10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 11
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,136 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 2 of 23)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #440

Apr 012024

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

The engine has an oil consumption problem. In early April, the oil crankcase was empty between oil changes. I change the oil religiously every 5k miles. In early April, the engine had zero oil and examination showed no leaks. The key safety issue is that no engine warning lights came on. The only reason I discovered the issue was because I noticed it was not running properly and took it to my local Goodyear Service Center who confirmed. The engine could have very easily seized up while I or a family member was driving putting us in real danger of an accident. The issue has been confirmed by the dealer - they are WELL aware of this engine oil consumption issue. One Hyundai dealer inspected the car and tried to tell I had two leaks - valve cover and oil pan gaskets. Both my Goodyear Service Center and a SECOND Hyundai dealer confirmed I do not have leaks (and I pics to prove it). The second Hyundai dealer acknowledged the oil consumption issue and told me to bring the vehicle back if it does it again. They want to charge me $700 for a "compression chamber cleaning" that works 20% of the time! No warning lights - nothing. I only found out because of the way the car was running. It would go into limp mode and not accelerate. That's how I knew something was wrong. There is a Facebook group for this issue and multiple class action law suits. Hyundai refuses to accept responsibility for this engine defect. I asked the service manager at the dealership and he said Hyundai has not addressed this issue EVEN IN NEW CARS. They ignore it because the only remedy is a new engine and Hyundai doesn't want to pay for it. Dealers don't fight for consumers because Hyundai pays dealers a much lower rate to replace the engine then for other warranty work so dealers don't want to be bothered. Meanwhile, consumers are on the hook for an engine defect that Hyundai should fix. This is a crime and a rip-off.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #439

Feb 282024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Our 2017 Santa Fe experienced a completeengine failure back in February at 106k miles while driving on the highway. I was driving the SUV when it lost power. There were no check engine lights or any warning signs from the car beforehand. We kept up on all the maintenance and regular oil changes. The local Hyundai dealership told us the car had experienced a failure in the short block on the engine and that it would require a completely new engine. It has been in the shop for close to a month.

- Plymouth, ME, USA

problem #438

May 062024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine failure while on the highway. There were no warnings or check engine lights. The mechanic at a local shop stated that the engine seized up. The car had received regular maintenance up to that point.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #437

Mar 112024

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

While traveling to work about 1 mile before my exit, my 2017 Santa Fe Sport Ultimate 2.0T started sputtering and losing speed. I was scared to death traveling on a major highway (Rt 1). I immediately put the emergency blinkers on while continuing to lose speed. I barely made it off the highway before the car just STOPPED DEAD on the curve. NO POWER STEERING-NOTHING! THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE! Terrified of tractor trailers and cars flying off the exit, I called the State Police to come as my protection from getting hit.While waiting, two Good Samaritans were concerned for my safety and stopped to help move the car partially out of the road (no steering). The state police arrived and waited while I got a tow truck seeing I was visibly upset. I later received a call from the auto shop telling me the engine was gone, The performed a compression test the next day, found no compression in cylinder 3. The mechanic suggested I tow the car to the dealer because it was a faulty engine and he knew of an extension on an extended warranty (from 100k-150K miles) Hyundai offered for this problem. I rented a car to go to work ($700) for the first 3 weeks because I couldn't get a loaner. I finally got a loaner after reaching out to Managers, and after 2 months they finally "worked" it in. Today, I get a message that it was indeed the engine and I would need to pay for the diagnostic test and new engine parts since the extended warranty I purchased when I bought my car was expired 9/8/23. I opened a case with Hyundai USA today 5/10/24, and will be speaking with the dealer on Monday but I'm at a loss. Hyundai should replace my engine considering these engines have a history of failing. It only has 103K miles on it. It was just in the shop a week before for the undercarriage coating, inspected and no major concerns. I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE WITH NO WARNING- ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! PLEASE HELP!!

- Milford, DE, USA

problem #436

Apr 152024

Santa Fe

  • miles
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport 2.0 purchased brand new on July 2016. A month ago with 73322km mileage, engine failure occurred on the highway. First, I heard a rattling sound, then car started to shake, engine light blinking, oil change light went off (which never) happens, and the car started to decelerate on the highway. Upon finding the next exit, as I was turning right at the lights, car shut off completely. Went to the nearest Hyundai dealership which was within 2kms. The car was moderately drivable up to the dealership, and was advised that it is unsafe for continuous use. The dealership's diagnostics were: piston or 2nd cylinder was not compressing and spark plug burned. Hyundai Streetsville, Mississauga advised me to pay $8000 for a new engine or sell them the car. Had the car towed from this dealership to my local dealership Schlueter Hyundai in Waterloo. Their diagnostics were: Vehicle has dead miss, cylinder #2 pulled plug and bore scoped cylinder found piston melted around the edge causing no compression. Hyundai Canada denied warranty as it is past 5 years despite low mileage and regular maintenance at their own dealership. Went to Hyundai Canada to determine if there is recall on this particular issue and now was filed. Another friend who owned a similar car with 140 000 mileage, engine caught on fire on the highway. My car is available for inspection. Thankfully, there were no accidents or injuries that occurred. My concern is the potential for accidents on the highway and other vehicles that have this issue & there is no recall on the Hyundai Canada website.

- Waterloo Ontario Canada N2j2j8, CA, USA

problem #435

Apr 302024

Santa Fe

  • miles
I have 146k miles on it, engine has bad rod knock sound at the start and while driving. Fuel quality and engine oil replacement has not been compromised. There is no check engine light on, and vehicle runs at very low rpm.

- Duvall, WA, USA

problem #434

Apr 192024

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

Owned this vehicle for 4 years without any issues. Driving home on a friday, made a stop at a friends dance studio, and as I pulled into the parking lot my car just randomly died. I was able to restart the vehicle without any problems and there were no error messages on my car to indicate an issue. I drove the car home for it to die on me again as I was pulling onto my road. At first we thought maybe alternator. Still no messages are being indicated on my vehicle. My husand drove the car to the mechanic on Monday and as he drove it started making noises. He was able to get it to the mechanic. It was later that day that we were advised there was only a quart of oil left in my car (oil changes pretty regularly), per the mechanic the engine is toast. Still no error warnings etc. such as, oil low or change oil soon to advise me of any issues. I now have to completely replace my engine.

- Scottsville, KY, USA

problem #433

Apr 122024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Complete engine failure with vehicle excessively consuming oil with no warning indicators. Issue has been recognized by dealer as known issue. Safety risk with car complete shut down with no warnings.

- Cameron Park, CA, USA

problem #432

May 012024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Over the past 50,000 miles we have put on the car we have had major oil leaks and now the engine is burning oil. The engine has stalled multiple times and now sounds like a diesel. We have spent over $3000 in repairs and still will have to replace our car as it continues to worsen. Metal shavings have been found in the oil. No remedies have been found, aside from replacing the engine.

- Clermont, GA, USA

problem #431

Mar 282024

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving on the highway at 65 miles per hour and my 2017 Santa Fe began to decelerate. I tried pushing hard on my petal and it would not accelerate past 30 mph. I got off the highway as safely as I could. I heard a knocking sound while driving and the check engine light came on after my car experienced this problem.

- Melrose, MA, USA

problem #430

Apr 132024

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

Engine seizure happened while driving and the engine caught on fire. The car was well maintained and had been up-to-date on all recalls.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #429

Apr 122023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The car started making a very loud knocking noise while driving and became un-drivable due to the engine knocking and sputtering. Safety was compromised due to not being able to safely drive the vehicle the appropriate speed as this began suddenly. The car was taken to the dealership where the determined that it had rod bearing failure and the engine needed replaced. There is a recall for the same make, model, and year of the car, but the VIN number is different. The recall that is out for other VIN of the same car and engine states that there is rod bearing failure due to a faulty crankshaft. This has been confirmed by the dealership. There were no warning lights or indications that the car was not in proper mechanical shape prior to the issue. The dealership and corporate are unwilling to work with us to have this issue repaired under the recall, even though it is the same issue, since it is 17,000 miles over the warranty and that the recall -??does not affect our VIN number.-?? The engine that the car needs is not available unless it is a used engine as there are so many issues with said engine, which then makes the engine extremely expensive and difficult to locate.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #428

Dec 292023

Santa Fe

  • miles
My car was burning oil much faster than it should have been. On [XXX], my car started making a very loud knocking noise, and my engine blew out while on [XXX] in Nashville, TN. Thankfully I was able to pull over with friends trailing me. There was a burnt smell coming from under the hood. The problem has been confirmed by my local Hyundai dealer. The service department at the dealer attempted to get my car approved for an engine replacement, and Hyundai Motor America has denied the authorization. According to Hyundai, a recall from August 9, 2018 was not addressed on my vehicle. They have documentation that proves that I was not the owner of the vehicle when the recall was issued, therefore, I was not made aware of the recall. Because the recall was not addressed, they are refusing to fix my car for free OR offer any type of goodwill assistance. I would be solely responsible for repairing the faulty engine that they placed in my vehicle, due to a recall that was issued before I owned the car. I know several people that have had to have their Hyundai engines replaced. These cars are causing massive vehicular damage and financial burden on consumers. Based on dealership quotes, this repair will cost me anywhere between $8,000 - $14,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Madison, TN, USA

problem #427

Feb 212024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Was going down the highway at 65 when my vehicle completely lost the accelerating component. Almost got rear ended so I pulled off. Then made it to work when it happened again. The engine light came on and gave 2 codes. Finally got it towed to the dealership where they have decided it-??s either a new timing chain or new engine due to mechanical loss. They discovered there was no oil in the car and they have also found metal shavings in my oil. Now they are telling me I need a whole new engine. I only have 135,644 miles on this car. The car was driving perfectly fine the day before and had just been to the dealer and looked over 1,500 miles before and I was told everything was perfect working condition.

- Ellijay, GA, USA

problem #426

Mar 252024

Santa Fe

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic performed an oil change, and the contact was informed that metal shavings were found in the oil. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that there would be a fee required to diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

- Saint Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #425

Nov 222023

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving down a busy road when engine seized, no warnings on dash prior to failure. Luckily, I was able to catch a break in traffic and safely cruised into an open parking lot. Otherwise, it could have easily resulted in a collision. The incident occurred on Wednesday 11/22/2023. The 2017 Santa Fe had regular oil services and did not show or indicate any signs it required attention. No check engine light, no oil pressure, light, absolutely nothing. The car simply cut out while driving at around 35-40mph. Santa Fe was towed and the dealership mentioned rod bearing failure and engine knock. The estimate to fix it was 18k which was not feasible for me at the time. Additionally, the dealership claimed it was a common problem with the make, stating they had received multiple cars that Thanksgiving weekend. I worked with the dealership, but they did not seem to want to do the replacement, so I purchased a used rebuilt engine and paid the labor to change it for approximately 8,500 dollars. I opened a claim with Hyundai and it was denied because I was the a second owner and the warranty expired at 60k and I was at 66k. I went about a month and a half without a car and it created financial and emotional burdens.

- Lexington , KY, USA

problem #424

Mar 272024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine is overheating causing vehicle to burn through oil. I take the interstate every day, putting myself and others at risk if my vehicle breaks down. My oil sensors do not work, and do not display or illuminate. They flash on for a brief second and then disappear.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #423

Mar 152024

Santa Fe

  • miles
Engine seized up on the interstate with no warnings. Almost got hit by 2 semi's as I tried to get off the next exit. I had 3 small children riding with me and it was terrifying. Got it towed 100 miles to the nearest dealer and they said the engine was consuming oil and the engine seized up. They said they are "well aware" of this problem, but without any recall, the bill is entirely on me. The recall does cover most Hyundai models, but for some reason, it missed mine.. but clearly has the same issues.

- Elk Horn, IA, USA

problem #422

Mar 262024

Santa Fe

  • miles
I was driving down the highway and noticed a sudden loss of power and a knocking sound coming from the engine that made a sound that matched the rpm's. It is available for inspection upon request however the battery is currently dead and it obviously has a serve knock. The safety of not only myself but other bystanders driving around me were at risk by my car potentially catching fire while driving. I have had one certified dealership tell me my car isn't effected by any recalls so there isn't anything they can do. There have been no formal inspections done to the vehicle. There were no warning lights on when we purchased the vehicle and no lights came on before, during or after this problem started. We have changed the oil every 3k miles and took really well care of this vehicle as we only had it for 3mo before we were forced to park it due to the engine failure.

- Liberty , KY, USA

problem #421

Mar 222024

Santa Fe

  • miles
On Friday March 22 2024 I was attempting to merge onto the highway but an individual wouldn't let me in which forced me to have to slam on my breaks. After I was able merge, roughly 2 miles down the highway I started hearing what sounded like a belt flapping under the front of my car, the noise increased into a banging I noticed I was losing speed so I pressed on the gas petal and received no exeleration. I immediately pulled to the side of the highway. No lights came on to alert that there was an issue prior. I pressed on my brake and it was rock hard and my wheel seized. I turned off my vehicle to attempt to restart it when I turned the key there once one click sound and all the alerts lights came on. I was unable to turn the wheel or press down on the brake as it was locked up. I had my vehicle towed to a mechanic. I explained what happened the mechanic said it sounded like my engine. He checked the oil and said the stick was dry and when he drained the oil it was black and had a strong odor. I'm pondering of how that can be due to I had gotten an oil change 4 monthly ago and very rarely do I drive my vehicle. I then read the recalls and reviews on my vehicle. I found the same year and style just last month a similar occurrence like mine regarding the engine. This could have caused a horrible accident which could have been fatal. Being that I am not the only one who had this experience; I think is a necessity to pull this particular vehicle to perform an investigation before this vehicle kills someone My particular car make and model has currently 6 recalls! I do not feel safe

- Hamilton, OH, USA

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