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Having a family-friendly SUV should be exciting and fun. The automaker claims that the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is “more than ready,” but ready for what? With a defective engine, malfunctioning electrical system, faulty forward collision avoidance software and a dangerous fuel system, this SUV isn’t ready for much.
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Engine | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
Problems with the Engine
The most important part of any vehicle is the engine. Without a properly running motor, the ride is going to be unenjoyable, which is exactly what is seen with this Santa Fe model.
One Edmunds review reads, “I really had high hopes for this vehicle. I came from an Audi q5 and the interior comfort seemed to be on par. But that’s where the comparisons end. The turbo engine and transmission have been a problem from day one. Lots of transmission and engine lag. Transmission shudders when engine finally wakes up and puts the power down. Check engine light at 2,000 mi and dealership had to contact the tech line because everything is so new no one knew anything about it. Now have a rental car and waiting to have a new car back…not even a month old.”
It turns out that Hyundai is aware of several engine problems. Service Bulletin #21-EM-004H talks about the need for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing, which should never be something thought about with new vehicles. The engine should be in tip-top shape from the factory, with all these clearances already worked out. Clearly, the engine isn’t “ready” for anything that an SUV should provide.
Problems with the Electrical System
While having a functioning electrical system might not be as important as the engine, it can create a lot of problems.
Here’s another Edmunds review. “Just received the car back after four days at the dealer. They said the problem was fixed. They said it was a wire and a pin. Well… once the lights came on they would not turn off. The side mirrors would not retract, the interior lights would not turn off. I started that car up again and put the headlight in the off position. The interior still stayed on. I have had this car in my name for 3 weeks. It has been in and out of the repair shop for three weeks and dead waiting to go in for 3 days. I only drove this car for three days during daylight hours. This is patheactic and unacceptable. I want this returned. If ever there was a lemon this one is it. I never should have accepted delivery. It started that day and hasn’t been fixed since.”
Hyundai isn’t even trying to hide all of the electrical system problems. Service Bulletin #20-BE-014H shows that the Wireless CarPlay system can automatically disconnect while being used. When this happens, a message appears saying, “Phone Not Responding.” The only fix being offered is for the driver to reconnect their phone, which can become such a distraction. So much for being able to connect to the best podcasts, music and content while on the road.
Problems with the Forward Collision Avoidance
With so many distractions, it would be extremely helpful to have a functioning forward collision avoidance system, but that’s not going to happen either.
One more Edmunds review says, “We got a fully loaded lemon which started to seriously malfunction at only 2100 miles. Computer module malfunction put car in collision control mode and loss of power steering – a potentially life threatening malfunction. While Hyundai offers many fancy features for less this and their inability to fix the problem has tainted our opinion of this vehicle.”
Sadly, when these safety systems malfunction, the air bags are needed as a last line of protection. Yet, these systems aren’t working right either. NHTSA Campaign Number 21V185000 says that some Santa Fe vehicles have an Occupant Detection System (ODS) module that might not deactivate when a child is in the passenger seat. These defective air bags can cause excessive damage if they are allowed to inflate with a child in the seat. Someone needs to tell these air bags that there’s no need to be so “ready.”
Problems with the Fuel System
What’s more alarming with the Santa Fe is all the trouble being experienced with the fuel system. Even with recalls, the automaker can’t seem to get things right.
Here’s one NHTSA complaint. “The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V524000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available and would not be available for another three months. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”
The recall being referenced talks about affected vehicles having a faulty pipe connection that is allowing fuel to leak between the rail and pump. These fuel leaks can lead to a car fire and should be corrected immediately. However, the dealerships don’t seem to be “ready” for this fix yet. Another recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 21V308000 also talks about the fuel pipe not being tightened correctly. It has become clear after all of this information that the Santa Fe is, in fact, “more than ready,” but only for the local salvage yard.
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Complaint Data
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 21, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Unknown vigorous shaking in rear of vehicle check engine light on. Stopped after turning car off and restarting. Hyundai found no causes and no codes when inspected for issue. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Mar 06, 2023 |
| State | TN |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, she had to depress the brake pedal to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with tsb: 21-01-181h. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,800. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 02, 2023 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Feb 28, 2023 |
| State | OR |
| Description | When driving on the highway the suv would not change gears. It felt like it was stuck in 1st gear, reving very high. Was unable to move the suv to the side of the road. Came to a stop with heavy traffic blowing there horns. Put the suv into park, switched it over to sport mode and was able to get going. This is the third time the suv has lost power. Also have noticed the transmission has been taking to long to change gears. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Feb 19, 2023 |
| State | IN |
| Description | Gas pedal stops working while driving down the road. Happened 3 times. Will work again after awhile. Dealership can't find what's wrong with it and so hyundai and the dealership said they can't fix it. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Feb 07, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Feb 02, 2023 |
| State | LA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was stalling with the transmission, check engine, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer on two occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting parts for the repair. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,483. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Jan 31, 2023 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | On january 26th, 2023 at 9:57am the vehicle was unable to shift into reverse, drive, or neutral. The vehicle's system sent automatic messages indicating to have the transmission control system checked. We had the vehicle towed to a hyundai dealer to be serviced. The dealership advised they performed a software update and that nothing else needed to be done. Then on january 30th, 2023 at 7:44pm the vehicle's check engine light came on and the vehicles system sent us another notification to our phone and email that there was a transmission control system issue. The vehicle shakes abruptly when accelerating after a stop. I have photos of the warning messages as well as video of the car shaking. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jan 25, 2023 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | This happened on 18th january 2023, a day after I received a transmission related recall notice (recall 236) from hyundai. My car did not move when I put the transmission in "drive". I restarted the car and then drove the car a short distance when the car stopped moving again. Then, there was a few seconds of mobility in which I managed to park the car in a parking spot. By this time, the "check engine" light switched on. I had the car towed to the dealership. The tow truck driver also tried to drive the vehicle, but at this point in time, the car just did not move in "drive". The dealership inspected the car the next day and informed me that the transmission would need to be replaced and they had placed an order for the same, but the part won't come in before february. My car is currently parked at the dealership parking lot, and we are waiting on the replacement transmission to arrive from hyundai. The transmission on this vehicle has always been jerky from the beginning, especially at lower gears. The car shudders when the transmission is shifted from park to drive. I read in online forums that this was because of the design of the transmission, so did not report. But this sudden breakdown of the transmission has gotten me worried. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jan 24, 2023 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Recall 236 -transmission problem. Manufacturer has not resolved this issue to date putting lives in danger of injury or death |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 24, 2023 |
