10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 10
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,760 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #242

Apr 052023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine failure while driving the vehicle. My safety along with others on the road was put at risk due to the cars engine failing and making me at risk for someone to hit me. There were no warning or check engine lights on prior to the incident or after.

- Maize, KS, USA

problem #241

Apr 012023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Car is properly maintained and serviced. We were driving on Highway and I heard a rattle. I turned down the radio then the speedometer changed from 65MPH to 0. The car was just rolling and lost all power. Then, for the first time ever, the check engine and battery light came on. Lots of smoke from the back and from under hood. They said it threw a rod through the back of the engine, and all the oil leaked out. I had it towed to a dealership

- Mount Olive, AL, USA

problem #240

Mar 202023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Two weeks ago, I heard a noise when we started our Santa Fe but the car continued to run and no warning lights were on the dash. The day after I heard the noise, I was driving and the car suddenly stalled - fortunately, I was on a side road but had I been elsewhere I could have easily caused an accident and been a danger to myself and others. I was going 30 MPH and looked down to see my car said 0 MPH so I pulled off the road. My car had no warning lights at all prior to the stalling but once I stalled, the check engine light came on. All my electrical continued to work. We had the car towed to our usual auto mechanic who told us our engine had failed but they believed our issue was under a Hyundai recall. We had our vehicle towed to the closest Hyundai service center, but they denied that our VIN was under the recall despite our car being the exact make, model and month of manufacturing the recall stated. Attempts to speak to Hyundai corporate resulted in the same denials. So now, with no warning, my 6 year old, barely used car has a completely dead engine through no fault of our own. Our car was regularly maintained by our local auto mechanic. Our car is currently sitting at the Hyundai service center after being quoted over $17,000 to replace the engine.

- Gainesville, VA, USA

problem #239

Mar 102023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving with my 2 children in the car, and with no warning there was a loud pop noise and lots of smoke came out of the hood I had to pull over as quickly and safely as I could. The car died and would not come back on. Mechanic advised that the rod went through the engine block. I took the car to the dealer after seeing on line that the same year make and model had the same thing happening to the point the cars have caught on fire. I have taken very good care of all of my vehicles she had an oil change every 7k miles on Synthetic oil. I was told the recall was in the 4 cylinder engine and i have the 6 cylinder engine. It is the same exact thing that happened to the 4 cyclinder engine and having all the mechanical reciepts showing that the car was taken care of per service miles.

- Wellington, FL, USA

problem #238

Mar 302023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Car lost power, and engine has catastrophic failure. Needs new engine, has 74k miles on it!

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #237

Mar 182023

Santa Fe

  • 77,000 miles
My engine had been using oil at a very fast rate and I was just told that hyundai consume a lot of oil. I have had this car since 77k miles and have issues ever since I bought it. At first I had issues with it not accelerating on the interstate and then it would randomly stop while I was driving, almost like a car hiccup. I took it to the dealership, and other car shops and no one found anything wrong. Finally two weeks ago, I was on I85 and my car was driving really roughly and idling roughly as well. No lights came on until it started to decelerate on the interstate to 30 miles an hour and I had to pull off to the side of the road. Then a bunch of different lights came on and I turned it off and it wouldn't turn back on. I had it towed to the dealership, and they stated I had a bad engine, and Hyundai may replace it but it will take the shop 4-6 months to even take the engine apart to see whats happening. I'm out of a car for at least 4 months probably more, and there is nothing I can do. The mechanic is thinking there is an issue with the bearing.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #236

Jul 242021

Santa Fe

  • miles
1. Over several documented and undocumented times since July 2021, this vehicle has consistently lost >1 quart of oil every 1k miles. 2. This issue has been confirmed by the dealerships involved several times. 3. It is identified as the Theta engine failure. It began in 2012-13 and has been a constant for Hyundai and Kia models for 7 years. 4. There were no warnings from the initial ignition vehicles system check or at any time while operating this vehicle. Even when the engine loss was measured at about 4 qts. 5. This vehicle has been through 2 complete "oil consumption" programs that measure the oil loss during three consecutive 1K mile periods. Also it has had 2 "combustion cleanings" after which a follow up 1k mile oil check found that it still lost >1 qt of oil. 6. The failure of this engine is always a concern. I have personal and anecdotal testimony of what can happen with the failure of this engine. My wife and I are both in our 70's. We are also helping our 26 year old grandson with various transportation requirements. He has spastic dysplasia cerebral palsy and is unable to walk without a cane or walker. Longer distances require a wheelchair. We cannot push that wheelchair, we cannot carry him. We are in trouble if this engine fails and we are miles from home. Also, the vehicle under went the required ECM UPDATE as required by the NHTSA at 39843 miles on January 11, 2019. This update required the installation of a module that would decrease the RPM'S of the engine if there was a failure. There are horror stories on various FB Group pages about the terror of being on a 70 mph road, in the middle lane, when the engine fails and goes immediately to 35 mph. I have a personal friend who experienced that on I-95 in Maryland and was petrified. 6. Finally, after speaking with various Hyundai Service employees, I feel that I was mistreated after the first process. When my SUV lost >1 qt after 1K miles after the cleaning, I should have gotten a new engine.

- Eldersburg, MD, USA

problem #235

May 112022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine started making a loud ticking sound about a year ago. No check engine lights and no oil lights. Brought it into Liberty Hyundai in Ramsey, NJ. They flushed the system for $200 and said there was nothing else that had to be done. Then Jan 2023 oil warning light comes on. Checked oil and it was full. Brought it to Paramus, NJ Hyundai and they replaced the oil sensor for $1600. Still said everything was okay. Car is still not sounding right with 74,0000 miles.

- Wyckoff, NJ, USA

problem #234

Mar 272023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The vehicle lost power. When we looked under the hood there was oil all over and all oil had leaked. There is a small hole in the side of the engine block.

- Lehi , UT, USA

problem #233

Mar 142023

Santa Fe

  • miles
My 2017 Santa Fe SE Ultimate AWD was scheduled for an oil change and yearly NC State inspection and I scheduled that with the local dealer that I use regularly for servicing my Hyundai. On the way to the Hyundai dealership, Johnson Hyundai of Apex, I felt that the engine was making a strange knocking sound when accelerating and seems to have lost power. So I mentioned that to the dealer servicing technician Jeremy and he told me that he too noticed the knocking sound and that they will let me know what is going on. I got my complementary ride back home and in few hours got a call from dealership that I have a blown engine and that they will try and contact Hyundai to see if they will replace the engine. Few day later they called me that Hyundai was going to only pay 90% of the nearly $20000 cost and that I-??ll be paying the balance. I insisted full payment but they declined and I am still fighting them to pay for my rental coverage. There were no sign of engine problem or service lights and my suv has been regularly serviced by Hyundai from day one. They need to cover the total cost of the engine as I see there are many other owners that are in the same boat.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #232

Mar 222023

Santa Fe

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning; she managed to restart the vehicle after multiple attempts. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic where she was informed that her vehicle was placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000(Service Brake, Hydraulics). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Visalia, CA, USA

problem #231

Feb 252023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine is using a quart of oil every thousand miles.

- Thomaston, GA, USA

problem #230

Dec 012021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Was driving 55 mph and engine went into limp mode on busy road almost creating a tear end collision with multiple vehicles traveling at high rate of speed. Cam shaft bolt har sheared off cracking the fuel cover resulting in loss of engine oil. Told this was not covered under warranty but fixable. So fixed that along with front and rear brakes for a total bill of over 3k. Less than 500 miles Later my 21 year old son was driving - engine started clanking loudly the he lost acceleration while traveling a proximate ally 49 mph in heavy traffic. Car needed to be towed and am not being told the engine is blown.

- Pittsfield, MA, USA

problem #229

Mar 132023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine had a massive Engine failure with 90k miles on it. Engine was well maintained when failure happened. Engine shut down and left wife and I on side of the road. Had to towed to dealership and dealership said its an engine failure.

- Luling, LA, USA

problem #228

Oct 012022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Vehicle started flashing oil light during turns or bumps. The vehicle was not at mileage for oil change, but brought it in anyway. Turned out the oil was being burned at an access rate which was luckily caught before there was no oil in the vehicle. Vehicle is regularly maintained with documentation to prove. Followed protocols through hyundai by performing an oil consumption test and a combustion engine clean out. Hyundai service coordinator said my engine needs to be replaced but hyundai corporate declined the coverage. Even though many of these vehicles are having this exact same problem. He acknowledged this is a problem with their vehicles and stated they see at least 4 of these a day in their service shop. They told me that I did nothing wrong; that their engines are defective. The only thing he could do is help me price out a new engine. My Santa Fe sport was seen for this problem starting at 70,357miles. Previous oil change was at 66869.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #227

Mar 072023

Santa Fe

  • 142,609 miles
The engine throttles while accelerating and leaks oil and a burning smell comes from under the hood. the smell passes through the air vents and fills the car. I am afraid it might catch fire under the hood. The suspension makes noise and can also feel on the steering wheel. I will appreciate the company if they take safety measures in fixing this issue.

- Lynchburg, VA, USA

problem #226

Mar 032023

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving at approx. 65 mph on Friday, March 3, 2023 my Hyundai Sanat Fe completely loss power. It dramatically loss steering and brake pedal feel. The vehicle needed to be towed to the closest service station. The engine shows no signs of oil leaks or any other physical issues.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #225

Feb 282023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I bought a 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe Limited trim with the 3.3 L 6 cylinder on Nov 2, 2022. The car was running perfect until Feb 28, 2023, when while driving the engine started knocking and the check engine light came on. This happened instantly. I had it towed to a mechanic where it was discovered that the oil pan and oil filter were covered in metal shavings. The engine failed at 97,000 miles. The code that is being read is -€œP0014 Exhuast Camshaft position timing - over advanced. This is the same exact thing that is happening with earlier and Hyundai and Kia engines, but there aren-€™t any recalls, campaigns, or class action law suits open for my specific vehicle, so the Hyundai dealership that I am bought it from are pretty much telling me too bad too sad, you didn-€™t buy the extended warranty. Hyundai has a significantly documented issues that are exactly the same problems and seem to only be addressing the older vehicles with the same exact issues. This is almost criminal of Hyundai, because even though corporate and their dealerships are aware of these issues and acting like they are sympathizing, they are offering absolutely no help to their customers for their faulty engines.

- New Bern, NC, USA

problem #224

Feb 132023

Santa Fe

  • miles
All of sudden check engine came on along with engine oil and battery on dashboard and couldn-€™t go over 55 MPH on highway and car has been burning oil the past couple months and was told it wasn-€™t an issue until engine failed on my husband on the way home.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #223

Feb 132023

Santa Fe

  • miles
All of sudden check engine came on along with engine oil and battery on dashboard and couldn-€™t go over 55 MPH on highway and car has been burning oil the past couple months and was told it wasn-€™t an issue until engine failed on my husband on the way home.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

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