Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid engine problems

ENGINE

sudden loss of propulsion / limp mode, particularly under load or at highway speeds.

NHTSA complaint #11758162 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Component Failure I was driving on [XXX] in [XXX] at 70 miles per hour. My red oil indicator light came on, and within seconds the vehicle suffered a catastrophic power loss. I had zero control of the propulsion. I was in the right lane and managed to steer to the shoulder. I contacted Hyundai Roadside assistance/Hyundai care. They sent a wrecker in about an 45-1 hour as I sat on the side of the highway. I was then put into a wrecker and my car was loaded on a flatbed truck and we then took a 45 minute drive to [XXX] to Weisner Hyundai where the vehicle was left for diagnostic testing. Safety My safety was undeniably at risk due to going the speed limit to zero in seconds. It put me in harms was due to other drivers on the road not expecting a car to stop at those speeds, unable to react in time without causing a collision which could have resulted in significant bodily injury or death for myself, my passenger and possible many others on the road that were around me. I was afraid, not sure what had happened, very distraught and traumatized. I fear for my safety in this vehicle. Service Center The car was taken to Weisner Hyundai at this time they have been unable to replicate or discover any code. They have seen the oil light come on. They have had my vehicle since XXX until today XXX when they were going to send it to [XXX] Hyundai where I purchased the vehicle. Inspections I am not sure about who all has looked at it within the dealership. Warnings The only warning I had was a red oil lamp that appeared on the dash seconds before the catastrophic loss of power. Special Note, I just found out that my vehicle originally had repairs done as it came from transport to the engine/oil components which were not disclosed to me by the dealership prior to me purchasing the vehicle "new" at full price. The dealership had knowledge that the vehicle already had issues that cause the malfunction and sold it knowing the dangers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11758112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

1. The SUV experiences complete power loss and goes into limp mode. Have been in nearly 3 accidents on highways with a vehicle that goes from 65 to 35 with no warning and then cannot accelerate or gain speed. 2. Battery, out of no where, goes from 3/4 full to 1 or 2 bars. 3. Extreme shaking of the vehicle while driving and at rest. 4. Vehicle is less than a year old and has been in for the same issue 4x. Currently with dealership since 6 July with no communication despite calls and in-person visits. 5. Loaner not provided despite car being under warranty and brand new.

NHTSA complaint #11752967 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The car immediately stopped driving and went into limp mode and cannot go over 30 mph. It was taken to a service dealer. They could not replicate the problem, therefore the vehicle was given back as undiagnosed. This next incident occurred and almost caused an accident, and that was on, again driving on the beltway around Columbus, OH. The car went from 70 mph to 30 mph. The vehicle stayed at 25 to 30 mph the entire time. Could not get it to do anything else. Drove cautiously on the side of the road and got to the dealership after driving 30 minutes at 25 mph. Dealership ended up saying the transmission needed replaced. It has been at the dealer for 3 weeks waiting on a transmission

NHTSA complaint #11751764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving on the highway the vehicle lost power and then lowered the transmission gear and would not accelerate over 17mph regardless of pressure on accelerator. I switched from auto hybrid mode over to sport mode so the gasoline engine could be used yet the transmission would not increase power to the tires. I stopped several times and restarted with no corrections. Vehicle battery drained quickly and vehicle alarm told me to pull over to charge battery. Sat for a few minutes to charge battery, put in drive and vehicle went forward to 17-20 mph and would not go any faster. Pedal was to the floor. The vehicle then gave several alarm lights and system failures. I limped the car home and called roadside assistance. Tried to put car in reverse for an easy tow and the car wouldn't move in reverse.

NHTSA complaint #11748308 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving on the highway, my 2024 Santa Fe Hybrid suddenly and without warning lost propulsion power. The loss of power was immediately accompanied by multiple simultaneous warning lights across the instrument cluster, glitching and abnormal behavior of the cluster display, and then a complete electrical shutdown of the vehicle. After the shutdown, the vehicle would not restart. The failure occurred in connection with a software update on the vehicle. At the time of the incident the vehicle had approximately 12,828 miles on it. Losing motive power while traveling at highway speed created a serious crash risk, as the vehicle was unable to maintain or recover speed in moving traffic. No crash, injury, or fire resulted. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Hyundai dealer for diagnosis. I have photographs of the instrument cluster taken at the time of failure showing numerous warning indicators illuminated at once. The symptoms I experienced — progressive or sudden loss of drive power, 12-volt/charging-related faults, and failure to restart — appear consistent with charging-control and DC-to-DC converter failures that have been the subject of prior recalls and complaints on Hyundai electrified vehicles. I am filing this report to document the incident as a safety concern.

NHTSA complaint #11745902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The car went from 70 miles an hour to 25 miles an hour all of a sudden on the highway and then would not allow to accelerate afterwards. Battery stopped charging and we had to stop it multiple times to get it to continue to drive no faults or issue on the dashboard.

