7.6

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,322 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 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe:

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

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #7

Jan 012023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I have noticed for the past year that my steering column feels loose. It makes a popping noise and really makes noise on rough pavement. I feel like the steering wheel is just gonna come off into my hands. It's very loose to turn and you can feel the pops within the steering wheel. I took my car to local repair shop and they told me there was a recall and that I should take to dealer. I called dealer but my Vin # is not listed within the actual recall. However I read the recall itself and that is what is happening to my Hyundai. It makes no sense that my exact Vin # would not be included in recall since I am having that problem.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #6

Aug 152018

Santa Fe

  • 1,100 miles
6 months after I purchase a brand new 2018 Santa Fe grande my vehicle start cutting off when I turn the wheel a certain way I reported it to the company it will not detect on the machines so they cannot fix it so I'm stuck with a car that continue to cut off and nobody knows why

- Lancaster, CA, USA

problem #5

Nov 062019

Santa Fe

  • 10,200 miles
Steering exhibits "stiction" after driving for 20-30 minutes. This becomes worse as speed is increased. Small movements of the wheel produce no steering effect but resistance is felt. When the resistance is overcome, the result is slight over steer. Under these conditions it is difficult to drive in strait line as constant corrections and re-corrections are required back and forth. The effect is that the steering feels to "freeze" until a minimum break out force is applied, resulting in an overshoot past the intended point. It is similarly necessary to apply a positive return to center force to return to strait, as the normally present self centering feel is not present for small steering angles. The problem can sometimes be detected after being at rest for a few moments but is not intrusive at slow speed. However, from ~40 up it is very tiring to stay in lane. Have worked with one dealer who performed a SAS calibration with no improvement. They claim "cannot reproduce" but spend most effort trying to persuade me that the steering is normal. However, the issue did not show up until ~ 10,000 miles which included long road trips on the interstate with no issues. Have referred issue to Hyundai Consumer Affairs who have asked me to work with another dealer - currently waiting for a call back.

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

problem #4

Oct 312018

Santa Fe

  • 18,000 miles
When driving the vehicle on the highway at speeds higher than 60mph, the steering wheel seems to stick in one position and jerk when you try to adjust the steering in the slightest.

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

problem #3

Sep 262018

Santa Fe

  • 6,954 miles
Yesterday when I was teaching my vehicle I suddenly marked steering wheel on the board. And on the brakes every time I put the emergency parking brake it makes a loud sound on the left rear side.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #2

Apr 232018

Santa Fe

  • miles
We leased this new vehicle on April 21st 2018. At the time, we did not know it had an open recall for a faulty and dangerous steering wheel/column connection. We were finally notified by the dealership 2 days after the sale on April 23rd, 2018. Atlantic Hyundai of islip, NY told us that they themselves were just notified of the recall, but through a search I located articles showing that Hyundai motors began notifying customers on March 16th, 2018, over a month earlier. My wife and two children were allowed to drive off the lot in this vehicle, which could unknowingly experience a separation of the steering wheel from the steering column while being driven. We would not have leased this vehicle if we had known about the recall and because they lied, stating that they had just gotten notice of the recall.

- Smithtown, NY, USA

problem #1

Mar 162018

Santa Fe

  • 8,000 miles
Steering becomes unstable during driving on windy days. Steering trays to over compensate for wind and becomes scary to drive.

- Cullman, AL, USA