Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
My horn stopped working. Not under warranty but I believe it is a safety issue. A replacement horn is not available and not under warranty. Online search revealed this is a common issue.
Replaced horns a couple times, after doing research, this seems to be a deeper and ongoing issues with this car ok a larger scale. Horns die out or stop completely, causing multiple replacements.
The dealership I bought it from (vineland Hyundai) I have had trouble with before where they say they fix things and they don’t. Last year there was a recall for the back camera not working. I took it in and supposedly they fixed it. Well, a few months later, the camera does not work at all and the problem issues with it is exactly what the recall says. I contacted the better business bureau and the dealership and even though they have it in the system as completed clearly it was not done or it would not done correctly and right now I have no back camera. They refuse to help. I seriously doubt this was done at all being I’ve had issues with service said they did things before and did not. I even asked Hyundai if I could get this done at a different dealership that is more trustworthy and they refuse to help. I’m hoping you may be able to intervene and have them actually do this recall correctly.
Horns stopped working entirely. Car was crossing into my lane and I attempted to honk horn and no sound. No warning lights or messages on dash. Is available for inspection. No inspections conducted currently.
Horns assemblies are failing repeatedly. Since ownership of the vehicle (2023 and a cpo platinum wrap), I have had to replace a single horn, or both horns three times with local Hyundai dealerships. Mostly the right horn would fail, then the left. I am currently making efforts to have my vehicle’s horns serviced for the fourth time as they are not working. I have been to my dealership on Dec 16, 2025 & Jan 15, 2026, to have the horns repair to no avail. In December, a diagnosis was performed with no action. Yesterday, one part (horn) was not available, and I was quoted a fee of $400 to perform the task. This is extremely concerning as this is not a consumable part or fluid. This is a required vehicle safety item. There are TSB's for other models in the Hyundai line with similar failure of horns ( TSB's: 24-be-018h & 25-be-005h). These failures have not been covered under the Santa Fe line or the other remaining Hyundai models of similar years of production and experiencing like failures of horn assemblies as of this date.
The horn on my 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has completely stopped working. This is a severe safety hazard. I recently attempted to warn another driver who was drifting into my lane but was unable to, forcing me to swerve and nearly resulting in a head-on collision. The horn failed without any warning. After researching online, I have found that this appears to be a known issue with the Santa Fe model and Hyundai vehicles in general. I am requesting a diagnostic and repair as this is a safety feature failure that could lead to a serious accident. Please let me know if this issue qualifies for a recall. Thank you.
The car horn stopped working very suddenly, without any prior warning, while I was driving. The car has around 36000 miles on it, so the horn dying out was a surprise. Driving without a functioning horn has also become a safety issue. I have an upcoming appointment with the dealership to diagnose and fix the problem.
I am writing to formally report an issue with my vehicle that I believe may warrant a recall investigation. The issue involves the fuel door, which is failing to open after the car has been turned off. This has occurred repeatedly and is preventing me from refueling the vehicle, posing a significant inconvenience and potential safety concern. Despite ensuring that the vehicle is unlocked and powered down as instructed, the fuel door remains stuck and will not release. This malfunction requires manual intervention or technical assistance each time I need to access the fuel tank, which is not only frustrating but could also become hazardous in certain situations. I would appreciate it if this matter could be reviewed for possible recall consideration or guidance on next steps. Please let me know if additional documentation, including my VIN or service history, is needed.
The horn has failed and been replaced 2 times after purchasing from brand-new. It has failed again but the vehicle is now out of warranty.
Horn stopped working on my 2021 Santa Fe. Reported to dealer and they confirmed that both horns (high and low?) were broken. There was no indication that the horn was malfunctioning. It worked and then it didn't.
I bought this vehicle brand new in 2021. It failed its first safety inspection in 2022. I was asked . . Did you know your horn is not working? took it to the dealer and was told this has been a common issue, the relays are freezing and popping in the cold. Have lots in stock because of this issue. The service dept has stated on each replacement parts are in stock because this happens all the time. It has now become an annual replacement for me. I just had my third set of horns in 3 years installed on 1/21/25. So for one this is a vehicle safety requirement to pass inspections in nys. Two: I dont know my horn isnt working until I go to use it because I need to in a dangerous situation and its dead. There is no fix other than replacing the horns which is a huge inconvenience since closest dealer is 30+ miles away and can be weeks before they can get it in. There also has been no recall on this. My repair invoices are available in required.