| State | MI |
| Description | On december 28, 2022, we were driving 70 miles per hour on route 75 in the third lane of a four-lane highway from michigan to tennessee. In ohio, the vehicle lost all drive power without warning. As it decelerated, we were able to maneuver the vehicle to the breakdown lane, narrowly avoiding other vehicles around us driving at 70 miles per hour. We do not know what caused this to happen. After several hours on the side of the highway, the vehicle was towed to jeff wyler hyundai in fairfield, ohio. They have not been able to diagnose the problem as of today. The contact stated that the cause of the issue was due to an oil plug that was improperly tightened by the dealership during service maintenance. As a result of that, the oil was able to drain out and cause the engine to fail. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jan 23, 2023 |
| State | NV |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jan 18, 2023 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while driving 60 mph with the adaptive cruise control mode activated, the contact heard three beeping sounds, and the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that the vehicle made the beeping sound again while driving 50-55 mph however, the vehicle had not lost motive power. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive because there was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued driving. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the powertrain control module (pcm) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission was flushed; however, the failure reoccurred 2 weeks later while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the transmission fluid was refilled; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train) for which the vin was included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jan 17, 2023 |
| State | IL |
| Description | On october 10, 2022, while driving home from the hospital, my car unexpectedly entered limited driving mode (max 15 mph) for 10-15 seconds in the middle of the road and then died totally. Later, I discovered that it was due to a recall that was initiated on october 6th, manufacturer recall number 236 & nhtsa recall number 22v746000, for which hyundai did not give me a notice letter until december 8th, 2022. My automobile has been parked at the dealership since october 10, 2022, with no indication of when the transmission will be available to repair it. The hyundai dealership diagnosed my car with the p1c2d03 diagnostic code and ordered a new transmission to replace it on or around 10/13/2022, but they haven't received it from hyundai yet. I've followed up with both the dealership and the hyundai incident case manager numerous times, but nothing has changed. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jan 05, 2023 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Dec 30, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The manufacturer has not issued a remedy for this recall #22v746000 since the initial filing of the recall on 10/6022. |
| Category | Seat Belts |
| Date | Dec 29, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v816000 (seat belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The driver's side seat belt failed to extend smoothly. The contact stated that occasionally the seat belt became stuck and excessive force was needed to operate the seat belt. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Dec 16, 2022 |
| State | OK |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Dec 15, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | Vehicle warning alarm activated, car went into limp mode for about 20 seconds, and then lost all drive. Warning message for transmission control unit problem. Several previous temporary failures with no stored codes over past two or three months, one previously reported to nhtsa. Drive would not engage even after multiple restart attempts. The short amount of time and reduced speed could cause a serious accident. Very fortunate that I knew what I was happening and reacted quickly to get vehicle to side of highway. Dealer service has confirmed problem. Awaiting new transmission. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Dec 12, 2022 |
| State | CT |
| Description | I was accelerating after being at a stop sign onto a major two lane road when all of the warning systems came on and the car stalled while the front of the car was partially on the major two lane road. The alarms, including the collision warning were going off, and it took me several minutes to restart the engine. I was very lucky that I was not hit by oncoming traffic. This was immediately reported to our local hyundai dealer. They took two weeks to schedule our appointment and then told us nothing was wrong and that everything "checks out". Today, I receive the recall notice telling me the loss of power "could increase the risk of a crash" and yet they do not yet have a fix for it. This means I am paying for a car that is unsafe to use with no remedy in sight. Had this occurred on the highway, I would have been killed. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Dec 12, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to coast off the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train). The approximate failure mileage was 13,000. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Dec 10, 2022 |
| State | IN |
| Description | The issue first came up in june 2022. When driving the vehicle and coming to a stop the vehicle lost power and would not drive at all. After a few seconds the check engine light came on. After multiple attempts to shift into gear and restart the vehicle the vehicle did have power but for only about 10 miles before doing it again. We ended up having the vehicle towed to the hyundai dealership. They told us it was a transmission electric oil pump going out (which is now recalled). They replaced the pump but immediately after getting the vehicle and driving down the road less than a couple of miles, the vehicle lost power again and did the exact same thing. The dealership towed the vehicle back and this time said they will need to replace the whole transmission assembly. After waiting over 3 months they finally replaced it. We got the vehicle back and currently is able to drive. However, the transmission shifts hard and there have been times where the transmission lags for a long time before shifting into gear to make the vehicle move. When it does finally go into gear the vehicle will take off real hard and quick. I do not feel safe in this vehicle. Considering how the vehicle lags and takes off real hard at times, I feel this is putting me at risk for a wreck. This is absolutely unacceptable for a vehicle this new and so few miles. Unfortunately, I do not feel hyundai will back up their poor product and give a fair refund. We have received a recall notice for the oil pump but they have no solution. This recall does not take into account how poorly the transmission now shifts after being replaced. |
| Category | Power Train, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Dec 09, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | I have been aware of this safety defect/recall for over 2 months now yet hyundai has no remedy planned thus placing owners and others on the road in serious danger. This is unacceptable and I wish to file a formal complaint with the nhtsa. (nhtsa recall number 22v-746) |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Dec 08, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while making a turn from a complete stop, the vehicle responded but suddenly stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle 5 minutes later. However, upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine made abnormal roaring sounds. The contact was able to drive after several attempts and pulled into a parking lot, however, the failure reoccurred. The contact restarted the vehicle and pulled into a parking spot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. An unknown software update and an unknown repair were completed; however, the vehicle hesitated to respond while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, key hyundai (4660 southside blvd #100, jacksonville, fl 32216) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced and that the failure was associated with nhtsa campaign number: 22v746000 (power train). However, the parts for the recall repair were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 11,900. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | Dec 07, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | There were two warning (?) "bings" from the instrument cluster and then vehicle completely lost power and would not exceed maybe 2 mph. Vehicle had forward drive, but no willingness for engine to speed up beyond idle speed. Was like this for several city blocks until I was able to restart at a traffic light and then it resumed normal operation. Did not notice any warning lights and no messages popped up in the instrument or vehicle display. Just the two "bings" before power loss. This is actually the second time this has happened. Last time was while accelerating on a freeway onramp, but vehicle corrected itself more quickly and without need for restart. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Nov 30, 2022 |