NHTSA complaint #11745451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The cruise control was set at 75 mph and we were driving down the interstate when the engine suddenly lost power and shut off. This happened with no warning and no warning lights activated. Several days later, we were driving down the interstate with the cruise control set at 72 when the engine again lost power and shut off. We were able to get the car to move again both times by shutting off the cruise control. No warning or warning lights activated either time the engine lost power. We were very lucky not to get hit by oncoming traffic both times the engine shut itself down.

NHTSA complaint #11743730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The first issue was on May 13, 2026. The car immediately stopped driving and went into limp mode and cannot go over 30 mph. It was taken to a service dealer. They could not replicate the problem, therefore the vehicle was given back as undiagnosed. This next incident occurred and almost caused an accident, and that was on June 3, 2026, again driving on the beltway around Maryland. The car went from 70 mph to 30 mph. The vehicle stayed at 25 to 30 mph the entire time. Could not get it to do anything else. Drove cautiously on the side of the road and got to the dealership after driving 30 minutes at 25 mph.

NHTSA complaint #11741876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Sudden loss of power while driving on the interstate (65 MPH) , car would no longer accelerate and slowed down to ~10 MPH. Had to merge onto emergency lane, car struggled to power over 30 MPH. Warning light came up to "Park with engine On to charge battery". Parked car and restarted car and still did not resolve issue. Had to switch the car into "Sport" mode to drive home.

NHTSA complaint #11741466 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving on the freeway at approx 65mph, the car suddenly starting de-celerating and forced me to pull over to emergency shoulder/lane and try to determine the cause. The car is a "Hybrid" and the dashboard stated to put car in Park and Idle the Engine over 2000rpm to charge up the Battery. ( i still don't know which Battery they were speaking of...Engine Battery or Hybrid Battery) I sat there Idling the Engine for 15 minutes and slowly proceeded to get off the freeway and limped the car back to my home. I then called my selling Hyundai Dealer, as the car was still in warranty, and told them of my sudden problem and asking them what could it be??? They said they did not know until they saw the car and tested it with their computer equipment...please have it towed into their shop. So i did and 2 days later they called to say..NO Computer Codes showed any problem. They could not duplicate problem. I said ..."look on the internet...many people have reported sudden lack of power and limp mode activation....all pointing to the High Pressure GDI Fuel Pump Assy failure". Dealer said ..Oh..thanks we will look into that. 5 hours later Dealer called and said I was right, we replaced the Fuel Pump and come pick up the car. 4 months later and 6,000 miles later car is performing normally. I felt compelled to come forward to discuss this part failure as this incident on the freeway could have turned into a tragedy. Thank you

NHTSA complaint #11741374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid AWD was serviced under warranty on 4/22/2026 for a driveability concern after experiencing a loss of power while driving. The service history shows part HY35326-2M500 was replaced. On or about 5/25/2026, the same issue occurred again while driving at highway speed. The vehicle suddenly lost motive power and dropped from approximately 70 mph to approximately 30 to 40 mph, creating a serious safety risk because the vehicle could not maintain speed with surrounding highway traffic. No warning lamps, dashboard messages, or diagnostic codes appeared during the failure. The vehicle is currently at a Hyundai dealership for inspection and repair for the repeat issue and should be available for inspection upon request. The prior dealer record appears to describe the issue generally as a “driveability concern,” but the current repair diagnosis and full repair notes are still pending. It is unknown whether the dealer has reproduced or confirmed the failure during the current visit. I am reporting this as a sudden loss of motive power at highway speed involving the fuel/propulsion system, engine, and/or powertrain.

NHTSA complaint #11740281 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Driving home from church this morning, the vehicle experiences a sudden loss of power and the car went into “limp mode”. Even the pedal floored and the engine rpms high, the car would barely go about 25 or 30 mph. A message from the dash board told me to pull over and leave the engine running to charge the EV batteries. The batteries would charge enough for what I thought would get me home but quickly drained leaving repeat the action until I could limp the six miles home with flashers on and cars passing me to get around. No warning lights and no indication there was a problem until it happened leaving me baffled and frustrated. I was just thankful that I wasn’t going faster when it happened. If I had been going faster when this happened, it could have created a major accident. Dangerous! Since this happened on Sunday, the dealer wasn’t open. I hope to get it to the dealer tomorrow to find out what is going on and how to fix it. The car has only 14850 miles on it.

NHTSA complaint #11736908 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated to 25 MPH with a “Vehicle Will Shut Down” warning message displayed. The contact stated that the engine then began to shut down, and although the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate and stalled. The failure occurred on multiple occasions, requiring the vehicle to be towed each time. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and multiple cases were opened, The failure mileage was approximately 3,300.

