10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,692 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.

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #29

Jul 072022

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

Engine Failure. Engine stalls during deceleration. If it doesn-??t stall while braking, it immediately stalls around 5 mph when I come to a stop sign or red light. Vehicle start/stop button will not work to start the vehicle back up. It is to sit for 10-20 minutes and then it will start. If I don-??t let it sit, it gives me a message on the dash that the vehicle is already on/running even though it is not. I have done regular maintenance and have had it serviced 4 times for the same issues. It has 126,000 on it. The dealership said it was the oxygen sensors and spark plugs. We had those fixed and the problem continued. The dealership is now wanting me to pay $11,000 for a used motor to be installed. Check engine light keeps repeating oxygen sensor malfunction. This has been happening since July of 2022.

- Hartselle, AL, USA

problem #28

May 092023

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving, the engine stalled out/cut off while the car remained on. I had to push the brakes completely to re-engage the start button. The engine turned off and the check engine light came on, but turned back off once the engine restarted. The car never turned off when the start button was pressed, just the engine.

- Grovetown, GA, USA

problem #27

Feb 252023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Caught on fire while driving

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #26

Jan 252023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

Car just stopped working one day. First oil on spark plugs got them changed then the coil packs now oil is on the air filter. Car drivers really hard and doesn't shift properly. Took dealership and they aren't really helping or even trying to diagnose my car.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #25

Oct 252021

Santa Fe

  • miles
I purchased a pre-owned certified 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe from a Hyundai dealership on 10/13/2020 and the vehicle had 21,770 miles. Then on 10/25/2021 (vehicle mileage was 31,950), I was driving my vehicle on the onramp to i-10 West lanes at Gessner Road. As I was accelerating at 40 mph to enter the freeway, my car engine seized and immediately I lost the ability to accelerate since the engine died. I immediately pulled over and had my car towed to the local Hyundai Dealership, HUB Hyundai Mitsubishi West. The Hyundai Dealership Service Manager, Daniel Castillo (832-739-6353), inspected my vehicle and after an inspection of the engine/underside of the vehicle, Hyundai found no damage or impact on the vehicle or the underside of the vehicle besides a missing drain plug. Their analysis concluded that the full result of the mechanical issue with the engine was a result of the missing drain plug which caused the oil to leak from the engine. Hyundai denied the warranty on the engine citing due to the drain plug issue is a direct result of a third party, Brake Check, that recently changed the oil (See attachment). The Brake Check Store #545 (11564 Westheimer Road, Houston TX 77077) had conducted recent oil changes performed on the vehicle on 12/8/2020 when the vehicle had 24,300 miles and on 5/5/2021 when the vehicle had 27,681 miles. I filed a claim (#3419328-1) with Brake Check for the damages however after 5 months of correspondences I was denied since I could not prove they did anything and the drain plug was missing. I also tried to file a claim with my personal auto insurance carrier, Progressive, however I was denied since the claim did not involve an accident. There was no warning lights that ever appeared on my dash prior to the incident. However, when I did go home that evening, I noticed a fresh large oil stain on my driveway were my car had previously be parked. The oil stain just occurred that day (See attached photo)

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #24

Sep 082022

Santa Fe

  • miles
2019 Hyundai Santa fe first owner after each use of the Auto Stop/ Start feature is guaranteed that in 24-48 hrs the car will stall at stop lights and take anywhere from 15-20 min to restart. The power to the electronics continues but the engine can't restart from the stop. It appears as of the feature takes the power from the alternator, starter and battery and drains it until the car can be restarted. Once it starts it drives well until the system is engaged again. I have chosen to not use the system and the car has not stall however once the use of the Auto/ Start Stop system is engaged for a day or two it will stall the vehicle from a stop mostly at stop lights after so much time on standby mode while using the Auto Start / Stop system. Dealer can not recreate the issue.

- Fort Polk , LA, USA

problem #23

Jun 012022

Santa Fe

  • 40,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while at a complete stop with the auto engine Start/Stop feature activated, the vehicle would intermittently shut off upon depression of the accelerator pedal with several warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact would be forced to turn off the vehicle and open the driver-€™s side door to reset the vehicle; after multiple attempts, the engine would restart and resume normal operation. The contact had taken the vehicle to two separate dealers, Freehold Hyundai (4065 US-9, Freehold, NJ 07728) and Greg May Hyundai (1501 TX-340 Loop, Waco, TX 76712)] on multiple occasions but neither dealer was able to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and provided a case number. The contact was referred back to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Manalapan Township, NJ, USA

problem #22

Aug 192022

Santa Fe

  • miles
On 3 different occasions my vehicle has not restarted at a stop light after the idle stop and go feature turned the car off. I can-€™t to a complete stop, the car went into idle mode, then wouldn-€™t restart when I hit the accelerator again. I put on my hazard lights so cars could go around me and all the lights on my dash were flashing, brakes would not engage and it took several attempts to restart the car. The car has also not turned on 4 times when I first get in and go to start it. All the dash lights go on then as well and takes several attempts to start the car. I took it to the dealer and they could not find any issues. It is scary to drive as I fear it not starting after coming to a stop and being stuck on a main road.

- Sidney , ME, USA

problem #21

Aug 142022

Santa Fe

  • miles
Was driving and the car started stuttering. When I came to a stop the car would not move, a message flashed across the dash saying something about the auto stop feature was active and I had to put the car in park or neutral in order to drive again. Has happened numerous times almost daily. In order to stop this from happening you have to remember to turn the auto stop feature off.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #20

Sep 102021

Santa Fe

  • miles
The engine stalled while driving on highway at 65 miles per hour. When I tried to push the gas the vehicle was resisting to speed. When I took a nearest exit, the car suddenly jerked and slowed on its own without me pressing any brakes. Somehow I managed to drive to a nearest parking area and called for assistance. When it jerked and slowed suddenly the person behind me honked so hard. May be the person barely missed hitting my back of the car. It was a scary experience.

- Zionsville, IN, USA

problem #19

Aug 022021

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

The car engine completely shuts off while driving multiple times. While driving on highway and the streets the car just stops almost causing an accident. In order to get the car off the road we had to move it physically off the road.

- North Balwin, NY, USA

problem #18

Jun 132021

Santa Fe

  • miles
Stop / Start does not engage at stop light. Dealer finally replace battery and battery cable. This did fix problem. I understand this could be a starter problem and or software problem. The battery does not charge above the 70% required to engage stop /start.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #17

Sep 042020

Santa Fe

  • 5 miles
Ya he llevado 4 O 5 veces mi carro al dealer, el lado de driving cuando yo entro a cierto drive way hace un sonido extrao al igual si me parkeo en riversa Y tengo que mover el quia para la derecha tambien, 4/21/2021 me hicieron un trabajo Y desde esa fecha el motor esta teniendo un sonido extrao Y la reboluciones.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #16

Apr 192021

Santa Fe

  • 32,000 miles
The idle down feature stopped working several months ago. No change in how the engine runs when we get to a stop sign or traffic light. When we called the dealership maybe in February, they said they hadn't seen the problem yet. My wife found an article about the problem and it said that several cars had caught fire or stalled in traffic. Taking it to the dealer on 5/4/2021. The rear power gate also has started malfunctioning. Not sure if they are related as of yet.

- Liberty Township, OH, USA

problem #15

Dec 052020

Santa Fe 4-cyl

  • 41,000 miles
The contact owned a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at 65 mph, a thick, grayish smoke entered the vehicle cabin from the rear, passenger side without warning. The contact immediately pulled over and requested all occupants to exit the vehicle. As the contact began to call 911, an officer nearby came over to assist the contact. The fire department eventually arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported and both a fire and police reports were filed. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle initially towed to an independent mechanic and once insurance was contacted about the failure, they deemed the vehicle a total loss. The insurance then had the vehicle towed to another independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and initially offered to assist the contact with the purchase of another vehicle. Hyundai then sent out an investigator to inspect the vehicle and their assessment determined that the fire was caused by defective wiring harness attached to the trailer hitch. The manufacturer offered no further assistance after the conclusion of the investigation. The vehicle had been destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000. Consumer filed a claimed with U-haul they spoke to Hyundai and Hyundai blames on wiring hitch because it was installed after purchased.

- Oldsmar, FL, USA

problem #14

Aug 132020

Santa Fe

  • 39,800 miles
Stopped the car at a red light and the idle stop and go (isg) feature has turned off the engine... once the green light turned on, I pressed gas and the engine did not start and after couple of attempts all warning lights turned on and I was not able to use the key to start the engine aswell. And so I had to turn off the key completely and then start the engine... bought the certified pre-owned car at 38000 miles in Feb 2020 and this happened only once in August 2020 and the mileage was about 39800 during that time. Luckily I had only one car at my back who honked on me continuously... I was not able to reproduce the issue afterwards but to be honest I kept only about 50 miles since then. I am afraid if I would get stalled one fine day... and also afraid Hyundai service center would just say not reproducible and may just say to turn off the feature may be?

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #13

Apr 192020

Santa Fe

  • 21,000 miles
I had this issue since I got the car, only the issue has occured progressed more as months went by. Now at 21,000 miles, engine makes a rattle sound for 2-3 seconds during cold startup and then goes away. Only happens when engine is in a complete cold-state (early morning) or not driven for a few hours.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #12

Nov 142019

Santa Fe

  • 16,000 miles
When sitting at red lights, the engine completley shuts off. I have to push the push start at least 10 times before the engine will restart. This keeps happening. I'm worried I will get stranded. I would like to leave it with Hyundai service, but to my understanding they do not offer rentals. My vehicle only had 16000 miles when this issue began. I paid 38000 for this vehicle and now to my understanding, to have it serviced I will have to pay for the rental. My safely should be more of a concern. Hyundai motor America should be very concerned. They should have requested a tow and offered a rental as soon as I mentioned this issue!!! no, instead I have to leave it at the dealer in hopes the issue is found quickly, so I don't run up a huge rental bill plus pay my monthly car note. What if my vehicle just shuts down going 65 on the freeway" will I have braking power" I don't know what to do. I could be in major danger.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #11

Dec 182019

Santa Fe

  • 16,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving 17 mph, the bca braking system engaged, the vehicle lost power, and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact turned the vehicle off and back on, which returned it back to normal. The vehicle was taken to O'brien Hyundai ft myers (2850 colonial blvd, fort myers, fl 33966, (239) 880-8631) where it was test driven for approximately 77 miles; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with case number: 16693618 and a loaner vehicle. The contact referenced NHTSA id number: 10167260. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

- North Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #10

Dec 102019

Santa Fe

  • miles
Previous Hyundai vehicle caught fire. At the time the cause was unknown. Was forced by Hyundai to buy back vehicle and purchased a brand new Hyundai vehicle. I was never told that this was a brand wide issue and that the new vehicle I purchased would end up under the same recall that caused previous vehicle to catch fire. I am terrified to drive this vehicle. I contacted Hyundai to explain the situation and have been dealing with an unprofessional customer representative. I am fearful for my life in this vehicle and explained when I purchased the new one that I did not want to ever go through this situation again.

- Columbus, OH, USA

Read the next 9 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?