Equipment Problems of Hyundai Santa Fe - part 1

My fiancée’s Hyundai Santa Fe has been taken in for service multiple times due to a serious and recurring safety issue. The vehicle suddenly begins malfunctioning while being driven: all of the lights on the dashboard start flashing, multiple warning lights come on, the vehicle shuts off, and both the steering and accelerator become disabled until the vehicle can be restarted. This has occurred twice while driving on the interstate at speeds of 70+ mph, creating an extremely dangerous situation. Unfortunately, the issue occurred again today and resulted in my fiancée driving into a ditch when the steering locked up while she was making a right turn. Thankfully, she was not injured and was able to restart the vehicle and safely get out of the ditch. The vehicle has been brought in for service multiple times by different Hyundai dealerships in an attempt to identify and repair the issue. However, each time, the dealership has stated that they cannot replicate the problem and that they cannot find anything wrong with the vehicle. We have video evidence documenting the vehicle malfunctioning and have provided the vehicle for inspection after these incidents. The battery was also recently replaced as a possible solution to the problem, but the exact same issue occurred again today despite the replacement. At this point, we do not feel that this vehicle is safe to drive. The fact that the vehicle has repeatedly lost steering and acceleration while being driven at highway speeds, and has now caused my fiancée to leave the roadway, makes this an extremely serious safety concern. We are requesting that this issue be thoroughly investigated and resolved before the vehicle is considered safe to operate again.

See all problems of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

The radiator fan remains on when the vehicle is turned off and requires the fan to be unplugged to disengage. If it is not unplugged it will continue to run until the battery is dead. If not caught at the time exiting the vehicle then I am left stranded until I can get the vehicle jumped but even with a dead battery if you plug up the fan again will continue running nonstop. The vehicle does not run hot. There are no known issues that present before this happens and no error codes when hooked up to diagnostics.

See all problems of the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

The vehicle suddenly stopped and suddenly smoke appear in the front part of vehicle. Firemen appeared and when the front of the car was opened the flames of the fire were all over the engine of the car. The front glass broke and the hood has visible signs of the fire. Police were everywhere while firemen worked to stop the fire in the car. The car was towed to our home.

See all problems of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

I had my engine replaced on xxx from a Hyundai dealership in [xxx]. About a year and some months I was at the sansone auto mall on [xxx] in [xxx]. I did have a transmission replaced under warranty xxx at that same dealership. My problem is that every so often I lose acceleration when I step on the gas. It's very random and happens more on highway driving. Long story short they said it was my catalytic converter. This was in 2025 I believe and I do have the receipt in my folder. I let the dealership know that it's still happening. I spent over 3k dollars and it's frustrating. They even had me go out with a tech to drive in the road. While he drove he didn't experience this but when I drove with him I let him know look my foot is down on the gas and we're not moving. I filed with bbb but when they said to them to have me come back I just couldn't do it anymore. I've been there and they gave me loaner cars each time. The fact that they just give me looks as if I'm lying is not good. Some time has passed and it was fine. Just recently when I was on the outer bridge I felt no acceleration. I don't want to go back to that particular dealership and am wondering if this is just an engine issue with my car. I've read that these engines have a history of this type of problem. I'm not sure what steps to take but I just don't want to be on the road and it fails for longer than a few seconds. One local place in [xxx] said it will be. Waste to bring in if this issue is very random. Thank you for your time . I almost forgot to say but some days it does that and I try to keep my foot on the gas the car shakes a little. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

I bought my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe at auto fair Hyundai in [xxx] in xxx new. This is my third Hyundai from this location over the years. I have always serviced it there ever since I bought it. ( oil changes, tire rotation etc. ) back in xxx while driving home from [xxx] to [xxx] on [xxx] I hit the brakes in the left hand lane, in traffic and my vehicle shut off and wouldn’t restart. Very scary luckily a young man helped push my car off the highway. I sat 5 minutes or so and it restarted. I was told to disable the start/ stop feature which I did. On xxx I went back to auto fair in [xxx] with my issue. I was told I needed a new battery there was corrosion $408. I had them clean the corrosion $95 and I’d bring the vehicle to my mechanic friend where my battery was tested and it was good. I was told to disable the start/stop feature. I went out xxx and forgot to disable the feature and I stalled at 4 way intersection. Stuck there people beeping, traffic backing up and drivers passing by running red lights very frustrated. Yesterday I called auto fair service department (on a recorded line) asking if this is an ongoing issue with this make/model. Is there a recall? I was told they haven’t heard about this issue at all and she said good luck. I have 5 year warranty and there is only 24,000 miles on my vehicle. I found a forum online with many others with Hyundais having this issue. This is an accident waiting to happen I’m also reporting it to Hyundai corporate and highway safety commission. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Ref: case number with Hyundai USA #43287419. On 11th September 2026, my car (2024 Hyundai Santa Fe awd, limited trim - just covered 24,000 miles) suddenly shown an error/problem on the cluster as 'shifter system malfunction), while driving on road, which caused panic, that the car was behaving weirdly in the middle of the road with traffic. After keeping the car at dealership garage for more than 2 weeks, last Tuesday on 29th September 2026, I got back the car after repair. Again on last Sunday, 04th October 2026, the same problem appeared & towed again back to the dealership garage for repair. Since, it is an unpredictable existing problem with the car, kindly consider this case with NHTSA with utmost priority as my family consists with 1 year twin babies too, which I am all concerned. Already because of the recalls with this car, as a family we are going through a lot, with the known common & random issues with the system. With NHTSA I feel comfortable with the concern, because NHTSA speaks on the basis of safety & Hyundai speaks on the basis on deals/bussiness. When contacted Hyundai, they speaks like this issue is a unique issue, as if 2024 Santa Fe is a perfect car with no issues at all, & Hyundai will go through with the issue. Latest update now, they say it's electrical problem. If known with the issue, I wonder why this drama for & just confirm & fix the issue well & permanently. The car is at Hyundai dealership garage for repair & don't know how it may take another long days, to make a safe car permanently. Please take my concern with utmost priority, that this issue when repeated I am worried now, that what happens when the problem appears in the middle of traffic with my babies. I am still making monthly payments for a burden, which I am bound to carry because I bought this car. Thank you NHTSA for the pateince in going through my concern.

See all problems of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Electric oil pump failure in transmission.

I drove my car from for about an hour to my destination. I get to my destination and park and the car starts smoking lightly from under the hood and then increases. I was still sitting in the car when I was told my car was on fire. It went from a little smoke to a full blown fire in a couple of minutes. I got out the car and within minutes the front of the car caught fire and blew up. The car has been inspected by insurance. There were no warnings prior to this happening. I could have been serious injured or possibly killed. I am currently experiencing ptsd from this event. My son was just in my car previously. I am have this happened when I was there alone. I see that there are certain years that have been affected by fire, but the 2020 should be involved.

See all problems of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Rear back up camera had moisture in the lenses making the rear back up assist worthless. Nearly caused multiple collisions while in revers.

Oil light comes on and beeps when putting on brakes suddenly.

Currently unknown on how the fire started, but something under the hood caught fire.

My truck began emitting a strong oil odor on xxx. I took it to amato in [xxx], where I was told the oil pan was leaking. They replaced the oil pan, and I paid for the inspection as well. About an hour after picking up my truck, the check?engine light came on. I returned to the dealership, and they then said additional repairs were needed, even though I had already paid $2,211. 57 for the work they claimed was necessary. At that time, my truck had 145,776 miles on it. Because the manager at [xxx] refused to address my concerns, I was told to go to another amato location, and I was effectively blacklisted from the first dealership. I went to amato glendale, where I experienced the same issues. They fixed only one of the problems, and that was only after I contacted Hyundai corporate. My truck continued to have oil?consumption issues. Amato required me to complete a three?month, 1,000?mile oil consumption test before they would consider providing assistance. I completed the test as instructed. Now, however, they are saying that due to the age and mileage of my truck, they will not cover the engine replacement — even though the problems began at 145,000 miles, not 156,000. Other drivers have reported that Hyundai delays necessary repairs until major engine damage occurs, and I believe that is exactly what has happened in my case. There was also a suspension recall that applied to the 2018 model but not the 2017. Amato Hyundai covered part of that repair only because I contacted corporate again. My current complaint is about the failing engine and amato Hyundai’s lack of responsibility in properly diagnosing and repairing my truck. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Was driving down highway, 95 south in va, when sunroof blew out. No traffic in front at the time, nothing hit the car. Driving around 65 mph. Temp outside was ~85-87, ac in car at 74. Just blew up and out after a large "bang". There was no impact to the vehicle prior and no other marks or scratches to the vehicle indication an impact.

I went to the store, came home , parked and turned off the car. Went to go outside about 10 minutes ,maybe. Black smoke coming from right front. By the time I grabbed the keys and fire extinguisher there were flames coming from the engine compartment.

Take a break" - the feature prompts the driver to “take a break” with that text and a‘coffee cup” logo after a certain period of continuous driving. There are instances when turning it off is necessary and Hyundai has removed that option - high distracting false alarm rate. The alert, visual and auditory are intrusive, unnecessary, demonstrate a high false alarm rate leading to frustration and distraction. While designed as a safety feature, it has the opposite effect. The system inaccurately interprets the driver’s behavior as signs of fatigue with alerts popping up at an alarming rate. Perfectly normal and safe driving behaviors see the alert popping up again and again. Further there are environmental interferences - bright sunlight, reflections off glasses, bumpy roads requiring frequent corrections - system interprets these as driver inattention and cannot tell the difference between drowsy driving and navigating a poorly maintained highway. New Hyundai models do not allow the driver to disable the take a break alert. “you’re cruising down the highway, minding your own business, alert and focused, when your Hyundai flashes a coffee cup icon and tells you to take a break. Again - this for the third or fourth time in 20 minutes. You’re not tired, not swerving, and frankly, you’re getting annoyed”. The system is disruptive and unsafe as it disrupts the driver activating when the system detects inattentive driving, suggesting breaks even if the driver does not feel fatigued. The alert can illuminate even during short drives of less than 30 minutes. The alert can occur extremely frequently, especially during long drives, which is extremely annoying. The warning can appear shortly after starting a trip and may repeat every few minutes, which is extremely frustrating. It is far more disruptive than safe and helpful.

The horn stopped working.

Over the past month, on two occasions my vehicle has emitted gasoline fumes filling my garage, and today my interior cabin smelled like gasoline. Additionally, after warming up, my vehicle experiences acceleration drop/stuttering when accelerating after idling. This happens every day. I took the car to two dealerships (san tan Hyundai and chapman Hyundai scottsdale) and they weren’t able to diagnose the issue.

While driving a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe sport on a city street, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and shut off while idling at a red light. The vehicle completely failed to restart. No dashboard warning lights, check engine lights, or fault messages illuminated prior to or during the stalling event. Immediately following the engine shutdown, a fire erupted under the engine hood. The fire rapidly escalated and completely engulfed the entire vehicle, resulting in a total loss. The local fire department responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

The multifunction/turn signal switch in my Hyundai has failed and causes the left turn signal to operate intermittently. While driving, I am unable to reliably activate the left turn signal when making a left turn or changing lanes. The signal may fail to engage when the turn signal lever is operated, requiring repeated attempts to activate it. College station Hyundai inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the multifunction switch as the failed component requiring replacement. The replacement component has been identified as Hyundai part number 93400-s1750. I consider this a significant safety concern because the failure prevents me from reliably signaling my intention to turn or change lanes to other motorists. The malfunction occurs during normal operation of the vehicle and creates the risk that surrounding drivers will not know that I intend to turn or change lanes. The vehicle currently has approximately 86,611 miles. I reported the issue to Hyundai motor America and requested assistance because this is a safety-critical component. Hyundai declined my request because the vehicle is outside the warranty period. I am submitting this complaint because I believe the premature failure of a component necessary for the reliable operation of the vehicle's turn signals may constitute a safety-related defect, and I am requesting that NHTSA document and evaluate this failure.

My bsd sensor would go on and off for the last several months when no one was around me. I work early and even when I was alone on the road the bsd would flash for 2-3 mins and go off. . Then my fan for my air conditioner stopped. When I removed the glove compartment to see the wire connecting to the fan is "melted". When I called bob king Hyundai, I was informed there was no recall. So, I attempted to fix the issue myself only to find the fuses (under the hood) are almost all bad. The tips of the fuses will not pull out. Only the body of the fuse. With all this happening over the last several days and by the way, the vehicle passed inspection. I wanted to reach out as this is definitely a fire hazard and a huge concern.

See all problems of the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Sunroof shattered completely without any force of impact. The glass appears to have imploded.

Windshield breaks with no reason. I have had 2 windshields crack with no sign of any damage. First windshield is within 3,000 miles of owning the car. Replaced one has already cracked and has less than 500 miles. This issue is affecting multiple sante fe drivers.

Sunroof exploded while driving.

At approximately 42,000 miles, the ac system on my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe suffered a potential immediate and premature failure, creating a severe driving safety hazard. The ac expansion valve began actively leaking refrigerant inside the dashboard, rendering the climate control system completely inoperable of normal operation. In florida's high humidity and heavy rainstorms, this loss of proper ac function means the windshield defogging/defrosting mechanism fails to dehumidify cabin air. This results in sudden, severe window fogging while driving, heavily obstructing visibility and creating an imminent crash risk. Furthermore, as a senior managing multiple health conditions, a gradual, then total loss of cooling in extreme florida heat poses a direct medical and physical safety hazard. The independent repair facility that fixed our vehicle noted an alarming pattern, servicing about 6 newer Hyundai models from our car's age group for similar ac failures and expansion valve leaks within a single month. Because an expansion valve is designed to last the life of a vehicle, this failure at 42,000 miles—combined with active industry investigations into internal Hyundai compressor degradation shedding debris downstream in the ac system—strongly indicates a systematic material defect. We have spent about $2,800 out-of-pocket to recharge the system, add dye, lose the charge again, and ultimately replace the valve inside the dashboard. Unfortunately, because Hyundai refuses to check our vehicle at their expense to find and remove potential teflon or metal filings caused by this widespread compressor issue, and if needed, replace the compressor and other compromised components, this internal degradation can continue to cause recurring component leaks and damage at our unaffordable expense, while continuously releasing refrigerant into the air.

