733 of the 1,559 complaints filed about the Hyundai Santa FE Sport are about the engine — 47% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2017.
733
Complaints
47%
Share of all complaints
3
Crashes
47
Fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
See Attached Letter For Complaint
NHTSA complaint #11758550 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa FE. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle at 60 mph the vehicle began to shake violently, and the engine experienced a complete loss of automotive power, the service vehicle soon, ABS and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact veered off an exit into the parking lot of an AutoZone where a diagnostic scanner displayed the code "P0302". The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the exhaust valve on cylinder two had dissolved and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a local Hyundai dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the exhaust valve in cylinder two was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,687.
NHTSA complaint #11757038 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
I was driving down a highway and was slowing down as motorcycle in front of me was turning. I than proceeded to drive, I heard a loud noise which everyone in the vehicle thought it was the motorcycle (it wasn't) we pulled over into the nearest gas station and saw that my oil light was barely blinking (it was barely noticeable) was fading in and out) we got out checked the dipstick and it was low. Was not due for an oil change for another 1500miles. We put oil in and waited checked the dip stick it was then reading between the two lines of L and F. We waited another 5-10 minutes before leaving. We pulled out and the vehicle acted as if it had no power. I pushed on the gas to get up to speed and the car died out; I got pulled over to the side of the road. The car gave me no indication of anything. No oil light. I drove the days before with no issues I was 38miles from home.
NHTSA complaint #11757062 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The vehicle suffered a severe engine overheating failure that created an immediate fire risk and electrical safety signaling failure. A brand-new replacement engine was installed by an authorized dealership in April 2026 under a goodwill warranty and had only been driven ~ 3,100 miles since installation. While operating the vehicle, the air conditioning suddenly stopped functioning. Upon restarting, the check engine light illuminated; however, there was never any dashboard temperature warning indicator, notification, or chime to alert the driver to an active overheating situation. Shortly after, the engine completely disabled itself and died while in transit in a parking lot. AAA was contacted to tow the vehicle. Smoke was visible coming out of the engine's oil dipstick and oil intake spout before being towed. After being towed home, an overwhelming chemical burning odor was noted and continued to get worse. A physical check revealed that the oil level on the dipstick was critically overfilled a full inch above the maximum fill line. The local fire department responded to the scene to mitigate the thermal risk, ordered the battery disconnected due to safety hazards, and deemed the vehicle entirely unsafe to operate or connect to power. This represents a catastrophic failure of critical safety equipment and onboard driver warning networks on a newly installed engine assembly, presenting an active safety and fire hazard to passengers. An official corporate safety case has been opened with Hyundai Motor America under Case Number: 43112676.
NHTSA complaint #11756640 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
In June 2026 I took my vehicle to Hyundai for a recall to the ECM module. After that my vehicle would lose power and hesitate to shift gears, and overall does not feel safe. Took vehicle back to dealer and they have told me that I have to wait for them to issue a recall fix for this now .
NHTSA complaint #11755929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that after a routine oil change, while driving back to the residence, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there were metal shavings inside the engine. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not eligible for a recall repair because the engine software update was not performed. The failure mileage was approximately 136,434.
NHTSA complaint #11756036 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH and attempting to overtake another vehicle, the vehicle lost automotive power and decelerated with the check engine, battery, and oil warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was parked on the shoulder of the highway, and smoke was coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that after parking on the shoulder, the brakes erroneously activated, and the vehicle failed to move forward. The contact stated that moments later there were flames and smoke was coming from under the hood. The contact exited the vehicle. The Fire Department was called to the scene, and the flames were extinguished by the firemen. The vehicle was destroyed in the fire. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 105,225.
NHTSA complaint #11755852 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
After the recent "important service campaign" involving the THETA II Emissions Logic Improvement my vehicle no longer safety shifts into the lower gears. It will not shift into gear. I am unable to safely get up to a normal speed and the engine and vehicle start shaking. This is isolated to the initial start of the vehicle and any low speed driving after. The issue is resolved after restarting the car, suggesting it is a software issue. This issue immediately began after the ECU update for the THETA II emissions logic improvement on 5/12/2026.
