10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 11,256 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.
I was driving home Friday August 29th 2025 around 10:30 am on I-70 W when I began to have trouble accelerating my vehicle. There were vehicles trailing closely behind me so I increased pressure on the gas pedal. I would feel my car forcibly trying to compensate and the RPMs on the vehicle increased significantly. The check engine light then illuminated and the car stedily beagan to decelerate although RPMS were increasing and the force on the gas pedal was at its maximum. I could no longer get past 30 MPH. The cars behind me had to quickly change lanes behind me to avoid rear end collision and I finally pulled over to the shoulder of the highway but it was a very narrow shoulder so my safety and the safety of those driving around were compromised because they could have easily resulted in a high speed rear-end collision that could have been fatal and the location of my car on the shoulder was not safe and I could have been side-swipped waiting for a friend to come get me and for me to move my car off hat narrow shoulder. I was frantic and very emotionally distressed by this incident because all the maintenance on the car was up to date and there was no check engine light on in the car prior to this incident. The unexpected and decelleration and inability to compensate on the highway was very unsafe. I have taken my car to the delearship and they have yet to address my engine issues or the safety concerns. The rep actually laughed while I was recounting the events. I also called hagerstown police department to have a police officer come out to the breakdown site because I did not feel safe but my frined arrived before the police.
- Hyattsville, MD, USA
Vehicle is shuddering/jerking upon acceleration due to a defect in the 8 speed automatic transmission. This condition was reproduced by Hyundai of Plymouth, MA and documented on the repair order. Dealer states that a new transmission is required to fix this problem. Safety is at risk due to shuddering upon acceleration which causes hesitation in acceleration. My Hyundai Santa Fe is available for inspection. There should be a recall on this vehicle.
- Bourne, MA, USA
When accelerating the transmission slips. My mechanic said Hyundai has a memo saying they are making a new torque converter due to these problems, and I will need a new torque converter. The torque converter is on backorder and according to my mechanic, will not be available for many months; thus indicating there are many other folks with the same problem. This is very dangerous when accelerating, as the speed drops off due to the slippage, and can put me in a dangerous position if I need to accelerate to avoid a potential situation. It has also presented issues from a dead stop, pulling out into traffic, where the slippage puts me at risk. This has been going on for quite some time, and my mechanic has been doing what Hyundai memos instuct.
- Apopka, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the turbo was replaced. The contact stated that months later, the vehicle hesitated and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where a part on the transmission was replaced; however, the failure returned, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and had the transmission replaced. The contact stated that months later, the vehicle began to sputter with an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light returned, and the vehicle was taken to the nearest dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
- Columbus, OH, USA
We have had our vehicle for over 2 years with routine maintenance. On 1/25/26 We were driving home and oil light came on then check engine light. The oil pressure the issue.
- Jonesboro, AR, USA
Transmission: yes, available upon inspection I own a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. I have brought it in for repairs on the transmission a couple of times. The check engine light has come on but the computer was not displaying the problem. I am aware that this is not uncommon for the year, make, and model. Recently, I was driving my car on a high-speed highway when the transmission went out. While suppressing the gas, the transmission slipped and would not accelerate. As cars were passing me on either side, my car decelerated and cars behind me came close to rear-ending me. Again, this was at high speeds and put my safety in jeopardy. I was finally able to find a gap in the cars and able to get to the shoulder but not after several minutes of unsafe conditions. After this incident, I brought it back to the service center and the computer analysis did display that it is an internal transmission problem. The service center has inspected the transmission. Yes, the warning lamps were displaying, first about 8 months prior. As stated previously, the actual problem was not displaying. Attached document is previous work done for transmission due to incorrect computer diagnostics.
- Ellicott City , MD, USA
Upon going for an oil change at Express Lube in Newton, NJ I was advised that there are multiple widespread & ongoing problems with a crack that forms in the oil pan next to the drain/fill plug. My vehicle was diagnosed with that very problem. I believe a a recall to should be done by Hyundai to replace these oil pans. Thank you
- Sparta, NJ, USA
My car just stalls at a stop ligth, no check engine light, no warning, and takes several attempts to start. It happened 3 times in two weeks one of those time while in the highway. One a the stop ligth and one driving in the neighborhood.
- Anchorage , AK, USA
Front CV Joint inner axle boot losing grease due to manufacture insufficient torque or poor quality of the clamp material.
- Hagerstown, MD, USA
For the past month my car has been stalling in traffic. The car stalls and then turns back on a few seconds later. It also stalls when I am accelerating after stopping for a red light. This situation is very dangerous and it means that I cannot drive my car expecting to be safe at all. It seems like the motor and the transmission are involved which makes the stalling very dangerous as those are major systems.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on various occasions while driving at various speeds with the automatic START/STOP function activated, the vehicle started losing motive power while the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was able to restart. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning light was intermittently illuminated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,500.
- Brooklyn, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving from a stop signal, the vehicle experienced a delay while accelerating. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking without warning. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently made a sudden stop without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 34,000.
