Automatic Emergency Braking Problems of Hyundai Santa Fe - part 1

Vehicle will not brake assist in the front even though all of the settings are selected it to work and assist in the event of needing to brake suddenly.

See all problems of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Was coming off an exit on the interstate and started slowing down. My brakes act like they didn’t want to work. Grinding and the pedal was twitching under my foot. The car stopped thankfully, but then all linda of lights came on the my dash and will not go off. And 3 warning come up!.

See all problems of the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

On 1/1/26 while traveling on the highway with no traffic in front of or right of my vehicle the adas emergency brakes applied themselves and slowed the vehicle nearly causing my vehicle to be rear ended. Vehicle is available for inspection. Faulty assistance nearly caused a rear end collision along the highway. Not aware of adas being tested inspected although multi-point inspection was done 10/2025. No warnings prior to incident.

The vehicle has activated it emergency breaking feature several times now on the last couple of months witouth any reason to do so. Presenting a major risk for the occupants and to other vehicles on the roads.

See all problems of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

There have been several times that I have been driving and either turning onto a 4-lane road (2 lanes going each way) or driving on the parkway, where my car has slammed on the brakes by itself. Not only was I not prepared for this to happen, but neither were the cars behind me. I tend to drive with at least 1. 5 car-length space between myself and the car in front of me. Last week, I was making a right hand turn (going north) into the right lane from a residential street. The only other car near me was the one driving in the left lane (also going north). My car drove about 100 ft and maybe realized that there was a car next to me and just slammed on the brakes. I was suddenly thrown forward. My seat belt locked and I was thrown back into my seat. I had a bruise from my seat belt and came too close to slamming my head on my steering wheel. Thankfully, the car behind wasn't tailgating. About a month ago, I was driving on the parkway going east. I was originally in the right lane. I put on my blinker and when it was clear, I changed lanes to the middle lane. After I was clear and my blinker was off, my car started screaming to tell me that there was a car in my driver's blind spot (this happens every time I switch lanes). I drove for maybe 1. 5 - 2 miles and then suddenly, my car slammed on the brakes. Someone must be watching over me because the escalade behind me (definitely tailgating) was somehow able to swerve into the left lane and then swerve around me to cut me off in revenge. They were screaming and honking at me, while I was screaming and yelling at my car. They could have easily have plowed into me (we were driving at least 60mph) and could have caused a horrible accident that could have killed myself or others around me. I have notified Hyundai of this issue and have read many similar complaints online. Hyundai claims they cannot "replicate the situation" and therefore, Hyundai corp is unable to fix the problem.

See all problems of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Component/system: automatic emergency braking / forward collision-avoidance (aeb/fca) system and/or electronic parking brake (epb). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What happened: while driving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: xxx) at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly and aggressively applied the emergency braking system on two separate occasions within the same day (approximately 45–60 minutes apart). In both instances, the red emergency braking warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and a warning sound activated. There were no vehicles, obstacles, or hazards in front of me either time. The braking was forceful and abrupt, causing rapid deceleration at highway speed. Both events occurred under normal, clear driving conditions. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) safety risk: my safety and the safety of other drivers were put at significant risk. Sudden unintended braking at highway speeds can easily lead to a rear-end collision since the deceleration was not caused by driver input and gave no warning. Reproduction / dealer confirmation: the dealer has not been able to reproduce the issue, and no diagnostic trouble codes have been found so far. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for inspection. Inspection: the vehicle has been inspected by the Hyundai dealership, but the cause has not been identified. No manufacturer field engineer, police, or insurance inspection has taken place yet. Warning lamps / prior symptoms: during the failures, the red emergency braking indicator and audible warning activated immediately when the brakes engaged. There were no warning lights or symptoms prior to either event. Assessment: cause unknown. The problem appears to be an intermittent malfunction of the automatic emergency braking system, forward collision sensors, or related braking components. No diagnostic codes were stored. This is a serious safety issue that occurred twice within one hour and could easily result in a collision.

