CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe has a problem with the engine stalling while driving. Both our data & the NHTSA's complaint data show a significant defect trend at low mileage.

In a 2-page letter to owners in August 2014, Hyundai claims the engine stalling only occurs under a "specific set of operating conditions".

However a class action lawsuit filed around the same time details multiple claims from Sante Fe owners that claim the engine stalling happens at any time, under any conditions.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 12
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,553 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.

2012 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 4 of 12)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #161

Feb 012021

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V746000 (engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #160

Sep 132020

Santa Fe

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vehicle start to make an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine. The vehicle started shaking. The contact pulled the vehicle to side of the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure, and stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Colorado Spring, CO, USA

problem #159

Oct 212020

Santa Fe

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V746000 (engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle began to shake with an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway and turned off the vehicle off. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact contacted her husband who arrived and haul the vehicle on a trailer back to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired nor diagnosed. Bay Lincoln (641 w 15th St, panama city, fl 32401, (850) 785-1591) was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Ponce De Leon, FL, USA

problem #158

Aug 012020

Santa Fe

  • 180,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, she heard an abnormal banging sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the rod bearing fractured and pierced through the engine block. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was left in the possession of the mechanic. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and offered no assistance. Recently, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V746000 (engine) which she linked to the failure. A dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Escondido, CA, USA

problem #157

Dec 202020

Santa Fe

  • 120,750 miles
I was driving in Colorado on I-70 and as I slowed down to exit, heard a clicking sound. The sound got louder/quicker when I accelerated. I pulled over and checked but saw nothing. I checked the oil and had a service guy at a superstore check it too. He saw no metal parts in the oil. No indicator lights were on. It was a Sunday and nothing was open. I tried to drive farther and was going 35 miles per hour up a hill behind a truck but as soon as I tried to accelerate to pass, I heard a pop. The engine light and the oil light came up. I pulled over and tried to at least accelerate to the freeway exit, but had an immediate loss of power. I had to have the car towed twice - once to the closest town and then back to denver to the dealership (which was again closed on Sunday). The tow truck driver told me there was oil everywhere under the engine. The dealership looked at it a week later and said there was a hole in the side of the engine block.

- Cypress, TX, USA

problem #156

Jan 072021

Santa Fe

  • 107,000 miles
I called huyndai and told them that my Santa Fe had an engine problem, which is the same problem with all of the ones recalled. They said that that VIN did not have a recall. I ended up spending a lot of money fixing the vehicle but I think that it should have been recalled.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #155

Feb 012020

Santa Fe

  • 135,000 miles

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

When driving the vehicle, the vehicle will lurch forward. This could be done as I am accelerating, as I am breaking, or as I am coasting. The dashboard lights will then all come on including the check engine light. The vehicle will start to shake and unable to accelerate. Forcing you to pull off and park the vehicle. When you turn the vehicle off and turn it back on it's like nothing ever happened. The vehicle has also has instances where the RPM gage registers zero, even after you are accelerating. We have had the spark plugs replaced, the fuel system line cleaned out, we started noticing the problem in February is 2020 and the frequency of the problem has only increased. This now happens about every 3-4 days. I have 2 children and I do not feel safe driving in this car with them. I believe that my vehicle should be a part of the recall number 20V746000, or from hyaundai's recall number 198.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #154

Dec 302020

Santa Fe

  • 144,000 miles
Driving on the highway heard abnormal knocking coming from engine. Engine started to over heat pulled over immediately. Took it to the mechanic, he said sounds like a bearing going out. Not driveable

- Willacoochee, GA, USA

problem #153

Dec 232020

Santa Fe

  • 138,110 miles
My 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe I was driving home on the freeway, all of a sudden the oil light went on. So I immediately changed lanes to get off the freeway. I thought I need to get oil, than the engine light came on! I realized that I was losing power so got to the side of the road out of harms way. I tried to turn on the engine. There was nothing. I got towed to a auto repair shop. And left the car over night. It was so late to look at car. In the morning I called two different Hyundai dealerships to get help on perhaps an engine recall. At both places the forward me to someone to help me, but both location hung up on me. So I paid a $500 fee to the repair shop to look at my car. They had to remove the engine and finally said it would need a rebuilt engine and labor at a cost of $6000. So I could afford that. A friend looked up my VIN number and that there was a recall on my car. Now I have to find a Hyundai service who will fix my recall problem. I need to know what to do next. I'm 75 an my husband is 85. Looking to rent a car today.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #152

Aug 272020

Santa Fe

  • 82,000 miles
I was driving my vehicle on the highway at 60mph. I was on a slight incline and proceeded to pass the vehicle in front of me. Upon arriving to the upcoming town I noticed a distinct loud knock in the engine compartment and loss of power, I immediately pulled in to a service station. The mechanic informed me that is sounded like a connecting rod and driving it any further would not be recommended. I was quite a distance from home and so with a tow service and rental car I paid almost $700 to get home with the vehicle.

- Lake Stevens, WA, USA

problem #151

Oct 052020

Santa Fe

  • 83,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving on a highway and she heard a rattling sound at 60 mph. The entire dashboard lights illuminated and the engine seized. The contact was able brake the vehicle and cruise over to the shoulder off the highway. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic found the engine to be internally damaged causing a slow to no crank. The serpentine belt was removed and the mechanic attempted to rotate the crank by hand but got the same result. The mechanic recommended that the engine be replaced. The dealer autonation Hyundai 104 (759 West 104th avenue, northglenn, co 80234, (303) 578-6114) was called and attempted to schedule an appointment to have the vehicle diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed by the dealer to help with the contact's repairs under their certified preowned warranty. The manufacturer determined that there was a defect and provided two options either a new engine or a buyback offer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 83,000.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #150

Dec 022020

Santa Fe

  • 89,323 miles
My 2012 hyundi Santa Fe stalled on me as I was approaching a traffic light 3 weeks ago.. last week my check engine oil light came on my dashboard. I took it to a certified mechanic and he said the problem was a rear crankshaft main bearing seal. He has seen this before regarding Hyundai engine problems as well as with the Kia brand. I learned that there will be a recall for my car but it will not begin until 1/22/21. My vehicle is not listed with this recall, yet I am having the same problem. I need Hyundai to ad my VIN number to this recall list.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #149

Nov 122020

Santa Fe

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 mph the engine suddenly lost power. The contact was able coast the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but the engine did not respond. The vehicle was towed to the dealer danbury Hyundai 102 federal road, danbury, ct 06810 (203) 825-5940. They initially tried to turn the crank shaft and then informed the contact that the engine had a major failure. They also said that they would have to get authorization from the manufacturer to pay partially for the repairs. The vehicle had a recall NHTSA number 20V746000 (engine) and. The contact called the manufacturer and they stated that they would look at the issue but made no promises on helping with the repairs. They also stated that the vehicle was not part of a recall. The contact discovered later on that the vehicle was part of the recall that was dated 12/01/20. The vehicle was unrepaired still at dealer. The failure mileage was 110,000

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #148

Dec 062020

Santa Fe

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, there was an abnormal sound and the vehicle hesitated to accelerate above 35 mph. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway, turned of the vehicle, and had the vehicle towed to the residence. An independent mechanic was contacted and arrived at the residence to inspect the vehicle. The contact was informed that there was an internal failure within the engine. There were no leaks found by the mechanic. Sterling mccall Hyundai (10505 southwest freeway, houston, tx 77074, (713) 981-4400) was contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle has not been diagnosed. The contact felt unsafe driving the vehicle. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 20V746000 (engine) as possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #147

Dec 022020

Santa Fe

  • 135,000 miles
The engine stalls while driving on the free way and the check engine light comes on. Just like the one that's being recalled.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #146

Oct 232020

Santa Fe

  • 149,470 miles
We were traveling on I-70 West accelerating uphill when we heard a sound from the engine. We stopped to check and then continued our travel when a part came off the engine. We were on the East side of the eisenhower tunnel and had to be towed to our destination in frisco. The engine is blown and will be costly to replace. We have 149,465 miles on the engine. Ths is AWD.10

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #145

Sep 142020

Santa Fe

  • 140,000 miles
While driving on the highway, without any warning, an internal piece of my engine shot a hole through my engine block. Fire started shooting out of my engine and thankfully I was able to pull over and get out without the fire getting worse. The driver behind me pulled over and told me that he could see the fire under the car while driving behind me. He stopped traffic until we confirmed that the fire was out. The fire was still visible from the underside of my vehicle for a couple minutes but it stopped without the whole car igniting. I reported this incident to Hyundai usa. They assigned a case number to me but told me that the Hyundai dealership, that my car was towed to, did not see evidence of fire so they dropped the case. I told them that I had a witness, the driver behind me from the national guard, and they told me that it didn't matter because they didn't see fire damage and therefore couldn't validate my claim regardless of the witness. The car had no check engine light on, the oil was changed regularly, and there was no reason for the engine to suddenly, without warning, blow out the block and shoot fire. I can only assume that this was a very dangerous and potentially deadly manufacturing defect. My attempts to pressure Hyundai to check my engine again has only led to them to telling me that in 30 days they could get someone else to look at the engine to validate my claim.

- New Fairfield, CT, USA

problem #144

Sep 012020

Santa Fe

  • 148,000 miles
On September 1, 2020, the engine started to slow down and make a crunching cracking noise about a mile later we came to a complete stop, on a main hwy.we had to call aaa to come get us. We had the police stay behind us until the tow truck came. It took 45 minutes due to the heavy traffic and time of day.

- Kitty Hawk, NC, USA

problem #143

Aug 262020

Santa Fe

  • 128,500 miles
While driving down the highway Wednesday afternoon I heard a loud bang and I assumed that a rock had hit the side of my car. When I got home I checked but did not see any dents or scratches on that side. That evening I drove my car again on the highway and it stalled out while I was driving. I pulled over to the break down lane and turned it off. After about a minute I turned it back on and it started up fine and drove just fine the rest of the night and the next day. On Friday when I started driving down the road it made a very loud noise, which was a constant loud noise. I turned around and brought it home and called my mechanic. He checked the car and said that the engine needed to be replaced, which would cost more than what the car is currently worth. The car has less than 130,000 miles on it. I bring it in every 3 months for oil changes and make sure to do all of the recommended repairs.

- West Warwick, RI, USA

problem #142

Aug 232020

Santa Fe

  • 110,000 miles
While driving on the hyway at 65 the engine seized and broke the engine block spraying oil onto the hot exhaust almost catching fire. This engine has been very well maintained and gave no warning signs of haveing a problem. A connecting rod bearing starved for oil and broke the rod. Hyundai was contacted and declined to inspect or investigate this engine failure and almost catching fire. They also declined to help with the repairs or costs I spoke to maria at Hyundai corporate and my case number with Hyundai was 17260696 also the avaliabillity of the replacement engine is limited to a short block because Hyundai does not have enough engines to replace them all that are going bad sadly my car is one year off from falling under the engine recall so im stuck footing the bill

- Baxter Springs, KS, USA

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