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 #222

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 #221

Feb 232023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe was driving perfect up until an engine light came on last week. During which the vehicle began sounding like a diesel engine idling rough. Using an inexpensive code reader I connected to the vehicle OBDII port and the code related to an crankshaft position error (i don't recall the actual code set). I brought the vehicle into the dealership for a routine oil change and check why the engine light came on. After the oil change had started the dealer brought me into the garage to show me excessive amounts of metal pieces caught within the oil filter making the vehicle inoperable. They mentioned something must have failed within the engine and the engine chewed it to pieces causing the rough idle. They also mentioned they're surprised the vehicle was still working and it was just a matter of time before the engine failed. The dealer explained it would take 9 months to repair due to the 50 other vehicles ahead of me all needing engines and only 1 technician on their staff qualified to replace engines. I researched online for "2017 hyundai santa fe engine failure" and a recall showed up sounding very similar to my issue (Recall No. 17V578000); however, my vehicle VIN number was not included.

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #220

Dec 172022

Santa Fe

  • miles
On the incident date listed, we were driving in Denison, Texas, going southbound on US Hwy 75. Traveling at 70mph, the vehicle started to have a loss of power and the vehicle started to shake, as if we were traveling on uneven pavement. Thankfully, we were able to pull to the side of the road to avoid being struck by traffic following behind us. Approximately 7 miles ahead, road construction is being performed, and there is no shoulder. If this incident would have happened in this area, we would certainly have been killed, because there was no place to move the vehicle. After having the vehicle towed to the dealership, the engine no longer had fire in the first and third cylinders. This was due to no oil in the engine. An oil change had been performed on the car on 11/19/2022, at 115,323 miles. So we had traveled 1205 miles since the oil change. When the oil was checked, no oil showed on the dipstick and there were only 2 quarts of oil in the reservoir. 5 quarts of oil had to be put into the engine to attempt to start the vehicle. After doing research on an issue we did not know existed prior to purchase, Hyundai has shown to have an unusual instance of burning oil in their engines. Leaking is not a sign of trouble, or we would have seen this and had it addressed. We are outside of the warranty by 16k miles and the dealership is unwilling to work with us. We believe this should be brought to the NHTSA's attention, to prevent a potentially deadly incident from happening in the near future.

- Allen, TX, USA

problem #219

Feb 222023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving car when suddenly all the dash lights came on and car started sputtering. Pulled over to side of road where car completely died. Could not restart with jump. Towed to mechanic where he informed me the engine appears to be ruined. Maintain regular oil changes since purchasing car in 2020.

- Leicester, MA, USA

problem #218

Feb 102023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The engine seized while driving. It will be available to inspect if requested. No warning signs whatsoever. Not a light on the dash. 117, xxx or so miles on it. We were driving in the left lane on the interstate when it happened. No noise, just completely shut off. In ST. Louis traffic. We couldn-€™t get to the right side so it was extremely dangerous. I-€™m unsure if this is a common issue or not. The vehicle has only had diagnostics so far, no further inspections. I was due for an oil change that week, there were zero warnings signs that I noticed but I-€™m not a mechanic. No lights prior to incident, but when it occurred the following lights came on: key undetected light, oil pressure light, engine malfunction light, power steering light, battery light, and I believe there was one more unknown light. My vehicle engine just shut off completely and wouldn-€™t restart.

- Effingham , IL, USA

problem #217

Dec 082022

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • miles
We were traveling down the road 12/08/22 and a clanging noise started. we were only a few miles from the Hyundai place in Orlando so we drove there. They put us in a rental and said most likely it threw a rod and would need the Engine replaced. It had about 95500 miles on it. Universal Hyundai called and said Hyuandi would replace the engine as goodwill with a rebuilt engine and It will cost me $1300. after 65 days in the shop they said I can pick it up. Drove it 11 miles and it broke down again. got it towed back to Universal Hyundai. They said it was the start and alternator and it will cost me $2000. My car is 4.5 hours away from where I live. The month before I had to have both sensor assy- oxygen replaced, they changed me for that also. In February of 2022 the Catiliyst Convertor was replaced, which was covered under warranty. I maintained my oil changes.

