10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 21,447 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
8/5/23 was driving on turnpike when 2016 Santa Fe lost complete power without warning. Was barely able to pull over to the side of the road and the car completely died. Was in the car with 3 small children all under the age of 7 and stuck for over 2 hours waiting for a tow no air conditioning and no safe place to wait on the side of the turnpike with barely enough shoulder space for the car. Had car towed to Napleton Hyundai in West Palm Beach. We have unfortunately had this happen before on our Hyundai Sonata, similar circumstances car lost all power while driving and would not restart. The Sonata turned out to have defective engine and was replaced at a different dealership under the class action, but we have had zero communication from Napleton Hyundai regarding the Santa Fe. We have provided everything that the dealer has requested, and not received any response from Napleton. We were told if the engine seized, engine is covered up to 150K miles and they are aware of the Santa Fe defect. But, we are stranded hours from home without a car and no one at the service department has called us back or informed us what are the next steps despite repeated requests from us to find out what is going on with the Santa Fe.
- Osteen, FL, USA
After a recent oil change and while driving from Utah to Wyoming, the engine began sputtering and seemed to be on the verge of seizing. Fortunately, we could make it to a gas station and check the oil. The oil was so low it did not measure on the dipstick. This occurred less than 1,000 miles since the last oil change. I subsequently learned that my sister, who also owns a 2016 Santa Fe, had a similar problem, but her engine completely seized while on the freeway. The local dealership acknowledged this was a problem and managed to replace her engine at no charge. We have been unable to get our local dealership in Colorado to make such an acknowledgment. My son uses the car now for college. His local dealership in Grand Junction told him that all we can do is have them perform an oil change, drive the car, and come and see them when the engine seizes before it's due for another oil change. The implication was that they were aware of the problem, but couldn't apply for an engine replacement unless the engine had seized. This seems wrong and unsafe. My son is currently having to add oil every three weeks.
- Erie, CO, USA
I posted when this happened but didn't know what it was. On 5/16/23, I was driving on highway going about 60 mph when my vehicle completely shut off with no warning. I lost all control except I could steer a little. Thank God, I was able to get off the road safely. I had no brakes and had to drift to a stop. It never started again. I had my granddaughter with me. I'm 62 years old and I've been driving since I was 16 and this is the most dangerous thing that has ever happened while driving. Please do something about these vehicles! I know people have had to have lost lives from this.
- Springfield, GA, USA
The engine completely gave out all of a sudden on the highway while coming home from vacation. We were stranded on the highway and had to have someone come help my husband push the car off highway to the nearest convenience store. The car would not take a jump so we paid $427 to have it towed from Bay St. Louis, MS to Kenner, LA to our reputable mechanic to find out the problem. Per our mechanic the engine has completely gone out. This car is not even 10 years old, is well maintained, gets regular oil changes and only has about 87 or 88K miles on it. It has not been inspected by anyone other than our mechanic. There were no warning signs at all on the car prior to this or when it killed and died. Completely killed. We have called Corporate Hyundai office and they gave me a case number of [XXX] and said I would have to deal with the Hyundai of Metairie location and it would be 3 weeks before they could even inspect the vehicle after I incurred another towing charge. I did call the Service Dept. and left a message for Mr. David Porter to call me but he has not called back. I cannot believe a car does not last more than 10 years and at least $125,000 miles. Therefore, I would like to report a problem so this does not happen to anyone else and recoup some of my expense costs as my car is valued at like $13,500 if it was running and only a 1,000 if not running. A refurbished engine is anywhere from a $3500 to $4800 plus the cost of a warranty and labor. I have read there were some engine complaints on Hyundai and there is a pending investigation. Mechanics name David Mills, 627 Oxley Street, Kenner LA.504-466-8776. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Metairie, LA, USA
My 2016 Santa Fe engine spun a rod bearing at 130,900 miles. Took to dealership and they diagnosed it and refused any warranty.
