Hyundai Santa FE 2019

Was driving my 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and it completely shut off when I was stopped at a red light. Super scary! I could not get the vehicle to start again and had to call police to help. Had my hazard lights on but still felt very unsafe because there was traffic that had to go around my vehicle. Tow guy was able to get it to start again but said the transmission felt jerky. The vehicle was towed back to my home. Then the next day the vehicle was able to start and seemed fine. I had a friend drive it to the dealership while I followed behind in another vehicle. Half way there, it did the exact same thing. Was stopped at a red light and it turned off. The reason felt like a hard shift to the transmission. The engine would start but it would not shift to drive. It had to be pushed out of traffic. A few people stopped their vehicles to help push. After it was pushed to a safe spot, I had it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership. The dealership service tech thought it just needed a new starter. He installed the starter and some update software and claimed it was fixed. Picked up the car, drove it home and it seemed fine. The next day I needed to use this car to drive my three children to school (one of my kids has special needs). I felt the transmission jerking half way there and by the time we (thankfully) made it to the school parking lot, it did a hard shift and died. That could have been very scary and unsafe if we were stuck in traffic and it died! I had it towed back to the dealership. This time around the service tech said it needs a new transmission. It’s a 2019 vehicle with 40,000 miles. It shouldn’t need a new transmission. I don’t feel safe driving this vehicle, especially with my three children!

After driving my sante Fe for little over 1000 miles, I was waiting behind several vehicles at a stop light in hyattsville and my vehicle shut off and wouldn't start. After trying to restart the vehicle for more than 15 minutes, it finally started. I drove to the next stop light and had to stop and the vehicle failed to restart. This happen two more times and then finally it started and I drove back to the dealership in gaithersburg (fitzgerald auto mall). I reported the incident and they claim to be unable to recapitulate the incidence. At around 5014 miles, when I came to a stop light in DC, the vehicle shut off again and would restart. The cops came and push me out of the road and I was then able to restart. I drove to the next stop light and the vehicle shut off again and would start. Eventually, the vehicle started after approximately 10 minutes. I drove the vehicle back to the dealer and was told that there was a performance recall on the vehicle. The vehicle was service and given back to me. The following day driving on germantown road the vehicle shut off again at a stop light. I call the dealer and they asked that I take it back the next day. On my way to the dealer in bumper to bumper traffic the vehicle shut off again. I took back the vehicle to the dealer and told them that I have no confidence in the vehicle anymore and they should replace it. The matter was reported to the manufacturer who refuse to replace the vehicle and offer $500 compensation for my inconvenience which I refuse to accept. I am seeking your assistance to this issue. P.s. I do have picture of the information that was displayed on the dashboard at the time of the incidence and my niece was with me on two of those occasions.

On my 2019 Sante Fe 2.0T, I started having oil consumption/engine issues after 85, 000 miles. Under warranty, I had several minor repairs made over the last year (since 87,000 miles) at the dealership. In September 2025, at 97, 500 miles, I had it into the dealership complaining of burning oil and excessive consumptions in between oil changes. They AGAIN made a few minor repairs, I signed a one-owner warranty form since it was prior to 100,000, and they said come back if I experience further issues. On December 21, at 9pm at night, I broke down on the side of the PA turnpike. My engine light came on after my car started shaking vigorously, and wouldn't accelerate beyond 30mph. Being a Sunday night, I called the dealership in the morning- I was told no appointments for 3 weeks. Took it to a mechanic- where they diagnosed engine failure- hole in intake vale and floating valve not seated. Towed to dealership where it was INITIALLY diagnosed spark plugs and engine coil. Once a mentioned I had a prior diagnosis and pictures, Hyundai did bioscope- found burnt valve and now need all new intake values and part of the engine rebuilt. Hyundai wants me to pay for repairs. I don't think I should have to pay a dime- I've been complaining for over 15,000 miles BEFORE my warranty expired. And now, at 102, 000 miles, the engines blown?? This is a known manufacturer defect with the Theta II engines, and the pistons. I would expect Hyundai at the VERY LEAST to cover the cost of the repairs. Quite frankly, they should replace my engine with a new one, since replacing valves wont solve the pistons and burning excessive oil anyways. I have all documentation of repairs at the dealerships, email correspondence sent between the dealership's service advisors and myself, as well as my routine oil changes.