- Crawfordville, FL, USA

problem #216

Feb 032023

Santa Fe

  • miles
My family was driving down a busy state road at around 45 mph when the engine stalled. Seconds before the engine stalled the check engine light came on leaving no time to react.There were no other warning lights to indicate a problem leading up to the incident. Thankfully with what control we had left of the vehicle we were able to maneuver into a shopping center. Though we were able to stop safely we found ourselves facing the wrong direction in the shopping center right of way. The police arrived to direct traffic in the area around our vehicle as we waited for the tow truck causing major congestion leading out into the main road. The car was towed to the Hyundai dealership for inspection. They diagnosed the problem as a rod bearing failure in the engine. At only 65,000 miles this type of engine failure without any warning from the cars systems is unacceptable and dangerous.

- Winter Springs, FL, USA

problem #215

Jan 162023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Oil consumption bulletin, piston slap, engine failure causing vehicle to shift into limp mode while driving at 70 miles per hour.

- Columbia, TN, USA

problem #214

Jan 162023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The car lost all power in he middle of a busy 4 lane highway. Was able to coast to the shoulder. Engine light came on had car towed to mechanic. I then took car to Hyundai an they told me it had to do with update. Got car back an less the 6 hours later the car went into limp mode not exceeding 2000 rpm. Took the car back an now they are claiming the piston has dug into cylinder wall an need new engine.

- Columbia , TN, USA

problem #213

Nov 122022

Santa Fe

  • miles
On 11-12-22 my Sante Fe stuttered and came to a stop on a busy highway. On inspection we found there was no oil in the engine, there was no crack in the oil pan and otherwise no way for the oil to leak out. We did all the maintenance on schedule according the Hyundai's recommendations. My two young kids, my husband and I were stranded on the side of the highway for hours until we could get the car towed to the nearest dealership. Clearly, an engine seizing on the highway is very scary and unsafe. Hyundai is aware of the excessive oil consumption and did not inform consumers, putting lives at risk. The car is sitting dead in a dealership and in the mean time has been vandalized, the steering column was busted and the lift gate was disabled. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and an insurance rep is scheduled to inspect it for the damage from the break-in. Insurance has already said the engine is our problem because it wasn't caused by an accident but by manufacturer defect. There was no warning that the engine was consuming excessive oil, it just seized. Hyundai is requesting a tear down of the engine so they can determine if the engine will be covered. I fear they will find a way to not cover a new engine, when it was clearly a manufacturing defect. My families lives were at risk because of Hyundai's disregard for their customers.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #212

Jan 252023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The vehicle suddenly lost power and acceleration while on the highway. The service engine light began flashing. I was able to drive it to a safe location, though only at a low rate of speed. I had the vehicle was towed to a local garage. The error code indicated a knock sensor error. Hyundai is aware of this error and problem, but will not address the issue until it reoccurs. Also, the garage indicated that the oil "looked dirty", so they changed it, though the vehicle was not yet due for an oil change.

- Dover Foxcroft, ME, USA

problem #211

Oct 012022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving on the highway the engine started to knock, the oil and/or engine light did not come on. Then the vehicle was undrivable. The mechanic stated the engine popped and that this occurs with Hyundai's and Kia's.

- Plymouth, MA, USA

problem #210

Jan 052023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I had been driving my 2017 Santa Fe SE (6cyl, 3.3L engine) for approximately three hours when the battery, oil, and engine lights all lit up and the engine shut down immediately. I'd had no prior warning of an issue and lost power/control of the vehicle in less than a minute. My vehicle was towed to my mechanic who determined a complete engine failure. Tranfer of vehicle to Hyundai dealership for evaluation for work under warranty confirmed the engine failure.

- Litchfield, NH, USA

problem #209

Oct 152022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Was driving vehicle on highway at 70 MPH. No warning lights came on, vehicle began to decelerate with no warning. Vehicle has been maintained regularly, and was current, and full of oil at time of incident. Once noticed the vehicle was decelerating, with danger of surrounding traffic, I moved toward the shoulder to reach a somewhat safe place to come to a stop. Vehicle would not turn over after we came to a stop. There is a recall which other documentation from users online describe a similar occurrence. Hyundai dismissed the connection and currently is making it difficult to deal with issue.