NHTSA complaint #11736009 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Since February 2026 I have had daily incidents of the hybrid system error where the vehicle is only relying on the hybrid battery to move. I've had a few near miss accidents as my car crawls through an intersection. Was almost rear-end after leaving a stop sign and the hybrid system error popped up and the car doesn't accelerate. In order to temporarily fix the system, the car must be shut off and restarted. There is not always a safe place to be pulled over to perform this shut down. It is a driving hazard and not safe to drive. It has been to the shop now a 3rd time with no resolution. I have reached out direct to Hyundai Corporation with my concerns and they have documentation. The car is a 2025 model and has less than 5,000 miles. I fear a serious accident from this system error and Hyundai needs to resolve ASAP.

NHTSA complaint #11733192 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I had stopped and put gas in for a full tank. Pulled out onto the Hwy heading towards Houston TX and was accelerating up to speed limit of 50MPH when the warning on the instrument panel displayed HYBRID SYSTEMS DISABLED pull over and stop immediately. Which I did, but I could not accelerate and was losing speed in traffic. I got safely parked and turned the vehicle off. I let the car sit for a few minutes and started it back up. All warnings were gone and the vehicle has performed normally since up to the current mileage of 9374. I took the vehicle to Hyundai today, 4/13/2026 and they hooked it up to the diagnostic system and it showed NOTHING.

NHTSA complaint #11730952 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Original letter to Hyundai below. The car is currently at a dealer again for repair of the same issue. Fuel pump replaced in Nov 2025 but issue has returned in March 2026. Videos of the issue recently occurring are available. Good morning, We had our 2024 Santa Fe Hybrid lose power while merging onto the freeway in November 2025. I was pressing the accelerator and it did not do anything, just kept rapidly decelerating. Pulled the car to the shoulder and turned it off completely and back on, and the car started up with the engine running which was unusual- typically the car starts up in silent electric mode. It would not accelerate past a few miles per hour. This has now happened on multiple occasions, disappearing for a few days only to return. It has gotten very dangerous to lose speed and acceleration into a busy freeway and almost caused an accident yesterday. We were thankfully close to a dealer (Glassman Hyundai in Southfield, MI) and were able to limp it a mile down the shoulder at low speed to drop it off. However, they are telling us they have no loaners available to provide us which seems unacceptable with a car under warranty with 18k miles on it. Is there anything you’re able to do to assist? Are there any known fixes for the issue that can be reported to the dealer? Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11730044 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Gas Motor is not engaging to assist electric drivetrain on a hybrid AWD 2025 Santa Fe. This resulted in a dangerous situation crossing a busy road from a stop sign. The Santa Fe rolled into the intersection at the drivers request, but did not accelerate normally (only to a maximum of a few miles per hour) and felt like an eternity to cross the road. Fortunately oncoming drivers from left and right were paying attention and slowed down and in one case honked aggressively to point out we driving badly. Pulling over to the side of the road, turning the vehicle off and then back on again has sometimes made it run normally, but we limited our trips at that point to first getting safely home and then delivering it to the dealer. The 20 mile drive to the dealer required pulling over twice to reset the vehicle so the electric motor would assist. We have had repeated warnings from the onboard system including "Follow up checks required - Engine Management System" and "There may be a problem with the engine management system Contact your Dealer". I will note that we have 11,000 miles and 11 months experience with the vehicle with NO problems. It may not be relevant, but these new faults began 2 days routine service for oil and tire rotation when recall was performed including ECU Software Update for Recall 25-01-028-1. Dealer is uncertain of problem and referring with outside tech assistance from Hyundai but we were told to expect 2 weeks for parts and repair and uncertainty as to whether that would fix it. In the meantime a vehicle with unreliable acceleration and top speed is unsafe and parked. I do note on this NHTSA website 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID SUV AWD that there are 47 Complaints. 9 relating to this problem all beginning October 2025 and none prior back to the first post of Nov 2024 for this model. Complaints similar to this for engine management and speed and power loss account for 50% of complaints for this vehicle on the NHSTA website since October 2025.

NHTSA complaint #11727705 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vehicle experienced a loss of acceleration while driving. When pressing the accelerator, engine RPM increased significantly but the vehicle did not increase speed. The vehicle felt as though it was stuck in one gear and would not upshift or downshift. The issue was most noticeable while driving uphill, where the vehicle was unable to maintain speed despite full throttle input. This created a safety concern as the vehicle could not accelerate normally in traffic conditions. The problem has been progressively worsening over time. Initially there were mild symptoms, but it has become more severe and frequent, culminating in a near-complete inability to accelerate under load. No warning lights or messages were observed prior to or during the failure (if that’s true—adjust if needed). Vehicle has approximately 28,000 miles. The vehicle is currently at a dealership for inspection and diagnosis, but the issue has not yet been confirmed or resolved at the time of this report.

NHTSA complaint #11726897 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vehicle would not accelerate in high speed zone.

NHTSA complaint #11726542 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.