and is now with glendale Hyundai dealership who reported that the engine failed and they are speaking with the manufacturer re replacement under the powertrain warranty. Same mechanical failure happened to my other Hyundai santafe 2014 and required engine replacement about a year ago VIN [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #57

Jun 202019

Santa Fe

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. While the vehicle was at stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, when the accelerator pedal was depressed with force, the vehicle was able to ease to 30 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine was knocking and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called taylor Hyundai (3233 Washington rd, augusta, ga 30907, (706) 868-1200) and was informed that there were no recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Thomson, GA, USA

problem #56

Mar 222019

Santa Fe

  • 94,438 miles
While driving on the highway at about 75mph, in the left lane, with the cruise control engaged, my 2014 Hyundai sante fe (3.5L V6, 94K miles and very well maintained) started to make a quiet ticking noise. The vehicle had been on the highway for about 40 minutes since the last stop. About one minute after the ticking began, boom! huge explosion. Catastrophic engine failure. The engine evidently seized, threw a rod through the block, punctured the oil pan spraying oil everywhere and igniting. Parts were flying out from the behind the vehicle and heavy white smoke was billowing. Luckily I was near an exit ramp and the motorists around me we kind enough to let me over to coast off the ramp. One lady followed me and pulled alongside my vehicle to urgently inform me that my car was on fire. I immediately pulled over and parked the vehicle and me, my wife, and my daughter jumped out. Flames were visible from underneath the car. My wife and another motorist called 911 for fire support. Three gentleman, one in a semi, two in an SUV, had parked on the highway and ran over to our location with a fire extinguisher (about 200 yds). By the time they got there the fire had gone out. The fire department arrived shortly after that and checked the vehicle with an thermo scanner to make sure the fire was out. The incident was terrifying and extremely dangerous.

- Portage, MI, USA

problem #55

Jun 132019

Santa Fe

  • 115,000 miles
Vehicle engine seized in the middle of the road with no warning or indication that it was about to happen. My 3 and 4 year old were with me as we were stuck in the middle of the road, thankfully no oncoming traffic at the time due to the light being red. This is the second time I have had a known issue that was recalled by Hyundai but did not include my VIN number. I also had trouble with my steering wheel and called about it and it was not covered because my VIN was not included in the recall. Hyundai you need to seriously take a closer look at your process for handling these issues when there are obviously many vehicles outside of your recalls that are experiencing the exact same issue. People's lives are at stake. I was literally in the process of making a turn and could not complete the turn which left me dead smack in the middle of the road. Had this been during heavier traffic times, I could have possibly been hit by oncoming traffic because of my car stalling in the middle of the road.

- Port St Lucie, FL, USA

problem #54

Jun 032019

Santa Fe

  • 100,000 miles
My wife was traveling South on the Florida turnpike @ 70 mph near West palm beach. Our 7 year old granddaughter was in the back seat. The engine suddenly seized up and shut off. She barely had enough momentum to pull safely out of the traffic, but was unable to get all the way out of harms way. Could have been a disaster!!!!! the engine cannot be repaired.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #53

Apr 062019

Santa Fe

  • 56,000 miles
The engine ceased and failed while driving vehicle to work. The vehicle has been at the dealership since then and they continue to attempt to fix the vehicle. The vehicle's short block was allegedly replaced. The vehicle was taken for a test drive and the check engine line came on. The dealership advised that they had to take the engine apart to see what the problem was. As of today, the dealership has told us of at least 3 occasions while fixing the vehicle that the check engine line has come on. The problem appears similar to the issue with the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The vehicle is still not repaired and its been close to 60 days.

- West Conshohocken, PA, USA

problem #52

May 292019

Santa Fe

  • 49,500 miles
We purchased a used 2014 Santa Fe in May 2017 from our local carmax. At the time of sale, the vehicle had approximately 28,000 miles. It was noted at that time upon inspection in the 'engine' section that engine oil and filter had been repaired/replaced and oil leaks had been repaired/replaced. This was something we would not take serious note of until much later. On Wednesday, May 22nd, I was on the freeway in rush hour traffic going about 45-50 mph when the engine suddenly died. It was still in drive and my radio was on so the dash lit up (I'm assuming to let me know I was in drive but the engine was off so something wasn't right). I put on my hazards and started navigating my way to the shoulder. I attempted to start the car and it would not turn over so I waited. Finally, it started up so I tried to get it off the freeway. The next exit was 3/4 of a mile. She would never make it. A $75 tow to a mechanic 1.7 miles away determined the engine was 'shot'. our quote? $12K - $14K for a new engine (parts only). Our 5 year/50K warranty expired 1 month and 14 days ago. Slightly convenient. The vehicle currently has approximately 49,500 miles, 20,000 of which are ours in the past 2 years of ownership. We contacted the service department of a local Hyundai dealership and were given a 'sorry. Too bad, warranty expired. Good luck bud'. it was incredibly disheartening and defeating. We've been told our extended warranty through carmax will not be honored either until we produce copies of our oil change receipts which we cannot locate at the moment (we are in the process of a move as well). So, we've paid out of pocket for the tow, the rental car, and every free moment spent trying to find receipts, making phone calls, or trying to find a resolution for everyone involved. It shouldn't be our burden to bear. It should be theirs!

- Murrieta, CA, USA

problem #51

May 132019

Santa Fe

  • 123,000 miles
I was driving to work on a city street M24 in oxford Michigan two weeks ago and without one single warning light ever coming on the vehicle the car completely stalled and all lights came on and the engine has not ran since. Being told this will not be covered but the dealership where my vehicle is has 10 of the same known issue waiting for new engines.

- Metamora, MI, USA

problem #50

Feb 072018

Santa Fe

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 30 mph, a knocking noise was heard underneath the front of the vehicle. In addition, when driving at a low speed, the vehicle would jerk. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to ourisman Hyundai (located at 3516 fort meade rd, laurel, md 20724, (301) 725-4400), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 15786624. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Severn, MD, USA

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