- Petersburg, VA, USA
On the morning of June 26, I dropped my daughter off at camp. Not far from the house, the engine light begins blinking with no warning. I pull over to look under the hood; there was no smoke and the oil level and color looked ok. I was able to get back home but on the way began to lose acceleration. This would have been much worse if I was on the highway traveling at a higher speed as opposed to a residential area. Later, I was able to tow it to an independent service center who said the code for repair is P1326 for a knock sensor. In the mechanic-??s research of the code, he said this is an issue for a Hyundai certified mechanic. I too did some research and saw all the Hyundai owners with the exact same issue. I called all the Hyundai auto shops in my area and none of them have appointments just to look at the car until the end of July. Now I am stuck with an immobile car that I just purchased in January and was told I-??m not entitled to a loaner or rental because the vehicle isn-??t being repaired yet.
- Owings Mills, MD, USA
The car was being driven by our daughter south on Interstate 75 in Florida when the engine seized. It just froze. All power was lost while in the middle lane. Our daughter had to glide into the shoulder using only the momentum of the vehicle and carefully avoid traffic. The car was towed to our local mechanic who found nothing wrong with the battery, starter, alternator or oil. The oil was in fact checked prior to the trip that day. I called our local Hyundai dealer who stated that this was a "known problem". He also added that the engine would probably have to be replaced and he had "10 cars in front of mine that needed engine replacements." We are still waiting for Hyundai Corporate to agree to the repair. The vehicle only has 47,000 miles on it and has the balance of the drive train warranty. We are without a car and are currently renting a vehicle so that we can have transportation. I have no idea why this vehicle and others like it have not been recalled. This is an extremely dangerous problem with these cars. The driver, our daughter, could have been in a dangerous accident.
- Gainesville, FL, USA
On July 26, 2021, I purchased a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe SE. I purchased the vehicle with 90,168 miles on it, a current inspection, and a 3,000 bumper-to-bumper warranty. It has a 6 cylinder 3.3L engine. Since then, I-??ve put 38,266 miles on it, and it-??s ran without a problem. I-??ve done all preventative maintenance, made my oil changes mostly around when needed in accordance with mechanics, and overall maintained the car as per recommended. On March 25, 2023, I was driving to work, and I felt a sudden loss of acceleration. I heard a knocking that I hadn-??t heard before, yet no lights came on. No check engine light, no oil pressure light. My dashboard was not indicative of any problem. I ended up getting it towed to my personal mechanic, who was able to tell me that although the engine hasn-??t seized up yet, it was surely not far from it. I was also informed that it was nearly empty. Now, I-??ve had oil changes before and at no point has any mechanic, including those at my Hyundai dealership ever told me that I was short on oil. I had no puddles anywhere, at home or at work. I-??ve had no smoke emissions from the vehicle to indicate that it was burning oil. To this day-??I don-??t know where 5 quarts of oil went out of my engine in two weeks. It is my belief that the only way this amount of oil could just vanish out of thin air is a glaring engine defect leading to near-catastrophic engine failure.
- Red Lion, PA, USA
As I was driving home from work at night on May 4, my engine suddenly started making noises, then the engine light started flashing and the engine stopped working and I had to coast to the side of the road. I had to get it towed back to my residence late at night. I had an independent mechanic verify the catastrophic engine failure. To date the vehicle has not been repaired due to the high cost and unavailable replacement engines.
- Florence , KY, USA
I was driving and all of a sudden my car quit sounded like a belt broke so I coasted to Thackers Repair and he told me a rod went right through the side of the engine so I would need a new engine. I had my oil changed every 3000 miles there was no reason for this, and I did not receive any recalls.
- Duchesne, UT, USA
Engine oil consumption is outrageous. I am having to add oil every 200-300 miles. Just had an oil change in march and have had to add oil twice. There is a recall on the 2013-2015 models for the Santa Fe and 2011-2019 for the Santa Fe sport but the 2016 model that I have is not included in this recall. The recall is specifically for engine oil consumption issues which is exactly what I am having but Hyundai wont issue a recall for the 2016 model unless it is the sport. Very frustrated and potentially going to have to spend thousands of dollars for a new motor since mine is starting to have issues related to excessive oil consumption.