See all problems of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

1. [xxx] – I went to get into the satna fe, the lights blinked and mirrors moved into the unlock position, but doors would not open. I had to use my husbands car since he was out of town to get to work. I came home at lunch after calling my husband and my salesperson , paula and used the valet key and was able to unlock and get into the vehicle. I then started the Santa Fe and this is when the safety warning message appeared. I felt unsafe and paula had the Hyundai of statesboro tow the vehicle from my home, retained it for approximately three days, and reported the issue resolved after clearing diagnostic messages and conducting a 50-mile road test. Vaden of statesboro contacted me on October 17th stating it was ready for pickup and all the codes were cleared. I picked it up on October 18th. 2. [xxx] – the same issued with the doors not opening and had to use the valet key again, the safety warning reappeared around midday while driving, accompanied by a hard shift / drivetrain shock. The vehicle was returned to Hyundai of statesboro at approximately 5 p. M. The dealer acknowledged the repeated issue and provided a rental vehicle for me ([xxx]), while repairs continue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have taken my car to the dealership now 3 times for the same recall issue. This time, they are telling me Hyundai will not repair my car on their end because of "sludge buildup" to which I was not aware. I submitted all records of maintenance and they are refusing to fix my vehicle. I now have an inoperable, because not safe, vehicle that is legally required to be fixed by Hyundai for it's recall, but is not being fixed. Recall 237 if I were to try to drive the vehicle, it could put lives at risk. It will not accelerate quickly, could go up in flames, and does not go the speed limit on highways which are required for me to get home and to work. The recall was confirmed by the dealer as the check engine light flashed and caused a certain code to pop up for maintenance. The solution would be for Hyundai to fix the car, but they are refusing and saying the whole engine needs to be replaced now even though there's nothing wrong with the engine.

See all problems of the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

My wife was parking our vehicle near the front of our home, simply rolling forward toward the car in front of her to complete parking on the left side of the street when the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated on its own. The vehicle turned hard to the right, struck the bumper of the parked car she was pulling up behind, continued right across the traffic lane where it hit two parked cars on the other side of the street with significant impact, lifting and turning one onto the sidewalk, at which point our vehicle went across the sidewalk and stopped after hitting a fence. The forward collision avoidance that we have experienced engaging previously, never engaged, despite hitting multiple vehicles on the lefft side and then right side of the street. The collision avaoidance alarms that we have experienced sounding previously, also never went off. The airbags never deployed, despite hitting 3 cars at two different sides of the street, as well as an iron fence that never moved. The vehicle went from traveling less than 5 mph while completing the last few feet of parking to a high rate of acceleration within a path of less than 40 feet, as evidenced by the significant damage it left. Had my wife not come to a stop as quickly as she did, she could have been seriously injured. If anyone had been on the sidewalk - there are 3 shcools on this block that children are often present - someone could have been killed. The vehicle is currently at a body shop being evaluated by insurance adjuster and likely a total loss. We reported tot the manufacturer and they intend to repsond to us by 9/16 and inspect the vehicle in its current state.

I was travelling at 50mph a car pulled in front of me and stopped unexpetedly. I braked hard. My car began to slow, but the brake pedal went to the floor and did not slow, after a few seconds, the brake pedal came up from the floor and braking was resumed. I held the pedal to the floor the whole time trying to stop. It was as though the braking system failed and recovered. There was no pulsing felt on the brake pedal typical of abs working. After my car resumed braking thte collision avoidance system took over and the car stopped just inches from the stopped car in front of me. I had just taken the car in for dealer service at 24,200 and everything was supposedly checked out as required by maintenance. I have contacted Hyundai but have not gotten a response yet.

Abs doesn't work, traction control doesn't work, while it was raining the sensor lights came on and I began to hydroplane almost causing a wreck while driving on the highway. The sensors go off and on the emergency brake won't engage while this sensor is on also. Acceleration stall pulling out in traffic. I'm scared to even drive the SUV.

See all problems of the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Vehicle identification number (VIN): [xxx] make: Hyundai model: Santa Fe year: 2024 description of the issue: •component or system that failed: the vehicle’s brake system, including the emergency braking system, failed to slow or stop the vehicle at low speeds. The problem is available for inspection upon request. •safety risk: this failure endangered my safety and others. While driving slowly in traffic, I fully pressed the brake pedal, and the emergency braking system activated, but the vehicle did not slow or stop, causing a minor collision with another vehicle. •reproduction or confirmation: prior to the incident, on two separate occasions, I noticed the brake pedal felt loose or like it “released” at low speeds, forcing me to press harder for the vehicle to slow. These issues were not previously inspected or documented. I was planning to have the brake issue inspected along with a current recall and other concerns, including a stiff seatbelt buckle and a door that was difficult to open, as soon as I had the chance. I have not received any formal recall notice by mail or email. I learned about the recall during routine maintenance at the dealership. •inspections: the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer but I plan to take it to an authorized Hyundai dealership ASAP for inspection. The accident has not been reported to the police or insurance yet but it will be first thing tomorrow. •warning lamps or symptoms: no warning lights appeared, but there unusual brake behavior was noted on two occasions about two weeks before the crash. Thought this time was significantly worse, and by worse this I mean the vehicle didn’t brake. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

For a few month now the light of abs have been turning on. At the beginning there was no diagnosis specific, cause kept turning off. Two or three months ago again turn on and gave code of back caliper on the left and was changed. An now yesterday August 5, 2025 the diagnosis its need of change of the sbs module whole.

