general problems of the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe - part 1

After driving the vehicle around all day, I parked it and turned it off and then it set on fire.

The engine powertrain system, specifically the internal engine lubrication, timing chain, and camshaft sensors. The vehicle's theta ii engine suffers from systemic, excessive oil consumption, which starved the engine of lubrication. This caused the timing chain to stretch and mechanically fail, and compromised the camshaft sensors. The vehicle is currently un-repaired and is available for inspection upon request at Hyundai of downtown la. While driving, the engine suddenly stalled and completely shut off mid-drive without warning. This caused an immediate loss of motive power and a dangerous reduction in steering and braking control while surrounded by active traffic. Operating a vehicle that randomly shuts down on public roads presents an extreme, life-threatening safety hazard to myself, my passengers, and other drivers. Furthermore, the dealership is attempting to force me to drive the vehicle for an additional 1,000 miles in this stalling, un-repaired condition to complete a corporate oil test, compounding the safety risk. The failure and safety hazard have been physically confirmed and diagnosed by an authorized dealership: Hyundai of downtown la (3850 s figueroa st, los angeles, CA 90037). Their service department mechanically diagnosed the physical failure of the camshaft sensors, a stretched timing chain, and severe engine oil starvation. There were absolutely no dashboard warning lights, check engine lights, low oil pressure lamps, or messages prior to the engine stalling and shutting off. The vehicle computer failed to trigger any diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) or dashboard warnings to alert me to the low oil level or the impending mechanical timing failure before the vehicle completely shut down mid-drive.

The vehicle is a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. It had previously been included in an engine-fire-related recall/service campaign, and Hyundai replaced the engine between approximately October 2024 and January 2025 at about 113,000 miles. About 10,000 miles and 14 months later, the vehicle developed engine/performance problems. A Hyundai dealership service center performed about $6,500 in repairs, including installation of a new transmission, and represented that the engine and transmission had a lifetime guarantee. One day after the vehicle was returned from the dealership, the engine compartment caught fire while the vehicle was being driven. The fire rapidly escalated, the vehicle exploded/burned, and the vehicle was destroyed down to the frame. The occupants escaped, but the incident created an immediate risk of serious injury or death. The failed component appears to involve the engine, engine compartment, fuel/oil/electrical systems, transmission-related repair area, or another drivetrain component. The vehicle remains may be available for inspection depending on insurance/tow/storage status. The vehicle had recently been repaired and inspected by a Hyundai dealership service center. This incident raises concern that the recall-related engine-fire risk, replacement engine, recent dealership repairs, transmission installation, or related components may have failed and created a serious fire hazard.

I filed a complaint when the first engine seized. It's a miracle we got off the road safely that day. While it was at the dealership, the engine was replaced with a used engine and covered by my extended warranty from vroom. I believe the cost was approximately $14,000. I was told the engine had around 30,000 miles on it. I've put around 20,000 miles on this engine and the same thing happened again. This time, the engine had been knocking for a few months. When it started knocking, I took it to the dealership because the new extended warranty by Hyundai was in effect and I assumed it would be covered. Immediately, autonation Hyundai in savannah, GA said it would not be covered because it was a used engine. I don't understand why when the engine can be traced and the mileage known by the number on the engine. On xxx, my [xxx] granddaughter took her driving test in the vehicle. About 2 hours later, the engine seized with her driving. We were on the same road and it was about the same time of day. Once again, it was a miracle we got off the road safely. I just talked to Hyundai and we'll see what they say. From the stories I've seen, they'll do anything they can to avoid covering these engines and they get away with it. The people who get hurt the most from this are the ones who can least afford it. I'm a [xxx] widow raising my 5 grandchildren by myself and believed I was getting a good vehicle, mainly due to the report by consumer reports magazine. Even after the first engine failed and was replaced, I still wasn't in a financial position to get another vehicle and assumed if something happened again, it would be covered under the extended warranty Hyundai was made to provide. Obviously, that means nothing. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Purchased a used Santa Fe in January 2026 with 129k mile and at 131k my vehicle's cel came on and did not function properly while operating. While driving the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 mph when I pushed the gas. I pulled over to get out of the way of traffic and avoid any accidents. I shut the car off and sat for several minutes before restarting my vehicle. It successfully restarted and I drove home and parked it. I ran cel diagnostic and received the code p0021. I had the vehicle towed to the local Hyundai dealer and they also pulled the same code and indicated I have an oil consumption issue explained as follows "timing over advanced. Timing components driven by oil pressure. Inspected cylinders and borescope and found cylinder wall scoring and faulty piston rings. Radiator has crack causing coolant leak. Engine will have to be replaced to remedy oil consumption. Radiator will need to be replaced to remedy leak. " resulting in over $12k of repair work. The vehicle's temperature gauge did not indicate any abnormalities nor did the oil light come on to indicate any oil consumption issues. The vehicle was driven from the dealer to my home within city limits/speed and has not replicated the acceleration issue but the cel remains on as the repair is too costly and is more than what was paid for the vehicle.

