10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 10
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,760 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.

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems

engine problem

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2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 1 of 22)

problem #422

Feb 252024

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

On [XXX] (a Sunday, 9 pm), my 19 year old daughter was driving our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited when a solid yellow check engine light came on. No other warning lights were on. She called us, but since a solid check engine light should not indicate an emergent issue, we advised her to carefully drive the car back to school and we'd get it checked out the next day (since it was after 9 pm on a Sunday). The vehicle didn't make it that far. While driving, the car suddenly lost power and stalled. It started up again but made a terrible sound. We were able to call roadside assistance and had the vehicle towed to a nearby Hyundai dealership. The dealership tells us the car needs a new engine and that our VIN it is not covered under any of the other current engine recalls (even though this is the exact same issue as those recalls) and also said they will not repair under the 100,000 mile warranty, since we are the 2nd owners. We are awaiting a report from the dealership on exactly what happened to kill the engine, but we can infer, through the discussion with the service manage, that this is exactly the same issue happening with other versions of the Santa Fe engine -- including complete engine seizure without any accompanying warning lights or indications. This poses an imminent risk to the safety of drivers and passengers. My daughter was 20 minutes from her college dorm, late at night, and we can only be thankful she was not driving at high speed on the highway when the engine seizure occurred and also that she was not left stranded in an unpopulated stretch of highway. The vehicle is currently at Steele Hyundai (address: 24795 I-35, Kyle, TX 78640. Phone number: (512) 262-2020 ). They have quoted $13,000 for a used replacement engine. Please issue a recall on the 3.3l GDI engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #421

Feb 222024

Santa Fe

  • miles
My 2017 Santa Fe experienced a catastrophic engine failure while driving on the highway. My [XXX] son was on his way home when the car began to make what he described as a knocking. He began to merge so he could exit the highway. By the time he made it over 1 lane, the vehicle began losing power and smoking. He barely made it to the shoulder before hearing a "loud bang" and thick, black smoke blocking his vision. Him and my [XXX], fearing the vehicle was on fire, immediately exited the vehicle into the median. No warning lights ever came on in the vehicle, no warning, nothing. When my husband and I arrived, we found several pieces of the engine along the roadway and the oil pooled under the front passenger tire. We had the vehicle towed the next morning to the dealership, 50 miles away and a cost of $188. After almost 2 weeks we were informed by the dealership that our Engines For Life warranty denied the claim because we did not get all of our oil changes there, even though we have NEVER missed an oil change. We were quoted $21,000 for a new engine. Our service advisor informed us the point of failure for the vehicle determined to be "Cylinder 6 rod bearing failure causing rod bearing to exit vehicle at high velocity creating a hole in the block". We were also informed that this is a VERY well known issue with these engines but Hyundai had chosen to only extend warranties to select vehicles, ours was not one of them. A claim has since been filed with our extended warranty and we were told it would be an additional $600 to drop the oil pan to allow the inspection by the extended warranty company. Something has to be done. We are beyond thankful that our children were not injured but had this happened at a different time of day we could have had a significantly different outcome. There were on a highway that is very busy during the day. The undue financial hardship we have faced as a result has only further added to the stress of the situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (F

- Wentzville, MO, USA

problem #420

Mar 132024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Catastrophic engine failure on a major highway. Just over 113k miles on it. 1 day prior, the car sounded louder than usual but otherwise, was working fine. I drove several places the next day and the check engine light came on towards the afternoon (yellow, not flashing, no other lights) 30 minutes before this issue occurred. I was accelerating on a busy highway and all of the sudden it completely downshifted, oil light and battery light came on. I pulled to the shoulder and white smoke was coming from the engine, horrible smell in the cabin. Car was dripping oil. I was told it was a broken rod that punctured the engine. I could have been in a major accident after decelerating so quickly on this particular highway and I was stranded on a very small shoulder fearing the car or myself getting hit for hours. As of right now, the engine is still available to be inspected.

- Parkesburg, PA, USA

problem #419

Oct 112022

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

While driving car engine slowed down/lost power engine light came on, pulled over and it shutdown, . It would even try to start back up. Next day it started and made rattling noise from the engine. Towed vehicle to dealer, dealer said had a bad rod bearing and needed a new engine. Dealer and /or Hyundai would not repair this when we just paid to fix a similar issue (see below) Seems a lot of the 3.3L engines have these issues. We had a similar problem less than a year earlier, car slowed down while on interstate and would only go 35 mph. Engine would rev up but not go faster. (Danger for us and other drivers). Message came up said to take to dealer. Took to dealer said timing slipped need timing chain guides and cams' etc. $4,000 in repair. This seamed similar (Slow down etc.) to what happened this time. Seems a lot of the 3.3L engines have these issues and the dealer and Hyundai want to ignore the safety and quality issues with this engine.

