Service Brakes Problems of Hyundai Santa Fe - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

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).

See all problems of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Driving on freeway and noticed smoke. Realized I needed to pull over and brakes weren’t working. Off ramp was at an incline so car came to a stop just in time to get toddler and myself out of vehicle. Car was on fire.

See all problems of the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

While driving to work today [xxx] on or around [xxx] on [xxx] from riverview to downtown tampa while doing about 68 mph, my emergency brake deployed for about 6 seconds. The whole vehicle shook. There were no other vehicles around. Quite scary. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Seem like it burns oil quick.

See all problems of the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

I bought the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe yesterday evening. Upon leaving the dealership I promptly broke for a car in front of me. Immediately the vehicle turned off completely. I put the vehicle in the park and attempted to start the vehicle back up. The vehicle would not start up and begin leaking a prominent scent. Following this, white smoke with the same pungent smell was coming from the engine. I propped the hood and saw the smoke continue to release. I then motioned away from the vehicle and called for a tow truck. The car is now being inspected by the dealership I purchased it from the same day. I believe this is related to the NHTSA recall on 2010-2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, recall date 09/22/2023, recall number 21v303000, and Hyundai safety recall 251s anti-lock braking system fuse replace. This issue is not listed under my vehicle VIN number but it’s apparent to be the case and issue and is being inspected further by the dealership.

I am reporting a critical safety defect involving my brand-new 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving on the freeway, the vehicle experienced a complete brake system failure, nearly causing a serious accident. My boyfriend was driving at the time, and when he tried to brake, the vehicle did not stop. He had to take immediate evasive action to avoid crashing, which put both of us — and nearby drivers — in immediate danger. The vehicle was purchased about a month ago and had never been serviced or modified. After the failure, it was towed to hanlees auto mall Hyundai in richmond, California, where the service department inspected it and confirmed the problem was caused by a missing clamp, which is a critical component of the braking system. This appears to be a manufacturing or dealership oversight. They took photos, documented the issue, and made the repair — but they also told me they cannot guarantee this won’t happen again. There were no warning lights, messages, or symptoms before the failure — the brakes simply stopped working during operation on the freeway. As of now: •the issue has been confirmed by hanlees Hyundai in richmond. •I have not yet received a loaner vehicle. •the car is currently in my possession, but I do not feel safe driving it. •I have been in contact with supervisor steve at Hyundai of vacaville, who has offered to pick up the vehicle and provide a loaner, but that has not yet occurred. This is an extremely dangerous failure that occurred on a brand-new vehicle. I am requesting a formal investigation into this issue to determine if it’s isolated or part of a broader manufacturing defect with the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. A missing brake component that results in total failure at freeway speeds is a life-threatening safety hazard and should be taken seriously by the manufacturer and federal safety officials.

Me and my [xxx] was leaving on a road trip and my vehicles brakes lock up while I was driving. I did not have my brakes applied. The brakes locked up randomly with out applying them. I was only going 35mph. Thankfully we were not at freeway or highway speeds were it could have cause an accident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Hello, to whom this may concern, the abs light turned on the dashboard on a Tuesday evening. My wife kept driving. In the next couple of days, it would feel like the car was all over the road, under braking. It seemed very hard to take off. On Friday, I was outside and heard the car was making a noise. As an automotive technician, I knew the abs module was cycling nonstop. I pulled the fuse out of the fuse panel to make sure it wouldn't catch fire. We took the car back to the dealer when the bulletin came out for these cars catching fire due to an abs issue years ago. I went to the dealer on that Saturday and informed them of the abs module cycling nonstop. They told me that the bulletin had been done already and there was nothing they could do for me. I called Hyundai customer support, and they forced me to pay a diagnostic charge of $220 to tell me it was a failure internally in the abs module and that they wouldn't cover the repairs. I found it very surprising that Hyundai only had to change a fuse to prevent cars from catching fire. It doesn't make sense to me how the NHTSA allowed them to only change a fuse and not the module that Hyundai said was faulty. This puts every car that I drive next to in danger, with the module going off nonstop while I drive down the road. This has all happened in the last month. Please hold Hyundai truly accountable for this nonsense. It is unacceptable that they can get away with just changing a fuse to prevent a fire, and not fix the actual issue, the abs module. Thank you,.

