Table 1 shows one common power train related problems of the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Power Train problems |
Enterprise car sales sold me this vehicle when it had 3 open recalls on it. The vehicle itself was a problem from the beginning. When I took it in for it's first oil change the mechanic told me it had no oil in it. He said they sold me a car that is notorious for consuming oil and or seizing or blowing up. I had the engine replaced on this car already and I just took it in for it's first oil change and it was already consuming oil. I want a new car but enterprise is telling me this is my problem.
Car stuttered and would not rev past 2k rpm. Blinking check engine light appeared code was for known connecting rod failure for all theta engines for our 2018 sante fe. Hyundai is trying to get out of covering the cost of repair or replacement even though this is a very well known issue and is covered under warranty.
Excessive oil burning even after replacing the motor once before.
I am writing to formally request your review and potential intervention regarding a serious and potentially widespread mechanical issue involving Hyundai vehicles, along with the manufacturer’s refusal to honor their well-advertised 100,000-mile powertrain warranty for subsequent (non-original) owners. I am the current owner of a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [xxx] ) that is experiencing a continuous variable valve timing (cvvt) system failure, which has led to a critical engine malfunction. The estimated cost of repairs exceeds $7,000, an unexpected and significant financial burden. Despite the vehicle being well within the 100,000-mile threshold, Hyundai has denied warranty coverage solely on the grounds that I am not the original owner. This policy effectively strips coverage from second-hand buyers and, in my view, is misleading given Hyundai’s extensive advertising of the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. It creates a false sense of long-term reliability and warranty protection. This is not an isolated case. Numerous complaints have surfaced from Hyundai owners experiencing similar catastrophic engine and powertrain failures—including cvvt malfunctions, rod bearing issues, and engine seizure—raising serious questions about: the safety and reliability of Hyundai's engine systems; the fairness and transparency of Hyundai’s warranty terms and advertising; potentially systemic manufacturing or design flaws impacting thousands of vehicles on u. S. Roads. I respectfully urge the ntsb to review whether such defects present broader safety implications and to assess whether Hyundai’s current warranty practices reflect responsible corporate and consumer protection standards. Please let me know if additional information is required, including repair estimates, maintenance records, or correspondence with Hyundai representatives. I appreciate your time and attention to this matter that is affecting many vehicle owners beyond my individual case. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (fo.
All of the bolts that hold the cvvt assembly backed out and one came completely out. It punctured a hole in my valve cover. Oil sprayed all underneath my hood and leaked out on the road. The car went into limp mode while I was driving, and had I not already pulled off the street, this would have caused a multiple vehicle accident. I had the vehicle towed to the manufacturer dealer and they confirmed the issue. The only warning lamp that came on was the check engine, and that didn't happen until I had already pulled over. Thus all happened within a matter of 10 minutes of driving.
•year/make/model: 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe •mileage: ~91,502 •date purchased: April 2023 description of problem / safety concern: I am reporting a safety-related engine defect in my 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The vehicle has developed engine knocking, metal shavings in the oil, and potential timing chain/bearing failure, all of which create a serious risk of engine failure while driving. The vehicle was purchased at 50,855 miles and currently has 91,502 miles, demonstrating that these serious engine defects developed at relatively low mileage. I have attempted to have the issue addressed under Hyundai’s extended warranty, referencing the txx8 service bulletin which provides specific instructions for inspecting, diagnosing, and submitting claims for this type of engine defect. Despite this, two Hyundai dealers have refused to inspect the vehicle or submit a warranty claim: •Hyundai of trenton refused to inspect or submit any claim. •a second Hyundai dealer demanded nearly $2,000 in fees ($195 diagnostic, $550 additional, $1,200 bearing test) and then denied coverage citing “no codes,” even after acknowledging metal flakes in the oil filter and noisy valve train. I have also contacted Hyundai corporate three times (two online complaints, one phone call), but the company continues to direct me back to the dealers without resolving the issue. Safety risk: the ongoing engine defects jeopardize vehicle safety and could result in catastrophic engine failure while driving. Based on research and reports from other owners, these issues may affect other 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles with similar theta ii engines.