| State | SC |
| Description | The windshield has waves through it causing parts of the windshield to be blurry. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Steering |
| Date | Nov 13, 2022 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | While driving the crash avoidance emergency braking came on out of nowhere, and the steering locked up. I was driving on a straight and level roadway with no vehicles in front of me when suddenly the whole dash lit up with warning lights and the car, a 2021 hyundai santa fe, came to a emergency stop, the steering wheel was shaking and wouldn't turn. This was the second time this happened. The first time on 09/29/22 I called the car dealer and was told that "they knew of the problem and that there was no remedy". This is extremely dangerous, both times it happened while I was driving on a highway at a steady speed, thankfully the roadway was dry if it had been raining I would have probably crashed. |
| Category | Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly |
| Date | Nov 06, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | While backing out of our garage, the “eyebrow†glass portion of the panoramic sunroof shattered. Nothing struck the glass. Our insurance is paying for the repair and rental car for a week. Hyundai will not cover the glass damage under the warranty. Online searches indicate that hyundai has a lengthy history of faulty panoramic sunroofs. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 27, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The vehicle will not move forward or reverse, when drive or reverse is selected. The car has been at the dealership since 10/11/2022. I was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. No one in the hyundai organization (including the dealership) can tell me when replacement will be. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine |
| Date | Oct 22, 2022 |
| State | PR |
| Description | Car was bought approximately a year and a half ago and it was working fine until last september 2022 when it started to stall the engine when having isg (idle stop and go) on. It has no pattern, but during the last 2 months it has shut down more than a dozen times. I've taken the car for inspection at hyundai (2 times so far) and they can't find any faults when running a scan and said that they car is just fine. They assured that an ecm update would solve the issue but it has not improved anything in the car. The car has continued the pattern , when you stop the car it starts to shudders before stalling the engine, all without any error lights. Next november will be the third time bringing the car for the same issue without any resolution. Also, as a minor problem, it has started disconnecting the cellphone from the apple car and you can't reconnect it unless you turn off the car. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking, Electrical System, Lane Departure: Warning |
| Date | Oct 15, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Having issues with the dash going completely black; so you can not see any instruments on the dash panel or the head unit (navigation/radio/airplay). The car has been into the shop three times so far with no resolution. The newest issue; the horn doesn't work, the safety features such as lane assist, lane departure etc. Only work intermittently, and I have had the brakes slam on for no reason. The last time I took the car back to dealer and told them I was afraid to drive the car, the service manager changed the settings on the safety features, not sure how that was to fix anything? We have been so close to being rear-ended because of the faulty braking system. The electrical system is having major issues, I have videos of the car doing all these things and have showed them to the dealership and they claim they can not fix the car because it doesn't happen when they drive the car. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Oct 04, 2022 |
| State | IN |
| Description | While driving on the highway, when I pushed on gas pedal the car would not accelerate, I was uncertain if I was losing power of the vehicle, luckily it maintained the current speed and did not decelerate,but I was unsure at the moment if I was losing complete power, because it wasn't responding, it felt like the car was going to stall similar to when you run out of fuel. This occured for around 20 seconds, I would guess, long enough to notice that the car was not responding and continued to not respond,and to be concerned from a safety perspective. The night before I had filled the fuel tank and I noticed to guage that predicts fuel mileage kept changing by 3-5 miles difference,back and forth repeatedly, before I even left the fueling station and as I continued to drive. I'm unsure if that is related to the driving performance issue of not accelerating the next day. The next morning when the non acceleration occurred the predicted fuel mileage was consistent. The next time I drove the vehicle following the non accelerating issue, there was an error that popped up on my digital dash stating "a possible condition with your engine control system has been detected. A full system check is recommended to be done when convenient. Please contact your local dealership to schedule an appointment." also, the check engine light came on. Myhyundai app showed a dtc - p040b00, dtc system - powertrain, dtc sub system- ems. I took the vehicle to the hyundai dealership to confirm that the car was safe to drive or if I should rent a car until it can be further inspected. They read the codes and said it is safe to drive and no additional information, I will be taking the car back to the dealership in a week, which is their first available appointment with a hybrid certified technician. Both the dealership and hyundai corporate customer service states there are no current recalls, but through other car forums, it appears to be a similar issue that has occurred with other hyundai models. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | Sep 26, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | This suv has been plagued with issues, and yet after 5-6 visits to the dealership, they don't seem to be able to fix them all. The vehicle (2. 5t awd) currently has around 14k miles and within the past month the gas pedal suddenly became unresponsive, worst of all while carrying my kids and wife in the car. Coming to a dead stop to cross an intersection, went to accelerate to join traffic and the car wouldn't accelerate. Last time on 9/23 when I almost got into a head-on accident while making a left turn as the car barely moved into the first of three incoming lanes, would not accelerate and so forced me to quickly hit reverse, outrageous! Other three times while making a right turn. Auto engine-off has been disabled on all occasions (hate it); two times happened while driving on smart mode, another one on comfort and another one on sport mode. Car has been always using mobil, shell or chevron gasoline. Which also brings me to another point, the vehicle suddenly started consuming crazy amounts of gas, currently at 16mpg for the past 4 full tanks! The vehicle was dropped off at dealership on 9/26/22 and already filed for lemon law in fl as this is absolutely unreliable and dangerous to carry my family on. According to manager at rick case hyundai of davie, an update for the transmission just came out this week after a recall and so they were going to reprogram. I am still getting rid of this p. O. C. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Sep 23, 2022 |
| State | DC |
| Description | Car was without power after 16 months and 7500 miles. Got it jump started. Two days after that, car would not start again. Second time jump started. Taken to the dealership (alexandria hyundai) where two days after that they found "nothing wrong with the car" and returned it to me. Before that, I asked them to change the battery, they denied my request and I paid out of pocket for a new battery as maybe that was the problem. One month approximately after that, car would not even open. Got it jump started again. Drove to blocks and completely and suddenly shut off in the middle of a busy intersection posing a major safety concern for myself and third parties. Involved 911 and towing. Had to spend 40 minutes depressing the brake for the car not to roll down and avoid an accident. Taken to the dealership again. 5 days after that, dealership found "nothing wrong with the car". 7500 miles inspection done in parallel "supposedly" put the tires at 35 psi per report issued but dashboard shows tires at 30 psi. Do not trust dealership, car poses significant driving and safety concern for me and third parties. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention |
| Date | Sep 13, 2022 |
| State | IA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while the back-up camera was activated, the screen display turned to a green color and no image was visible, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure or retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 03, 2022 |