See all problems of the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

As we were driving down the interstate we began to see smoke coming out our vents and after a few seconds saw flames coming from the passenger side of car. We quickly tried to pull over but brakes weren’t working. Safely pulled into grass median. Luckily we were able to quickly exit through the driver door. After about 30 seconds the car was engulfed in flames.

Vehicle will stall out while driving at speeds loss of braking capability and steering capabilities all lost when this happens. Vehicle will roll until stop. No control to steer or brake.

See all problems of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-50 mph, the abs warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed about a technical service bulletin. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no warranty coverage for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

My abs and traction control lights keep going off, intermittently. They have been doing it for several years. It can be for hours or for days. I took a video of it happening a couple years ago, and photos, also. More recently my speedometer has started jumping. I had the abs recall performed when it was first implemented. When I've taken my vehicle to Hyundai (twice now specifically for this) they say they can see no codes and will do nothing. From what I have read on the abs recall, this is what are the symptoms of it. I am under the impression that I have somehow gotten a defective part, even when they did the recall. The recall was that it could cause an engine fire. Today driving home, for a second, downhill, the oil light came on for a second-then went off. I came home and parked. My husband checked. He said there is no oil in the car. That, I imagine is part of the other engine issue this model has. But you would think the oil light would come on sooner and stay on. He is going to get some oil and then take it to a shop when he gets off work. My main concern is getting the abs/speedometer fixed as I believe it is from the first recall. The second issue-that is probably a Hyundai "recognized" issue. They just keep telling me nothing is wrong with the abs/speedometer though. I have photos spanning several year, it falls in line with the recalled issue. Just replace the part already. The last date I went to Hyundai was Monday last week, so I'll put that as the incident date, as I was there for the abs/speedometer. I had to drive an hour each way to see them twice now to be told they can't do anything. Today the oil light came on.

The vehicle was purchased brand new and at near 8k miles the brakes became warped. It caused severe shaking on the highway and has continued to get worse. Hyundai confirmed the brakes were bad but refused to replace the rotors. Rotors on a new car should not be warped at 8k miles, cheap materials lead to that.

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 🔎.

While driving on a highway in April 2025, my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport suddenly lost all power after approximately 10 minutes of normal driving. All dashboard warning lights illuminated, and both the accelerator and brake pedals became unresponsive. I was forced to stop the vehicle using the handbrake in the middle of a 65 mph highway, creating an extremely dangerous situation for myself and other drivers. Prior to this incident, the vehicle had displayed the p1326 knock sensor code multiple times over a 10-month period, each time accompanied by hesitation when accelerating. The knock sensor was replaced twice under used car warranty by Honda. Despite these interventions, the same code and symptoms recurred. The Hyundai dealership(Dec 2024 at montgomery, Jan 2025 at enterprise) repeatedly stated that there was “nothing wrong with the engine. ” after the highway failure, the vehicle was inspected by a collision center and an independent mechanic. They confirmed that cylinder 4 had no compression and diagnosed a burnt valve. Full engine replacement was recommended. Hyundai initially indicated that the engine might be covered under the extended warranty but later denied the claim, stating that the damage was due to a cylinder issue and can not check bearing failure. They also claimed it was too late to determine whether the bearing was the cause. This is not an isolated issue. Many Hyundai owners across the u. S. Have reported identical symptoms—p1326 code, hesitation, cylinder compression loss, and ultimately engine failure—particularly in vehicles equipped with the theta ii engine. These failures often occur around or after 100,000 miles, despite regular maintenance. This ongoing and widespread cylinder-related engine failure presents a serious safety risk and must be addressed through manufacturer accountability, improved diagnostic standards, and proactive repair or recall efforts.

The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while pulling into an automatic car wash and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal travelled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle then drove into the car wash while the car wash conveyor system was not engaged. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving 2-3 mph in a parking lot, and the vehicle rear-ended another occupied vehicle. There was no damage or injury sustained. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 5 mph and pulling out of a parking lot, the brake pedal was depressed, but travelled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pumped the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond and rear-ended another occupied vehicle. The contact sustained cuts on the left leg from hitting the leg against the dashboard while pumping the brake pedal. The contact's vehicle sustained scratches on the front end, and the other vehicle sustained damage on the bumper plastic cover. A police report was filed. Both vehicles could be driven away from the scene. The air bags did not deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing on several occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated that the brake pedal was inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated while depressing the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the abs module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.

Engine oil disappear at 2,000 miles. Car dead stop while driving without any warning ?? break fails at 95 degrees curves. Steering wheel loose and make noise. Hyundai dealer refused to fix the issue.

See all problems of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

The contact owned a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that as his daughter was driving at 20 mph on the highway, she depressed the brake pedal, the brakes failed to respond, and the vehicle started to smoke from the engine and into the cabin. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter then tried to depress the brake pedal again, and the contact's daughter then jumped out of the vehicle on the ramp. The vehicle was coming down on the intersection unoccupied, engulfed in smoke, initially hitting a stop sign and then another unknown sign and sequentially coming to a stop. The contact then saw the vehicle at the hillside engulfed with fire and smoke and tried to break a window, however, the contact heard his daughter and stopped. The fire department and police department were on scene and extinguished the remaining of the fire and the hillside. The origin of the fire was on the engine. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was consumed by the fire and the remainder were taken to lenzi automotive. The contact was the only occupant in the vehicle and sustained scrapes and bruises to her elbow, finger, right thigh, buttocks, and back rib that require medical attention. The failure mileage was approximately 77,200.

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.

[xxx] - on re-entering the highway, after getting gas. Accelerating slowly on ramp (passing 35-40 mph) - I crossed a patch of snow, the brakes locked up briefly! (fraction of a second) I was about 2/3 up the ramp. No other vehicles near. 1000 miles on 2025 sante fe. Arriving home and searching on line I find others have experienced similar brake events on a range of Hyundai products. 29 degrees light snow, some slush, mostly clear road. Cruise control had been on prior to stop. I didn’t notice status during ‘event’ but noticed it was on when I was back on the highway. Lane keep and centering indicators on. Adaptive cruise was not on. No other events in the 20 miles home. No prior similar incidents information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The start of this journey to wesley chapel Hyundai service department were 4 or 5 lights on the dashboard. I can’t remember what day I called to make the appointment-probably a week before the appointment as followed. I made appointment to take my sante fe sport to wesley chapel for Monday 02/17/2025. The vehicle was not driven after the multiple lights came on the dashboard. That was their earliest appointment for service. On [xxx] the Santa Fe sport was towed to westly chapel service department because a neighbor came over to tell us that the car lights were blinking. The car was not on. When they lifted the hood on the vehicle there was smoke and the smell of something burnt. They disconnected the battery, and the vehicle was towed by aaa to the westley chapel Hyundai. We live in a mobile home and park the car close to the kitchen window. This scared me. What could have been was losing my home to fire. Thankfully it didn’t happen. My question is how does an abs assy go bad under 30,000 miles on a vehicle? and we are being told that some pump went bad first that caused the abs assy to go bad. So also, I question how does a pump go bad under 30,000 miles on a vehicle? should this abs assy failure been covered under a recall? I have attached the Hyundai of wesley chapel invoice. Thank you, [xxx] & [xxx] [xxx] 33541-7345 [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The engine locked down due to the improper power train, driveline, driveshaft. Oil leaking and malfunction of power train, driveline, driveshaft caused motor to knock and lock down.

See all problems of the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

Brakes locked.

I purchased a brand new 2024 Santa Fe xrt back in March of 2024. And around December my front end started shaking and I had bad vibrations in my front in when I was finally able to get it into the Hyundai dealership in January they told me it was my front 2 rotors where warped my vehicle only has 13k miles and shouldn't have rotor issuses. Even though it was covered under warranty all the dealership did was resurface the rotors and said the vibration is gone. They also said if it does it again just to bring it back but a new vehicle shouldn't have warped rotor issues with less than 15k miles.

On January 16,2025 I was driving my Hyundai Santa Fe on the freeway with my three children when the automatic brake system suddenly failed, causing me to lose control of the vehicle. As a result, we spun off the road, and the vehicle flipped four times, causing us multiple injuries. Additionally, due to a known recall involving the failure of the airbag deployment system, the airbags did not deploy during the crash. These combined defects caused me and my children to suffer significant injuries, including broken cervical spine. Broken thoracic spine and broken sternum. My daughter has a fractured spine and sternum. And both my sons have serious bruising and head trauma. Both the automatic brake system and the airbag system on this vehicle are part of existing recalls issued by Hyundai motors. These failures directly contributed to the severity of our accident and the injuries we sustained.

See all problems of the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

While driving, the vehicle lost its brakes and rolled to a stop on [xxx] at that point the vehicle compartment began to fill up with black smoke and soot and flames started to come out of vents. My daughter immediately grabbed her dog and exited from the vehicle to a safe spot away from the car. Within 10 seconds the vehicle exploded and erupted into a 20 ft fireball. If my daughter would have hesitated she could have been killed. Hyundai inspected the vehicle and found nothing conclusive except that this problem has been documented in other incidents. The vehicle was declared to be totaled. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

When pressing the accelerator from a full stop, the car would either not move at all, idle/roll forward, or unsteadily jerk forward. In addition, the car would brake while driving despite not applying any pressure to the brake pedal. This issue persisted regardless of "drive mode" and no cruise control was in use.

In January, 2024, my vehicle (2023 Hyundai Santa Fe) started shuddering when brakes were applied at high speed, on quick or hard stops, in stop and go traffic, and especially going downhill. I had only been driving the vehicle for about 5 months. I took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who explained that my front rotors had burn spots. He recommended that I have them resurfaced. I did not want to pay for the problem to be fixed when I believed it was a factory defect and should be covered by warranty. I asked the mission hills Hyundai dealership service department to investigate and correct the problem, because I felt that my family's safety was jeopardized by faulty brakes. They showed me the burn spots on the front rotors and recommended resurfacing. They said I could wait for the pads to wear down and do the resurfacing at the same time as the pad replacement. Their estimate for resurfacing was higher than the one from my mechanic. I found a Hyundai technical service bulletin, number 23-br-004h, which described the exact defects of my vehicle. I returned to the dealership with the TSB in February, 2024. They replaced the two defective front rotors and front disc pads at no charge. The shuddering was no longer evident, and I thought the problem was resolved. However, 10 months later in December, 2024, I once again experienced the shuddering while braking on the freeway while going downhill and when slowing for stops from high speed. Since I had been told that the new rotors and pads were covered by warranty for 5 years or 60,000 miles, I returned to the dealership on 1/16/25 and asked them to evaluate the brakes again. They said that the front rotors again had burn spots. They once again recommended resurfacing at a cost of $249. I reminded them that there was a warranty on the new parts, they claimed that the only warranty was for the original parts that had been replaced. They agreed to resurface no charge. Please investigate and respond to my complaint.

Vehicle fails to appropriately recognize when it is put in park. The dash shows a "p" indicating the vehicle is in park, but emits a continuous beeping sound with a message on the dash that reads, "auto stop is off. Shift to p or n and start engine manually. " however, when pressing "p" as it states I must do, it then reads, "gear already selected," before returning to the previous message. This is all while a "p" is illuminated and beeping is continuous. Throughout this time, if the brake is released, the car begins driving forward as though it is in drive, not park. I have 3 separate videos of this happening. To answer the above questions: the vehicle has repeatedly been inspected by a Hyundai dealership and each time I am told the issue cannot be replicated. I am happy to have it inspected again. It most certainly puts my safety and others at risk as it continues driving after I have engaged park. No police or insurance representatives have yet inspected it. No others warnings or messages appear before it occurs, only during. The issue first started just before 5k miles on the car and has since occurred at least 5 more times.

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The contact stated that the engine and oil lights illuminated whenever the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cause of the failure was due to the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the pistons were not covered, and the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The dealer instructed the contact to continue to drive for 1,000 miles and come back to the dealer for an evaluation. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

Abs module making noise abs light turn on, parking brake stay on, traction light stay on, odometer does not work, speedometer does not work, steering effort decrease, car also stop all of sudden. Car need it to be tow to my house. I took it to dealership they recommended to replace abs module because of a short. I found a recall for abs module inspection and multi-fuse installation for my Santa Fe sport 2013 (recall campaign 205) but my VIN #[xxx] does not appear when enter into system to look for recalls. June, 2021 Santa Fe sport (an). The part number in my car is the same as the one in the recall. Module part #58920-4z000qqh. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the abs system actives and contact notice a shuttering in brake pedal and an abnormal sound in the abs system. The vehicle was driven to a independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the abs system needed to be replaced . The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

See all problems of the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe 🔎.