general problems of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe - part 1

On March 4, 2026, at approximately 7:30 am est, while driving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe limited on [xxx] , the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion while traveling at approximately 70 mph (posted speed limit). The vehicle would not accelerate or maintain speed and would not move forward when placed in drive, indicating a failure within the powertrain/transmission system. The vehicle is currently located at a Hyundai dealership and is available for inspection upon request. This incident created a significant safety risk, as I was traveling at highway speed in active traffic when the vehicle unexpectedly lost the ability to move under its own power. This placed me at risk of being rear-ended and made it difficult to safely maneuver out of traffic. The vehicle was inspected by a Hyundai dealership. Diagnostic trouble code p284001 (shift fork “d” position) was identified, and I was informed the failure is transmission-related. The condition was reproduced by placing the vehicle in drive, at which point the vehicle would not move. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership. The manufacturer has been notified but has not physically inspected the vehicle. No police or insurance inspection was involved. There were no warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms before the failure. The issue occurred suddenly without any indication of a problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Component/system failure: the electronic throttle control system malfunctioned. The vehicle is reporting powertrain diagnostic trouble codes p2118 and p2101 through the Hyundai manufacturer mobile application (bluelink), indicating an electronic throttle actuator / throttle control motor issue. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: this malfunction poses a safety risk because it can cause sudden loss of throttle response, reduced engine power (limp mode), or stalling while driving. Loss of throttle control increases the risk of a crash, especially in traffic or at intersections. Reproduction / confirmation: the issue is ongoing. The check engine light remains illuminated and the fault codes continue to be displayed in the Hyundai mobile application. The problem has not yet been diagnosed by a dealership due to lack of immediate service availability. Inspections performed: the vehicle has not yet been inspected by a Hyundai dealership or the manufacturer due to delayed service appointments. No inspections have been performed by police or insurance representatives. Warning indicators / symptoms: the check engine light illuminated and remains on. Diagnostic trouble codes p2118 and p2101 are displayed in the Hyundai mobile application. The warning light first appeared in late January 2026. Current vehicle condition: the vehicle is considered unsafe to drive due to the active electronic throttle control fault and risk of sudden loss of power.

On 6/7/2023 with the original owner, the vehicle displayed code p1c2d03, according to carfax history the transmission was replaced 7/12/2023. I purchased the vehicle in may, 2025. In December, 2025, while driving to work I experienced intermittent loss of ability to accelerate, followed by the vehicle again displaying code p1c2d03 in the bluelink app. The dealership performed a software update and told me to come get my car. On Monday, February 16, 2026, I started the vehicle and the dash displayed "transmission error. Check transmission fluid immediately!", I again had it towed to the dealership where it has remained for the past three weeks. Now I have been called again to pick up the vehicle as the dealership cannot duplicate the error. At this time I am unsure if the service center actually checked the transmission fluid as the warning indicated should be done.

The vehicle cannot pick up speed, and it is displaying the dtc- p1c2d03. This is similar to the issues that led to "safety recall 236 to repair a condition involving the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (dct) system" in earlier model years (till 2022) for certain Hyundai and kia vehicles. Nhtsa should issue a recall for 2023 model years also as Hyundai has not addressed this issue to the fullest extent in 2023 model years.

There was a recall on the 21-22 Santa Fe for a issue with the transmission oil pump failure. I have a 23 which is not part of the recall but this is exactly what happened to me and now the transmission has failed completely with 68,000 miles.

I am reporting an urgent request immediate action regarding a serious unresolved, recurring public safety issue with my vehicle. It is potentially the fault of alexandria Hyundai's service department (in alexandria, va) who had just serviced my vehicle for what should have been a routine servicing (on may 7). My car had a catastrophic and complete failure on a high speed highway (the car quickly decelerated) which represented an incredibly danger situation for myself and other drivers on the road. My car was purchased in 2023 and has 15,241 miles. It has been perfectly maintained. On [xxx], I was returning to my home in virginia from maryland on an 8 lane highway with a 55mph speed limit when I had a very dangerous complete failure of my car. Simultaneously, the car started bucking back, the speed was decelerating regardless of my pressing the accelerator to keep my speed the same as traffic, and I received a flashing large red message that said "check hybrid system - stop safely. " fortunately I was in the far right lane and was able to veer it over to a narrow shoulder. It was 8pm and getting dark. After a short while, the car lost all power so I was on a narrow shoulder with no lights flashing anymore. I was in this dark car with a lot of traffic speeding my with my 2 dogs. I became incredibly stressed about how we were going to get home. I contacted aaa, a police officer and uber pet who worked together in this unsafe situation on the side of the highway to get myself and my dogs home into the uber vehicle with only the front door opening (no power). It was over 2 hours before I was home safely it was incredibly stressful situation. The car was towed to alexandria Hyundai and they dismissed the issue and fixed nothing. I contacted Hyundai customer service and asked for escalation and they have done nothing. I am restricted in my driving because of the severe safety risk but had to drive again on [xxx] and it occurred again on a highway information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.

Transmission caused vehicle to loose speed on grade posted speed 70mph I could not get over 35 transmission stuck in 3 gear or would stay in 8th gear unable to gain speed almost got rear-ended vehicle has a 8 speed automatic transmission it will not shift properly loss of power account improper gear for speed.

When accelerating from a stop, my car will not go over 20 mph. It just revs up like it’s not changing gears . I have to pull over and park it. It runs fine afterwards. This does not happen all the time. Usually it happens once a month. It’s been to the dealership 3 times. They drive it around the block and tell us that they can’t replicate the problem. Therefore, they don’t troubleshoot anything and return the car to me. I’m truly scared to drive it. I wrecked twice at a red light intersection.

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 55,917.

The car has shut down unexpectedly for at least six times while driving at roads and highways. When this happens, engine stalls and nothing works and all alarms and check lights turn on and activated. Driver has to pull the car to the roadside which cannot be imagined when in a highway with all cars driving at 65-70mph and the car suddenly slows down to stop. The other problem is that when the car is turned off and on again, all alarm and faults go away, and it can be driven again! it clears all safety and alarm checks and lights and behaves like nothing has happened. Car was bought on june2023. The first incident happened on aug2023 and the next one on sep2023. The next incidents on feb2024, sep2024, nov2024 and the most recent on March 2025. The car has taken to the sport durst Hyundai dealership (durham, nc) after incidents, however dealership did not perform any repairs in first four times claiming they could not duplicate the incident! (service reports attached for 3) after the third incident, we opened a case with Hyundai company trying to invoke the lemon law, but our request did not go through despite all evidence we provided. Shamefully, their final suggestion to us was to sell the car! this was around March/Apr 2024. (final decision letter attached) on fifth time, the driver did not shut down the car and towed it to the dealership while leaving electrical system on. They checked the car and claimed they found the cause and changed a part from car claiming it has been fixed. This was on Nov. 2024. At the time we did not notice but, apparently that was a lie to make us quiet. The last time (sixth time) the same incident happened on March 5,2025. The car was towed to dealership and is left there. We do have all screenshots from engine failures, although the dealership tried to wipe the history at some point.

Front brake failure at 3k miles. Rotors warped so badly they failed to properly stop the vehicle. Vehicle shaking immensely transmission failure at 11k miles. While vehicle is in drive mode the transmission is stuck in first gear and will not shift. The tachometer was redlining at 6k I had to use the paddle shifters to get the transmission to shift. I was driving the vehicle as a manual transmission when I own an automatic.

Early March 2025 the vehicle was put car in park, got out of car to close yard gate, turned around to walk back to car but car was rolling forward and hit the flat bed trailer causing approximately $5000 in damage. It was put in park before getting out but jumped gear before getting back in. Another common problem is slamming the emergency brake on when attempting to drive. Was at a red lite left turn stop sign with foot on the brake. When the light turned green took foot off brake & put foot on accelerator to go forward, the car slammed the emergency brake on. This has happened approx 6 times in the 1-1/2 years of ownership.

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the message "shifter system malfunction - service immediately" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into the park or reverse. The contact activated the parking brake and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,192.

Automobile approached and stopped at stop sign. When accelerator pressed to continue, car remained in place, shuddering (as if transmission were slipping),and making significant noise. Car would not shift out of gear, nor move. Operator shut off car and then restarted car. Car started normally and was in park without shuddering. Expectations at busy intersection was that it was my turn to move and did not do so, creating doubt on what my car might do next. Traffic flow was briefly confused and some drivers honked and were unsure what they should do. This could have caused an accident with an impatient driver re-ending my car, or with others going through the intersection "out of turn" and unclear on my situation. No lights or other warnings were displayed before this incident. It has not re-ocurred. I brought into the dealer who had no other reports of this type of behavior.

First- it has been reported to dealer at least twice when car was in for other service. They said they could not reproduce. When speeding back up from a stop on near stop, especially in a right turn, the engine will not accelerate. After a second or two it finally takes off. During this time, I fear getting hit by another vehicle, either from behind or to the side. It is very scary and puts me and my passengers at great risk! there was no warning indication at all. The date mentioned was the most recent time, but the issue has been happening since the car was brand new. Again, no help from the dealer.

Vehicle has gone into limp mode 2 times in the past week. Power when accelerating would not exceed 30 mph when pushing the gas pedal to the floor. Had to pull over as I was getting onto the highway and stop/ power down the car and restart.

Santa fe will randomly experience inability to accelerate. I will hit the gas pedal, the engine will rev all the way up to power, it will slowly crawl forward and than violently accelerate. From the time I hit the gas pedal to the time it actually starts moving takes several seconds. It does this every time I come to a stop once it starts. It has done this 4 occasions now. It puts me at significant danger trying to turn across traffic. In general, it not accelerating as you would expect is a very dangerous situation. Dealer has had the car for over a month and has had the car reproduce the issue. The hev light and check engine light had come on a couple of the occurrences.

Twice, the car refused to switch from ev mode back to gas mode. This resulted in the hybrid battery dying and the car losing power. The first time, I was merging onto the freeway and the gas pedal was all the way at the floor, but I was only maintaining speed (not accelerating). Both times, the car was driveable for approximately one mile on the hybrid battery alone. However, a warning came on the dash, “check hybrid system. Stop safely. ” the second time, I was able to pull into a parking lot before the hybrid battery died. The next day, I was able to drive the car normally. The dealership is unable to pull any codes or replicate the issue. Unfortunately, it only happens intermittently and we have not identified a common theme for the failure.

I have pinging sound coming from the engine when I accelerate. Transmission seems to skip during acceleration. Took it to the dealership for repair since the car is under warranty. Dealership replaced a bearing in the axle and replaced the turbo. I’m still having the same issues. Dealership had my car for 5 weeks dealing with this issue. I feel they don’t know what’s causing the problem.

Two issues with powertrain/transmission: 1- the powertrain/transmission fails intermittently- vehicle rpm goes sky high but vehicle receives no power, seems to fail/lose power. Has happened in very dangerous road conditions where unexpectedly was struggling to get the motor to engage/get power to the vehicle. Check engine and check hybrid system lights accompanies the problem. 2- the car should be driveable in electric only mode without use of gasoline. The powertrain/transmission seems to struggle to shift between electric and gas motors. Hyundai cannot seem to correctly diagnose or fix the issue. Does not seem they have proper diagnostic process included on the car- despite finding error messages stored in computer, they initially said they could not recreate the problem and therefore could not fix. 3 different trips to Hyundai dealership repair center, in total they have had my car for 10 weeks. They have replaced the transaxle and sent the car home, but that did not cure the issue. They now have my car again. It just does not seem they know how to identify or fix the issue. From online forums, I have learned many owners are experiencing the same problem and the same challenge to diagnose.

Shuddering issue with current vehicle: - problem: progressive shuddering during take-off, accelerating, slowing down, and braking uphill.

I was driving the car moving in reverse to exit my driveway. I placed the car in park and while the engine was running I exited the car. Upon exiting the car, the car immediately started to roll forward and crashed through my garage door leveling it to the ground. The car continued moving forward into the garage and came to a stop blocked by built in shelving at the back end of the garage. I could have been injured had the car started to roll while I was exiting the car or had some been in front of the car. No warning lamps or messages prior to the incident. The car has a safety feature if moving in drive or reverse and the driver door is opened the car shifts into park. That feature failed. The car was inspected by a Hyundai dealer and claim no error codes found and dismissed any other information as provided in this report.

While travelling at highway speed, attempted to accelerate to pass slow traffic. Rather than accelerating, the car hunted for a gear, and wouldn't shift properly. The car downshifted but engine would not go beyond 4000 rpm and speed remained the same. This has happened multiple times. By unexpectedly not accelerating, this created a risky situation by not allowing car to pass slower traffic as expected creating a potentially dangerous situation. (video of one of the instances exists). No warning lamps, messages or symptoms occurred up to that point. Car was brought to dealer but since no codes were contained in the computer, they said there was no trouble found.

There is an extreme amount of hesitation/delay from when you depress the accelerator and when the vehicle accelerates. I have had multiple incidences (both from a complete stop and while already moving) where I depress the accelerator and there is a concerning amount of lag time before the vehicle initiates movement. This has almost led to multiple accidents. This defect happens in all drive modes. This issue appears to have gotten worse over the time we have owned the vehicle. We did not notice this issue earlier on. We bought the vehicle brand new in Dec. 23.

Several times lately of extended crank. Saturday evening, car had been parked for 4 hours, did remote start and had extended crank of about 2 seconds. Car ran for about 3 minutes before we left. We left home and hit main road, tried to accelerate and vehicle seemed to go into limp mode. Would keep cutting the fuel out if tried to accelerate even above 40 mph. No check engine light came on. Put in neutral, could not get above about 3500 rpm. Vehicle was in Smart mode where decides which mode to be in (normal, fuel economy or sport), when would try to accelerate it would try to change to sport as it knew power was not there. Was on a 6 lane highway and could not get up to speed. Finally was able to pull to side of road, shut engine off, waited a few seconds, restarted and issue went away, still no check engine light. I have contacted my local dealer, they said they have seen on another vehicle, was not sure of outcome, having service manager call me. Lots of complaints online forums of similar issues.

As I was driving today my Santa Fe hybrid lost all power while on the road. The hybrid battery gauge went from 3/4th full to empty in 20 second and I could not get the vehicle to move. Thankfully there was no one behind me and I could safely pull off. When I stopped and restarted the car, the system said ready to drive but the car wouldn't move.

From a complete stop when pressing the accelerator, the vehicle does nothing. This can last 1 second or in longer episodes it can last 4-5 seconds. No lights on the dash. It’s random and happens sporadically. But when it’s bad, you have enough lag to count to 5 and turn on the hazards.

It started in April 2024. After the dealership performed an oil change we heard a strange noise whenever we accelerated. The dealership said it was either the transmission or the hybrid motor and both were on back order (usually an indicator that these parts are in great demand). After several weeks both parts arrived but they only replaced the transmission because that took care of the noise. A few days after we got the car back, we heard a clunking sound whenever we shifted. I tried to take the car to a different dealership but they said we had to return to the place that installed the transmission because bolts were missing. We went back to that dealership and they said no bolts were missing but they did need to be tightened. After that the clunking stopped, however, the next day we started experiencing other problems. The check engine and master system lights came on and the car would hesitate when accelerating. This was extremely dangerous when we were on the freeway and/or trying to accelerate from a traffic signal. Also, it had trouble shifting into reverse. The dealership said the codes were indicating the hybrid system battery needed to be replaced. The car has less than 20k miles.

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated after starting the vehicle, the transmission would only shift into neutral and would not shift into any other gear. In addition, the contact stated the vehicle failed to turn off as needed. The contact activated the parking brake to exit the vehicle safely. The contact stated prior to the failure, the vehicle had failed to shift into reverse; however, the failure was self-corrected. The contact stated several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated an independent mechanic was able to release the emergency hatch and disconnect the battery to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was temporarily repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for additional diagnostic tests. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

In a parking lot at a church I slowed down, going 1 mile per hour or less. Upon taking my foot off the accelorator to put my foot on the brake pedal, so I could come to a complete stop, the moment my foot came off the accelorator, the engine reved up and lunged forward at about 10 mph. I was suprised and took an extra second to apply the brakes. In the mean time, my car went over the curb, grass and onto the side walk, a good 10 feet. If anyone had been on the side walk, I would have hit them. Additional information: the transmission was in "snow mode", it was snowing and cold outside. Attached photo shows tire tracks of the incident.

While merging into the highway at approximately 49 to 52 mph, acceleration was applied to merge into the highway between moving vehicles. The vehicle responded by greatly increasing the rpm but not applying the power to the wheels. The engine revved up with very little acceleration. After 5 to 8 seconds, the power was finally transferred to the wheels and the vehicle sped up. The vehicle behind me had to apply the brakes since I basically cut them off. This was the second incident of this type.

4 times there has been an error message with a large p symbol and a red triangle on the dash board. The large p is surrounded by a yellow circle and it says below to check p button. This is an intermittent situation and does not always do it when at the dealer, but they have witnessed it. They tried 2 fixes but neither worked. I am concerned since there is a red triangle at the bottom of the dash that this is a serious issue. Hyundai will not expedite this and will not allow me to speak to anyone about it that might be able to explain what might be causing this issue. Customer service just says we couldn not replicate the problem. I told them I understand this. I wish to know what is causing the computer to send this message and they will not tell me or look into far enough to determine what it is. I am not driving the vehicle until they can tell me if it is a safety issue or not and they will not do that.

While parking my 2023 Hyundai sante fe, I hard pressed the break and pushed the park button. The engine revved up and the vehicle took off instead of going into park; smashing into a building. The parking block was 6ft from the building. The engine accelerated to a high enough speed that it totaled the vehicle completely out. The engine code readings after the vehicle was towed to a repair shop was p0112 and p0114. The mechanic says that's the initial cause of the accident. The insurance reps are supposed to be following up on the mechanics diagnostics currently. There were no warning lights or anything on before the issue occurred as this was a brand new vehicle with only 8,000 miles on it.

Vehicle fails to accelerate, engine is “sputtering” and making a rattling sound and battery is draining to nothing on the freeway driving at normal speeds. Vehicle is lurching and engine does not appear to be shifting as it should - car losing power and failing to accelerate despite being full of gas. Transmission doesn’t feel like it is shifting properly. Vehicle only has 8000 miles.

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond or accelerate as intended. The vehicle started to decelerate and lost motive power. The contact steered the vehicle to the shoulder and parked the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several months later. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 9,500.