8.0

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
450 miles
Total Complaints:
1 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (1 reports)
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problem #1

Jun 062021

Santa Fe ES

  • Automatic transmission
  • 450 miles

Bought the 2021 Santa Fe as a replacement for a 2013 Toyota Camry XLE (fully loaded). Thought I was doing something nice by upgrading the family vehicle to something that seemed like it held its own against the competitors. We bought our 2021 Santa Fe just before a family road trip from VA to MI which we all wanted to be comfortable due to the length of the trip. It was fairly comfortable until around mid-trip when the engine shut off while driving 70mph in the middle of the mountains in PA. No Warning, No Check Engine lights, no alarms, just shut down. I tried to press the ignition start button but it would not function until the engine was in park, gave no warning or alarm when I pressed it, the button just wouldn't respond.

At Shutoff, going ~70mph, I had: Zero acceleration Zero power No blinkers No Instrument Cluster (LED Cluster screen installed)

The only way I could signal to merge onto the shoulder was to turn on the hazard lights and attempt to merge from the fast lane to the shoulder, completely crossing faster traffic with no blinkers to guide my merging and warn other drivers on the highway.

Instrument cluster turned white as if it was being reset and music was still playing in the car Bluetooth connected to my phone.

Conditions of the vehicle during shutoff:

1. Adaptive Cruise Control was on, set to 3 car lengths of distance. 2. Lane Keep Assist was on 3. Lane Departure Warning was on 4. Bluetooth was connected 5. Navigation was active and guiding

Once I was able to merge to the shoulder, I shifted into park and sat there for about a minute while I tried to calm my family down from what had happened so unexpectedly. After a minute or so, I was able to start the vehicle back up and nervously proceeded back on the highway to continue on with the rest of the trip.

I immediately contacted Hyundai when I returned to VA and explained the issue, they took the vehicle into the service department of the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from and began checking the vehicle for issues. The dealership kept my vehicle for 2 days and drove it "120 miles" but were unable to recreate the problem. They stated that all the systems checked out and there was nothing more they could do.

Both the 2018 and 2019 models have similar issues with engine shutoffs and many have even reported their engines igniting entirely from this problem, most of them occurred very early in the ownership, within 4K-7K miles. My issue occurred at around 470 miles, only within a month of ownership. It's hard to believe that I am the only one with this issue with my 2021 Santa Fe.

I have 2 active case numbers with the Hyundai Corporate office to attempt a resolution because I truly do not feel safe in this vehicle with my family. They have done nothing to help me and state that if the problem isn't replicated with their service department, there is nothing more they can do.

I hope that this will give other owners the drive they need to submit their own problems, especially if it is similar to mine and maybe then Hyundai will make an attempt to recall this vehicle and get this situation resolved before someone gets killed.

- nscsfnsff21, Burke, US