| State | SC |
| Description | Refill inverter coolant comes up on my dash daily. I have taken the vehicle back to the dealership several times to get that serviced. After having the vehicle all day they tell me everything is running fine and they can't find the problem or figure out why the message is coming up. This has been going on since I bought the vehicle in april. They assure me the vehicle is safe to drive and this won't affect the vehicle in any way. This problem has not been resolved and I'm afraid serious damage will happen if this message keeps coming up and they don't get it fixed. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Seat Belts |
| Date | Aug 25, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Emergency braking comes on with no vehicles in front for 1/4 mile. Passenger front seat belt is no working properly. Caution collision comes on sporadically. Clock does not show correct time. Stop-start system works sporadically. A/c fan blows out defrost sometimes. Remote start does not always work or shuts off too soon. Case manager does not return calls. Changed case manager but no better. Hyundai does not care. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 19, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | While on a high speed highway in new jersey the transmission suddenly lost power and the car was unable to move. It had to finally be towed to the hyundai dealer on 7/26/2022 where it remains awaiting a new transmission. Neither dealer or hyundai corporate has any information as to when new transmission will arrive and be installed. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Aug 17, 2022 |
| State | NH |
| Description | This car since 6/7/22 has been plagued with issues where is starts cutting out and stalling followed by the check engine light coming on flashing. This has happened many times and just happens while driving down the road. It is a very dangerous condition as you can not predict when it's going to stall out. The car has been in the dealership 3x for this problem and spent over 40 days there. Hyundai replaced the fuel injectors claiming that was the problem. It was over 35 days to get the back ordered parts. They were replaced and the car seemed to be running ok. I drove it for about 150 miles and it ran like new. Then on 8/13/22 while driving in traffic on nh highway us1, it started doing it again. I went into the hyundai dealership since was right there. I brought the technician out and showing him my running car with the running car with blinking cel. They pulled into into the shop and ran a scan on it. They said there was no active codes. I asked to leave the car with hem so it could be investigated and there response we "we don;t have a car for you until next tuesday". I was forced to drive off in a confirmed dangerous car. I pulled out into traffic on us1 and the car immediately lost power and started cutting out and the cel was back on and blinking. I turned around on the very next street, turned the car off and back on and the cel cleared. I pulled back onto us 1 and the car immediately lost power and started cutting out and the cel was back on and blinking again. This very nearly caused a 2nd accident as ad zero power to accelerate. My concern is hyundai has no idea what the problem is. They know there is a dangerous problem. The service manager drove the car/confirmed himself there is a serious issue. My other concern is the hyundai dealership knowingly sent me away in a car they had confirmed for themselves was unsafe nearly causing a accident on the highway. I had to speak with the general manager to get a loaner to leave my defective car. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 08, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | The sun visor does not meet the a pillar. There is a large gap there. This gap frequently allows the sun glare to impact the driver. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | Aug 05, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | While traveling 70 mph the vehicle had a sudden loss of engine and battery output performance while driving and began losing speed despite the accelerator being fully depressed. There was a very rapid decrease in speed, and no warning chime activated per manual. “check hybrid system. Stop safely, triangle warning displayed.†observed battery indicator rapidly deflecting left and right. The vehicle would not accelerate and had to be coasted through four lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder of the highway. While on an sos call with bluelink, who was unable to see the location of my vehicle, oil light illuminated, and a message on the dash said “check battery discharge.†after the first bluelink operator was unable to assist in dispatching a tow truck due to the inability to see the vehicle's exact location, the second bluelink operator was able to assist and dispatch a tow truck to the location and tow the vehicle to the closest dealership. The vehicle could not be turned on or placed in neutral. Was given a jump start to place in neutral to tow. Upon arrival at the dealership, the key fob would not register inside the vehicle for the service manager and technician to move with the tow truck operator. The vehicle was evaluated by the dealership and the only reported issue was a signal error that was present when the vehicle arrived at the dealership after being towed. Dealership reported radar was not vertical and contributed that to the cause of loss of acceleration on the highway despite not having identified it before or being a result of being towed. I requested this be reported if truly the cause since that could be catastrophic. The matter was considered resolved by the dealer since it couldn't be duplicated. This unknown, continued sudden loss of output power, acceleration, and electrical power is a serious safety defect and significant impairment to the vehicle, posing a fatal risk for the operator and other motorists on the road. Occurred at 24618 miles. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | Aug 05, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | While I was traveling 70-75 mph the vehicle had a sudden loss of engine and battery output performance and I began losing speed. There was a very rapid decrease in speed, and no warning chime activated per manual. “check hybrid system. Stop safely, triangle warning displayed.†the vehicle would not accelerate despite pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor and had to be coasted off the interstate through three lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder. No fault indications were present in the bluelink app despite warnings present on the dash. Mileage was 6506 at the occurrence, vehicle was in smart. Adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist were being utilized, when disabled acceleration did not return. I was advised to turn off the car and turn it back on due to no faults present via remote troubleshooting tools and no dealership within 150 miles, and the vehicle resumed operating okay. After taking it for service at the next available “emergency slot†two weeks later at my local dealership and the car being there for one week, they reported condition could not be duplicated, the vehicle is operating to the manufacturer's specifications. I noted my serious concerns and that a serious safety defect that allows a vehicle to lose all acceleration on the highway and the vehicle not sounding a warning chime can lead to dangerous scenarios on the road and I was assured there was nothing wrong with my vehicle and it would not occur again as it was operating within manufacturer specifications. The vehicle did have a subsequent failure of this same type at a later date. It was not investigated by anyone other dealership. The manufacturer failed to address the loss of acceleration concerns when requested. No chime activated but should have received one per manual. A safety warning was present on the dash, “check hybrid system. Stop safely†service warning triangle. I am unsure how long it appeared before the loss of acceleration due to no chime. |
| Category | Electrical System, Seats |
| Date | Aug 04, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Seat full forward, into the dash with no input from operator. Second occurrence 08/04/2022 at 1700 central time when parking the santa fe in the garage. When turned off, the driver's seat ran full forward and reclined forward into the dash - unsafe and potential injuries -- have a photo. I will be contacting the local dealership tomorrow to schedule an appointment for an inspection and routine maintenance. Since this is no longer an isolated occurrence we will be asking our dealer for assistance. Complaint number 11475184 |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Aug 01, 2022 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | I took my car to the dealer because it hesitates when accelerating. I was told since no lights are on there's nothing they can do. This can be very dangerous as it jerks when accelerating |
| Category | Electrical System, Seats |
