10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,978 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.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 3 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #91

Aug 292023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

Already reported Engine Failure on August 5, 2023. After 3 weeks, Dealer informs us the engine seized and is defective and was provided oil change records. Engine is approved for replacement under warranty, instead of getting a repaired car back, dealer calls and now informs the car rides "rough" after the engine replacement, and the Knock Sensor is faulty, MAP Sensor is faulty, and Fuel Pump needs to be replaced. We question why none of this showed up on the original inspection and diagnostic, no answer to that. Knock Sensor obviously never worked because the engine seized without any warning, and despite having warranty on the knock sensor we are told none of these items are under warranty. The car never exhibited any symptoms related to fuel pump issues, or knock or MAP sensor issues. When we were driving on August 5th, the car lost power and engine died without any prior warnings that anything was wrong. We never had any rough "ride", never had any problem with fuel or starting the car, the check engine light never came on to warn of any issues at all. If the parts are all bad, either it is related to the engine failure or they are defective. No Sensors worked or gave us any warning. We fear the car will fail again, and it is unknown if Hyundai will cover repairs. We asked for written statement for repairs and received nothing from the dealer, we asked that repairs be submitted to Hyundai to have cost covered and we have had no confirmation if it has been submitted. The car broke down 3+ hours from our home, we can't even go to the dealer to discuss in person. Limited to unanswered calls, voicemail, and emails - no responses insufficient communication. All we want is the car to be repaired properly and Hyundai should cover cost of repairs considering the massive failure we experienced without warning while driving with our children in the car, we could have all died and no well maintained car should fail in every aspect after only 8 years.

- Osteen, FL, USA

problem #90

Nov 032022

Santa Fe

  • miles
MPM Automotive in Port Charlotte, FL sold me this vehicle with a cracked head gasket after leading us to believe that it was fixed before we signed all documents for ownership.

- North Port, FL, USA

problem #89

Aug 152023

Santa Fe

  • miles
On Tuesday, August15, 2023 while driving my daughter to graduate school in Tallahassee Florida from Buffalo New York, my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with approximately 84,000 miles abruptly lost accelleration on Interstate 20 in Augusta Georgia. I was fortunate that I was able to safely exit the highway without being struck by other vehicles driving at high speeds during the morning rush hour. I was able to locate and drive my vehicle to the Taylor Hyundai dealership a mile up the road at 3233 Washington Road in Augusta. Upon my arrival the service advisor asked if my car has ever has a bearing clearance test, it had not. I am thankful that they were able to squeeze me into their schedule and they were able to perform said test which my vehicle failed. I was then advised that my car would need a new engine and that the request would be sent to the Hyundai corporate office for approval. Hyundai would not provide a rental vehicle until the process is approved which I was told could take up to 12 days. I was then advised that Hyundai would reimburse me for a rental that I would have to arrange on my own. One week later, I reached out to the advisor and she has not heard anything from Hyundia corporate. I am hoping that I will not be stuck with a massive rental bill and that my car will be fixed and delivered to my daughter in Florida.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

problem #88

Jul 102023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

I was driving my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and first noticed that when I stepped on the gas pedal, the car hesitated and then finally kicked in and would accelerate. I was approximately 60 miles from home when the engine totally failed. Luckily I was not on an interstate or I could have been in a severe accident and injured or died. I had the car towed to a Hyundai dealership, who determined it was a complete engine failure and the car needed a new engine. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms to indicate a problem.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #87

Aug 132023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving home from work, no warning lights flashed. My car abruptly stopped and my engine started misfiring and making loud noises. After the experience the engine light started to illuminate.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #86

Aug 122023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Vehicle is at 106,000 miles. Coming to a stoplight the vehicle completely shut down. Upon inspection seeing the drive belt was missing. Vehicle will not turn over, battery is fully charged no other issues. Check engine light is now flashing AFTER it shut down NOT before like NHTSA recommends..

- Downers Grove, IL, USA

problem #85

Aug 052023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

please merge this additional information with Complaint Number: 11537141, submitted electronically to NHTSA on 8/8/2023, 12:54:24 PM earlier today. Napleton Hyundai of West Palm Beach finally confirmed moments ago that the engine on the 2016 Santa Fe is defective and did seize causing us to lose control of the vehicle, resulting in the engine shutting down and fail while we were driving with our family on the turnpike on 8/5/2023. We already submitted the requested documentation to the service department to show that we have maintained the vehicle and completed regular oil charges. We are now awaiting approval from Hyundai corporate to allow the dealer to repair the defective engine under warranty/per the class action. It is shocking to us that we have now had this experience with two separate Hyundai vehicles. We purchased the Santa Fe brand new and expect it to last. Our lives, the lives of our children were completely put at risk - and it is a miracle that there was no accident, no injuries, and no one died. We suffered stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow for two hours while the vehicle reached 100 degrees with no safe place to seek refuge while tractor trailers and other cars passed us at high rates of speed; hoping that no one would hit our car and that we would survive. We hope that Hyundai will approve and complete the repairs quickly. At this time we are without a vehicle and were informed that Hyundai also has to approve a loaner or rental while the repairs are completed, we ask that Hyundai does so immediately. It is hard to believe that we had to have a near death experience for the defective engine to be addressed. At this point, we just ask that Hyundai please make the repairs quickly and grant us a loaner vehicle in the meantime.

- Osteen, FL, USA

problem #84

Aug 052023

Santa Fe

  • miles
8/5/23 was driving on turnpike when 2016 Santa Fe lost complete power without warning. Was barely able to pull over to the side of the road and the car completely died. Was in the car with 3 small children all under the age of 7 and stuck for over 2 hours waiting for a tow no air conditioning and no safe place to wait on the side of the turnpike with barely enough shoulder space for the car. Had car towed to Napleton Hyundai in West Palm Beach. We have unfortunately had this happen before on our Hyundai Sonata, similar circumstances car lost all power while driving and would not restart. The Sonata turned out to have defective engine and was replaced at a different dealership under the class action, but we have had zero communication from Napleton Hyundai regarding the Santa Fe. We have provided everything that the dealer has requested, and not received any response from Napleton. We were told if the engine seized, engine is covered up to 150K miles and they are aware of the Santa Fe defect. But, we are stranded hours from home without a car and no one at the service department has called us back or informed us what are the next steps despite repeated requests from us to find out what is going on with the Santa Fe.

- Osteen, FL, USA

problem #83

Jul 202023

Santa Fe

  • miles
After a recent oil change and while driving from Utah to Wyoming, the engine began sputtering and seemed to be on the verge of seizing. Fortunately, we could make it to a gas station and check the oil. The oil was so low it did not measure on the dipstick. This occurred less than 1,000 miles since the last oil change. I subsequently learned that my sister, who also owns a 2016 Santa Fe, had a similar problem, but her engine completely seized while on the freeway. The local dealership acknowledged this was a problem and managed to replace her engine at no charge. We have been unable to get our local dealership in Colorado to make such an acknowledgment. My son uses the car now for college. His local dealership in Grand Junction told him that all we can do is have them perform an oil change, drive the car, and come and see them when the engine seizes before it's due for another oil change. The implication was that they were aware of the problem, but couldn't apply for an engine replacement unless the engine had seized. This seems wrong and unsafe. My son is currently having to add oil every three weeks.

- Erie, CO, USA

problem #82

May 162023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I posted when this happened but didn't know what it was. On 5/16/23, I was driving on highway going about 60 mph when my vehicle completely shut off with no warning. I lost all control except I could steer a little. Thank God, I was able to get off the road safely. I had no brakes and had to drift to a stop. It never started again. I had my granddaughter with me. I'm 62 years old and I've been driving since I was 16 and this is the most dangerous thing that has ever happened while driving. Please do something about these vehicles! I know people have had to have lost lives from this.

- Springfield, GA, USA

problem #81

Jul 062023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

The engine completely gave out all of a sudden on the highway while coming home from vacation. We were stranded on the highway and had to have someone come help my husband push the car off highway to the nearest convenience store. The car would not take a jump so we paid $427 to have it towed from Bay St. Louis, MS to Kenner, LA to our reputable mechanic to find out the problem. Per our mechanic the engine has completely gone out. This car is not even 10 years old, is well maintained, gets regular oil changes and only has about 87 or 88K miles on it. It has not been inspected by anyone other than our mechanic. There were no warning signs at all on the car prior to this or when it killed and died. Completely killed. We have called Corporate Hyundai office and they gave me a case number of [XXX] and said I would have to deal with the Hyundai of Metairie location and it would be 3 weeks before they could even inspect the vehicle after I incurred another towing charge. I did call the Service Dept. and left a message for Mr. David Porter to call me but he has not called back. I cannot believe a car does not last more than 10 years and at least $125,000 miles. Therefore, I would like to report a problem so this does not happen to anyone else and recoup some of my expense costs as my car is valued at like $13,500 if it was running and only a 1,000 if not running. A refurbished engine is anywhere from a $3500 to $4800 plus the cost of a warranty and labor. I have read there were some engine complaints on Hyundai and there is a pending investigation. Mechanics name David Mills, 627 Oxley Street, Kenner LA.504-466-8776. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Metairie, LA, USA

problem #80

Jun 152023

Santa Fe

  • miles
My 2016 Santa Fe engine spun a rod bearing at 130,900 miles. Took to dealership and they diagnosed it and refused any warranty.

- Petersburg, VA, USA

problem #79

Jun 262023

Santa Fe

  • miles
On the morning of June 26, I dropped my daughter off at camp. Not far from the house, the engine light begins blinking with no warning. I pull over to look under the hood; there was no smoke and the oil level and color looked ok. I was able to get back home but on the way began to lose acceleration. This would have been much worse if I was on the highway traveling at a higher speed as opposed to a residential area. Later, I was able to tow it to an independent service center who said the code for repair is P1326 for a knock sensor. In the mechanic-??s research of the code, he said this is an issue for a Hyundai certified mechanic. I too did some research and saw all the Hyundai owners with the exact same issue. I called all the Hyundai auto shops in my area and none of them have appointments just to look at the car until the end of July. Now I am stuck with an immobile car that I just purchased in January and was told I-??m not entitled to a loaner or rental because the vehicle isn-??t being repaired yet.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

problem #78

Jun 132023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The car was being driven by our daughter south on Interstate 75 in Florida when the engine seized. It just froze. All power was lost while in the middle lane. Our daughter had to glide into the shoulder using only the momentum of the vehicle and carefully avoid traffic. The car was towed to our local mechanic who found nothing wrong with the battery, starter, alternator or oil. The oil was in fact checked prior to the trip that day. I called our local Hyundai dealer who stated that this was a "known problem". He also added that the engine would probably have to be replaced and he had "10 cars in front of mine that needed engine replacements." We are still waiting for Hyundai Corporate to agree to the repair. The vehicle only has 47,000 miles on it and has the balance of the drive train warranty. We are without a car and are currently renting a vehicle so that we can have transportation. I have no idea why this vehicle and others like it have not been recalled. This is an extremely dangerous problem with these cars. The driver, our daughter, could have been in a dangerous accident.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

problem #77

Mar 252023

Santa Fe

  • miles
On July 26, 2021, I purchased a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe SE. I purchased the vehicle with 90,168 miles on it, a current inspection, and a 3,000 bumper-to-bumper warranty. It has a 6 cylinder 3.3L engine. Since then, I-??ve put 38,266 miles on it, and it-??s ran without a problem. I-??ve done all preventative maintenance, made my oil changes mostly around when needed in accordance with mechanics, and overall maintained the car as per recommended. On March 25, 2023, I was driving to work, and I felt a sudden loss of acceleration. I heard a knocking that I hadn-??t heard before, yet no lights came on. No check engine light, no oil pressure light. My dashboard was not indicative of any problem. I ended up getting it towed to my personal mechanic, who was able to tell me that although the engine hasn-??t seized up yet, it was surely not far from it. I was also informed that it was nearly empty. Now, I-??ve had oil changes before and at no point has any mechanic, including those at my Hyundai dealership ever told me that I was short on oil. I had no puddles anywhere, at home or at work. I-??ve had no smoke emissions from the vehicle to indicate that it was burning oil. To this day-??I don-??t know where 5 quarts of oil went out of my engine in two weeks. It is my belief that the only way this amount of oil could just vanish out of thin air is a glaring engine defect leading to near-catastrophic engine failure.

- Red Lion, PA, USA

problem #76

May 042023

Santa Fe

  • miles
As I was driving home from work at night on May 4, my engine suddenly started making noises, then the engine light started flashing and the engine stopped working and I had to coast to the side of the road. I had to get it towed back to my residence late at night. I had an independent mechanic verify the catastrophic engine failure. To date the vehicle has not been repaired due to the high cost and unavailable replacement engines.

- Florence , KY, USA

problem #75

Oct 182022

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving and all of a sudden my car quit sounded like a belt broke so I coasted to Thackers Repair and he told me a rod went right through the side of the engine so I would need a new engine. I had my oil changed every 3000 miles there was no reason for this, and I did not receive any recalls.

- Duchesne, UT, USA

problem #74

Mar 172023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine oil consumption is outrageous. I am having to add oil every 200-300 miles. Just had an oil change in march and have had to add oil twice. There is a recall on the 2013-2015 models for the Santa Fe and 2011-2019 for the Santa Fe sport but the 2016 model that I have is not included in this recall. The recall is specifically for engine oil consumption issues which is exactly what I am having but Hyundai wont issue a recall for the 2016 model unless it is the sport. Very frustrated and potentially going to have to spend thousands of dollars for a new motor since mine is starting to have issues related to excessive oil consumption.

- Richmond Hill, GA, USA

problem #73

May 162023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I left my house and vehicle was perfectly fine. NEVER any warning lights since I owned the vehicle. It was not due for an oil change. I was traveling about 60 mph and after about 5 miles, vehicle just stopped running. At that point, I looked at dash and all the lights were on and vehicle was completely unresponsive. No steering, brakes, nothing. I was able to drift off of road and that was it. Tried one time to restart it and nothing. Had it towed to hyundai dealer and first they said it was the starter and today, after being there for a month, they said engine had seized.

- Springfield, GA, USA

problem #72

May 222023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Car lost power/pressure will not accelerate and has an engine knock

- Sarasota, FL, USA

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