- Lathrop, CA, USA

problem #208

Dec 152022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Car began to smoke from engine compartment. Stopped car in a driving lane on interstate 78 where construction barriers had closed both shoulders. Car then burst into flames. Car was a total loss before fire trucks were able to arrive. Just prior to the fire the Warning light for the abs system malfunction appeared on the dashboard.

- Cragsmoor, NY, USA

problem #207

Oct 102022

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was 3k miles out from an oil change and had no oil in the well. Took it to dealership and was told to come back in 1k. Went back in 1k was told everything was fine, no need to come back. 2k miles later, tamper seals in place oil light flashed and I went straight to dealership. Again, no oil in the well, seals in place. They changed the oil and told me I have to keep coming back every 1k miles for 4k more miles! There is no evidence of a leak. The engine is obviously burning oil and is unsafe at this rate.

- Towson, MD, USA

problem #206

Jan 042023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Vehicle was being driven and there was sudden loss of power. While vehicle limped to side of road, check engine light turned on. Noticed oil leaking from beneath. Vehicle was towed to Hyundai dealer and they confirmed a new engine is needed but will not replace because mileage is 5,000 miles passed the 60,000 mile warranty for 2nd hand purchasers. Being quoted $14,000 to replace engine.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #205

Nov 202021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Vehicle had excessive oil consumption causing catastrophic engine failure. No check engine light came on. Engine stalled on interstate.

- Demossville, KY, USA

problem #204

Aug 182022

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving, my engine with less than 59,000 miles and under 5 years old seized, as I was approaching a left hand turn across 2 lanes of traffic in morning rush hour traffic. I had lost power I had nothing. Miraculously, I was able to navigate my vehicle to a safe area. When I got out of my car to determine why I had lost everything, I discovered oil pouring from the underside of the vehicle. I has no indication that there was a serious issue brewing. My check engine light has come on 2 weeks before. I made an appointment immediatly with Hyundai the soonest they could look at my car was almost a month out. I took my car to Autozone and they hooked my car to the diginostic computer and it showed the ABS issue that is currently recalled. I had the car towed to Hyundai and they determined the engine had completely failed and refereed the loss of power as Limp Mode. The engine failed due to the faulty components that Hyundai has been knowingly using for years. These components break down and cause metal to flood the engine eventually causing the engine to seize. I could have been killed and others could have been killed as well due to the negligence of Hyundai. The vehicle still sits a dealership, as of today, My warranty company has approved a full engine replacement no thanks to any help or concern of Hyundai.

- Lithia Springs, GA, USA

problem #203

Sep 012022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Passenger airbag constantly coming on when there is a passenger, and when no one is on the passenger seat. Oil light has been flashing/ lighting up and going off. I told several service members about this problem, they all shrug it off. One said I could pay $150 for diagnostic test, but why should I pay when they know what-€™s going on with it" This seems to be a common issue with this vehicle, so why can-€™t I just get my car repaired and the company do right by consumers who have trusted them"! I thought the oil light coming on meant time for an oil change- even though it-€™s only been 2-3 weeks -because no one at my dealership where I get my car serviced mentioned it meant something more serious, like I-€™m LOW on oil... CONSTANTLY! This has been happening and my records at the dealership show I-€™ve been coming almost every two months for an oil change. I recently spoke with someone from the dealership in Daphne, Al and they told me they couldn-€™t help me AT ALL, not even the oil consumption tests because I-€™m not the original owner. Basically denied me of a service! How rude and inconsiderate, especially when I-€™m still paying for a car that potentially has engine problems. I paid for the extended warranty as well. Now all of a sudden, yesterday morning, on my way to work, my car was jerking/ missing like it doesn-€™t want to accelerate-€¦ and also when I was reversing! This is my only means of transportation to and from work. Thanks for reviewing my complaint and I hate I have to complain bc I love my little car. Just wish the dealership/ Hyundai would understand this isn-€™t right and might need to take these cars off the market or recall and fix! Please help!

- Fairhope, AL, USA

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