I purchased my 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe on October 29, 2021. Since then, I’ve experienced a series of mechanical and electrical failures that I believe are far beyond normal for a vehicle of this age. - The remote start has never worked. - On October 20, 2023, the hatch latch failed. The only way to open it now is by climbing into the back and manually pulling the latch. - On October 27, 2023, the electric power steering failed. I had to replace the entire steering column at a cost of $4,000. - The paint began deteriorating prematurely and required a full repair. Hyundai covered this under warranty, but the cost was $8,000. - In early spring 2025, all coil packs had to be replaced due to misfires, costing approximately $500. - September 4, 2025, The car stalled while I was driving on a main road and I had to pull over. There were no warning lights and I started home. About a mile from home check engine light came on so contact mechanic. Ended up towing to a dealership and was told the engine must be replaced because the oil had burned off without any warning from the oil light indicator. The turbo also needs replacement. - The combined cost is $14,000. These failures have caused significant financial hardship and stress. I am currently $17,000 underwater on the loan, and the repair costs are overwhelming. The lack of warning before catastrophic engine damage is especially concerning. I believe these issues reflect systemic defects in the vehicle’s design and manufacturing. The repeated failure of critical components—especially the steering system and oil monitoring—make this the worst automotive experience I’ve ever had. I respectfully request that the NHTSA investigate these failures and determine whether Hyundai should be held accountable. Consumers deserve protection from vehicles with such extensive and costly problems.

Vehicle Information: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Mileage at failure: approximately 109,000 miles Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor Company The vehicle experienced a complete failure of the automatic transmission system. The failed component is available for inspection upon request. At approximately 98,000 miles, the vehicle’s check engine light illuminated. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Hyundai dealership for diagnosis while it was still within the 100,000-mile powertrain warranty period. The dealership inspected the vehicle and advised that no issue was found, and no repairs were performed at that time. Approximately 11,000 miles later, the vehicle experienced severe transmission problems, which progressed to complete transmission failure at approximately 109,000 miles. Safety Risk: The transmission failure resulted in a sudden loss of power and reduced vehicle operability while driving. This condition presents a potential safety risk to the driver and surrounding traffic, particularly during normal roadway and highway use. Prior Inspection / Diagnosis: The issue was not identified or reproduced during the dealership inspection at approximately 98,000 miles when the check engine light was present. Other Inspections: The vehicle was inspected by a Hyundai dealership at approximately 98,000 miles. No inspection by police, insurance representatives, or manufacturer engineering personnel has occurred since the transmission failure. Warning Signs: Check engine light illuminated at approximately 98,000 miles Vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnosis at that time No specific transmission warning messages were displayed Dealership reported no issue found Maintenance History: The vehicle has been regularly maintained with oil changes performed approximately every 5,000 miles. Maintenance records are available for review upon request.

My Santa Fe developed difficulty starting beginning the afternoon of February 18. While waiting in stop-and-go traffic to park for a sporting event, the ISG (idle stop-and-go) activated at least 40 times. After at least the 40th time, the Santa Fe did not turn back on. After about 10 minutes, I was able to start it. This happened while I was stuck in very heavy traffic exiting the freeway. After that, it would always take multiple attempts to start the car even though the battery had more than enough power to turn over the starter. After a couple of days of dealing with this, I took the Santa Fe to my local Hyundai dealer. After diagnostics, they were able to reproduce the problem and they determined that the starter had developed an intermittent short which was likely caused by the multiple ISG activations on Sunday, 2/18/2024. While they verbally agreed with me that repeated activation of the ISG was the likely cause of the starter short, they wouldn't put that in the written service statement. At the time of this problem, my Santa Fe was 1,887 miles past the 5-year 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. I had purchased the Santa Fe a few months ago as certified pre-owned with about 58,500 miles on it so, even though being the 2nd owner, I retained the remainder of the bumper-to-bumper warranty as well as the 10 year 100,000 engine/drivetrain/transmission warranty. Oddly enough the starter, which is attached to the engine is categorized as part of the car's electrical system instead of as part of the engine so the starter replacement wasn't covered. I appealed to the dealer for a discount of some kind. They declined. They claimed to have called Hyundai USA which also supposedly said no to covering the cost of the new starter. A quick Google search for this problem revealed other owners of Santa Fes with the ISG have had the same exact issue.

