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 #149

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 #148

Mar 112022

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving on a highway at around 40-45 mph my car stalled and came to a stop without warning. No dash lights lit up, no noises, no smoke. Car will not start back up. Mechanic said that it was not spark plugs or lack of maintenance. It seems like there is currently a recall for 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe sports but my vin number doesn-??t fall in the recall batch.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #147

Mar 122022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Our 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's engine seized and shut down in traffic Saturday night, 3/11/22, while my family and I were out grabbing food. We barely made it into a parking lot before it stopped moving. We got it towed to our regular repair shop. After inspecting it early in the week, they told us the engine had seized and was dead and that we should contact the service center at the dealership. We get regular maintenance, and there was no prior warning. Looking online, there is a recall on "some" 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport's for the engine - "...there have been instances of stalling, meaning the engine may stop running while the vehicle is being driven." is just part of the recall info. Somehow our vin number isn't on this list. I'm asking for the recall to open up to more vin numbers.

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #146

Mar 062022

Santa Fe

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. The vehicle had previously been serviced for a transmission replacement. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a ticking sound was heard and there was oil leaking onto the engine and driveway. Additionally, there was a hole in the timing chain cover and there were two bent bolts that had detached from the timing belt cover. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with engine failure. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not covered under warranty since the contact had not had an oil change performed prior to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that the failure may be related to Manufacturer Campaign Number: 194. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Stratford, CT, USA

problem #145

Jun 012018

Santa Fe

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while her husband driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to restart the vehicle and drive back to the residence. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on another occasion, while her husband was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle again to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Stewartstown, PA, USA

problem #144

Feb 122022

Santa Fe

  • miles
On 2/10/22 I was driving on a busy highway during rush hour about 60 miles per hour and my car began to loose power. I was able to cruise to the shoulder safely. I turned it off and it immediately restarted and ran with no problem. A few days later it stopped again while I was on another highway and I was able to get to an exit and to a safe location. Ultimately, after trying to restart, it failed altogether and had to be towed by AAA to Hyundai. My vehicle is serviced regularly and I've never had warning signs come on other than the the two times when the call stalled, and at that point, every light in the car was blinking. Hyundai would not give me a firm date for diagnosis. They said that they were backed up and estimated a repair even after diagnosis, would be well into March 2022. By the way, my car was dropped off on Feb 12, 2022! I requested a loaner and they told me they did not have one available. I had the car towed to an independent mechanic and I was told that the engine needed to be replaced.

- Rockaway, NJ, USA

problem #143

Oct 162021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving vehicle on freeway, loud knocking noise started under hood. Warning lights started to flash and engine died and I guided car to shoulder.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #142

Dec 012021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3 Limited with two toddlers down in moderate/heavy traffic with speeds 35-50 MPH when started to hear ticking/knocking noise coming from engine. Noise continued to increase with corresponding decrease in drivability (decreased acceleration & vibrations from engine). Had vehicle towed to Hyundai Dealer for inspection. Dealer has advised that engine has premature engine wear as a result of rod knock and damaged rings causing engine failure. Dealership stated a new engine will cost $12k because we are the second owner. Vehicle had no check engine light, no oil pressure or low oil warning lights and had no OBDII error codes. No prior indication of imminent engine failure. Engine was not listed in current recalls. Approximate failure mileage at 93k.

- Mcdonough , GA, USA

problem #141

Nov 082021

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving on the interstate going around 65 mph on the highway. The vehicle stopped accelerating and I had to swerve into the breakdown lane, lucky that I was not hit by other cars. I turned the vehicle off for a few minutes and then tried to restart it but the vehicle made loud noises and started smoking so I turned it off. I had it towed to a dealership and they said it would need an engine replacement. I only had the vehicle for one year and it was in good condition.

- Winthrop, ME, USA

problem #140

Oct 092021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Total engine failure while driving, 1000 miles after a clean bill of health and some work done at licensed hyundai dealership. Both hyundai local and corporate pointed fingers and blamed but no accountability. Dealership quoted 14k for install of used engine. Local engine shop said these engines fail shortly after 100k miles and he sees them more frequently than any other brand. The problem is the engine design, and it's inability to properly lubricate itself under real world driving conditions.

- York, ME, USA

problem #139

Dec 312021

Santa Fe

  • miles
On December 31, 2021, at approximately 12:30pm CST, I was driving my fathers 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe down I-94 in Michigan City/ LaPorte area of Indiana. In the vehicle was my father, my wife and my brother. I was driving at approximately 70-75 mph and I started hearing a rattling noise when I accelerated. It sounded as if the vehicle had a loose heat shield on the exhaust, so I didn't think too much of it. About 45-60 seconds after that, all the dash lights came on and I pulled off to the side of the highway. I turned the vehicle off and waited about 30 seconds and tried to start it back up, which it did not do. I then noticed smoke coming from under the hood, so I told everyone to get out of the vehicle and I popped the hood latch. I opened the hood and tried to determine where the smoke was coming from, however it was coming from under other parts in the engine, so I could determine what exactly was smoking. I then saw a flame. I told everyone to get back and I immediately called 911. Within 10-15 minutes, a firefighter pulled up in a pick-up truck. He assessed the situation and spoke with my father. Ten minutes after that, other firefighters showed up with an engine and extinguished the fire. By that time though, the fire had completely engulfed the entire front end of the vehicle. We spoke with the police officers after a short wait, a tow truck came and picked up the vehicle and we were picked up by other family members.