My car only has 93,000 miles on it. I was driving home from work and all of a sudden the check engine light came on while I’m on the freeway. I made it home and went to research then all of a suddenly the check engine light would just start flashing. I got it checked by a mechanic. They said that there was metal shavings in the oil which I have no clue how that would happen and that there was a code for knocking.

The engine seized up and Hyundai refused to approve my claim al though I had the extended warranty. Reason for the denial because a recall in 2019 was not performed. I had purchased the vehicle in 2023 used from rick case Honda.

Rod bearing failure while driving, engine made a clanking noise. Engine made a loud bang and shut off. It was difficult for the driver to get control of the vehicle and get it to the side of the road. Engine threw the rod and piston through the oil pan causing catastrophic internal damage. The oil had been changed the day prior. The company that changed the oil sent an inspector to evaluate car at the scene. He stated this is a known problem with this engine. He pulled up pictures of other cars that had the same problem, also took pictures of the car oil pan and compared the pictures, they were exactly the same. Car was towed to Hyundai dealership that is refusing to replace the engine.

Beginning about a month ago, I noticed a rattle upon the engine start up that lasted for a 1-2 seconds then stopped and everything sounded normal. I thought it could be b/c of the cold weather. I went in to get a routine oil change on 03/11/2026 and they said the oil looked fine, but it was about a quart low, indicating it was burning some oil somehere. They said to check in in a few months and they would top it up if needed. I asked them about the rattle and they thought is might be from a bad (timing chain tensioner) but said I should get it checked out. I called on Friday 03/13/26 to schedule an appt at my local Hyundai dealership on 03/17 . The night before(03/16), I was driving my vehicle and suddenly on the road, I heard a loud noise in the engine, and the power shut off, the engine and oil light came on and I just had enough time to pull off the busy state route. My car would not start or turn over. I had it towed to the dealership and they did determine that it was a "rod bearing failure" that caused the engine to sieze. I provided them evidence of my oil changes which from 10k-93k miles on my car since I have owned it. I have had the oil changed 10 times. They are saying they only allow 8k between oil changes to honor the warranty and have initially denied my claim. The service associate at the dealership said my valvetrain was 'somewhat' dirty, but nothing to where it was the cause for this issue. And since it was the rod bearing that failed, the exact part that was recalled, he was surprised they were not even offering any good-will offer, to split the cost of the engine replacement. I have reached out to Hyundai consumer affairs and am waiting to hear back to see if they will be fair and work with me on this to honor the warranty issue or at least share the cost burden for this "well-known" failure in their engine.

Connecting rod bearing failure, stated a recall was active but it hadn't been assigned to my vehicle. Vehicle went into engine failiure and does not have appropriate measures to prevent engine failiure. No warning messages prior to engine failiure.

The engine light started blinking and my car would not accelerate anymore. I took it to the mechanic immediately, who said that there was an engine recall. I contacted the dealership, but they cannot do an initial inspection for more than 2 months. It would likely take another 2-3 months after the inspection before the engine can be replaced. I called Hyundai and they confirmed that my vehicle should be covered under an extended warranty based on the service history and error code from my car (txxi for the theta 2 engine - knock sensor detection, code p1326). However, Hyundai will not provide any help until the vehicle is inspected by a dealership. The dealership completely refuses to look at my car as they are busy. I live on an island, so the only other Hyundai dealership is two hours away. They will not answer any of my calls. I'm expected to figure out how to commute to work alone for the next two months, but since I live in a rural area, there are no alternative transportation options. An independent mechanic confirmed and reproduced the issue. The car is unsafe to drive. The dealer will not inspect my component in a reasonable time frame, much less repair it despite the fact that it is covered under extended warranty. The car was driving normally prior to the issue, and I did not notice any problems until the engine light started blinking. I have the car available for inspection.