- Richmond Hill, GA, USA
I left my house and vehicle was perfectly fine. NEVER any warning lights since I owned the vehicle. It was not due for an oil change. I was traveling about 60 mph and after about 5 miles, vehicle just stopped running. At that point, I looked at dash and all the lights were on and vehicle was completely unresponsive. No steering, brakes, nothing. I was able to drift off of road and that was it. Tried one time to restart it and nothing. Had it towed to hyundai dealer and first they said it was the starter and today, after being there for a month, they said engine had seized.
- Springfield, GA, USA
Car lost power/pressure will not accelerate and has an engine knock
- Sarasota, FL, USA
While driving my Santa Fe sport I have an issue with loss of power when accelerating. I was getting on the freeway and attempting to merge with freeway traffic. When I was pressing the gas to accelerate the car the RPM's rose but my speed would not. I had to pull off as my vehicle could not get up to speed. It has happened twice now and only when trying to get on the freeway. No warning lamps. It is terrifying and dangerous. My Santa Fe engine was replaced around 84,000 for the failed engine issue it has about 134,000 (50,000 on new engine) now. I am concerned that this engine is possibly defective as well. My MPG has declined and now this issue.
- Milwaukie , OR, USA
2016 Sante fe and this is not the first engine I seen go back I seen 2011,2012 -??.. and this one 2016 happen to me. Had oil oil change done have record of it but no sign engine just blow
- Utica , NY, USA
This is an ongoing SAFETY ISSUE. We purchased this 2016 Hyundai SantaFe Sport used in July 07, 2022 with 98493 miles on speedometer. 30 days give or take after purchasing I checked the oil and no oil was showing on the dip stick even though the dealer we purchased the car from had changed the oil prior to selling the car. I had to add 3 1/2 quarts of oil to show on the dip stick to the first mark. I then started checking oil frequently and to date am using oil at a rate of approx. 1 quart of oil every 256 miles. On 1/19/2023 I went to my local Hyundai dealer (Jenkins Hyundai) in Bridgeport WV and informed them of the problem. The Service Writer checked the car and offered to run an Oil Consumption Survey for 1,200 to verify oil usages. On 2/23/2023 I checked the oil and found it just touching the dip stick, notified the Dealer and they said to being it in so they could add the oil during the Test. Dealership added 2.06 quarts of oil and INFORMED ME THAT HYUNDAI DENIED PA REQUEST GIVEN THAT THE VEHICLE OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY. Hyundai dealer would not continue with the oil test as Hyundai Corporate wouldn't pay for labor and parts. As reported in social media, TV news, newsprint, etc. Hyundai and Kia have millions of engines with oil consumption safety issues that are catching fire, blowing engines, stranding owner/drivers in the middle of the highway, and the list goes on. The trade-in and resale value of Hyundai/Kia vehicles has diminished/reduced in value to................ I and millions of HYUNDAI/KIA owners/drivers are asking for the NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADM. (NHTSA) to please investigate and issue a RECALL for all HYUNDAI/KIA products with an oil consumption problem. Thank You.
- Mannington, WV, USA
Car began to misfire. Took it to the dealership and found that it didn't have any oil in it even I just had the oil changed less than 2,000 miles before. The timing was out and the valves were bent causing the misfiring. All of this is because it was burning oil without any indication or warning. This engine has less than 100,000 miles and Hyundai won't claim this on warranty even though they have a 100,000 mile warranty on there vehicles.
- South Ogden, UT, USA
The engine in the vehicle is a DGI engine which Hyundai has had problems with in other vehicles. The bearings on the engine are damaged and the engine is failing. It can no longer be driven because the engine could fail as it is being driven.
- East Haven, CT, USA
2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is using excessive oil. Three days after getting a fresh oil change, I have to add oil to my vehicle. It continually has a fire burning smell. I've taken to a certified Hyundai facility; however, I'm always turned around and told you'll have to replace your engine soon.
- Auburn, AL, USA
- Osteen, FL, USA