| Date | Jul 21, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | 17551 mileage. Parked vehicle. Placed in park, set parking brake. Drivers seat moved full forward and leaned forward pinning me against the steering wheel forcing the breath out of me before I was able to stop the spontaneous movement. Restricted my breathing could have injured my ribs had I not stopped it. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jul 21, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Got stuck at a traffic light when the idle stop and go never came back. Diagnosed as a transmission problem and the dealer's going to replace the transmission. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jul 20, 2022 |
| State | NC |
| Description | I ran into a pretty dangerous situation while on the highway. I was driving at about 70mph picking up speed to pass a vehicle on the far left/fast lane when I suddenly noticed a loss in power (no warning, nothing!). I could hear the engine rev when stepping on the gas but the speed never picked up. I managed to stop on the far left shoulder next to the jersey barrier since there wasn't enough speed to safely get to the right shoulder. Restarting the car multiple times didn't fix the issue but the engine light came on at this point. I had to get the car towed to the nearest dealer after seeking help from the highway patrol and roadside assistance. After 3 weeks at the dealership, they told me they could not replicate the issue and asked me to take possession of the vehicle. The very next day, while on the highway, I ran into the same issue just after driving 7 miles. Again, it could have been pretty dangerous. It's now back at the dealership. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jul 19, 2022 |
| State | GA |
| Description | When isg (idle stop and go) is on, vehicle will completely turn off when pressing brake to stop. Vehicle shut off on me yesterday yielding to turn onto a busy highway. It took 5+ mins for vehicle to crank back up. Very dangerous! No warning lamps, messages, or symptoms other than vehicle completely shutting off. An appointment has been made at hyundai dealership next month which is the first available time. Please look into this issue before someone is seriously hurt or killed! |
| Category | Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly |
| Date | Jul 11, 2022 |
| State | LA |
| Description | While driving on the interstate where no other vehicles were within eye view and no overpasses my sunroof glass exploded. It sounded like a gunshot and it wasn't until I heard the glass rattling above my head that I realized where it was coming from. Luckily I had the cover closed so majority of the glass was caught by that. The incredibly loud noise startled me tremendously and could caused a collision because of my focus being taken away from the road. The shattered glass was in my lap, on my hand, in my hair ect. Causing small cuts with the potential to cause serious harm had the cover not been closed. No, it has been several weeks almost a month and the dealer is requiring confirmation from corporate case management before it can be assessed. Corporate has been “escalating†my case yet a caseworker was not assigned my case this whole time and once a caseworker was finally assigned on 7/8 I had yet to hear from them so I attempted to call on 7/11 and was given a further run around. I am riding around with a plastic bag and tape fastened to my car to hopefully prevent water damage from occurring going on a month now. The bags are so loud when driving that they prevent me from being able to hear what's going on with my surroundings on the roadway which is unsafe no. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jun 30, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | The passenger door has a sharp edge at the bottom exactly like the palasade hyundai recall. Both my daughter and my 82 year old mother have gashed their ankle on the door. In the case of my mother she was lucky we did not need stitches! I have a picture of the injury. I made a case submission to hyundai. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jun 29, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | I keep my vehicle backed into my single car garage. I have had 3 incidents in the last couple of months beginning of mayish to now, where I start the vehicle, put it in drive and it does not drive. Twice it started to reverse and today it acted as though it were in neutral. I've taken video of the last 2 incidents showing that drive is selected, the dashboard and the birdseye camera. My dealership is working to resolve but has stated to plan on my vehicle being there for awhile. This seems to be quite dangerous. When I turn the vehicle off and restart it, drive works. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jun 10, 2022 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Problem first started on 3/31/22, car starting showing engine light as well as forward safety system off. Car would not accelerate and was shaking spuddering when foot was off the brake. Pulled into a safe location and called towne hyundai genesis of denville (rt. 10, nj) to schedule a service appointment and was told that there were no appointments or availability until may. I expressed my concern that I did not feel safe driving the vehicle and the response was that I could drop off the car for 4-6 weeks and they would look at it when they had a chance. I asked if there was a loaner car available and they said no that 100's of other people have problems. I took my car to a local shop to see if they could diagnose the issue and they ran a diagnostic test and the error p2127 (throttle/ pedal position sensor/ switch e circuit low). The hyundai bluelink shows 2 alerts for chassis on 3/31/22 as well. After this date I felt unsafe driving my car and have drove the vehicle a handful of times in 2 1/2 months unable to get an appointment. The alert would come on as soon as you turned the vehicle on until 6/4/22 when it occured while driving on a highway and the car stopped accelerating. I took the vehicle to hyundai and they updated the system and stated that it was fixed. Within 15 minutes of driving it the issue came back, and I called them and they once again stated that I could leave it there for 4-6 weeks without a loaner. This car is extremely unsafe as it will just stop accelerating without any warning. |
| Category | Tires, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jun 09, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | I purchased my car in may 2021. Shortly after purchase, I noticed a "clicking" sound under the car when the car was operating between 15 and 20 mph. I took the car to the dealer, who couldn't identify what was causing the sound. The dealer subsequently replaced the front axle, but the clicking sound continued, only audible when the car was moving at between 15 and 20 mph. On june 9, I was driving at about 40 mph on an interstate that had only a few cars on it. I didn't notice any debris or objects in the road, nor did I feel the car hit any debris or objects. Suddenly, I heard a loud "crunching" sound that I mistook for interference from the radio. I turned the radio off and realized the sound was coming from the rear passenger side of the car. I looked at the dashboard and saw the tire pressure light had illuminated. A few seconds later, the triangular danger sign also illuminated. I got off the highway at the next exit and stopped the car as soon as it was safe. The car made a lot of noise as I drove down the exit ramp, and it was difficult to steer, so I knew that the rear tire was flat. I got out of the car and found, to my surprise, that both tires on the passenger side were flat. The rear tire was cracked and ripped apart. The front tire was intact, but completely flat. The car has not been inspected yet, so I don't know what caused both tires to flatten at the same time. If I'd hit something hard enough to flatten both tires, I'd think I would have seen or felt it. My concern is that a defect in the tires related to the mysterious clicking sound that the mechanics could not diagnose caused the tires to blow out without warning at the same time. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine |
| Date | Jun 07, 2022 |
| State | PR |
| Description | The vehicle sporadically turns off its engine by itself, mostly stopped when placing the transmission in park gear. One time the engine went out in the middle of the avenue. After these events when starting the engine it makes a noise for a few seconds. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer and they say that there is no type of technical bulletin on this type of problem. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jun 07, 2022 |
| State | PR |