I turned off the car and went inside the house. I was outside and could smell smoke. I walked to the front of the house and saw my neighbor who was calling 911 due to flames from my engine. The flames reached the yard and my garage where minor damage occurred. The vehicle was completely engulfed in flames before the fire department extinguished it.

While driving the vehicle at approximately at 55 mph on a the 826, the engine suffered a sudden and catastrophic mechanical failure without warning. The vehicle lost all motive power in active traffic, creating an immediate safety hazard and nearly resulting in a rear-end collision. Upon inspection, it was determined that the engine assembly, which is a replacement unit provided by Hyundai under the theta ii settlement, with less than 12,000 miles, suffered an internal breach. This breach allowed coolant to contaminate the lubrication system sort of a milky oil, which led to a connecting rod bearing seizure. Despite this being a repeat failure of a safety-recall component and the vehicle being covered under the theta ii settlement lifetime warranty, Hyundai motor America has denied the repair claim. I am reporting this as a safety defect because the sudden engine stall resulted in a loss of power-assisted steering and braking while the vehicle was in motion.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. While driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road; and the check engine warning light illuminated. A handheld scanner was used to retrieve dtc: p1326 (ksds – connecting rod bearings failure). The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the rod bearings had failed, causing engine failure. The dealer notified the manufacturer of the failure; however, the manufacturer declined to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer informed the contact that the prior owner had submitted a complaint regarding the failure in January of 2024. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

Six weeks ago the alternator and battery had also been replaced. My Hyundai Santa Fe sport turbo engine, exhibited a persistent rubber-like odor for approximately three weeks after the latest maintenance. During this period, the push-start button intermittently failed, requiring multiple attempts to engage, and the vehicle experienced noticeable shaking. After being parked, smoke began to emerge from under the hood, followed by visible flames. Within roughly 3-5mins minutes, the vehicle was completely engulfed in fire and blew up 6 times. Notably, the car had undergone significant repairs in the past year, including an engine replacement, starter, oem parts, O2 sensors, brakes, valve cover gasket, new tires, and routine oil changes.

There was no low oil indicator light, no smoke, and no oil on the garage floor. My wife was driving the vehicle on I-285 in atlanta, returning from the atl airport, when the vehicle began to lose power and started jerking and surging; the check engine light began flashing. She had to take surface streets to get home because the loss of power made the vehicle unsafe to drive on the freeway. When she arrived home, I checked the engine oil dipstick and it was completely dry. I took the vehicle to the garage that performs my oil changes, and they mentioned this is an ongoing issue with Hyundai—the vehicle is burning oil. The low oil level caused the knock sensor to trigger, which in turn caused the check engine light to flash and reduced power in an attempt to protect the engine. I never received any notification regarding a recall for this issue, and now my motor is more than likely damaged since I can still hear knocking when the engine runs at higher rpms. My vehicle has over 100k miles, and I have never had an issue with it until now.

2916 Hyundai Santa Fe sport has an open recall of 953 for engine bearings knocking. It has been inspected. Yes, safety was put at risk, motor could lock up while driving causing a wreck. Yes, tim shorts Hyundai did confirm the engine was knocking. No lights were on in the vehicle. Was started sitting in the drive way, when the engine started knocking.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle decelerated and failed to respond as intended. The contact coasted to the right side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to start. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the vehicle was scheduled to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on four occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 mph. There was a burning odor coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had previously been replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

September 3rd, 2025, my engine failed, for the second time and left me stuck at a busy intersection, in the middle lane and can't move. The first time my engine failed (2022/same vehicle), I was about the get on the highway and it just stopped in the middle of the road right before getting onto the highway. Both times I've had to get out in traffic in order to move my vehicle. I'm causing a stop to traffic or a stop in the flow of traffic. In September when this happened, I had cops, mechanics and pedestrians stopping to help (thank goodness), but that caused a stop in the flow of traffic. Any of us could have been struck by a vehicle. It was also around 10/11pm at night there is an open recall on my vehicle and more specifically, the theta ii engine in my vehicle. It does not show when my VIN number is put in, but it's nationally known that there is an open recall and also a class action suit that was just settled in 2021 granting all customers with "class vehicles" a lifetime extended warranty on the engines. They make it so that it's not that easy to just search and see there is a recall, but there is. My car has been at the Hyundai dealership since 9/4/25. So, yes it has been inspected by the manufacturer, and they confirmed that the diagnostic came back as positive for the recall. Yes, my check engine light would come on and off starting the end of 2024. Starting in April of 2025 I started having smoke come out of my exhaust and oil burning in days. All the while I have no puddle of oil underneath my car. I took it into Hyundai at that point, and they told me until my engine light was flashing and my car had stopped, they wouldn't be able to do anything in regard to the engine. Now my car has been there, I've provided service receipts that show proof of regular maintenance, I have the ksds system installed, and they are denying my claim to replace my engine.