There has been an ongoing issue with oil consumption and engine failure with my car. The engine didnt give any indication of running hot on the dashboard. It just shut off while driving. I've been to the dealer a few times with no help. On 8/4/2024 my car cut off in the middle of traffic with my daughter in the car twice. It took 3 hours to cool off in 90 + degrees heat. Oil wasn't in the spark plugs but they keep getting shorted out. Oil burns and the engine stalls. I have to replace it which I did but my car shut down. We could've been in a bad accident because it wouldn't drive off immediately. We were stranded on a 2 way country road. This is all horrible because again, we could've been involved in a bad accident on the road we were on. After 5 1/2 hours it finally started and 2 people had to trail me home.
Engine failure/ the check engine light comes on and it powers down,it has been in the garage 3 times for the same reason. I have a lifetime warranty on this motor and Hyundai will not cover it, I purchased an extended warranty and they won’t cover it either. Get told now that it is fixed for now come drive it around it might make it. Or maybe it will only make it to the red light but you will have to take it to a Hyundai dealer. That we got thrown out of once because they were not submitted any paperwork . Need help I have been with out a car for 8 months and have made car payments and insurance payments.
I got my oil changed 98,161 March 1 2024 at mechanic shop mechanic shop checked oil March 29 2024 at 98,867 a total of 706 miles driven since last oil change. They added 2. 5 quarts of oil. So I did my own research online found out the Hyundai 2018 Santa Fe sport turbo 2. 5 theta engines has excessive oil consumption problems that will cause engine to seize/lock up, catch on fire, and other mechanical problems. I have an extended warranty txxi and txxc. Oil consumption leaks into the pistons and rod bearings and will cause a knocking in the engine. The oil is already in spark plugs and pcv valve which I replaced. But it will continue to keep happen over and over. I don't want my engine to catch on fire with me in it or at all that's why I am proactive in getting this solved now its already a problem. I contacted wilson Hyundai dealership they did an 2 month oil consumption test oil change I had to drive it for 1000 miles it failed. Then they did combuster chamber cleaning I had to drive it for another 1000 miles it failed again. So they submitted claim to corporate that I needed an engine. Corporate declined saying I was over my miles they had the wrong mileage it was a way just to deny me but dealership had correct miles so they could not follow through with that lie. So corporate made dealership send another claim in this time corporate denied it saying I was over my warranty. No I was not I started this at 98, 867 miles when 2. 5quarts had to be added. I also had to wait a week to get into wilson dealership because they were backed up in appointments I was at 100,212 miles and so where other hyundia dealerships others were 1-2 months out in appointments. I had to be in a rental car for 2 months had to pay for it and still pay car note paid for oil testing which I was told I would be reimbursed for repairs and car rentals but they did not honor it nor did they pay goodwill pay for all of my inconvenience 2 month long testing and it failed and they still denied/ lied.
My car cut off in traffic 1 week ago and almost led to an accident. This has been an ongoing issue that I reported 2 years ago with the engine consuming too much oil and ot has been leaking. I have to constantly purchase have oil and spark plugs.
We took our 2018 Santa Fe in for service because the check engine light came on and we lost power when accelerating. We were told that it has "catastrophic engine failure" and that we need a full engine replacement. On a less than 5 year old car. We are being blamed for this although we have kept up with regular oil changes and service. We were told that we could not get any warranty on the engine. We have been quoted $7,500 for an engine "replacement" and a 1 year warranty. They do not make the engine any longer so it is not even a true replacement. We brought it in to Hyundai of metairie. They will not answer or return our calls. Do not buy a Hyundai.
Engine burned 3-4quarts of oil within 3,000 miles. Can result in vehicle failure while driving in city or highway. Vehicle has had all manufacture recommended service and issue started under warranty, but manufacturer has declined to repair issue.
My car is burning oil. Took the car to the dealership where an oil consumption was complete, a chamber cleaning, and then another failed consumption test. Hyundai will only cover 60% of the engine replacement because I am the second owner. I think this is unacceptable, how do they think they’re only 60% responsible for selling cars like this? if I didn’t find this problem out when I did, I would have been stranded on the side of the road or I could have even burning my apartment complex to the ground. Someone has to do something about this, Hyundai is knowingly selling faulty cars and allowing the resell of these cars with no intention to ever cover the damages. My extended warranty will not cover anything because there is no cause of this problem. There is a class action against Hyundai over this that should be settled soon, meanwhile, these car dealerships are selling these used Hyundai/kia timebombs. ? meanwhile, I’m putting a quart of oil in my car every fill up of gas, I owe 4 years on the car still, and I’m stuck. I included my email correspondence with the heartless Hyundai rep. . . I'm not even sure this is the right spot, I just don't want someone else to fall into this same trap as I did.
April 17th 2023 my cars decelerate, wouldn't accelerate above 60 mph and would randomly decelerate as low as 15mph. The check engine lightvwas constantly flashing and the rmp wouldn't go above 2. I called motorworld and Hyundai. Motorworld said I needed a knock sensor replacement. They replaced the knock sensor. I called Hyundai again to see if I could be reimbursed. They said no. Hyundai then told me that because I paid to replaced the knock sensor my engine was now covered for life. A I ri 14th 2023 the exact same thing happened to my car again. I had it towed to motorworld. A week later I was told that they recommended an $800 oil consumption test because they said the oil was very low. I told them that my oil light never came on. The car was failing. I told the that I just had an oil change and that I thought the prior mechanic cheated me out of oil because my oil light came on 2 weeks after getting an oil change. This whole week I've been going back and forth with Hyundai this problem with is noted on websites. I was told that there is nothing they can do. I asked them to replace the motor. This is an engine problem and the engine is covered under power transmission and because I paid to replace the knock sensor. However it is not the knock sensor. The car did what it was supposed to do if tge engine is in danger of failing. So why did the charge me $583 for the knock sensor replacement and now they want me to pay $800 for an oil consumption test. It's obvious that the vehicle is consumption oil. There are no oil leaks. I spoke with Hyundai again yesterday. I told her that Hyundai needs to replace the engine and I feel that they stalling and putting me in danger. If this happens again I'm in danger, especially on the highway. Motorworld called to confirm that I was told on several occasions that because I paid for a knock sensor my engine is under warranty for life. Motorworld tod her that it's not. This occurred in April and again 5/14/23.
Was driving and car turn off on me and wouldn't start I got it towed to Hyundai and they said my engine went out it had oil and everything we don't know why can stopped working has been sitting in my drive way for 3 years because we don't have 13000 that Hyundai told us.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 mph, the vehicle stalled and decelerated to 55 mph despite depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle was not able to accelerate past 63 mph and that the check engine warning light was illuminated. A local dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall under the VIN. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who made her aware of an unknown recall, however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
2018 Santa Fe sport had been leaking a few little oil spots in my garage . First noticed the problem at about 80k miles. Took it for an oil change and the technician told us he had a lot of complaints on this model vehicle. Fast forward a few months at our next oill change (3 thousand miles later) and the technician told us we were almost completely out of oil. We took the vehicle to the Hyundai dealership and we were told there was nothing wrong, no oil leaks detected. We were then having to bring the vehicle in to the oil change place in between regularly scheduled oil changes and top off the oil (sometimes taking 3-4 quarts in between oil changes). Coming home from the ballpark a few weeks ago we exited the freeway and the vehicle started shaking and losing power and the check engine light came on. I coasted in to the gas station and checked the oil and the dipstick was bone dry (except for the oil that looked like it had burned to the dipstick). I bought / put in 2 quarts of oil and limped the vehicle home. Took the vehicle to the local Hyundai dealership and now we are being told we need a new 10k dollar engine and now that the vehicle has almost 120k miles it is no longer under warranty. Everyone I have talked to about the issue says this is a common thing for this make / model and that the engines need to be replaced. How is there not a recap for this? any advise / assistance would be appreciated.
Oil light does not come on despite being completely empty of oil. After oil changes the oil is burned and empty at 500-600 miles. Hyundai dealership did a consumption test and said yes their is a problem but won’t fix under warranty. They also stated it is a defective known engine problem but Hyundai won’t fix.
At 118,000 miles downhill brake, transmission and 4 wheel drive were damaged from the Hyundai dealership not fullfilling warranty. They disconnected my tow hitch and my transmission was burning . . Smelled like a bon fire. Took me 1 year to repair and have transmission changed through warranty but they didnt change the other components that were damaged due to negligence from the Hyundai dealership. The dealership was very rude and didnt dedication their attention or care to truly finding what was wrong with my vehicle.
The complaint is in regards the acceleration from either a rolling slow or from a stop to merge into traffic or open lane next to you on the freeway. When you need accelerate I'm getting a severe lag or noresponse from the accelerator. In the last two weeks I've had two occasions where I needed some quick acceleration in order to avoid a bad situation and the car just basically didn't accelerate causing the other drivers to have to brake in order to avoid a near collision. I've been complaining about this issue with this car now since I purchased it. Took the car to the dealership and had one of the service techs drive with me said well it was in the eco-mode so you can expect that but I'm here to tell you that it is unacceptable that when you push on accelerator the car dangerously hesitates and is going to get somebody badly injured. So today it happened to me again on northbound I-5 in tacoma, wa, I was trying to get into another lane in stop and go traffic I had accelerate quickly the car just severely hesitated for 1-2 seconds and did nothing??. After this incident I drove the car directly to the Hyundai dealership in renton washington and told them that I would not drive the car anymore until somebody looked at it that there was a severe safety issue and that somebody was going to get hurt badly. It appears that many people are having the same issue. . I have a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe ultimate 2. 0 all wheel drive. I tried testing it in sport mode to see if the performance would be a little bit better and it did also hesitate in the sport mode as well. When you punch the accelerator from a creeping speed or a rolling in slow traffic and wanting to accelerate to a different lane or coming out of a parking lot onto oncoming traffic is really when you notice issue. This is a safety concern, please advise. Thank you.
Occasionally stalls when stopped & take off & turn right or left at a slow speed. . One t ime died completely able to pull over & restart engine. Happens on city streets. The dates it stalled are 9-14-18 10-5-18 10-18-18 11-16-18 11-28-18 12-04-18.
Tl the contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle hesitated and would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
I have been stopped at a single light (on a state highway) and waiting to turn left but when I accelerated the vehicle did not go. But in a second it took off but I braked because by now it was not safe/clear to go. Also, when I use cruse it goes down hill while raising the rpms (always), this is my third Hyundai vehicle therefore I have never had this happen before.
I was slowly crossing three traffic lanes and turning left. No one was coming from the right, so I applied the throttle in the inside lane and nothing happened. The car stalled without warning. It left me in the road and I was t-boned in the driver's door. The other driver was injured, and I have had neck issues. We could have both been killed. The car had stalled once before. I had the car two months with 2,400 miles and now it was declared totaled. I requested the black box to be removed and reviewed. It showed the speed and timing made sense, but why did the car not take off? I got the ticket - "failure to yield from a private drive". Very, very frightening. I did not call the Hyundai dealer to tell him about the crash until I had bought a new car of another brand. No more Hyundai ever. The biomechanical engineer who read the black box requested I contact you after I fully explained the situation. If you need pdf files, I will have to figure out how to send them.
New car with less than 400 miles. I have experienced 7 episodes during the month of January, where the car fails to accelerate when turning onto a city street. This has happened with both right or left turns to enter traffic from a stop sign. It is just unresponsive for 1-2 seconds then engages with a bit of a jerk. Very frightening! I've had a feeling of panic not knowing if the car will move forward as traffic is approaching. Took to dealership where they checked for dtcs and computer updates. Since the problem is unpredictably intermittent, the road test did not replicate the problem, and they returned the car saying it "drives as designed". There is definitely a safety issue that should be resolved before releasing the car. I have lost confidence in the car I had hoped would be safe and problem free.