Hyundai disabling critical vehicle safety systems if people wear sunglasses. I brought my2025 Hyundai santafe hybrid, this has driver attention monitoring system. Since the day I brought this vehicle I have been getting issues related to driver attention warning system. This error is being caused for no reason, this comes on when vehicle comes on and stays on (sometimes for days sometimes for weeks and sometimes for hours). Hyundai says this issue is because I have a dash cam in car, error wont go away even when dash cam is removed. Recently Hyundai engineers said its because you may be wearing sunglasses. What? wearing sunglasses will disable aeb and cruise control !!!omg. I removed sunglasses and tried still wont work. Hyundai sent me list of things not to do, including not to laugh, not to shorten your eyes and not to wink. This is a major safety concern, not allowing drivers to wear sunglass which will disable safety critical systems.

Occasionally, the vehicle acts like I am not looking at the road and I’m not sure if it is because of my hair, glasses, hat, or my lazy eye. On three different occasions in nearly 8000 miles it will randomly hard break on the interstate. Initially, I had thought this was something I was doing. When I was finally able to speak with the service staff, they confirmed that this is a common issue with people wearing glasses or any other items the vehicle does not register as normal. At this point, I am afraid to drive a vehicle once I learned that this is a safety setting I cannot control. I have been told by Hyundai that the vehicle is operating as it should however it is extremely concerning that this could cause an accident on the interstate and someone could get killed.

On may 15th, I was involved in a serious accident caused by a malfunction in a rental vehicle provided by enterprise a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. After reversing into a parking spot, I placed the vehicle in “park” and exited the car to retrieve belongings from the trunk. My young son remained in the back seat. To my shock, the vehicle suddenly began to move on its own despite being in “park. ” I immediately ran to the driver’s side and jumped back into the vehicle in an attempt to stop it. I pressed the brake pedal multiple times, but the car would not respond. I also pressed the “park” button repeatedly, yet the vehicle continued to move uncontrollably. The steering wheel was unresponsive, and I was unable to redirect the vehicle or bring it to a stop. The car ultimately crashed into two other vehicles. During the collision, one of the vehicles pinned my left leg in its door, causing physical injury. I am now dealing with both physical and emotional trauma as a result. To be clear, this incident occurred on a flat surface. No airbag deployed upon impact, and there were no warning signs or alerts from the vehicle beforehand which is highly concerning, especially for a modern electric/hybrid vehicle. This car presents a major safety hazard and, in my opinion, should be recalled and removed from service immediately before it causes a fatality. I have contacted enterprise multiple times to report this issue and urge them not to rent this vehicle to anyone else.

Was at a complete stop at a light with a car in front me, I had plenty of space when I started accelerating and then suddenly the automatic system braked hard. Like there was literally no reason for what the car did. It took a few seconds to get out of that issue but then was able to proceed as normal. There have been at least 2 other times where a side sensor was triggered while on the freeway violently jerking me to the left, nearly putting into another lane.

See all problems of the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

I had adaptive cruise control on and debris hit my windshield and I went into the rumble strip and eventually into the guard rail where the car essentially pingponged from there until it eventually stopped when the metal hit the front. It appears the emergency brake did not activate and the lane keep did not activate. My air bags did not deploy.

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.

Brakes locked.

See all problems of the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Driving along, merging onto interstate, various warnings such as check lane keeping assist, and warnings to stop vehicle and check brake systems. Driving approximately 50mph, the warning started to flash and speedometer dropped to zero then went back to full speed. Automatic braking was attempting to slow the car. Attached photo shows an indicated speed of 0mph, however was travelling approximately 50mph at this time. I also have video of the errors occurring, but there is not a way to upload video.

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.

The turbocharger failed on my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport 2. 0t. It is still on the vehicle and available for inspection upon request. The turbo failure caused a severe loss of engine power, making acceleration dangerously slow and unpredictable, especially when merging onto highways or passing vehicles. This sudden reduction in power could have caused a rear-end collision or made it impossible to avoid faster-moving traffic. Yes. The failure was confirmed by two independent service centers: mavis tires and brakes, and tires and trust in pensacola, FL. Both observed loss of turbo boost and excessive oil consumption consistent with turbocharger failure. Yes. The vehicle was also inspected by allen turner Hyundai in pensacola, FL. They did not detect the failure during their inspection, but the issue persisted and was documented by the other two shops. The check engine light came on around 118,000–119,000 miles. After that, the turbocharger lost significant power, making the vehicle unable to accelerate normally. At the same time, the engine began consuming oil at an abnormally high rate, requiring frequent top-offs between oil changes. This suggests internal oil seal failure in the turbo or related component issues. These symptoms are consistent with failed turbocharger bearings or seals, oil starvation, or blocked oil lines causing overheating and damage. Such failures can release oil and metal debris into the intake and exhaust systems, risking further engine damage or even fire. Hyundai previously issued a software update (ksds) to detect early bearing wear in these engines, which my vehicle received in 2019 (service campaign 953). Despite this, the turbo failure still occurred, suggesting the underlying design or manufacturing issue may not have been fully resolved. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this pattern of failures, given the safety risks of sudden power loss and potential fire hazard from oil leaks.

Emergency brakes engage while driving for no apparent reason. This has happened on several occasions over the last 6 months.

Issue with idle on-off. After idling at light etc. Car will stall. First time would not re-start , I was towed. Mechanic replaced turbo feature but problem persists and I am not using the on -off feature in an attempt to not have this happen, yet it does.

The brakes and rotors need to be replaced every 3-6 months. They have been fixed at least 4 times under warranty. Every time I take the car in I get asked if I drove through the mountains because they are fried. This vehicle has never been in the mountains because I fear what will happen if it really were driven through the mountains. However, no excessive braking occurs to cause them to be ruined every 3-6 months. I am at the point I’m curious if automatic braking is causing it to heat up and burn them. The incident below is the last time I had them replaced. I’m currently looking to sell the vehicle because of the number of times I’ve had to go in and get them replaced.

The automatic emergency braking system, on multiple occasions now, has slammed on its brakes at highway speed when there are no obstacles, barriers, or even vehicles in sight ahead of my wife. This happened to me the other day also when exiting the highway onto an exit ramp when it "detected collision" when *nothing* was around me, no vehicles or barriers within any reasonable distance. It's going to end up causing someone to rear end me or her - absolutely unsafe and 100% putting my wife and child at risk. We're taking it to the dealership on Saturday and have verbally informed them of the issue. No warnings, no messages, no nothing prior to incident - the car is practically brand new.

Three times this has happened. The instances occurred on highway 680 between pleasanton and san jose. I was going the speed limit - 65 miles per hour - as were tons of cars around me. Suddenly the car would brake, startling me because I was nowhere near another car. It frightened me a lot! I think it is the automatic braking system - either the front end collision warning or the blind spot collision warning. It could have easily resulted in an accident. I took it to the Hyundai dealership, and they knew they could not likely duplicate it. They showed me where to turn off the vehicle control (braking) for the front end collision warning and the blind spot collision warning. I have read on the internet several other parties that have experienced this - car-controlled braking while traveling at high speed with lots of cars around.

Driving down interstate at 70 mph and car started to brake while foot on gas pedal. Would not go…red brake alert came on. Luckily no other car in left lane and pulled off to side of road. Car would not drive. Called tow truck.

After car is idle, when pressing the gas, the car instantly stops as if you have slammed on the break, feeling like you have driven into a brick wall. The intensity of the stop causes you to jerk aggressively in your seat. This has happened on more than one occasion. Without a seatbelt it would cause injury as well as the possibility of causing an accident with other vehicles. When this happens, there were no warning lights or messages shown to indicate an issue. The vehicle is currently at the dealership as of 9/20/2024, they are trying to replicate the issue however it has been more than 2 weeks, and they have not found a resolution. They have run diagnostics tests and there was nothing that indicated the issue with the vehicle. As of today, 10/9/2024, the issue has not been resolved and the vehicle remains in the dealers possession.

Driving on the highway my Hyundai begins braking and cannot be stopped even though the automatic braking system was disengaged. Dealt with the dealerships and they all provide no help at all. I have brought this to two different dealerships and they just have excuses. This is a known issue with Hyundai and needs to be addressed.

Car turns off at lights /stop signs. Automatic break system activates. Have to wait at least five minutes to be able to restart car z same happens after driving and parking. Turbo and battery were replaced. I make sure not to use the automatic on/off feature which make issue worse. This is my fourth attempt to contact you. I cannot trade car in bc of mileage and still owing $. I love me vehicle and just want issue recognized and taken care off.

I was driving 70 mph on highway and the aeb activated despite no other vehicles in front of me. Thankfully the car behind me was far enough behind that they could swerve out of the way, or it could have been a massive collision. Additionally the person behind me could have swerved into traffic causing a massive accident. This is happened twice the other time I was going 50 miles an hour. I am afraid to drive this car on the highway now.

Recently, three different lights went on in my car. When looking it up online I found recall number 251 from Hyundai and it matches the lights and issues my car is facing. However, when looking it up via my VIN there are no open recalls.

See all problems of the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

On highway, emergency braking enacted. I pulled to side the of the road to turn engine off and restart car. When I did, I could not put the car in gear. I have had other similar incidents happen with this vehicle. After about an hour of waiting for roadside assistance and having nys troopers come help, the car dash lit up and I was then able to put car in drive. When I talked to dealership and said that I got a diagnostic message on my screen to have transmission component checked today ('today' was in all caps on the screen), they said they could not get me in. Then when I said, "I'm supposed to just drive around hoping my car doesn't break down again?" she said, "I'll cross my fingers for you. " are you kidding me!? my safety is at risk is this what a major dealership's answer is to the car's issue?.