| Description | Most of the time, when the vehicle stops the transmission slams and pushes the vehicle forward requiring additional breaking effort. This problem started before 5 thousand miles of use. I reported it at his first oil change and I have continued to report it. The hyundai dealer's machine shop claims to test and verify it, they claim they have no problem or technical bulletin about it. They say this is normal for this model. My concern is that this fault ends up breaking the transmission in the middle of the avenue and having a traffic accident. There is a forum of this same model owners reporting the same problem, https://www. Hyundai-forums. Com/threads/2021-santa-fe-transmission-shudder. 680164/page-2 apparently they don't know this website to report these problems. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 30, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Problem #1 - at least 4 quarts of oil spewed from the oil tank and covered most of the engine for an unknown period time. There were no notifications, alerts, or any other indication concerning the oil tank having 1 or less quart of oil. Ultimately, there are at least three (3) questions that need to be addressed 1. In a 2021 santa fe, what would cause both the timing and valve covers to leak out at least four (4) quarts of oil out of the oil tank onto the engine. 2. Why was there no notification, alerts, or indication that the oil tank only had less than one (1) quart of oil. 3. What other damage could there have been to the engine beyond the several parts identified as needing to be replaced, that was not identified. A chronological order of events is available. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | May 10, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The vehicle has a wireless phone charger which causes the phone to overheat. It causes so much heat that the phone shuts down to prevent damage to the phone. There is a potential risk for fire. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 09, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | My santa fe has less than 14k miles. In many instances, the car has stalled when turning on. The engine would tremble and then shut the engine off while the dash lighting/symbols stay on. It will idle for a quick second and then drop to zero. Another instance is when driving into a parking spot and driveway and we applied the brakes. At that moment the engine shut off while the dash lights/radio and everything else stayed on. In all instances, if we apply the brake and then hit the start button, the car will typically turn on and act like nothing ever happened. In 2 instances, the blind side detection would turn off while driving and all the warning lights would come on the dash. After turning it off and letting it sit for a few minutes it would disappear. One time the front detection would go off and there was no car in front of me for about 8ft. The beeping continued after we drove off and it eventually reset itself and never happened again. I've notified the hyundai dealer but they claim if they can't recreate it then they can't fix anything. My previous santa fe did the same thing and they had it for 2 weeks with no results. Although my blue link app showed the car was never moved from the parking spot which made me wonder if they even tried anything. I have videos of the santa fe stalling. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | May 07, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | This vehicle hesitates to a dangerous degree when trying to accelerate from a stop or rolling stop. When pressure is applied to the gas pedal, the vehicle will not accelerate until nearly a whole second later. This delay in response has created dangerous situations where merging onto a road in a predictable and smooth manner is crucial (I. E. Turning right at a red light, a 4-way stop). I did not notice this problem during my test drive, but now at almost 10,000 miles, the problem has become more pronounced. No warning messages in the gauge display. The vehicle has not been inspected by police, manufacturer, or insurance representative. |
| Category | Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal |
| Date | May 05, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact indicated that the rpm would increase however, the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate causing a safety hazard while pulling into traffic. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 30, 2022 |
| State | GA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated upon attempting to drive the vehicle, she shifted into drive; however, the vehicle reversed inadvertently. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park. The contact shifted from park to drive three times but the vehicle would reverse each time or would fail to move. The rpm's revved up. The "drive†warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle after several attempts; however, the failure reoccurred a month later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shift actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,273. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 26, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | In july 2021 while driving from tx to wa due to a military pcs with our brand new suv a small rock or pebble hit the windshield on the passengers side. I called progressive/ safelite right away to have them fix it upon arriving in wa. It was good to go until a few days later I climb into my suv (which is sitting under a car port) and see that the chip has ran through all the way to the other side of the drivers view. From july 2021 it took till jan 2022 to get a replacement. Had to pay the 0 deductible. However this should not happen on a brand new 2021 santa fe that was just manufactured in may/june 2021. More and more I am seeing reports of windshields cracking and I need to have piece of mind that our concerns are heard and fixed to our satisfaction. |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Mar 22, 2022 |
| State | AL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while his wife was driving 60 mph, she thought a small rock had struck the windshield and made an 8-inch horizontal crack form the driver's to the passenger's side windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated a month later while his wife was driving the vehicle, she heard an abnormal noise on the windshield. The driver parked the vehicle but did not notice any cracks. The contact stated later on that day, his wife noticed an 8-inch horizontal crack form the driver's to the passenger's side. The contact called local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. The vin was not available. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 10, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | While driving the car in cruse control the speedometer would jump up and down rapidly making the car accelerate and break. The warning lights come on saying the forward, side back sensors are off. At times stepping on the breaks a plastic bottle crunch sound will occur but the breaks were fine. I scheduled a repair but was still driving the car. Then I approached an intersection and the light was turning green to yellow so I stepped on the breaks only to have the pedal go to the floor without resistance and no breaks at all. I had to drive through a red light endangering myself and others at that intersection. I pulled into a parking lot and the breaks were working again. Car has been towed to the west herr hyundai dealer on transit rd williamsville, ny for repairs. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 08, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Car had a dead battery called road service they tested the battery said it had a bad cell they jumped it and I took it to the dealership they tested it by hyundai protocol charged it for 60 minutes then load tested said it passed didn't find anything wrong with it sent me on my way couple days later dead battery brought it back to dealer charged it tested it said nothing wrong sent me on my way. Have to jump car every couple of days |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Feb 16, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while her vehicle was parked in her driveway, the rear windshield shattered without incident. The contact also mentioned that repairmen who happened to be on her property at the time of the failure had witnessed the failure occur without incident. The dealer was notified of the failure and the windshield glass was repaired under car's manufacture warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. |
| Category | Visibility |
| Date | Feb 02, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v00m000 (visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Air Bags, Seat Belts, Seats |
| Date | Jan 13, 2022 |
| State | NH |