- Crisfield, 00, USA
Was driving my 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and it completely shut off when I was stopped at a red light. Super scary! I could not get the vehicle to start again and had to call police to help. Had my hazard lights on but still felt very unsafe because there was traffic that had to go around my vehicle. Tow guy was able to get it to start again but said the transmission felt jerky. The vehicle was towed back to my home. Then the next day the vehicle was able to start and seemed fine. I had a friend drive it to the dealership while I followed behind in another vehicle. Half way there, it did the exact same thing. Was stopped at a red light and it turned off. The reason felt like a hard shift to the transmission. The engine would start but it would not shift to drive. It had to be pushed out of traffic. A few people stopped their vehicles to help push. After it was pushed to a safe spot, I had it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership. The dealership service tech thought it just needed a new starter. He installed the starter and some update software and claimed it was fixed. Picked up the car, drove it home and it seemed fine. The next day I needed to use this car to drive my three children to school (one of my kids has special needs). I felt the transmission jerking half way there and by the time we (thankfully) made it to the school parking lot, it did a hard shift and died. That could have been very scary and unsafe if we were stuck in traffic and it died! I had it towed back to the dealership. This time around the service tech said it needs a new transmission. It-??s a 2019 vehicle with 40,000 miles. It shouldn-??t need a new transmission. I don-??t feel safe driving this vehicle, especially with my three children!
- Glendale, AZ, USA
2019 Hyundai Santa fe first owner after each use of the Auto Stop/ Start feature is guaranteed that in 24-48 hrs the car will stall at stop lights and take anywhere from 15-20 min to restart. The power to the electronics continues but the engine can't restart from the stop. It appears as of the feature takes the power from the alternator, starter and battery and drains it until the car can be restarted. Once it starts it drives well until the system is engaged again. I have chosen to not use the system and the car has not stall however once the use of the Auto/ Start Stop system is engaged for a day or two it will stall the vehicle from a stop mostly at stop lights after so much time on standby mode while using the Auto Start / Stop system. Dealer can not recreate the issue.
- Fort Polk , LA, USA
We were sitting at red light in a busy intersection at night and the vehicle started hesitating and cut off. We tried pressing the automatic start and it kept hesitating and everything went black on the instrument panel.after 3rd time it started and we were able to get home. It started having more hesitation while to go up hills and low speeds. The automatic start /stop also stopped working in the vehicle. I also was having trouble with the blue link system, they were having to reset it each month until they decided to make a ticket for repair in which took a month or so in order for the engineers to see if it was default on there end. Then they decided to set me up for a appointment to have it looked at through Hyundai, which now they saw I have to have whole new head radio head unit with blue link and also a new transmission. Purchased brand new and it has low mileage and need transmission. I'm loosing faith in Hyundai!
- Burlington, NC, USA
The car has shifted a little rough about a week after buying the car and has gotten to the point it lunges you forward. It shifts so rough I had to go to the er for pinching a nerve in my neck.
- North Las Vegas, NV, USA
I have had issues with this vehicle since very shortly after purchase in June 2019. I have been without my vehicle three times due to service/warranty related issues - twice in a rental, and now the third time I am using a friend's vehicle. My complaints began with a "hard start" and a delayed turnover of the engine. The vehicle behaves as though it wants to stall out. Hyundai told me for months that they couldn't recreate the problem to fix it even though it happened 2-3 times minimum per week. Then the other things started going wrong...here is a short list for you over multiple visits and phone calls to the dealership: -hard start - vehicle jerks forward upon engine start -delayed turnover - feels like it is going to stall -vehicle engine ticking upon start -most recently, vehicle engine loudly knocking upon start -vehicle auto collision sensors malfunctioned and almost caused an accident on a busy 4 lane highway by causing my brakes to slam to an almost stop because the car in a lane next to me was turning (I was going 60mph at the time with no risk of collision). -apple car play malfunctions - sounds like wires are crossed (using apple charger and generic charger) -rear view camera stays on for 10-15 minutes at a time to the point that I have to turn off and restart the vehicle -while going 25-40 mph, at times, the vehicle will create a noticeable front end jerking motion -while the flight recorder was in me vehicle, it went off on an emergency alarm for over 3 hours and Hyundai's service team couldn't determine a problem -the gas cap door will not open or close properly -vehicle, on 5 occassions, would not respond to depression of gas pedal there are other smaller issues that I have expressed my concern over, and I no longer feel safe in this vehicle with my two small children have now been without vehicle for 30+ cumulative days
- New Port Richey, FL, USA
I have a brand new 2019 Santa Fe ultimate 2.0T leased in August with 1600 miles and I have already had the car in twice where they have had to recalibrated the transmission. Whenever I was at a stop or waiting to make a turn I would put my foot on the gas pedal and the rpms would go up but the car wouldn't move. I was almost rear ended a couple of times because the car wouldn't go into gear and move with the gas pedal pushed all the way down to the floor and then all of sudden the transmission would shift into gears. This should not be happening to a brand new car! looking at different models this seems to be an on going problem with Hyundai. I haven't been able to enjoy my car because it's been in the shop. They fix it and it works for a week or so and then it happens again. Something is definitely wrong! I was told if it happens again then they will call the main headquarters. They should be doing that already to find out how to fix it once and for all so I don't have to keep coming back. I hope you will look into this matter.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
The first time is was driving in the highway when the vehicle hesitated slowed down and I eventually had to get off the highway before it completely turned off. The second time this happened the vehicle turned off as I was mbv aking a right turn on the road.
- Hartford, CT, USA
- Roseville, CA, USA