Fuel door mechanism stops working leaving you unable to add fuel. Is a constant complaint in 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. My vehicle's door mechanism as stopped working 53,000 miles as well.

See all problems of the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Both front doors stopped opening cant get in the vehicle or out of the vehicle from the front doors. Both stopped working within two weeks. The locks unlock and lock but the doors will not open. Hyundai dealership wants 8,000 dollars to replace both door panels. This is a safety issue. If I get stuck inside the car and cant get out.

See all problems of the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

The awd coupler has failed and the rear wheels feel like they are slipping and catching when I accelerate from a stop, particularly when turning. The car was taken to the dealership and inspected, but no longer under warranty as we are not the original owners.

Service campaigh 9c2 following completion of service campaign 9c2 (theta ii emissions improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport has severe loss of power and rough jerky transmission after the update. This condition will definately cause unsafe driving and vehicle engine and transmission damage. Hyundai corporate and local dealerships indicate no remedy for this situation. Dealer also indicated that Hyundai corporate may not release a new software update to fix the issue. This is unacceptable.

We are driving on the highway and the engine just stop working but all lights are still working. I am trying to put gas but it seemed that the engine completely shuts off dangerously without warning. This put my family at risk because there were a lot of big trucks beside us. Theta ii 2. 0l turbo engine just stalled I believe this has been around . Can you please help us.

Vehicle stalled while driving — unsafe loss of power. While driving at normal speed, the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning and the electrical system malfunctioned. I had to pull over and restart car. This created a dangerous situation and could have caused a collision. Prior to this incidenct, the vehicle had intermittent electrical issues during startup (flickering electronics). This is the first time the car has experienced during driving, and is now at the Hyundai dealership. The car has been reported as unsafe to drive. This appears similar to other Hyundai stalling/power loss issues and may indicate a developing safety defect. Requesting investigation.

We were notified there was a recall and to schedule an appointment to get the update. We did and it was updated. It hesitated when we drove it the next day and everyday after. We took it in a second time and was told by our dealer that following the completion of service campaign 9c2 certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting conditions and to let it warm up for 1-3 minutes. We were told that Hyundai is working on it. It has been over a month and it still does it. I now own a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicle with less than 38,000 miles that is a lemon in my opinion. I am paying for gas to let it run for the 3 minutes and cant sell it or trade it in without a major reduction in price. I feel Hyundai is not being responsible for the damage they have caused to my vehicle.

After having the service campaign 9c2 ecu software update for theta ii emissions improvement, TSB 26-01-013h-2 done, my vehicle started having driveablity issues. On a normal, cold start the engine's rpms go up really high, so I take my foot of the gas and the revs drop, almost stalling the car, and then the car bucks. I put my foot back on the gas pedal, and the engine revs really high again and takes off. If I try to drive normally, the car bucks and runs rough. My car also revs a lot higher during highway driving, than it did before the update. All of this is also causing terrible gas mileage. My car did nothing like this until I had the 9c2 update.

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe limited. The panoramic sunroof glass suddenly shattered/exploded without a collision and without any known impact. Glass shattered completely and created a safety hazard to occupants and traffic. Vehicle was purchased as Hyundai certified pre-owned in 2021. Hyundai corporate case has been opened and advised dealer inspection. Dealer inspection is pending. Photos are available. Request that this be logged as a potential safety issue involving panoramic sunroof glass failure.

First failure occurred 7 months after purchase at 5,270 miles on August 1, 2024. The vehicle suddenly went into "limp mode" abruptly decelerating to 25 mph with a non-responsive gas pedal. A code reader displayed po653 sensor reference: "voltage b circuit high". Dealer found corroded wire to battery and cleaned it. Second failure: horn loss to 1 tone. Fixed at 30k mile dealer service on June 12, 2026 and found to have faulty packing resulting in corrosion. At the same standard service the brake system was flushed. 3rd failure was 5 days and 437 miles (30,712 miles) after the 30k dealer service. On June 17, 2026 during my early morning commute while merging onto the interstate, alarms began to blare and the gas pedal suddenly became unresponsive. The initial alarms read blind spot failure. Car would not accelerate from 40 mph that it was going coming down the bridge ramp so I took the very close off ramp down from the aqua duct and the console display alert showed "engine management system: details: braking and body control system with a recommendation to get "a full system check. . . Today". I brought it to the dealer that afternoon and as of yesterday, 6/26/26 they can find nothing wrong, declaring it an intermittent issue and asked me to come get the car, refusing to continue looking or providing alternate options other than referring me to Hyundai consumer affairs.

After going to the Hyundai dealership for them to perform service campaign sc2 on 6/10/26, the engine is a little jumpy for the first minute or two of driving, especially low speeds through my neighborhood.