NHTSA complaint #11754160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
My 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is subject to Hyundai Recall 162 / NHTSA Recall 17V-226, concerning premature connecting-rod-bearing wear that can cause engine knocking, engine failure, and loss of motive power. My vehicle developed engine knocking and a flashing check-engine light while I was driving. The vehicle is now at an authorized Hyundai dealership. Hyundai initially denied an engine replacement based on mileage. I escalated the matter to Hyundai Motor America Corporate Consumer Affairs. Hyundai has now confirmed in writing that, because my vehicle is more than eight years old and has more than 150,000 miles, Hyundai is applying the high-mileage provision of the Theta II settlement and will not replace the engine. Instead, Hyundai is offering either a repurchase or $2,000 in lieu of engine replacement. I understand that Hyundai is relying on the court-approved settlement. My concern is specifically whether Hyundai’s application of that settlement to my vehicle is consistent with the administration of Recall 162 and the federal safety-recall remedy, given that my vehicle is experiencing the engine failure that Recall 162 was designed to address. I am requesting NHTSA’s review of Hyundai’s handling of this safety-related recall matter.
NHTSA complaint #11753820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
On June 20, 2026, while the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport was being driven on Richardson Highway near Mile 155 in Alaska, smoke and flames developed from the engine compartment without any collision. The driver stopped and both occupants exited before the vehicle became fully engulfed. The fire created an immediate risk of serious injury or death and blocked the northbound lane. There were no known prior drivability problems, warning lamps, or other symptoms before the incident. The exact failed component is UNKNOWN. Potential areas requiring investigation include the engine, electrical system, ABS/HECU brake module, multi-fuse, fuel system, and other engine-compartment components. Alaska Department of Public Safety responded. Its report states that there was no obvious cause, but that the fire appeared to have originated in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed and preserved for the manufacturer. Hyundai inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the inspection was completed on July 11, 2026. Hyundai later stated orally that it did not find an engine defect, but it has not provided the complete inspection report, testing methods, photographs, technical findings, or a written origin-and-cause determination. Hyundai has not explained whether the ABS/HECU, electrical system, multi-fuse, fuel system, or other potential fire sources were separately examined. The vehicle sustained catastrophic damage and was a total loss. Both occupants escaped, but experienced severe ongoing psychological distress after the fire. I request that NHTSA evaluate whether the fire involved an engine, electrical, ABS/HECU, fuel-system, recall-remedy, or other safety defect. The vehicle was available for Hyundai's inspection. Its current availability for further inspection is UNKNOWN. The vehicle remains preserved and is currently available for further inspection upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11753388 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
After a recall repair (Campaign 9C2) was performed on my vehicle, it developed a hesitation and lack of acceleration issue that did not exist before the repair. The vehicle exhibits rough or delayed gear shifting, a noticeable lack of power/acceleration, and behavior that feels like the engine is not receiving adequate fuel. This occurs both during cold start and after the vehicle has been driven and is fully warm
NHTSA complaint #11752291 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
We have a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with a refurbished engine due to a past class act settlement, we were notified by Hyundai to bring in the vehicle for Service campaign 9C2 to update the Engine Control Module (ECM) Software for vehicles equipped with the (2.4 GDI) Theta II refurbished engine, which we have. The morning after we updated the 9C2 software, after starting our car cold for the first time in the am, our car went into limp mode, shaking very badly, it would not accelerate above 20 MPH, it had a lot of trouble shifting from 1st to 3rd gear and acted like it was going to stall out and then die in the middle of the road while I was in the car with my 2 children. The dealership we took it to was not able to duplicate the limp mode, but has documented that they did witness hesitation and sluggishness while test driving it. I cannot validate that it was test driven cold immediately as requested as all their test drives were done without me. Due to the vehicle not accelerating as it should normally, I feel the vehicle is very unsafe and unreliable as well. I’m willing to provide more documentation, and our car is available for further inspection. I did request the help of a Hyundai customer relations case manager who stated Hyundai is aware of all of the drive-ability issues I have stated and he said they are hoping to provide another software update, but that time frame is unknown. Dealership mechanic stated the same thing and believes our issue is related to the 9C2 update. The manufacture has not inspected the vehicle, but we would absolutely love them to if they would. There have been no check engine lights come on before or after this update, only misfire codes came up after the update which dealership has those, and since the dealership was unable to witness it going into limp mode while driving it, they could not gain the much needed data that pinpoints the exact problem. We were advised to warm up car and rev up the RPM to above 2,000 before driving.
NHTSA complaint #11752266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The Hyundai Theta engine is a bad design that has many recalls, a history of oil consumptions, and breakdowns that leave consumers in danger, on the roadside, and out of money. This engine has a design that causes worn engine components and high oil consumption causing reduced engine power, ruined spark plugs, and engine damage with no recourse as a owner. Recently, my family member had a hesitation that causes the car to run rough and display a check engine light. She was in traffic and the vehicle was stopping. Had this been on the interstate it could have been deadly. This IS NOT UNCOMMON for these vehicles. A quick Google search is nationwide proof of an issue with these vehicles and engines that the government needs to hold Hyundai accountable. This particular vehicle has been assessed by a Hyundai and confirmed it is consuming oil at a higher rate than normal, as many other owners have documented. With this most recent issue of stalling out, the mechanic indicated that excessive oil consumption entering the spark plug port has fouled the spark plugs as the design of the engine is flawed. The oil consumption was discovered at approximately 99,000 miles and several steps were completed to "fix" and confirm the issue. There is no "real fix" to the issue due to the inherent design of the motor. Again, this is not a new issue with these cars and there should be recourse that holds Hyundai accountable for bad and dangerous engines. The check engine light did come on as the vehicle began to stall and run rough in traffic.
NHTSA complaint #11751035 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The engine on this vehicle suffers from a severe oil consumption defect that was first officially reported to the authorized dealership on February 3, 2025 at approximately 90,000 miles while under the factory powertrain warranty. The vehicle completely empties its engine oil supply in under 1,000 miles of normal driving. Running entirely out of oil within such a short interval poses an imminent, extreme risk of sudden engine seizure, catastrophic mechanical failure, and sudden stalling at highway speeds. The manufacturer and dealership have physically documented this rapid depletion of oil over a 17-month period but are refusing to replace the defective components, instead attempting to force this unsafe vehicle back onto public roads for repetitive driving tests.
NHTSA complaint #11751139 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started to lose power while depressing the accelerator pedal, with black smoke coming from the engine compartment. The oil, check engine, and battery warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and discovered black smoke coming from under the hood. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the engine was replaced. Two weeks after the replacement, the starter failed to operate as needed, and the vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic, where the starter was replaced. Upon investigation, the mechanic discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and associated the vehicle with the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,577.
NHTSA complaint #11750844 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
While I was driving my Theta engine got seized and Hyundai denied extended warranty of power train.
NHTSA complaint #11750711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Vehicle is a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with the 2.4L Theta II GDI engine. A Hyundai dealer documented excessive oil consumption in December 2025 (3 quarts consumed over 1,703 miles during a dealer-administered oil consumption test; repair orders on file and available for inspection). On April 19, 2026, at 160,913 miles, following a highway drive, the engine developed a pronounced knock and vibration at low RPM and began stalling within seconds of idling in Park, with check engine and charging warning lamps illuminated. An engine that stalls at idle presents a safety hazard in traffic due to loss of power braking and steering assist. The vehicle was removed from service the same day, has not been driven since, and remains available for inspection. Knock Sensor Detection System software (Campaign 953) was installed and did not prevent the failure. Manufacturer has been notified in writing and consumer affairs cases are on file.
NHTSA complaint #11750048 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Today while driving to church we started hearing a ping noise ever so often. This just started then . After leaving church to go home the pinging noise got louder than the engine stalled and wouldn't start again. I had to have my car towed to my house. That is where it is now. The tow truck driver said that it was a rod. He said that he was mostly sure that it was happened. He stated that he has towed similar ones like mine with the same problem.
NHTSA complaint #11749858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
After a recall repair (Campaign 9C2) was performed on my vehicle, it developed a hesitation and lack of acceleration issue that did not exist before the repair. The vehicle exhibits rough or delayed gear shifting, a noticeable lack of power/acceleration, and behavior that feels like the engine is not receiving adequate fuel. This occurs both during cold start and after the vehicle has been driven and is fully warm. I returned the vehicle to the dealership (Wallace Hyundai), where the service advisor personally test drove the car with me and confirmed he could feel the hesitation firsthand. Despite this, the dealership stated no issue was found and advised warming the car up for 1-3 minutes before driving as a workaround. I tested this exact recommendation, and the issue returned even after the vehicle was fully warmed and had already been driven. Hyundai Motor America's National Consumer Affairs department has stated this is "under review" but has also described the hesitation as "normal" cold-start behavior related to catalyst warm-up. This does not match what I am experiencing, since the issue also occurs when the vehicle is already warm, and their own dealership's advisor confirmed the problem exists. I have also noticed a decrease in fuel efficiency (MPG) since the software update associated with this recall. This issue directly affects the safe operation of the vehicle — specifically the ability to accelerate reliably, including in situations like merging onto highways or pulling into traffic, where a lack of power could result in a collision. I do not consider the vehicle safe to drive in its current condition.
NHTSA complaint #11749084 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The car has 90,000 miles on it and uses excessive oil, not leaking. It uses at least one quart per 1000 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11748333 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.