| Description | Visual red triangle code illuminated on the instrument cluster with the number 1 on the side of it. I used my obd2 reader (blue driver) to retrieve the 8 air bag codes. They were b1511 ,b1513, b1378, b1382, b1346, b1481, b14ae, b2618. Problem resulted after the cowl cross bar assembly (unpainted), also known as a crash bar, was replaced because of broken welds. It was replaced with a painted assembly that prevents access to secure ground for the air bags and seat belts. The assembly is used to provide support in case of a crash and also serves as a grounding bus bar for multiple devices, such as; air bags, seatbelts, instrument cluster, on board safety cameras, lane, backup warnings, etc... |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Nov 03, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving in the fast lane on the freeway at speed limit the car suddenly began to slow/stop, after which a warning flashed on the display that said danger, collision imminent, or something like that. There was no one close in front of me when that happened. This exact scenario has happened three times now in this car, in the same way! I felt my life was endangered every time by the sudden and unnecessary braking of my car. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Oct 23, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | 10/22/21, mileage ~720, while driving on the highway I had two incidents when the car did not respond to throttle application. In the first instance while attempting to accelerate mildly on a level road the rpm went to 3500 with no acceleration. I backed off the throttle and the car resumed normal operation. In the second instance while attempting to accelerate mildly on a level road the rpm showed about 1500 with no acceleration. I backed off the throttle and the car resumed normal operation. I had no further incidents and returned home safely. There were no warning lights, messages. This is the first problem I have experienced. I think this may be a transmission problem. Similar incidents have been reported online by hyundai owners with the wet dct that my car has. I have not yet contacted my dealer about this problem. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Sep 28, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | Car would not start; battery was too low to activate lights or locks, let alone starter. An attempted jumper cable connection to an older car was insufficient to make the motor turn, even after just running the assist car while connected for 20+ minutes. A subsequent jump from the aaa 2000 ah jump pack did work although their ‘test' indicated battery state-of-charge and state-of-health to be less than 30%. Their obvious recommendation was battery replacement and, with the vehicle now running, a drive to the dealership was attempted. At the first intersection a full vehicle stop engaged the engine stop-start function, but without sufficient battery for the ‘start' part. Not only would the vehicle not restart but there was insufficient battery power to put the transmission into park nor engage the emergency brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling into busy cross-traffic; only the service brake worked. Fortunately, a nearby motorist recognized the emergency and placed rocks under the tires to prevent the vehicle from rolling forward. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the battery was replaced without significant comment on the total failure of nearly all systems in the event of battery failure. The outcome of this major battery failure could have been catastrophic as the only system even marginally functional was the non-power-assisted service brake. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Sep 28, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | Smart cruise control relies on the inconsistent and consequently unreliable performance of the of the front-mounted radar. Otherwise-reasonable operation of the cruise control would abruptly terminate 1/3 to 1/2 of the intended use-time, illuminating the master warning light (the amber triangle with internal ‘!') that was accompanied by either a ‘1' or ‘2' encircled by red and may or may not have included the collision-avoidance warning light. Subsequent examination of the rectangular shield in the center of the grill very rarely revealed more than 2 bug remnants. When the smart cruise control was in operation it would abruptly apply the brakes when approaching or passing a truck in the lane to taffiche right. There appeared to be no similar conditions to the size or shape of the truck or trailer when these events would occur. None of these events applied to congested tr conditions, just otherwise open road. The '21 hyundai santa fe does not appear to accommodate any mechanism to revert to conventional cruise control, omitting the influence of the erratic front radar system. Trips to two dealerships have yielded no redress to this malfunction. |
| Category | Fuel System, Gasoline |
| Date | Sep 20, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v524000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available and would not be available for another three months. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Sep 01, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | I bought a new 2021 hyundai santa fe sel in january 2021. The vehicle occasionally will not shift out of first gear unless you slow down to almost a stop and then accelerate again. It began within the first month or two of owning. Hyundai has had it in the shop three times. Two times they said they couldn't duplicate. One time they said they showed it went to 4000 rpm's without shifting on the diagnostics before it was slowed down as I told them. They did an update on the tcu and reset the transmission on may 10, 2021. On august 4, 2021 the transmission stuck again. (it went to 5000 rpm's without shifting before I slowed it to almost a stop) this problem has happened about eight times since it began. The gm at the dealership I bought it from said corporate wouldn't buy it back or get involved without them duplicating the problem. I emailed hyundai consumer complaints on august 17, 2021 and on august 18 received an email stating I had a case # and would be contacted shortly. On august 24 I called hyundai customer complaint and was told I had a case manager assigned and they had until august 31 to reply. They did not reply and on september 1, 2021 I called hyundai complaints again and they said I did not have a case manager and that they had not sent it to corporate yet but someone would call me at some point. I feel hyundai is not concerned about this dangerous problem with their vehicle or my safety. I am beyond frustrated. Jeremy kimrey |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Aug 20, 2021 |
| State | WI |
| Description | This vehicle is the first santa fe that only comes with adaptive cruise control and there is no way to disable it and set regular cruise control. Here are just a few examples of the safety risk. We were on state highway 29 which is a rural 4 lane highway. There were 4 cars near us. Our cruise was set for 70mph. A vehicle came in front of us to pass which it did. There was no issue. However, our vehicle saw this as a threat and our vehicle slowed from 70mph to 50mph until the other vehicle was out of the set car length distance. Meanwhile the other cars around us had no indication or warning why we would have slowed down this much and we were nearly rear ended. There was screeching of tires and brakes suddenly applied by the other vehicles. All for nothing. I am on the highway with the cruise set at 75mph when again vehicles will come in front of me and my vehicle slows from 75 mph to 54mph, causing the surrounding vehicles to not know what is going on and I hope they are paying attention because there is nothing really going on other than normal driving. It is terrifying to have your vehicle control itself and you don't know when it will start to accelerate again so for the most part, I am shutting the cruise control off and on constantly. At our most recent hyundai service appointment for this problem, we were told by hyundai care manager that this is exactly how it's designed and there is no problem. And we've been told just simply don't use the cruise control at all. That is not a solution. We feel like all these “safety†features are creating a sense of driver coma on our roads. Instead of the left lane being used for faster cars as a passing lane, the adaptive cruises are creating a chain of vehicles that are well under the speed limit |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Aug 04, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Unnecessary emergency brake activation has occured 3 times. Vehicle lease new 3/31/2021. 1. First incident late april, early may at approximately 1,000 miles. Cruise control was not on and car abruptly stopped when there were no other vehicles in front of mine. Traveling at about 35 miles a hour on local two lane road. (activation setting on normal) 2. Brakes activated at highway speed of about 60 mph. Car was passing on right side. No threat in front of vehicle. Cruise control was off. (activation setting on normal) 3. Was following well behind the car in front of me at approximately 30-35 mph. Other vehicle turned right into parking lot and was completely off the road when brake warning appeared on dash. (activation setting on "late" warning) we are concerned we will be unnecessarily rear ended and causing a multi car accident. Vehicle was in for service 8/2-8/3/2021. Dealer did all they could including 62 mi test drive. Per hyundai, no parts were replaced due to the inability to dupicate the problem. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 30, 2021 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Vehicle stalled 5 times when finally got it to restart wouldn't accelerate more than two mph. Broke down on a busy road was finally able to get the car into a parking lot but was almost hit from behind cause the vehicle was obstructing traffic. Towed to dealership where was told it would take them a week to look at it and they won't provide any alternative transportation for me that I would have to pay out of pocket. My car is only 2 months and 2400 miles old |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 28, 2021 |
| State | VA |