Engine siezed, causing me to have to tow my vehicle. I was moved in the military to germany in 2019, I had to have no open recalls on the car before I shipped it overseas. I completed a recall on the 5th of January 2019. On the 10th of January, Hyundai activated another recall on the vehicle. I was unaware of this recall and shipped my vehicle to germany on the 16th of January 2016. The car returned from germany in September of 2023. I had zero issues with this vehicle while I was over there, no check engine lights, no warning lights, nothing. I always changed the oil when told to do so, and when I returned from germany it was the same thing, no issues and always completed oil changes when it was needed. I had no idea of the recall, Hyundai was sending it to an address I no longer lived at. I had no reason to take my vehicle to Hyundai to check for recalls. On [xxx], my vehicle engine stopped working at 84622 miles, and Hyundai said that it would be covered under warranty, but because I did not complete the recall that was activated on the 10th of January 2019, they denied the warranty and now my car is worthless. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My engine failed at 113,000 miles. It just sounded like a diesel truck when I started it one day. There were no warning messages at all. It did not have any power above 45 mph. I took it to a Hyundai dealer and showed him the extended warranty letter I received from Hyundai. The letter said my specific engine should qualify for an extended warranty. However, the dealer (castle Hyundai of downers grove, IL) said because my engine failed due to timing chain failure and not connecting rod failure, Hyundai would not honor the extended warranty. That infuriates me! Hyundai should honor the extended warranty because their engine failed and it wasn't my fault. They know they have an engine problem but because my engine didn't fail exactly the way they projected it would fail, I'm screwed out of using my car. It also meant I had to purchase a new car which obviously wasn't a Hyundai. I hope you can push Hyundai to provide me financial relief or at least expand the engine warranty for others.

My 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe lost all power, shutting off and stopping abruptly in the middle of the road with no warning lights or “limp mode” being set off requiring my partner and I to push it into someone’s driveway with our two children in the car to get them to safety. We took the vehicle to a mechanic shop where we were told that to engine was seized and needed to be fully replaced with an initial quote starting at 8 thousand dollars for a replacement engine. I contacted my local Hyundai dealership and was told over the phone that the vehicle would be covered under Hyundai service bulletin txx8 that was issued last year due to ongoing issues with this engine (3. 3l v6 lambda ii). We paid to have the vehicle towed to this dealership only to be told that the warranty would not be honored due to a lack of maintenance records. I was able to provide Hyundai with all maintenance records from my ownership as well as records on the carfax report. They rejected the claim again stating that due to a lack of records not from my ownership they won’t cover it. After looking at the records I had access to again in critical detail I was able to find records that Hyundai missed, but they are unwilling to reevaluate the claim without me providing what they call additional records. I have contacted Hyundai, to try and resolve the issue and have gotten no resolution. The prior authorization team has stated that I have “adequate records” but still insist on denying the claim. The dealer has quoted me $12,000 for the repair that the warranty should be covering due to the engine not being manufactured in full anymore due to the issues that have come from it. The dealership (and private mechanic) would have to order individual pieces of the engine to build it themselves on site. If this engine is a big enough problem that Hyundai cannot provide a full engine replacement at market value then it should not be operating on the road at all.

My engine seized at approximately 80mph on the interstate [xxx] ). The engine light came on only after I lost power. I only avoided a multiple car accident due to quick reaction and taking an exit ramp. Police came to my stalled vehicle and helped my push it off a major road to a nearby parking lot. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

As we were driving down the interstate we began to see smoke coming out our vents and after a few seconds saw flames coming from the passenger side of car. We quickly tried to pull over but brakes weren’t working. Safely pulled into grass median. Luckily we were able to quickly exit through the driver door. After about 30 seconds the car was engulfed in flames.

I need to replace engine block assembly and the following codes p1326 c1207 c1210 c1211 c1206 c1208.

Subject: engine failure due to bearing defect – no ksds recall notification vehicle: 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport VIN: [xxx] date of purchase: April 2016 complaint summary: I am filing this complaint regarding my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport, which experienced catastrophic engine failure due to the known theta ii gdi engine bearing defect. Hyundai has an active class action settlement covering this defect, which requires owners to install the knock sensor detection system (ksds) update to be eligible for free repairs or the lifetime warranty. Despite owning my vehicle since April 2016 and holding clear title in my name for over 6 years, I never received any notice or communication about this required software update. Hyundai’s records still list the prior owner, hertz, even though I have maintained valid registration and insurance in my name since the purchase. This lack of notice prevented me from having the ksds update installed before the engine failed. I understand this defect does not show as an open safety recall on the NHTSA database because Hyundai classified it as a product improvement campaign under the class action settlement. This does not change the fact that it is a known safety hazard and Hyundai failed to properly notify me, which denied me the chance to protect myself and my vehicle. I believe this is a major safety concern because the engine can stall or catch fire without warning. I am requesting that NHTSA hold Hyundai accountable for failing to properly notify current owners and ensure compliance with the class action settlement. Desired resolution: require Hyundai to honor the warranty and cover my engine replacement in full. Investigate whether Hyundai is failing to properly notify owners about this critical software update. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The vehicle lost power, and the engine started to make a knocking noise, and the check engine light came on. I plugged in the obd2 scanner and the p1326 code came out. It was a knock sensor that needed to be replaced. I replaced the sensor that the issue got worse. I looked up online about this issue and then I found a video of that explained the incident. The manufacture of the crank at the factory did not properly clean the holes of the oil passages. When they machined it, all the files they don't clean them good enough, so they go to one side and plug up the oil passages and it doesn't get oil. We were on the highway when this issue started and it lost power. The problem has not been solved because the Hyundai dealer and the corporate office did not want to help me with this issue. They claim that my title is salvaged but I contacted the dmv, and they confirmed that my title is clean and there is no issue. The second time they said the vehicle was used as a rental and that automatically disqualifies the vehicle's warranty. The vehicle has not been inspected. No warning at all until the day it happened. I just purchased this vehicle seven months ago for seven thousand dollars and this happened.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

See attached document for complaint.

Engine oil runs out quickly.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn after the vehicle was idling, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer decided not to deny the claim for assistance with the engine replacement. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the same diagnostic information was provided. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,322.

This is my 2nd engine on my 2016 Santa Fe sport. My car has 190,000 miles and had a catastrophic engine failure, it’s been at the dealership for 2 months. Hyundai said my lifetime warranty on my engine is not covered cause I had a misfire in the #4 cylinder with less than 2,000 miles on the spark plugs. Hyundai warranty department only spoke to the dealership directly and had me speak to a case manager (which did nothing, they never even talked to the warranty department only the dealership) so in December I dropped my car off, it took over 2 weeks to take pictures and send them in to Hyundai warranty department, a week later Hyundai asked the dealership to further take the engine apart and get pictures of the rocker’s. The dealership is down to 2 technicians and said they will get to it when they can (remember I’m without a car and waiting for approval for my engine so they can get me in a rental car while my engine gets replaced). Over 3 week later the dealership finally sends the pictures in of the rocker’s, I know cause I called and asked the dealership. I then asked why does the warranty department need pictures of the rockers for my engine failure (misfire in 4th cylinder) and they said to check for sludge. They also pointed out my engine isn’t bad and don’t have sludge so the warranty department should approve my engine replacement. A week later my case manager called and said that they will only approve 50% and I said no there a lifetime warranty and I’m the original owner, so they went up to 65%. I feel betrayed by the dealership, case manager and Hyundai warranty department for not honoring the engine replacement knowing there’s a class action law suit due for failing rod bearings which they said wasn’t the issue. How would they know? the rod bearings are on the bottom of the motor and if they took it apart they would see that was the cause, but they say they don’t warranty misfire’s yet tens of thousands of Hyundai buyers are having same problems. Help.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The contact stated that the engine and oil lights illuminated whenever the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cause of the failure was due to the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the pistons were not covered, and the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The dealer instructed the contact to continue to drive for 1,000 miles and come back to the dealer for an evaluation. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.