- Crown Point, IN, USA

problem #138

Nov 132021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving vehicle on Interstate at 65 mph. With no warning, dashboard lights, or anything, engine just shut down. Heard banging when trying to restart, shut car off. Checked oil, not a drop in engine. Dealer says engine "threw a rod", says it will be $15,000 to replace. Hyundai said they'll pay $7,500 and want me to pay $7,500. After doing some research, I see that this is a recurring problem on this vehicle. I feel that Hyundai should replace engine since this has happened to a lot of these cars according to the many forums about Hyundai. Any help would be appreciated.

- Drums, PA, USA

problem #137

Oct 252021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Car has been taking care of and routinely serviced. One day it was sluggish and two days later the engine light came on. Immediately took to mechanic who said engine oil was black (routine and timely oil changes). Changed oil and new spark plugs. Car was not any better. Took to dealership who said engine is 5 degrees off and needs a new engine for 15k!!! Car only has 112k miles on it and is in perfect condition. Took it to another mechanic and he stated the pin was broken in the camshaft causing the degree timing issue. This seems to be a recurring issue with this car and is unacceptable to pay that much for a car, take good care of it, and have the engine die and be quoted 15k to repair.

- Arden, NC, USA

problem #136

May 162020

Santa Fe

  • miles
The engine just started making cracking sounds Hyundai dealer ran a diagnostic and said the verified concern found that the engine had internal failure is in need of a replacement connecting rod bearings has failed vehicle on the verge of seizing metal on oil filter paper edge appears to be heavily grudge leaking with oil cap needs to replace engine to correct the concern.

- Detroit , MI, USA

problem #135

Nov 272021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Vehicle stopped on highway while driving. To, d it was the cam shaft sensor. Upon research and further review there are hundreds of complaints about the cam shaft and system.

- Conyers, GA, USA

problem #134

Nov 072021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Car started making noise and suddenly stopped in the middle of driving. Passengers Including kids were in the car. Car was towed and told that it's engine failure possibly the rod connecting to engine is defected. I was also told car could have caught fire if we had kept driving it. Car was always kept upto date on maintenance at hyundai dealer. No issues were reported with the car at maintenance.

- Lilburn, GA, USA

problem #133

Nov 162021

Santa Fe

  • miles
About 4 weeks ago I was driving about 50 mph and slowed to take a right turn, when accelerating out of the turn I had no power, but the engine was still running fine. I could get up to about 40 mph when I pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor and held it there. I immediately turned around and went to the Hyundai dealership that was just a mile away. The problem was diagnosed as needing a new transmission as first gear was completely gone. We asked the dealership to diagnose any additional problems and they said there were no other issues with the car. The part was ordered and the car sat for 3 weeks at the dealership. Upon being notified the work was done on the replacement transmission we were told that during the final test drive by the technician that the engine had very loud knocking sounds. We were told that a new engine was needed. We are not sure if there is negligence on the part of the dealership service dept. or if there is something else going on. We noticed several other recent issues about this similar engine failures on the NHTSA website and wanted to report this as well. Current mileage is 176,000.

- Hahira, GA, USA

problem #132

Sep 172021

Santa Fe

  • miles
The Turbo failed and is not functional. I took the car in and found out that it needed to be replaced. They stated they would replace it but it would take a while since the turbo is currently on back order. I called every dealer in town to find out that the all had cars needed this part and that it would be a while before they get the part. One dealership advice me that he had a car since January. I think an investigation in regards to this matter is warranted. We felt something weird when we took it for an oil change. Weeks later when we went over the 100,000 mile mark, the check engine light turned on. We took it in right away.

- Orlando , FL, USA

problem #131

Sep 042021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving Hyundai Santa Fe down I-95 in moderate/heavy traffic with speeds 35-50 MPH when started to hear ticking/knocking noise coming from engine. Turned off radio & AC to better hear/monitor sound. Noise continued to increase with corresponding decrease in drivability (decreased acceleration & vibrations from engine). Managed to get to closest exit (about 2-2.5 miles) exited highway and parked vehicle. Had vehicle towed to Hyundai Dealer for inspection. Dealer has advised that engine has premature engine wear as a result of rod knock and damaged rings causing engine failure. Vehicle had no check engine light, no oil pressure or low oil warning lights and had no OBDII error codes. No prior indication of imminent engine failure.

- Herndon, VA, USA

problem #130

Sep 142021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine died, luckily at light at a stop, and not on a freeway. Would not start after. No warning lights before or after. Dealership states seized engine. Facebook group posts suggests multiple of these happening on years 2013-2017. Dealership servicing vehicle is Hertrich Hyundai of New Castle, Delaware.

- Newark, DE, USA

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