| Description | Engine shut off while driving 70mph in the middle of the mountains in pa during a road trip from va to mi, 2 adults and one child. No warning no check engine lights no alarms, just shut off. I tried to press the ignition start button but it would not function until the engine was in park, gave no warning or alarm when I pressed it, the engine start button wouldn't respond. At shutoff, going ~70mph, I had: zero acceleration zero power no blinkers no instrument cluster (led cluster screen installed) the only way I could signal to merge onto the shoulder was to turn on the hazard lights and attempt to merge from the fast lane to the shoulder, completely crossing faster traffic with no blinkers to guide my merging and warn other drivers on the highway. Instrument cluster turned white as if it was being reset and music was still playing in the car bluetooth connected to my phone. Conditions of the vehicle during shutoff: 1. Adaptive cruise control was on, set to 3 car lengths of distance. 2. Lane keep assist was on 3. Lane departure warning was on 4. Bluetooth was connected 5. Navigation was active and guiding once I was able to merge to the shoulder, I shifted into park and sat there for about a minute while I tried to calm my family down from what had happened so unexpectedly. After a minute or so, I was able to start the vehicle back up and nervously proceeded back on the highway to continue on with the rest of the trip. I immediately contacted hyundai when I returned to va and explained the issue, they took the vehicle into the service department of the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from. Hyundai kept my vehicle for 2 days and drove it "120 miles" but were unable to recreate the problem. They stated that all the systems checked out and there was nothing more they could do. I have since created 2 cases with hyundai corporate office to rectify this issue to no avail. Without the issue being recreated, there is nothing they will do for my family. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 17, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Our windshield started cracking for no reason while driving. Only had this car forv a month and less than 1000 miles. Nothing hit it. This is ridculous being a brand new vehicle. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jul 13, 2021 |
| State | TN |
| Description | Message: I own a 2021 hyundai santa fe with the forward collision-avoidance assist feature installed and activated. The forward collision-avoidance assist did not function properly to stop my car to avoid a low speed impact. I applied the brakes to stop. I could not avoid impacting another vehicle. The damage was minor. Hyundai did inspect my vehicle braking system on june 8 at hyundai of cool springs. I was not provided full report on findings/corrective action. Hyundai america was supposed to provide a follow up report. I was called today and the hyundai representative had no details on the brake inspection to share with me. I am suspicious. I think hyundai is hiding a safety issue. I am reporting this event so the ntsb can contact hyundai to determine if this is a safety defect needing corrective action. The hyundai forward collision-avoidance assist is designed to help detect and monitor the vehicle ahead or help detect a pedestrian or cyclist in the roadway and warn the driver that a collision is imminent with a warning message and an audible warning, and if necessary, apply emergency braking. Ref: hyundai owner's manual, chapter 7, page 7-2 on page 7-6 the system operation is described: system operation basic function system warning and control the basic function for forward collision- avoidance assist is to help warn and control the vehicle depending on the collision level: ‘collision warning', ‘emergency braking' and ‘stopping vehicle and ending brake control'. Otm070143n collision warning • to warn the driver of a collision, the ‘collision warning' warning message will appear on the cluster and an audible warning will sound. • if a vehicle is detected in front, the system will operate when your vehicle speed is between approximately 6~112 mph (10~180 km/h). • if a pedestrian or cyclist is detected in front, the system will operate when your vehicle speed is between approximately 6~53 mph (10~85 k |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Jun 26, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Notice: this concern is not the result of an accident, it is an attempt to bring attention to what I feel is poor engineering/design of the turn signal indicators on the back end of the 2021 hyundai santa fe. We recently purchased this vehicle and just noticed, after owning the vehicle for about a week, that the only turn signal indicators on the back of the vehicle are located down low in the bumper. No turn signal indicators on the tail light assemblies located just below the rear window of the suv as found on every other recently built suv currently driving on us highways. That includes the 2017 hyundai santa fe which we traded in to purchase this model. While I like this vehicle very much, I'm concerned for the safety of my family and anyone else who purchases a 2021 santa fe. I feel this is a grave oversight on the part of hyundai and possibly the us vehicle safety council (assuming the council approves car designs designated for us highways.) I sincerely hope that someone there will address this situation before people start getting hurt because the turn signal wasn't seen by following drivers. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jun 21, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | Driving around 25 miles per hour small pebble hit the top part of the windshield cracking it instantly and creating a rupture line from top to bottom of the windshield. Windshield glass seems very unsafe to sustain any kind of stress. It looks like other hyundai models are showing the same problems with these windshield. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 21, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | It's only been less than a month, since I bought this car and I've driven ~500 miles. Now when I was driving the car yesterday it just stopped in the middle of the road all of a sudden for no reason. After getting the car towed to the service center, they are reporting that there is an issue with the car's transmission and they are going to replace it. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | May 11, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The forward collision system is automatically being activated without any car or object near the front of the vehicle. It happened 3 times while on the freeway and highway. The system automatically slams on the brakes, the vehicle swerves a little to left and right due to the sudden application of the brakes, and a large red waring indicator appears on the dash. We were nearly rear ended while travelling about 65 miles/hr because of this. We turned off the system, but every time the car is started, it automatically turns this feature on!! So you always must remember to turn it off. We just bought the vehicle brand new. If this isnt fixed, we fear we will be rear ended on the freeway, or make tail gaters very angry. |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | May 08, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was driving on the freeway with the sunroof closed when I heard a very loud bang. I pulled off to check the exterior but saw nothing. I drive for about an hour more when it started sounding like the sunroof was open. I pulled over to check it, and it was destroyed.. Shattered with a large hole in it. Called hyundai who said report to insurance even though the car is less than 1 month old. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 06, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Dark spot in low beam headlight field causes loss of view for driver as the dark spot passes from object to object. People or animals, even signs lose illumination as the dark spot covers them. Reflective barrels in construction areas lose their reflectivity at night as this spot covers them. This occurs on the low beam function. Hyundai dealer said it is factory created to prevent night blinding of oncoming vehicles. To me it is a serious problem for the driver of the hyundai. When driving in a curve the dark spot moves with the shape of the road so the driver loses the ability to see everything in the light field. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 22, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | While in drive and stationary, my vehicle has continuously cad connections issues with my mobile phone. I have received the same error message stating 'phone not responding. Please reconnect it and try again.' this has happened while driving through areas I'm unfamiliar with and put myself and others at risk while trying to regain connection. I've left my vehicle at the dealership, but was told the problem was my cellphone and was advised to purchase a new phone. When I spoke to the woman at the corporate hyundai number, she advised me that my phone was very much compatible and should not have any connection problems, we troubleshooted many time, but I still continue to have this issue. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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I have a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. I have problemas with the shift selector. The suv has been taken for service three times and the technicians haven been able to fix the problem.