3.9

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,694 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2014 Hyundai Santa Fe steering problems

steering problem

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2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #26

Apr 302018

Santa Fe

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Sitcky steering wheel. At highway speeds the sticky steering wheel is very prominent, infact gets progressively worse after 50 miles per hour, very pronounced at 70. Vehicle would sway to the left or right first, when pressure is applied to get the tire point to the center, the steering wheel instead of getting to the dead center would over correct and make the wheel slightly point to the opposite side. And this would repeat. The steering wheel feels sticky or notchy, that it gets stuck in slots around instead of moving smoothly around. This causes not just driver fatigue, but is extremely dangerous constantly throwing the car of out of the lane. I reported this to the service center an year back, and wheel alignment was recommended, but the issue has only gotten progressively bad now. Will be going to dealer back again to see if this can be fixed. But when I googled about this issue so many other people are also encountering the same problem, for many steering column was replaced and yet was not resolved. Hyundai must perform a recall on this voluntarily, and find a fix for this highly dangerous safety problem. This is not a simple old car worn out problem, my car had far less than 20K miles when I initially reported it, and now close to 30K, and the car is just two years old, just driven on highway. If it was a lease, I would have just handed it back and forgotten about it, unfortunately we bought it.

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #25

Mar 292019

Santa Fe

  • 78,000 miles
Steering locked up, difficult to turn. Warning steering light came on and brake warning light. Down hill warning light came on. It was a blessing that I was during only 30mph.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #24

Jun 012017

Santa Fe

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving unknown speeds, the steering was unstable and the vehicle stalled without warning. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #23

Apr 042017

Santa Fe

  • 62,285 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Exactly 2,000 miles after my 60,000 mile warranty expired, my car experienced a failure of the air bag control module which also impacted steering, yaw/stability and other vehicle safety features. The warning lights came on while I was starting the vehicle but I encountered no issues when driving it 25 minutes to a dealership to have it checked out (fortunately). It took from 2 pm April 4 to 4 pm April 6 to get the necessary repairs done (the part had to be special ordered). It was not covered by either the expired 60,000 mile warranty or the extra ($1,500) 100,000 mile warranty (I was told that that warranty did not cover safety issues).

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #22

Mar 282017

Santa Fe

  • 38,000 miles
Driving and power steering went out, dash panel lights went haywire. I could barely turn the steering wheel to get the car off of the road. I am not at all sure my wife could have turned the wheel. Attempted to jump-start the car - not work. First time driving at 35 mph in a subdivision in al. Pulled over, would not start, towed to dealer who recharged battery and entire electrical system checked ' said it was 'fixed'. tried to jump-start the car and this did not work. Few weeks later exact same thing happened in ky. I was doing 63 mph on highway with 50 cubic yard coal trucks coming by. If happened to my wife I am very concerned as to a rather bad accident. Auto transmission locked up and could not get it out of gear. Tow people 'jimmied' the shift to load on the tow truck. Vehicle towed to another dealer where battery replaced and entire electrical system checked ' said it was 'fixed'. we bought the car new and have had three batteries in 2 years and 4 months. I do not let my wife drive the car except around town. I feel this is truly an accident waiting to happen. Do not know what caused the issue and apparently Hyundai does not know either.

- Fairhope, AL, USA

problem #21

Mar 032017

Santa Fe

  • 29,000 miles
When driving, the wheel sticks into what it thinks is center.we must use two hands to drive the car at all times and clutching the steering wheel is a must. When the wheel is in the center position you have to lightly jerk back and forth to keep it straight, even when changing lanes on the interstate. The vehicle drives a lot like a SUV with a really bad alignment, however it doesn't need one according to carmax. We are newly wrapped in a $30,000 car loan financed by capital one and we are getting more fearful of this vehicle the more we drive it. We don't have as much of a problem within the city limits at 30 or below in speed, however anything above that is going to feel very noticeable. I have 29,000 miles on the vehicle and have had the vehicle since 2/23/2017. The vehicle was purchased from carmax, a reputable company in birmingham, Alabama. The car is being financed through capital one credit. The 2014 Santa Fe is white, gls, 3rd row, drive assist. We suspect that while the car has drive assist ability (especially in turns) that the vehicle isn't aware we aren't turning as we pull the steering wheel to keep it centered in the lane. Thus we are pushing the wheel left to right to balance out the wheel to keep the vehicle straight constantly. Example: Driving on interstate 20 heading to the doctors office at uab kirklin clinic at 8:00 rush hour traffic. Trying to maintain the center position of the wheel while pulling the wheel left to right to keep it straight. The wheel seems to pull to one side or the other and while checking mirrors and for other cars before getting over in another lane, I could be in another lane without even realizing it. I am afraid a policeman will see me and think I am a drunk driver. I have driven off onto the shoulder of the road a few times by accident after looking for a second to check my speed or check my gas gauge.

- Pell City, AL, USA

problem #20

Mar 012016

Santa Fe

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe sport AWD. This is my 3rd Hyundai. I have really been impressed until now. My car wanders all over the road when driving over 50mph either on a road or interstate. I have to work hard to hold the wheel to keep the vehicle straight. The handling is awful I feel like my car is skating all over the road. Like I am driving on ice. The car is unsafe to drive. I have been to the dealership, had the alignment checked, had a new alignment performed, as well as replace the tires. This has not fixed the issue. I feel it is unsafe to put my 5 year old in the vehicle. I cannot keep the steering straight. What is Hyundai doing to fix this issue" I am making payments on a vehicle I feel is unsafe to drive and no one can tell me why"

- Goodlettsville, TN, USA

problem #19

Jun 012015

Santa Fe

  • 2 miles
Highway driving at speeds around and above 60mph the vehicle' steering requires constant correction to keep it within the lanes. The SUV randomly swerves in one direction or the other and requires quite a bit of effort to bring it back to center lane. The constant battle to keep the SUV centered in the lane causes arm fatigue over time. Passengers, especially in the back seat, could experience motion sickness due to the constant side-to-side corrections. Noticed the problem is worse on larger highways, 3-4 lanes wide. May be due to angle of roads for water run-off. This is not a one time incident, it is always this way. No problem whatsoever at lower speeds.

- Apex, NC, USA

problem #18

Aug 112015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel required excessive force in order to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle was taken toa dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000....updated 01/07/16

- Sapulpa, OK, USA

problem #17

Jun 202015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 6,600 miles
On 6/20/2015, while travelling on an interstate highway, , the steering wheel made a "clunk" noise and the power assisted steering warning light came on. Lights indicating a malfunction of the ESC and downhill brake assist also lit up. There was complete loss of power assisted steering. I was able to manhandle the steering on side roads and made it home. On the first business day after the incident I took the vehicle to the local Hyundai dealer where it has remained awaiting a replacement steering column. Updated 11/01/2017

- Morristown, TN, USA

problem #16

Jun 202015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 3,670 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

6/20/2015 backed out of stall at costco, marysville, wa. Immediately loss of power steering and three alerts came on. There are known issues with this happening. Brand new car www.Hyundai-forums.com/dm-2013-santa-fe/303441-2013-santa-fe-XL-power-steering-problem.html will have to have car towed. Not safe to drive 3 alerts 1. ESC malfunction 2. downhill braking 3. sport mode......updated 10/20/15 updated 10/26/2017

- Arlington, WA, USA

problem #15

Nov 012014

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 2,000 miles
Vehicle wanders right and left at 55 mph and above. Will not maintain a straight line. Have been to the dealer three times and the regional service manager has been called in and has driven it. Also have taken out a case #. everything checks out fine but the problem still exists. Dealer states it is normal for this type of electrical power steering. Vehicle is not drivable on the freeway. Hyundai is no longer willing to work on it....updated 07/21/15

- Galloway, OH, USA

problem #14

Jun 112015

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 3,250 miles
Power steering failed at approximately 3,250 miles. This did not occur while driving (fortunately), but on startup. The car was towed to dealership which told us this was a widespread problem, therefore the replacement part was on backorder and wouldn't be available for at least a month. I asked why they couldn't take a part from a new car they had on their lot, and they said those might be bad too. * 10/15/2015 bf updated 10/20/2017

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #13

Jun 112015

Santa Fe

  • 11,500 miles
The steering on our 2014 Santa Fe went out today while trying to take a left turn at a green light prior to getting onto a major highway. The car was towed to the dealer we purchased the vehicle at and we were told we need an entire new steering column and to do this they need parts from outside of the United States. Could have been a very bad situation if it had happened a few moments later on the highway.

- Rosemount, MN, USA

problem #12

Apr 182015

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 28,602 miles
I was driving on the 405 freeway and I started noticing that the vehicle did not stay in its lane even though I wasn't moving the steering wheel, it veer to the right and left continuously I had to keep my hands on the steering wheel in order to try to keep it straight, when I purchase this vehicle I did not notice the issue because I only drove it for a mile or two down the freeway, I headed home and that's when I notice the problem, to me this is a safety concern and I think that Hyundai should look into this issue before someone has an accident. I'll be bringing it back to the dealership to see if they are able to resolve the concern.

- Norwalk, CA, USA

problem #11

Aug 152014

Santa Fe

  • 147 miles
Vehicle is unstable at highway speeds above 55+ mph. Vehicle has 3 steering modes (comfort, normal & sport) and regardless of which one, the vehicle requires constant course correction. At first I thought cross winds might have been the issue and it is not. Cross winds will actually make it worse. I've contact the dealer and I was informed the problem was a known issue. I have an infant child and another on the way. This is a serious concern as this vehicle shows signs to be unstable and causes fatigue.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #10

Aug 152014

Santa Fe 6-cyl

  • 100 miles
When driving at highway speeds, it is difficult to keep the vehicle driving straight. The vehicle tends to wander and requires constant steering corrections to keep it going in a straight line even on a straight level road with no wind, and will sometimes veer off quickly in either direction, leaving its lane, for no apparent reason.this can be particularly difficult to control when passing another vehicle--especially a truck. When driving for a long distance, it is also very tiring to constantly have to be "steering" the vehicle all day long. My description of driving this vehicle is that, "it is like herding a cat down the highway.". I have taken the vehicle back to my dealer twice: The first time they checked alignment (nothing found), the second time they replaced the original kuhmo tires with Continental tires from a 2015 Santa Fe (this made a huge improvement, and made the vehicle drivable, but the problem still exists). I then went to another dealer (they could find nothing wrong, but did suggest increasing the tire pressure to 40 psi). I then contacted Hyundai corporate customer service to see if they had any suggestions/recall/etc. & although they were very pleasant to talk with, they did not seem to know anything about the problem. Although it will cost me almost $10,000 to make a change; because of the safety issue, I have decided to sell the vehicle, as I feel that it is too unsafe to continue to drive. (I also have a 2008 Santa Fe, which I purchased new, and which has never had any kind of steering/handling issue.).

- Spirit Lake, IA, USA

problem #9

Aug 192014

Santa Fe

  • miles
The car feels very unstable when driving down the highway. It wonders across the road and I am always trying to correct with the steering wheel. I traded in my 2011 Santa Fe limited and the steering was excellent on my old car. So I am very unhappy and don't feel very safe driving my new 2014 Santa Fe sport. I have also experienced the feeling of it swaying as reported by others too. There are many other complaints on these same issues and they need to correct these unsafe issues. The blind spot on the right rear is pretty bad too.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #8

Jan 082014

Santa Fe

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle swerved to the right independently and no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician stated that the vehicle was performing as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the incident. The failure mileage was 15,000.

- Boynton Beach , FL, USA

problem #7

Jul 082014

Santa Fe

  • 1,900 miles
Steering issue on Hyundai Santa Fe 2014. Vehicle wanders back and forth across driving lane at speeds over 45 mph. It is impossible to hold the vehicle on a straight line.

- Weldon Spring, MO, USA

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