general problems of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

I am writing because my local Hyundai dealer is failing to make the repair in a timely manner consistent with what my recall notice stated, and is requiring that I make two trips to Hyundai in order to get this necessary recall work completed. Meanwhile, if the camera fails, it could put me and others at risk. My service representative, [xxx] , and his service manager showed zero concern about my time or possible dangers if the rear camera fails, stating that it's Hyundai corporate that made the policy that customers must have their car inspected and photos taken of the rear camera harness assembly during this first visit, before ordering the parts under my vehicle's specific VIN number. Once they do this and submit it to Hyundai corporate, they say, the parts will be ordered and I will be contacted again to make yet another appointment to have the parts installed. My letter from Hyundai says nothing about having to make two visits. It says to schedule an appointment, and the recall work will be done. I actually tried to call the 855 Hyundai number to schedule the work, and that operator said nothing about two visits; she was unable to book the appointment she'd given me, so directed me to the local Hyundai dealer, who also said nothing about two appointments being needed to have this recall work done. I am concerned, because I am scheduled to drive out of town in a high pedestrian and vehicle traffic area in two weeks and was doing my due diligence to get the recall work done before the trip. I feel that the two appointments are unnecessary when every 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe with this feature is equipped with the same rear camera and rear camera harness assembly, such that there's no reason to have to further register it with my VIN, that this could all be done in one appointment. Requiring customers to come for 2 appointments--especially without telling them anywhere in the letter or during 2 phone calls--simply increases risk of injuries if the camera fails. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of inform.

I was driving on a 5 lane highway when suddenly what sounded like a gunshot or grenade going off in my right ear turned out to be my sunroof shattering. I thought someone shot at me since there were traffic on my right, but when I looked to my right I saw no evidence until I looked up, then immediately felt glass particles falling in all around.

The driver attention warning incorrectly emits loud alarms, a coffee cup icon, and suggests the driver take a break. These warning alarms are not based on any discernable lack of attention, erratic driving, etc. They are random and ongoing, and when they begin, they repeat every few minutes. On this 2025 model - unlike prior years and models - this cannot/cannot be adjusted or turned off according to every level of Hyundai dealer staff. This has become an intolerable, frustrating, aggravating safety hazard that makes a driver irate, impatient and angry. This type of "warning" should be reserved for an imminent crash warning, or sudden lack of oil pressure. Please ensure that this safety hazard is eliminated. Thank you.

This car was in a bbb binding arbitration and Hyundai was told to fix: speed control malfunction, speed linit not posting to hub arbitrary fan engagement. The dealership alm west had the car 2 weeks and the car sat on their lot. They said we are unable to duplicate the problem. Now in addition I showed them the cracked windshield and they were not responsible. I had an insurance complaint I took it to safelite and replaced the windshield yesterday and I got it back with a new windshield and it also had a crack in the replacement windshield. I think Hyundai knows there's a problem with the glass which is also part of the safety system of the car.

I was driving at on the highway no other cars around going 80mph and the sunroof spontaneously shattered without impact. Distracting me with a loud bang and glass flying I had my wife and two kids in the car it’s a major safety issue. I’ll repeat the sunroof spontaneously shattered without impact of rock or debris. And I was traveling at a speed of 80mph on a clear highway. Distracting me with the loud bang and glass flying in and over my roof of the car.

While driving on a service road at approximately 45 mph, the corner side glass on my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe shattered suddenly and without warning. There was no impact from a rock or object, and no other vehicles were present that could have caused debris. We had just entered the service road, and road conditions were normal. My [xxx] was seated in the front passenger seat at the time of the incident. The glass shattered inward, and the only thing preventing glass from entering the cabin was the window tint holding the shattered pieces together. This presented a serious safety hazard, as occupants could have been injured if the tint had not contained the glass. Once parked in my garage, I took pictures and tried to examine the damage but the window was still crackling and popping. My husband was able to inspected the window immediately after he returned home and confirmed there is no visible rock chip or point of external impact. The fracture pattern appears to originate from inside the glass or along the edge, consistent with a stress fracture or defect rather than road damage. This failure occurred under normal driving conditions with no accident, no debris strike, and no extreme temperature change. The sudden shattering while driving posed a significant risk to driver control and passenger safety, especially with multiple children in the vehicle. I am also aware of other owner complaints involving unexplained glass cracking or shattering on Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles, which raises concern that this may represent a broader defect rather than an isolated incident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Supplemental update – ongoing safety concerns and extended loss of use since submitting my initial complaint, my leased Hyundai vehicle (VIN [xxx] ) has now been presented for service for the third time for the same unresolved safety-related issues. The vehicle has been held by the dealership for eight (8) consecutive days during this service visit with no resolution and no clear timeline for return. Safety concerns remain unresolved, including: persistent toxic/chemical odor inside the cabin random rear hatch opening while vehicle is parked and locked repeated false “windows open” alerts electrical/body control system irregularities to date, I have not been provided with documentation confirming that cabin air quality testing, exhaust intrusion testing, or comprehensive electrical diagnostics have been performed. These unresolved conditions present ongoing safety risks and loss of use. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Windshield has crack starting in lower left corner cracking upward to the right. 2nd cracked sine may 2025. Reported 1 crack previously.

I am submitting this complaint to formally report ongoing and unresolved vehicle safety defects involving a leased 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. These defects include persistent toxic or chemical odors inside the passenger cabin, electrical and body control system malfunctions, and unintended vehicle operations that present serious risks to occupant health, vehicle security, and public safety. Despite multiple service visits and repeated requests, Hyundai dealerships have refused or failed to conduct comprehensive diagnostic testing, leaving the vehicle in an unsafe and unreliable condition.

I was trying to merge with 70 mph traffic and could not accelerate last 35 mph. Apparently a speed limiting feature came on that has never came on before decided to engage. My daughter and I were terrified and pulled over and googled what the heck had happened. We went into the settings and this feature was not selected at all so I have no idea why it decided to engage itself.

I’ve had several instances where putting the vehicle into park the system doesn’t register the shifter button being pressed and continues to be in the current gear. Ithis seems to be a safety issue since it has happened multiple times ever since I bought the vehicle. I made sure to fully press the park button but it continues to stay in the drive or reverse gear the first time it happened I did not notice the vehicle did not register the gear change and the car started to roll forward towards a building.

The alert, "consider taking a break", produces visual and audible alarms. The audible alarm emits from the dash and has a similar sound to the seat belt not buckled alarm. There is no obvious event that causes the alert. Sometimes occurring minutes after starting the engine, other times randomly during several hours of driving. During normal driving conditions (low traffic, no weather problems) this alert is just annoying. However, during stressful driving with heavy traffic and or weather events, this distraction draws attention away from the task at hand, driving safely. There should be an option to turn this alert off or set the parameters for when it is triggered.

Wearing any kind of polarized sunglasses prevents you from seeing the heads-up display and will abruptly disable the adaptive cruise control. The Santa Fe forum has hundreds of complaints about this, yet Hyundai has not done anything to correct the problem. I have asked three different dealers about this problem, and they just repeat the company line (you need to find sunglasses that don't cause a problem). This situation is dangerous and unacceptable.

I purchased this vehicle on September 8, 2025, from antwerpen Hyundai of clarksville. Since purchase, the vehicle has had persistent problems that substantially impair its use and market value. Issue 1: hvac / ventilation defect: outside air enters through the center dash vents even when the fan is turned off. The recirculation feature disengages automatically after a few minutes, allowing outside air into the cabin. This issue has been ongoing and unresolved despite service visits. Issue 2: intermittent screeching/scratching noise from dash/steering column area on October 4, 2025, we began hearing an intermittent screeching or scratching sound from the front dashboard/steering column area. The vehicle has been serviced 3 times at 2 dealerships: November 10–14, 2025 – antwerpen Hyundai clarksville: technician documented that the sound was replicated on two separate occasions and attempted two repair solutions. We were told the issue was resolved. The sound returned the same day during the drive home. December 9-16, 2025 – Hyundai of dundalk: service record indicated “fittings greased. ” no detailed explanation provided. Personnel who handled the vehicle were no longer employed at pickup. The noise continued. January 20 – February 5, 2026 –antwerpen Hyundai clarksville: service manager drove vehicle approximately 55 miles each way (100+ miles total) attempting to replicate the sound but reported being unable to do so. When picking up the vehicle, the noise was present again. Audio recordings of the sound were provided to the dealership multiple times. The service manager later indicated he might use electronic diagnostic equipment but did not follow up further. Current condition: the screeching/scratching noise continues intermittently. While not constant, it is recurring and has persisted since October 2025. The issue has been replicated and documented by dealership technicians previously but remains unresolved after three repair attempts. The hvac issue contiues.

On more than 10 occasions the SUV gets stuck in neutral upon starting the car. You can only switch between park and neutral and are unable to drive the car. It will not go into drive or reverse. Sometimes this problem lasts for 10 minutes. The car will not shut off during that time even when you press the stop button the screen just resets. The only solution is to wait or to press the hard reset button on the computer screen. It is a dangerous situation because if you need to go somewhere, you physically cannot drive the car. I took it to the car dealership when the car was almost brand new and they had it for eight days and they did a software update but I don’t think they found the problem. This problem is now having more and more frequently.

Three separate original equipment pirelli scorpion ms tires experienced sidewall structural failures on my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe calligraphy within the first 8,000 miles. One tire suffered a sudden blowout at approximately 3,000 miles. Two additional tires developed visible sidewall bubbles at approximately 6,000–8,000 miles. These failures occurred without impact damage or misuse and represent a serious safety risk. The dealership acknowledged observing one sidewall bubble during service but failed to inform me. Due to repeated structural failures, I was forced to replace all four original equipment tires at my own expense to ensure vehicle safety. I am concerned this may represent a pattern defect involving the factory-installed pirelli scorpion ms tires on 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe calligraphy models. Happy to provide my receipts and documentation, and my out of pocket expense was $1,396. 17. The first failure was in August, 2025 (car purchased in July) on country road setting, the second and third were both in early January under primarily highway conditions.

Bought this brand new Santa Fe in July 2025 and on day 5 after purchasing this vehicle, car stopped accelerating while driving on highway, which is a serious safety concern. Took the vehicle back to the dealership and turned out the issue is with failed catalytic converter and they had to replace it. Since then, the acceleration has not been that great and had continuous issues with random engine noises etc.

Intermittent and variable vibration/shaking at all speeds ranging from mild to severe. Worse when cold. TSB 25-ss-002h-1. Despite multiple balancing attempts (hunter road force balancer) and complete set of tire swap there was no resolution. TSB indicates this is a known abnormality/issue and present across all models. Vehicle inspected by 2 different Hyundai dealerships and independent dealership without resolution. Began at 7500 miles and has persisted.

The climate control screen is difficult to see, especially in sunlight. This makes it unsafe to change things like fan speed while driving. Interestingly all other screens are very bright but this one screen is not bright and dealer says no adjustment available.

I have had my 2025 Santa Fe since may 28, 2025. Shortly after, I was driving to the supermarket and once I found a spot, I put the car into park. Unfortunately, I did not start recording the episodes and taking pictures until July 29, 2025. I had had my car into Hyundai of 110 two weeks prior. One of the in-take people saw the episode happen once I put the car into p. I asked him if this was normal and he told me no. He then got several of the managers and they immediately came over because this was occurring: my dashboard was literally screaming at me, the mph and rpm were flashing and the battery warning light along with the warning light that shows the car with the hood open were flashing. The following message was displayed: auto stop is off. Shift to p or n and start engine manually. I asked this person several times if it was ok to shut off. Every time, he said yes. I asked if he wanted to take a pic or record it and he told me not to worry. He'd remember. So I shut the car off. Well, he never once spoke up while they were trying to find out what the silly female was speaking about. Since then, this has happened multiple times. I recently dropped my car off at Hyundai of 110 and they concluded that because they were unable to "replicate the problem", there was nothing wrong. I had sent them every single video or picture. Despite concluding that there was nothing wrong with my car, they will not put that in writing. Nor will they put in writing that they will accept fault for when my car stops working in the middle of nowhere and god forbid, something happens with myself and/or my passengers. My car is currently sitting at Hyundai of 110. They refuse to allow a manufacturer's technician to look at my car. All of my videos exceed 10 mb.

Stopped for gas, vehicle started but would not go into gear, engine lights indicated 'check hybrid system', warning lights shown. 1/2 hr on the phone with dealership to assist. No problem detected when returning to home dealer. Second episode occurred, vehicle at dealer for the past 4 weeks. Episode repeated at dealership yet "no abnormalities are detected with diagnostics ".

While driving, the vehicle will suddenly fail to accelerate beyond approximately 45 mph, even with the accelerator fully depressed. During these events, the engines rpms increase significantly without a corresponding increase in vehicle speed. When this occurs, the hybrid battery fails to hold or maintain a charge, and the vehicle appears to enter a reduced-power or limp mode condition. This condition makes the vehicle unsafe to operate, particularly in traffic, on highways, or when merging or passing is required. This issue has occurred multiple times and is ongoing. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership 5 separate times (currently in there now for the 5th time) for the same issue. Despite repeated repair attempts, the dealership has been unable to identify or permanently correct the problem, and the condition continues to occur. The safety impacts are as follows: -vehicle cannot maintain normal traffic speeds -sudden loss of acceleration -high rpms without propulsion -inability to safely merge or respond to traffic. This defect substantially impairs the use and safety of the vehicle. Yes, the problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership on each occasion and the issue continues even after several repair attempts. No warning lights have ever been displayed. The first time in the dealership was 5/10/25 no injuries/accidents (the issue is still safety-critical even without a crash).

When approaching red light at low speed, about 3mph, the engine cut off in traffic, "apply brakes" or similar, started strobbing across the screen and then it said to put in park. The pedals were not working for brakes. Car came to a stop and put it in park and started it again. The sante fe has 3150 miles on it. No other issues.

I am writing to raise a safety concern regarding this SUV, specifically the lower trim level that lack dedicated ventilation to the third-row seating and small ventilationair ways for second rows. In these vehicles, airflow to rear passengers is minimal to nonexistent, as air vents are only provided in higher trim levels for an additional cost. This design choice creates significant safety risks, especially in regions with extreme temperatures like arizona. Passengers, particularly children, seated in the third row can experience overheating or discomfort during travel, even when the vehicle’s main air conditioning is running. Basic airflow should not be considered an optional or luxury feature, as it is critical to passenger well-being and safety. By tying proper ventilation to a higher-priced trim, the manufacturer effectively places financial barriers on fundamental passenger safety. I request that this matter be reviewed and investigated to determine whether this practice complies with consumer safety expectations and whether ventilation should be standard across all trim levels.

Forward attention warning system sounds when driver is facing forward, eyes open, hands not blocking camera. Very distracting for driver and can lead to car decelerating itself.

There is no option to turn off the "consider taking a break" warning. It goes off several times in long roadtrips. Requesting an update so we can turn that off because its really distracting to have it pop every 10 min!!!!.

When you stop the car , you cannot lock- unlock the car with keyfob. Nothing happens when you press these buttons on keyfob. And media screen inside the car is still on. But the car is off for sure. After few minutes only, keyfob works fine and you can lock-unlock, remote start etc. So for 5 minutes, you cannot do anything like locking the car, which is a safety hazard.

Hyundai distracted driver feature is faulty and very hazardous! if someone puts on sunglasses to drive safely, the vehicle says you are distracted; and cuts the cruise control and starts braking on its own. Very bad!!! the vehicle is almost undrivable. Many others are having their dealerships buy their Hyundai Santa Fes back because they are nearly undrivable and are a general us roadway hazard, due to the way the faulty "distracted driver" feature kills cruise control and actually distracts drivers constantly . . . Causing very unsafe driving conditions. Might have to get our dealership to buy back our brand new 2025 Santa Fe limited (as many others have already done). The distracted driver feature actually distracts drivers constantly and causes unsafe and hazardous driving conditions. Please . . . Please . . . Please strongly compel Hyundai to fix this a. S. A. P. , by Hyundai issuing a patch to their system update that allows drivers to turn off/disable the hazardous "distracted driver" feature. . Read more...