I hadn't been begging Hyundai to help remove a public safety risk for years ! today, the service lady witnessed my car have a severe safety defect. Although initially offering a rental car, ultimately denied due to my inability to provide insurance until the 1st. My insurance is valid until tomorrow. N they refused to provide the rental without the insurance being dated for 4 days from today. The man in the service office asked if I needed a ride home!? suggesting I drive the car home. Hyundai has witnessed this cars emergency parking failing, and are aware that this car has rolled out of gear two times, w my son in it !!?? until today, claiming unable to "duplicate" the defect. And unable to "substantiate " my claims due to not being able to duplicate the deflect. They duplicated the defect today. The car no longer has a safety system, that safely parks the car, when the door is open. The safety system fails, at more then half of the attempts,engage and the car will roll in either direction with the car door wide open the service department duplicated the defect today. They claim to have documented the defect . I would like to believe they will finally do what is right. . The realistic fact that they have chosen to disregard the safety of the community, and refuse to offer the rental car, is extremely dangerous to the community and neglectful to the laws of the safety act and my consumer rights. With now, two (not at fault) rollaway accidents , insurers are refusing n to provide coverage for the vehicle. Some only offer liabilit, or want 4 xs the quoted rate. Hyundai is aware that this car is defective. . Hyundai has a recent consent order, for over 54 millionth dollars, for untimely recalls and falsafying reports to the nhsta . They are now, as they then, are in violation of the safety act and the nhsta consent order with kia in the theta ii engines class action the purpose of the safety act, is to prevent serious injuries, from known defects before.
Rearview camera does not work (signal loss message appears). I nearly hit 1 adult and 2 small children that were passing behind my vehicle in a parking lot. I felt the need to report this even though a recall is being put into place. I have an appointment already to have the camera repaired.
The fuel door release button on my SUV has stopped working. It is a press and spring opening fuel door. While trying to get gas, it would not open, prohibiting me from putting gas in my car. (may 18, 2024) I went to the dealer on a Saturday in an emergency instance and while in the lane, because the shop had no openings, the technician had to remove the inside trunk panel and other trunk parts to separate the fuel door compartment from the car to get the fuel door open. He put tape over the door engaging mechanism, so it would not engage and become stuck closed again. There is no inside car release button for my model. Also, there was no indication in the health stats in the my Hyundai mobile app. I scheduled a service appt for the following Friday and received the notice that the part (fuel door release button) was on backorder with no eta. (may 24, 2024). While speaking with the service agent, she mentioned that another 2 customers had this fuel door problem. (no details). This poses a problem for me because I have been driving with my fuel door open. Someone could tamper with my very expense SUV by breaking my fuel door completely off, chiffon my gas out, or putting something in my gas tank.
While driving and must stop due to traffic light, stop sign or intersection and the auto start is on as soon I lift the foot foot from the brake pedal to continue driving the vehicle stumble and it completely stop the engine while the vehicle transmission is still in drive. In order to start again I have to switch transmission to park and turn key ignition switch to start vehicle, it start again and I can continue. While driving and must stop due to traffic light, stop sign or intersection and the auto start is on as soon as I lift the foot from the brake pedal to continue driving the vehicle stumble and it completely stop the engine while the vehicle transmission is still in drive. When I take the vehicle to the dealership the service writer writes on the computer but they do not allow me to see a copy of what I am reporting. I like my vehicle, I just want it to be fixed and me and my two daughters be safe when needed after a mandatory stop due to traffic signs, intersection driving through or any other emergency stop and go due tragic and or road condition.
This vehicle has to replace car horn 3 time unsafe to drive this vehicle have opened repair . Unable to get load . Have to walt for service day . This vehicle have only 14000 mile I am disable person.
April 2022 my 2020 one, Honda Santa Fe started rolling backwards in rolling to a flagpole as I was walking away from the car. I tried to to catch up with the car. It had my family inside screaming. But I was unable to stop it from slimming into the fireplace. I let Hyundaiusa know. They recommended that I take the car to the dealer. They promised to reimburse me for rental car after the diagnostic came back. They found nothing wrong with the car and never paid for the reimbursement now September 2023. Same thing just happened again. I was in mcdonald's drive through and I drop my debit card so I got out to get my debit card. I got out of the car and had to close the door and as I bend down at sensed the car start starting to pull away. The car once again started running away for me. I was outside the vehicle, but I was able to jump in the car and apply the brake before it slammed into mcdonald's. I have made a police report. And I have a witness from mcdonald's that saw the incident. I had already reached out to the attorney general's office about the first time the car rolled away from me in April 2022. They claim that my Hyundai found nothing wrong with the diagnostics. There was no argument I can make except for being called a liar. The mechanic did a little demonstration showing us how the safety mechanism in the Santa Fe makes it impossible for the car to roll out of park if the doors open or. How it's impossible. Even if the door is open, it shifts back to park. If you hit the drive button with the doors open it automatically shifts to park. . . So there's supposed to be "no way. The car can shift out of park into drive or neutral. " it rolled away in 2022 April, and it did it again September 2023.