I have had issues with this vehicle since very shortly after purchase in June 2019. I have been without my vehicle three times due to service/warranty related issues - twice in a rental, and now the third time I am using a friend's vehicle. My complaints began with a "hard start" and a delayed turnover of the engine. The vehicle behaves as though it wants to stall out. Hyundai told me for months that they couldn't recreate the problem to fix it even though it happened 2-3 times minimum per week. Then the other things started going wrong...here is a short list for you over multiple visits and phone calls to the dealership: -hard start - vehicle jerks forward upon engine start -delayed turnover - feels like it is going to stall -vehicle engine ticking upon start -most recently, vehicle engine loudly knocking upon start -vehicle auto collision sensors malfunctioned and almost caused an accident on a busy 4 lane highway by causing my brakes to slam to an almost stop because the car in a lane next to me was turning (I was going 60MPH at the time with no risk of collision). -Apple car play malfunctions - sounds like wires are crossed (using Apple Charger and generic Charger) -rear view camera stays on for 10-15 minutes at a time to the point that I have to turn off and restart the vehicle -while going 25-40 MPH, at times, the vehicle will create a noticeable front end jerking motion -while the flight recorder was in me vehicle, it went off on an emergency alarm for over 3 hours and hyundai's service team couldn't determine a problem -the gas cap door will not open or close properly -vehicle, on 5 occassions, would not respond to depression of gas pedal there are other smaller issues that I have expressed my concern over, and I no longer feel safe in this vehicle with my two small children have now been without vehicle for 30+ cumulative days

I purchased a pre-owned certified 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe from a Hyundai dealership on 10/13/2020 and the vehicle had 21,770 miles. Then on 10/25/2021 (vehicle mileage was 31,950), I was driving my vehicle on the onramp to i-10 West lanes at Gessner Road. As I was accelerating at 40 mph to enter the freeway, my car engine seized and immediately I lost the ability to accelerate since the engine died. I immediately pulled over and had my car towed to the local Hyundai Dealership, HUB Hyundai Mitsubishi West. The Hyundai Dealership Service Manager, Daniel Castillo (832-739-6353), inspected my vehicle and after an inspection of the engine/underside of the vehicle, Hyundai found no damage or impact on the vehicle or the underside of the vehicle besides a missing drain plug. Their analysis concluded that the full result of the mechanical issue with the engine was a result of the missing drain plug which caused the oil to leak from the engine. Hyundai denied the warranty on the engine citing due to the drain plug issue is a direct result of a third party, Brake Check, that recently changed the oil (See attachment). The Brake Check Store #545 (11564 Westheimer Road, Houston TX 77077) had conducted recent oil changes performed on the vehicle on 12/8/2020 when the vehicle had 24,300 miles and on 5/5/2021 when the vehicle had 27,681 miles. I filed a claim (#3419328-1) with Brake Check for the damages however after 5 months of correspondences I was denied since I could not prove they did anything and the drain plug was missing. I also tried to file a claim with my personal auto insurance carrier, Progressive, however I was denied since the claim did not involve an accident. There was no warning lights that ever appeared on my dash prior to the incident. However, when I did go home that evening, I noticed a fresh large oil stain on my driveway were my car had previously be parked. The oil stain just occurred that day (See attached photo)

On August 14 2026, I drove my 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe approximately one mile from my residence to work at approximately 5:00 AM. The vehicle was operating normally and I experienced no warning lights, unusual noises, odors, smoke, or other indications of a problem. I parked the vehicle in an outdoor parking lot and the vehicle remained parked and turned off for approximately four hours. At approximately 9am, I was notified that my vehicle was smoking. A person who was walking past the vehicle observed the smoke, obtained a fire extinguisher, and extinguished the fire. The fire department subsequently responded, disconnected the vehicle battery, and opened the rear of the vehicle to ventilate it. The fire and resulting heat damage were concentrated on the driver's side rear of the vehicle, directly behind the driver's-side rear tire and in the area of the rear bumper. The plastic at the base of the bumper melted, and melted bumper material was observed dripping onto the ground. The responding fire marshal inspected the vehicle and indicated that the electrical box located in this area may be associated with the origin of the fire. Wiring from this area runs to a non-original/non-Hyundai-installed trailer/tow attachment. The exact cause and origin of the fire have not yet been conclusively determined. The vehicle had otherwise operated normally during my ownership, with little to no significant problems prior to this incident. The vehicle is currently being preserved for inspection by my insurance company and mechanic. I am reporting this incident to NHTSA because the vehicle caught fire while parked and unattended after having been driven only approximately one mile, and because the suspected area of origin includes electrical components and wiring associated with the rear of the vehicle. No collision preceded the fire. There were no injuries. I am requesting that NHTSA consider this incident as a potential vehicle/electrical safety issue and investig