- Maxwell, IA, USA

problem #418

Mar 102024

Santa Fe

  • miles
My mil lamp light came on and all of a sudden my vehicle would not accelerate had scanner out I. My car and was told I need a new engine. Researched the theta crankahaft issues could that have caused my engine to fail? I had no warning whatsoever

- Windsoe, VA, USA

problem #417

Feb 242024

Santa Fe

  • 104,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the engine and catalytic converter and informed the contact that the engine had no compression. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 104,000. The VIN was not available.

- Hanover, VA, USA

problem #416

Mar 112024

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

Driving on the interstate and the engine seized up. I was driving with three little children and we barely made it to an off ramp. This was extremely dangerous. After looking up the issue, I found there were 1000's of unhappy customers that drive similar models that had the same exact issue happen to them. I keep up to date all oil changes, as many other customers, but Hyundai says it's not their fault" How can companies like Hyundai sell a car that have numerous engine failures and not have a recall" I am terrified not only with the expense of the repair, but putting my children in another Hyundai, with the fear of it happening once again.

- Elk Horn, IA, USA

problem #415

Feb 042024

Santa Fe

  • miles
My vehicle experienced catastrophic engine failure while driving on the freeway. It had just over 100k miles. I heard a repetitive clicking sound when pressing on the accelerator. After 2 minutes, the car shuddered and black smoke filled the cabin. When I pulled over, oil was s pouring onto the road. The car was serviced 2 weeks prior including oil change by a certified mechanic with no problems identified. I never had a check engine light. I initially had the vehicle towed to my local mechanic who found 3 ruptured holes in the bottom of the engine block. I was told that it looked like "rod failure". When I notified Hyundai corp, I was told that the vehicle was no longer under warranty due to it being purchased pre-owned and because I had surpassed 100k miles. They told me that I could file a "goodwill" claim, but that it could only be submitted via my local dealership. So I went to local dealership to discuss my situation. While there, I inquired about the projected costs of engine repair/replacement if the claim was denied and was given a copy of an estimate in the amount of $8500 prepared for another customer with the same make/model/year vehicle with similar problem - catastrophic engine failure. I decided to proceed with claim and paid to have vehicle towed to the dealership. It was only then that I was told that an initial inspection fee of approximately $200 would be assessed if repairs were not completed. Once the initial inspection was done, I was given an estimate of repairs exceeding $18,000! They also told me that Hyundai corp was requiring additional diagnostic tests in order to complete its review of my good will claim that could be performed at an additional cost of $600! At this point, I'm being asked to throw money away. This car is a lemon. My family has endured undue hardship due to this incident. I am angered that a company would not go through the effort to make things right. People do not spend $49,000 on a vehicle expecting this to happen.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #414

Mar 112024

Santa Fe

  • miles
I have always kept up on my oil changes. Driving down the road all of a sudden my engine turned off. No check engine lights or anything. Toed it to the dealer and the said the motor seized. Looking online this is a known problem. Vehicle no longer coverd by warranty.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #413

Mar 082024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Vehicle has intermittent engine stalling, but is still running. Possible dangerous situation if making left turn with oncoming traffic. This has happened to many times since my owner ship. Bought this car used. I am 2nd owner. 33k mi when purchased in 3-2021

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #412

Oct 262023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

I was driving down the highway when my vehicle shut off. After pulling off on the highway and opening the hood, there was a notice that the engine had overheated. Upon inspection, there was no oil nor any coolant left in the engine. I have records to demonstrate regular maintenance, and oil changes every 5000 miles

- Midway, GA, USA

problem #411

Feb 272024

Santa Fe

  • miles
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate with 88K miles experienced knocking while driving. Immediately stopped and was towed to dealership. Dealership diagnosed failure of rod bearing on cylinder 1. Motor could have seized up and caused accident on highway. Dealership has inspected. No lights or warnings present when this occurred.

- Chesterfield, VA, USA

problem #410

Dec 102022

Santa Fe

  • miles
My wife was driving our kids to school and got onto the highway when the vehicle lost power. There were no warning lights before the engine failure. The engine stopped running and she was just able to coast off of the highway. The check engine light came on as well as the high temperature and other warning lights. My wife turned the car off and let it sit for a couple of minutes while she called for help. When she started the car again there was no check engine light or other warning lights. She drove the kids to school but noticed the car was lacking power. I met her at the kids school and plugged in my OBDII reader and no issues were logged on the ECU. I drove the car to the dealership and the car had very little power. The dealership looked at the vehicle and a couple of days later they told us that we needed a new engine because ours was knocking due to failed crankshaft bearings. The block, pistons, and heads were replaced by Hyundai under warranty and not available for inspection. The dealer said that they had over 20 cars at their dealership with failed engines. It took the dealer 7 months to replace the motor under warranty due to the high volume of failed engines and difficulty finding a replacement engine. Hyundai settled a lawsuit on their Theta-2 engine (4cy) however ours is a Lamda-2 engine (6cy). The vehicle never showed a low oil warning, engine knock warning, or check engine light prior to failure. We recently sold the vehicle and saw the dealership didn't report the engine replacement on the carfax (image with short block replacement). They only listed the block replacement and didn't disclose the engine replacement. I provided example from a similar vehicle on autotrader with a carfax showing similar vehicle that I believe had an engine failure without full disclosure. Hyundai has vehicles on the road that have faulty engines that don't give warnings before failure. Hyundai dealers are not reporting the engine replacements fully to avoid a recall.

- Aledo, TX, USA

problem #409

Feb 132024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine stalled multiple times while driving. Took it to the dealer, and the entire intake side camshaft bank and all 4 phasers had to be replaced. Engine only has 128K miles on it and has been serviced on schedule, so this should not be occurring.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #408

Sep 272023

Santa Fe

  • miles
My wife was driving down the freeway to work during morning commute when her 2017 Santa Fe just lost power, was only able to go maybe 20mph which during an early morning Bay Area commute is very dangerous... No engine light or any warning lights, this lasted for a couple miles until the next exit she pulled off still no warning indicators showing, she turned off the car for a few minutes, then turned it back on to continue to work there was still almost no power but no indicators on the dash, finally after a few minutes started driving normal again. The next day when she was on her way to work, she started getting an oil light, I drove 45min to her job checked and oil level was fine, turns out oil pressure sensor was bad. After that was replaced everything seemed normal for around 1month or so then noticed excessive oil consumption, needing to add 1qt every 1500-2000 mi, no oil leaking onto out driveway and can't see any oil leaks visually around engine. Oil consumption has gotten progressively worse, we keep it topped off every couple weeks. No we are getting check engine light and tapping sound on passenger side of engine. Codes P0346, P0021 and P0087, power is fine but tapping sounds bad and worried of failure while driving.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #407

Jun 292023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Catastrophic engine failure.

- Fuquay-Varina, NC, USA

problem #406

Feb 012024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Oil changes up to date and all of a sudden oil is gone, no leaks per the servicer. Engine started knocking but it is not one that is on recall. No low oil warning lights came on or anything. Now its costing half the price of the value of the car to repair which is over $7k and its not yet paid off and I got this vehicle 08/2022. This is just sad and no on can tell me why this is doing this on so many vehicles with my car vin range.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #405

Feb 192024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Failed crankshaft rod bearing

- Conroe, TX, USA

problem #404

Feb 232024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine bearing failure, sudden and without warning. Engine started to use oil between oil changes. Loud knocking started suddenly during starting and then continuous knock while running. Identical with issues related to recall 168, but my VIN does not show that recall effects my vehicle.

- Big Lake, MN, USA

problem #403

Feb 052024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Purchased Sante fe.August 2020.cash purchase I had the vehicle check by dealership several times regarding oil leakage, , oil consumption..july 2023 stranded in texas after oil pressure switch replaced but no oil was put back in car.. [XXX] stranded in AR with children. The ENGINE BLEW AT exactly 100000MILES.failed Engine, towed car back to Missouri....Napleton Hyundai indicated there is a warranty on the Engine only for Rod ". Failed engine is a failed Hyundai consumer affairs.denied claim but agreed the car still has an e Engine warranty..only if rod is blown? The #3valve burned up no compression" July 2020 a recall was in place for the engine... August I purchase the vehicle with NO knowledge of possible Engine failure or recall.. Napleton informed and offered $500 towards a 12000.bill Now is 2024. I am without, my life savings. Without a vehicle. My everyday has been disrupted.Napleton Hyundai cars are not safe.I am glad I was not traveling at night.when the car suddenly Died..it could have been a tragedy. Thank you please look into how safe and reliable the used cars are if not safe..used Hyundai SHOULD NOT BE SOLD..THANK YOU INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Florissant, MO, USA

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