The panoramic sunroof which is made of tempered glass is a large piece above the back passenger. There is also a small piece above the windshield. The sunroof sits in between these two pieces (not made of tempered glass). I noticed a crackling sound driving my daughter to day care on Friday August 11. I couldn’t figure out what it was. The next day I was on the highway, my husband driving our car and my toddler in the back when there was a loud pop like a gunshot. We pulled over assessed the car and realized the panoramic roof was shattering. We drove it home and realized the front piece above the windshield was also shattering and there was no impact. I googled this and apparently it’s happening to a lot of people and the dealerships aren’t helping saying it’s not a manufacture defect when in fact it is. There was no impact that caused this. Anyone else would have lost control of the car and crashed hearing that loud pop or if the shade was open we could have had glass showering down on us. This is unacceptable if anyone would have mentioned this would happen I would have never bought this vehicle. I filed a claim and state farm paid the claim to have it replaced but this car is only 2 years old and it should be under warranty and this is a definite defect. Please google panoramic roof shattering and see what comes up. I don’t think enough people have reported this although some people have commented that they have so I’m not sure if this is currently under investigation. If not please help.
My transmission keeps slipping. I was on freeway this time and it slipped out of gear but it was like I pushed all the way down on pedal the rpm went way up so I had to wait until it slipped back into gear to be able to continue on down the freeway. I backed up traffic for a minute because I can't put on gas until it goes back in gear.
From what I have been told there is no recall on this issue. Purchased a Hyundai sante fe hybrid 2021 brand new in 2021. I live in la quinta California summers are especially hot. Temps can be anywhere from 105 to 120 . Only had the car for 6months when in light came on saying inverter needs coolant this has been a problem for the past 2yrs. Checked with Hyundai service department my coolant is fine air conditioning works well. This not a safety issue but should be fixed and Hyundai is doing nothing about it. Many complaints have been ignored.
Whenever the weather gets above 80 degrees outside my car put a notice to refill inverter coolant, when everything is filled max line. I’ve mentioned it twice to the Hyundai service and both times the employee told me not to worry about it and it is a sensor issue. That is unacceptable, I live in las vegas, nevada where temperatures on average in summer are 90+. That’s a big risk an unnecessary danger to have my car engine over heat and stop in the middle of no where and potentially leave me stranded or worse cause an accident or fire. On top of that I have to see the message every day in the summer temperatures, without any way to remove the message. This will be the 2nd summer I’ve seen this message appear in my car, and I’m tired of the dealership & their car service staff telling me this is nothing to worry about… especially on car not even 4 years old!.
After jacking up the car to do a tire swap from winter tires and wheels to the oem tires and wheels on the front passenger side using the factory supplied scissors jack the vehicle rocked slightly, causing the jack to fall over and the vehicle to drop. I had already completed the tire and wheel swap on the driver side of the vehicle without incident. At this point the lug nuts were loose but had not yet been removed, so no damage to the vehicle occurred. This event happened in my garage that has a flat concrete floor with an epoxy coating. I was not touching the vehicle at the time. The vehicle was in park but the electronic parking brake was not manually set (not sure if that can be done). I believe the transmission (8 speed dct) allows too much movement fore and aft before engaging the parking pawl that locks the front axles and prevents movement. Also, due to the height of the vehicle, the scissors jack must be extended near the very top of the maximum lifting height to raise the tires about 1/2" above the ground level, where the jack is naturally the least stable. I used wheel chocks on the opposite diagonal corner for the remaining wheels. The jack sustained a bent threaded shaft but otherwise appeared to be ok and the support arms did not seem to be bent. I will be replacing this jack with a sturdier unit soon and will not use this one again, however I will keep it in case in its needed for examination.
There were 2 instances where my vehicle stopped. Once I was driving 15mph and it said “put car in park”. The 2nd, I was driving 45mph and the vehicle said “step on the brake to start car”. I have also had 2 instances where my odometer just keeps going up and down. He 2nd instance, the car was making a ticking noise and hazard along with other lights were flashing.
Front sunroof shattered on the interstate at 80 mph. There were no other vehicles near me and it was an unobstructed road (no bridges crossing the road) temperature was 40 degrees and sunny.
Gas pedal stops working while driving down the road. Happened 3 times. Will work again after awhile. Dealership can't find what's wrong with it and so Hyundai and the dealership said they can't fix it.
On December 28, 2022, we were driving 70 miles per hour on route 75 in the third lane of a four-lane highway from michigan to tennessee. In ohio, the vehicle lost all drive power without warning. As it decelerated, we were able to maneuver the vehicle to the breakdown lane, narrowly avoiding other vehicles around us driving at 70 miles per hour. We do not know what caused this to happen. After several hours on the side of the highway, the vehicle was towed to jeff wyler Hyundai in fairfield, ohio. They have not been able to diagnose the problem as of today.
The manufacturer has not issued a remedy for this recall #22v746000 since the initial filing of the recall on 10/6022.
The vehicle will not move forward or reverse, when drive or reverse is selected. The car has been at the dealership since 10/11/2022. I was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. No one in the Hyundai organization (including the dealership) can tell me when replacement will be.
I have been aware of this safety defect/recall for over 2 months now yet Hyundai has no remedy planned thus placing owners and others on the road in serious danger. This is unacceptable and I wish to file a formal complaint with the NHTSA. (NHTSA recall number 22v-746).
While on a high speed highway in new jersey the transmission suddenly lost power and the car was unable to move. It had to finally be towed to the Hyundai dealer on 7/26/2022 where it remains awaiting a new transmission. Neither dealer or Hyundai corporate has any information as to when new transmission will arrive and be installed.
I keep my vehicle backed into my single car garage. I have had 3 incidents in the last couple of months beginning of mayish to now, where I start the vehicle, put it in drive and it does not drive. Twice it started to reverse and today it acted as though it were in neutral. I've taken video of the last 2 incidents showing that drive is selected, the dashboard and the birdseye camera. My dealership is working to resolve but has stated to plan on my vehicle being there for awhile. This seems to be quite dangerous. When I turn the vehicle off and restart it, drive works.
The passenger door has a sharp edge at the bottom exactly like the palasade Hyundai recall. Both my daughter and my 82 year old mother have gashed their ankle on the door. In the case of my mother she was lucky we did not need stitches! I have a picture of the injury. I made a case submission to Hyundai.
While driving on the interstate where no other vehicles were within eye view and no overpasses my sunroof glass exploded. It sounded like a gunshot and it wasn’t until I heard the glass rattling above my head that I realized where it was coming from. Luckily I had the cover closed so majority of the glass was caught by that. The incredibly loud noise startled me tremendously and could caused a collision because of my focus being taken away from the road. The shattered glass was in my lap, on my hand, in my hair ect. Causing small cuts with the potential to cause serious harm had the cover not been closed. No, it has been several weeks almost a month and the dealer is requiring confirmation from corporate case management before it can be assessed. Corporate has been “escalating” my case yet a caseworker was not assigned my case this whole time and once a caseworker was finally assigned on 7/8 I had yet to hear from them so I attempted to call on 7/11 and was given a further run around. I am riding around with a plastic bag and tape fastened to my car to hopefully prevent water damage from occurring going on a month now. The bags are so loud when driving that they prevent me from being able to hear what’s going on with my surroundings on the roadway which is unsafe no.
Refill inverter coolant comes up on my dash daily. I have taken the vehicle back to the dealership several times to get that serviced. After having the vehicle all day they tell me everything is running fine and they can’t find the problem or figure out why the message is coming up. This has been going on since I bought the vehicle in April. They assure me the vehicle is safe to drive and this won’t affect the vehicle in any way. This problem has not been resolved and I’m afraid serious damage will happen if this message keeps coming up and they don’t get it fixed.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle turned off and on intermittently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the key out of the ignition to completely turn off the vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to her destination. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v181000 (trailer hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact associated the failure with the recall. The local dealer was not contacted regarding the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Problem #1 - at least 4 quarts of oil spewed from the oil tank and covered most of the engine for an unknown period time. There were no notifications, alerts, or any other indication concerning the oil tank having 1 or less quart of oil. Ultimately, there are at least three (3) questions that need to be addressed 1. In a 2021 Santa Fe, what would cause both the timing and valve covers to leak out at least four (4) quarts of oil out of the oil tank onto the engine. 2. Why was there no notification, alerts, or indication that the oil tank only had less than one (1) quart of oil. 3. What other damage could there have been to the engine beyond the several parts identified as needing to be replaced, that was not identified. A chronological order of events is available.
On two different occasions the car is rolled away from me and while I was out of the car and walking away from the vehicle. The first time it rolled backwards across the parking lot and into a flagpole and the second time it was a mcdonald's parking lot and I was able to jump back in the car in time but it started to roll forward as I was bending down to get my debit card off the ground.
My sante fe has shifted out of park and rolled away from me on 2 occasions. The first time I was about 30 feet away when my son and husband started screaming for me. The car we rolling across the parking lot. I tried to jump in and hit the brake but was unsuccessful and we slammed into a flag pole. The dealer ran a code rrader on it and there was no codes so they denied responsibility. Basically called me a liar 10/23 it happened again in mcdonald's drive thru the window lady witnessed it. I got out to. Get my debit card and as I was leaning down the car rolled out of park snd started coasting away from me. I again, contacted my Hyundai who assigned another case manager. This cse manager promised to. Reimburse me for a rental I paid for the first time the car rolled away from me. The case worker had told me she set up an appointment at another local dealer and they would have a rental waiting on me the next morning I asked her to call amd confirm the appt and rental and to call me back never heard from her again after numerous calls and emails I recieved an email stating she could no longer assist me since I had obtained legal counsel. Complete lie I never informed them that I had retained counsel. I merely asked if I needed one. . This was their way of brushing me off for the 2nd time myhyundai has record of me calling trying to gather a resolution at least 30 xs. I have contacted the attorney generalz office who reached out to my dealer and my dealer told them they followed protocol and found no issue that would be a warranty issue of course they aren't wanting to admit that this is issue because this one case could cost millions in recalls. Now there are more and more people that have had the same experience and I fear there will be death before this is addressed. Please help !!.
While driving the car in cruse control the speedometer would jump up and down rapidly making the car accelerate and break. The warning lights come on saying the forward, side back sensors are off. At times stepping on the breaks a plastic bottle crunch sound will occur but the breaks were fine. I scheduled a repair but was still driving the car. Then I approached an intersection and the light was turning green to yellow so I stepped on the breaks only to have the pedal go to the floor without resistance and no breaks at all. I had to drive through a red light endangering myself and others at that intersection. I pulled into a parking lot and the breaks were working again. Car has been towed to the west herr Hyundai dealer on transit rd williamsville, NY for repairs.
Unknown vigorous shaking in rear of vehicle check engine light on. Stopped after turning car off and restarting. Hyundai found no causes and no codes when inspected for issue.
Engine shut off while driving 70mph in the middle of the mountains in PA during a road trip from va to mi, 2 adults and one child. No warning no check engine lights no alarms, just shut off. 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 engine start button 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. Hyundai 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. I have since created 2 cases with Hyundai corporate office to rectify this issue to no avail. Without the issue being recreated, there is nothing they will do for my family.
Vehicle horn continues to stop working. Problem occurred within a month of purchase. I have had it repaired 3 times, and each time it has been repaired it works for only a few days and then stops working. I am tired of paying to have it fixed, only to work a few days. It has been a safety concern as I have not been able to alert pedestrians, other vehicles, or animals to my presence. Having a working horn is a required safety feature for my employment and driving on company property.
Dark spot in low beam headlight field causes loss of view for driver as the dark spot passes from object to object. People or animals, even signs lose illumination as the dark spot covers them. Reflective barrels in construction areas lose their reflectivity at night as this spot covers them. This occurs on the low beam function. Hyundai dealer said it is factory created to prevent night blinding of oncoming vehicles. To me it is a serious problem for the driver of the Hyundai. When driving in a curve the dark spot moves with the shape of the road so the driver loses the ability to see everything in the light field.
While in drive and stationary, my vehicle has continuously cad connections issues with my mobile phone. I have received the same error message stating �phone not responding. Please reconnect it and try again. � this has happened while driving through areas I'm unfamiliar with and put myself and others at risk while trying to regain connection. I've left my vehicle at the dealership, but was told the problem was my cellphone and was advised to purchase a new phone. When I spoke to the woman at the corporate Hyundai number, she advised me that my phone was very much compatible and should not have any connection problems, we troubleshooted many time, but I still continue to have this issue.