One cylinder of the engine is misfiring. When I bought it used in 2021, I realized it had a problem. At red lights or stop signs, the car would randomly not accelerate when it was time for me to go. I would have to turn it off, then on; shift to park then drive; or mash hard on the gas for the car to recover. For example, it happened at these days and times in 2024 (I didn't write down every time since ownership began): 1/24/24 and the key icon lit up; 3/14/24 at 9:20 am; 4/20/24; 7/19/24; 8/7/24; 8/18/24; 8/21/24 at 10:40 am; 8/25/24; 8/27/24; 9/7/24 at 12:30 pm and 3:21 pm; 9/12/24 at 10:38 am; 9/20/24; 9/21/24 at 1:43 pm; 9/23/24 at 7:38 am; 11/12 at 9:36 am; 10/26/24; and 10/27 at 4:37 pm. It was scary! I took the car to the Hyundai dealership in September 2022 and in October 2022 for this issue and the alert that Forward Collision Assist warning wasn't working. I was told both time that they didn't know why the first happened and recommended I replace the entire bumper for the second (it's no longer happening and I did not replace the bumper). I reported it to Hyundai Customer Care and nothing happened. The car also required 4-5 quarts of oil every 2000 miles. I believe these were precursors to what happened this month. On April 5, 2025 the car completely stopped while I was driving on the highway. I added oil and it chugged to an oil change shop where the diagnosis was a problem with coil 3 in the engine. I went to an auto parts store and replaced coil 3, and the car chugged just enough for me to get home. I had a tune up and the mechanic put Heet in the gas tank in case it was a fuel injection issue. The car didn't improve so I took it to another mechanic who diagnosed a misfire in the third cylinder as well, and the spark plug in the third spot looked brand new though the other three showed a bit of wear from the few days I used the car. He told me the engine problem was serious and needed a dealer's examination. I will go to the dealership on 4/17/25.

Update Re: ODI Complaint Number: 11759237 Subsequent Actions and Manufacturer Refusal to Remediate Safety Defect: ​Following the [XXX], acute safety incident—where the vehicle lost motive power and entered severe limp mode on [XXX] immediately upon release from Sheehy Hyundai of Chantilly—the vehicle remained in dealer custody for 11 days (August 20–August 31, 2026). ​Failure to Diagnose Core Defect: Despite recurring total power loss, active diagnostic trouble code P00AF00 (Turbocharger Boost Control Module Performance), and four consecutive turbocharger destructions within 20,000 miles, the authorized dealership refused to conduct internal engine diagnostics, drop the oil pan, inspect the oil filter, or perform borescope checks. ​Physical Contamination Documented: On August 29, 2026, an on-site physical inspection confirmed sparkling metallic particulate suspended in the engine oil on the dipstick and substantial oil blow-by/intrusion into the turbocharger air intake line. ​Formal Denial of Safety/Warranty Coverage: On August 31, 2026, dealership management and Hyundai Motor America (Consumer Affairs Case #[XXX]) formally denied warranty assistance and refused engine teardown under the Theta II Lifetime Engine Warranty Settlement. Coverage was declined citing "outside influence" due to an aftermarket turbocharger assembly, while Hyundai refused to investigate the underlying engine failure contaminating and destroying the forced-induction system. ​Evidence Preservation: On August 31, 2026, the vehicle was towed to an independent facility to mitigate road hazards, conduct teardown diagnostics, and preserve the engine oil/filter for ISO-accredited spectrographic laboratory analysis. ​The manufacturer released an unsafe vehicle into traffic on August 20, 2026, and subsequently refused to investigate or remedy a documented internal engine failure that creates sudden, recurring loss of motive power. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),

COMPLAINT SUMMARY: [XXX] / ENGINE THERMAL FIRE RISK / WARRANTY DECEPTION My 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe (2.4L GDI Engine) is experiencing severe powertrain degradation under the known Theta II engine defect class-action framework. On November 7, 2025, the vehicle logged a Permanent Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P1326 via an independent scan, indicating catastrophic internal rod bearing wear. On XXX, the vehicle was brought to Hyundai of Milledgeville for safety recall verification. Instead of executing the mandatory corporate-directed Bearing Clearance Test (BCT) to replace the failing engine block, the service department committed technical campaign malpractice. The technician forced the 9C2 ECU Software Update directly over the locked mechanical fault to suppress the dashboard warning lights and alter the vehicle's ROM ID parameter limits. When caught via a photograph of their active GDS diagnostic tablet showing 7 historical system faults, the service manager provided a truncated printed report hiding Page 1 and omitting the critical P1326 powertrain code count to evade a warranty engine replacement. Due to these unmitigated delays, the vehicle has suffered severe consequential safety damage. The advanced engine degradation and oil consumption have flooded the exhaust system, melting the catalytic converter substrate and triggering a new DTC P042000 (Catalyst Efficiency) fault immediately after the dealer visit. The extreme engine vibrations have also damaged the transmission's torque converter clutch (DTC P074100). The dealership refused a service loaner and knowingly sent a disabled consumer and an elderly passenger away in an active, failing vehicle that presents a sudden stall-on-highway hazard and a severe thermal exhaust fire risk under extreme summer heat conditions. Hyundai Motor America Corporate has failed to provide emergency towing or alternative mobility accommodations despite a registered corporate case file. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM O