10.0

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

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #102

Nov 232021

Santa Fe

  • miles
My Santa Fe-€™s verified oil consumption by the dealership is 5 qts every 3148 miles. I was told the oil consumption rate is within specification. I-€™ve had 3 oil consumption tests done, had pistons soaked and cleaned over 24 hour period, injectors cleaned, and had the engine cleaned with BG engine cleaner. There is black soot coming out the tailpipe, and no power when accelerating. I-€™m concerned the vehicle will fail while I-€™m driving and cause an accident. I have contacted Hyundai Customer Service and have a case number. I-€™m unable to get Hyundai to repair or replace this engine. Thank you for your assistance.

- Hixson, TN, USA

problem #101

Dec 202021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine starting acting up and consuming oil. Engine light came on @ 107000 miles. I'm first owner and have warranty until 150000. Need a whole new engine and have taken care of my vehicle since day one. My father is a mechanic and has taught us since we were little you have to take care of your maintenance and car. They are saying it was not taken care of and is normal wear and tear. One cylinder just does not go out. It would be all the cylinder misfiring at once. Mistreated as a women and also military family. No loaner offer and still waiting to see what will happen to my car since middle of December. I have all oil change records and maintenance done. I keep reports.

- Stuarts Draft, VA, USA

problem #100

Nov 052021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Driving started to smoke pulled over check oil full stick had a mechanic check the car said the engine has locked

- Charlotte , NC, USA

problem #99

Jan 082022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Motor was using way too much oil between engine oil changes. The vehicle only had 76,000 miles on it. My wife was driving to work when it stopped working. My mechanic said Hyundai was aware of poor engines. My wife was driving it and engine stopped working. Now have to replace the motor.

- Rochester, PA, USA

problem #98

Oct 162021

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving on the interstate with my 2 kids in the car and my car started losing power. I was able to coast off the exit and the car died. No warning lights, no smoke, no noises, nothing. The engine seized up. We provided maintenance records but Hyundai is denying its their fault or a faulty engine. They quoted us $18,000 for new engine

- Moseley, VA, USA

problem #97

Oct 242021

Santa Fe

  • miles
On Oct. 25, 2021 my family and I were returning from a day trip. I stopped to re-fuel my car and when I got out the engine was making a horrible noise. No lights came on, nothing indicated any kind of issue. I asked my husband and he said it is the engine and told me to turn the car off. We pushed the car to a safe space and took an Uber home. The following day I had the vehicle towed to the local Hyundai dealership. Within a few days I was told the vehicle failed a rod bearing test and that it was being submitted to Hyundai for review and hopeful assistance with replacement because the engine was done. It was indicated that because I had the larger engine and there were no recalls on that one it wasn't likely Hyundai would help but it was worth a shot to try. It took several weeks but Hyundai finally responded and said they would not assist. I was advised by the dealership to file my own claim and argue so I did. It took over a month to get a response from Hyundai despite multiple calls from me and Hyundai basically told me I was on my own. So, I have a blown engine in a vehicle I owe over $16,000 on that only has 103,000 miles. I have taken appropriate care of the vehicle and it has NEVER run low on oil. This is a catastrophic failure with no recourse. Hyundai does not make the engine any longer (gee I wonder why? ) and a remanufactured engine with a 1 year warranty will cost me between $8,000 and $11,000. I have been told by every junk yard within a 200 mile radius that the engine I am looking for is hard to find because they are generally purchased as they come in the door because of such a high need for replacement engines.

- Murrells Inlet, SC, USA

problem #96

Dec 162021

Santa Fe

  • miles
I have a 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport 2.4 Liter engine. On December 16th at 3am i was on the highway and the gas would not go above 65mph after i herd a clunk, but i did not hit anything in the road. 4 miles after that it started slowing down with all the warning lights going off. 3 miles after that off the highway onto a city street and 4 miles away from home the vehicle made a sudden down shift (it seemed) started to slow down after a sound of my engine clinking and sounded as some parts fell off. A half mile away from home it slowed to a walking pace and shut down. I looked under the vehicle, oil was everywhere, i looked under the hood and seen the same thing. After a half mile tow my mechanic of 12 years who inspects the vehicle and does all the repairs and oil changes three to four times a year stated the pins and rods under the engine fell apart and blew a hole in the bottom of the engine. My mechanic T.J.Burns at Burns Automotive, CarMax mechanic and Precision Auto all in Greenville, South Carolina said the 2.4 Liter engines from this manufacturer are known for blowing out and dying after 100,000 miles regardless of proper maintenance and this IS a a manufacturer's defect in their professional opinion.

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #95

Dec 142021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Excessive build up of sludge, even with proper maintenance.

- Lincoln , CA, USA

problem #94

Nov 252021

Santa Fe

  • miles
The owner had just left the driveway and was driving up the neighborhood block at low speed in the vehicle when another driver motioned that there was a problem with the car, pointing at the driver's side wheel well. The owner immediately pulled to the curb, exited the vehicle, and saw smoke pouring from the vehicle. Grabbed purse and moved a safe distance away. Spontaneously the car caught fire under the engine before the fire truck arrived 8 minutes later. Huge flames shooting from under the hood were captured on both video and photos. The car is a total loss. Had been well maintained.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #93

Aug 092021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Dealership suspects "Rod Bearing Failure" due to knocking, loss of power and metal flakes in oil. Just 400 miles before oil was changed at dealership with no mention of issue. Technician claimed it just didn't happen, its been going on for some time. There is no mention in any service history of 4 years between the 2 dealers that it was happening. Total engine failure will happen (engine will seize). It matches the recall done in November 2017, #168 by Hyundai on a "certain" Santa Fe with the 3.3L engines. If the engine seized while driving, it could have caused an accident. Hyundai Corporate said I was the 2nd owner, warranty ended at 60,000 miles... I am owed nothing. No warning light or knocking happened until the afternoon of 8/9/21. Then the dealership took possession at 1st available date 2 days later and inspected it.

- Georgia, GA, USA

problem #92

Sep 152021

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving the vehicle on a major city street at approximately 40 mph the stopped running not allowing me to move out of the roadway and almost rear ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was moved out of the road way and towed to my residence. It was found that the check engine light showed code P0014 and P0024 crank shaft issues which caused the vehicle engine to lose power. Vehicle was taken to dealer ship and manufacture was contacted. Note that there had been a prior recall for engine and crank shaft issues. Manufacture advised that the vehicle was out of warranty and that the VIN number was not part of the recall. Manufacture was not willing to take any other action to resolve the problem with the engine issues.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #91

Jun 302021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Had oil changed on June30 2021 and on July 3 2021 the engine seized without oil in it. Had it towed to St. Augustine Hyundai and put a claim for replacement engine and Hyundai denied fixing it 3 months later with no explanation. Anyone I talked to in Hyundai Corporate they couldn't tell me why it was denied. This is the only vehicle we have and now we have no vehicle to drive.

- Palm Coast , FL, USA

problem #90

Sep 112021

Santa Fe

  • miles
This is a Santa Fe Ultimate AWD with the 3.3 l engine. We were driving home and in our neighborhood when the car suddenly stopped with no warning. We had it towed to a local shop and were told the engine had completely seized and needs to be replaced. It was not low on oil and has been regularly maintained. Only 60,000 miles.

- Woodinville , WA, USA

problem #89

Sep 082021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Even though my check engine light wasn-€™t on my vehicle began to stall while I was merging on a major highway. A mile later the car began to smoke from behind made a weird noise and it completely stopped. Me and my 7 yr old stayed stranded on the shoulder of a highway while semis whizzed by at 80 mph. Called roadside assistance but no longer covered so couldn-€™t be helped while me and my families life was in danger. Case manager at the national office rude unsympathetic and hung up on me. My car is still with the dealer even though it is under warranty and has been with the dealer since September 8,2021 every time I call they give me the run around as I pay $1200 for a rental because they refuse to provide me with one.

- Gary, IN, USA

problem #88

Sep 052021

Santa Fe

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle loss power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Milford, DE, USA

problem #87

Aug 092021

Santa Fe

  • 74,400 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, a knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine bearings had failed, and metal particles were discovered in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V578000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 74,400.

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #86

Jun 012021

Santa Fe

  • miles
The engine warning light came on and Oil leak from engine, I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they thought it was an oil cap plug not put in correctly, they put it back in back in July 2021. But oil leak still happen and the engine warning light keeps turn on. Every day i have to check oil level to make sure it not go below the minimum and I keep on adding oil. I have go to the dealership and they unable to help me. I made repair issues know to them, and schedule several appointments and they keep cancel it, they say at this time they do not take any serious engine issues. The last appointment was made on August for September 4, and the Huyndai auto repair center cancel the day before, say that i have to find other repair shop to work on my engine problem. My car buy in October 2016, and currently sit at under 41,000 miles. The Engine warning light came up back in June 2021.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #85

Aug 292021

Santa Fe

  • miles
The engine in our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe SE 3.3L V6 has always had problems with lag/ hesitation when accelerating from a stop from the very beginning of ownership (first owner). This was always dismissed by Hyundai's mechanics as not actually existing, although it did lag constantly. I know many other have reported similar issues so, I include this only that it could potentially be an early sign of a manufacturers defect leading to larger problems later? Now, we regularly change the oil in our Santa Fe and have never seen a single warning light outside of tire pressure warnings. But on 7/29/21, with our vehicle just out of warranty at 112k miles, while accelerating to freeway speed from an on ramp at 60 mph multiple warning lights came and at the same time there was a very large bang from the engine and a large amount of smoke came from under the hood, enough to seriously affect the vision of drivers behind me. There was a very rapid lose of speed and I also observed things falling from the vehicle in the rearview. I luckily managed the vehicle to the shoulder and quickly got out. I thought vehicle was on fire, it may have been, the smoke kept up for 5-10 minutes. At this point the car would not start or run and a large pool of oil and or coolant formed underneath. It was towed to a Hyundai dealer and the prognosis was a broken connecting rod that had blew a large maybe 5" diameter hole through the bottom of the engine. And now, despite providing proof of recent oil changes, Hyundai has dismissed any manufacturing issues from causing the issue and sighting the problem was from lack of maintenance because of sludge in the engine. Although to my understanding sludge can also be produced rapidly when contaminants, like coolant, from bad valves or head gaskets, enter the oil. When I asked about this the technician literally just didn't answer. So, now we currently owe $7k on a vehicle needing repairs at the quoted price of $8-$14k and Hyundai has closed our case.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #84

Aug 032021

Santa Fe

  • miles
The engine lite came on, there was a lost of acceleration, the vehicle stalled when slowing down for a stop light or stop sign, There was a ping noise evident with the engine. I didnt trust the vehicle had it towed to the mechanic. The mechanic noted you have only two quarts of oil in the engine. This mechanic performed all routine maintenance, rotations, oil changes, checking fluids etc. There were no signs of oil leaks and or burning of oil with the exhaust. I then sent the car to the dealership for their own review. They confirmed the engine failure and the ping noise was the rod due to lack of oil. The dealership files a claim with Hyundai #PA102790, the claim was denied and still has not provided a reason for the oil loss which was the reason for the failure of the engine. There were no indicator lights noting low oil pressure or the engine is overheating, the engine lite came on in the morning and just like in A MANNER OF COUPLE OF HRS the engine started the symptoms noted above. The dealer ship gave Hyundai's complaint line, but after reading the problems associated with the Engines with the sante fe what is the point to call them?

- Schaumburg, IL, USA

problem #83

Jul 202021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine made a loud pinging noise. No warning lights appeared. I had it towed to dealer and they said that metal shavings were in the oil and the engine is shot and needs to be replaced. Car had 95,400 miles. Hyundai denied warranty because I was second owner after ignoring me for approximately one month and they never did reply to me directly, only to the dealer. How can so many Hyundai engines not last for over 100,000 miles?

- Marriottsville, MD, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »