5.4

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
17,326 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #26

May 012023

Santa Fe

  • 6,200 miles

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

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was jumping from left to right. The contact stated that the ESC and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the passenger-??s side wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. Additionally, the steering column housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving, the steering wheel had extensive play. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 6,200.

- Oldsmar, FL, USA

problem #25

Dec 092023

Santa Fe

  • miles
Steering wheel sticks and will not turn or adjust until forcefully manipulated, then snaps sharply causing a change in direction of the vehicle. Dangerous to our family while driving.

- Mckinney, TX, USA

problem #24

May 012023

Santa Fe

  • miles
The car has a steering defect. The defect causes the car to wonder from lane to lane requiring the driver to constantly make corrections. This is especially dangerous when you are between two vehicles. The car has been back to the dealer numerous times and they state that there is no problem with the steering. Hyundai National claims claims that the defect does not exist.

- Surprise , AZ, USA

problem #23

Nov 272023

Santa Fe

  • miles

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

While driving the vehicle there is a noticeable -??locking or sticking-?? in the the steering wheel while driving. This issue is most notable at a driving speed over 35 mph. Due to the vehicle not having a steering fluid reservoir, it is not possible to see if the power steering fluid is below the recommended levels.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #22

Nov 062023

Santa Fe

  • miles
My steering wheel locks up when I am driving and making turns.

- East Stroudsburg , PA, USA

problem #21

May 082018

Santa Fe

  • miles
The steering is sticky or notchy, it gets stuck like it moves around grooves instead of being linear. Since its not linear, every notchy movement requires a correction towards the opposite side and that results in over correction and this way the car is zig-zaggy. This becomes very prominent as speeds more than 40 mph, and quite significant on highways. Several time reporting to dealer, over the 6+ years of ownership, they have failed to recognize the issue and provide a fix. Several people have reported the same and can be viewed by searching for sticky steering problem and its not restricted to sante fe models. This is highly dangerous on the highways constantly having to correct and overcorrect and increases driver fatigue. Hyundai fails to recognize this hazardous steering issue and provide a voluntary fix or recall.

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #20

Mar 072023

Santa Fe

  • 142,609 miles

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

The engine throttles while accelerating and leaks oil and a burning smell comes from under the hood. the smell passes through the air vents and fills the car. I am afraid it might catch fire under the hood. The suspension makes noise and can also feel on the steering wheel. I will appreciate the company if they take safety measures in fixing this issue.

- Lynchburg, VA, USA

problem #19

Mar 282022

Santa Fe

  • miles
While traveling at approximately 60mph I decelerated to make a left turn through a busy intersection (evening rush hour traffic). While decelerating, I felt the car give a "shudder" at which point I looked to the dash to see the check engine light blinking, then the battery light illuminated. At this point, while passing through the intersection turning left, the engine shut off, as well as the power steering. The car coasted through the intersection and came to a stop barely out of the crossing lane. It would not restart and I was forced to push the car with my family inside to a safer position. Prior to this event there had been no drivability issues, no other times that warning lights had come on. The only issue of note that I have had for this vehicle is a seemingly excessive amount of engine oil being consumed. The car is at a dealership now and I am told that the engine needs to be replaced, with no explanation for the failure.

- Lyman, SC, USA

problem #18

Feb 272022

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving the steering wheel stutters and moves the vehicle all over the road. Does this at all speeds. Worse was on the interstate and I nearly ran off the road at 70 mph. Dealer says the vehicle needs a new steering column on March 3, 2022. Under 40,000 miles. This is not due to normal wear and tear or operator use. They claim this is not a warranty issue or recall. This vehicle is unsafe to drive.

- Greer, SC, USA

problem #17

Jan 052017

Santa Fe

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel became unresponsive. While attempting to correct the failure, the vehicle would over steer. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to bob bell Ford located at (7125 ritchie hwy, glen burnie, md 21061) and was diagnosed but the technician was unable to retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

- Servena Park, MD, USA

problem #16

Feb 172020

Santa Fe

  • 14,000 miles

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

1. steering= sticking steering and problems keeping car straight. Driving 2. no warning chime front passenger seat. When driving

- Florissant, MO, USA

problem #15

Jan 082020

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving (vehicle in motion) the steering wheel seems to stick requiring me to exert extra force to "break" it loose in order to keep the car traveling in a straight line. I know it isn't mechanical stearing like I'm used to but the servo motor seems to prevent me from turning the wheel when I need to correct. I continuously have to overcorrect for the sticking/notchy steering. Very annoying and tiring and could be a safety hazard under the right conditions. Found several other owners on this site who is having the exact same problem. I totally agree that there is definitely something wrong with this electronic drive-by-wire steering mechanism. Like others have said, please let Hyundai know that there is a problem here. I notice this mostly while driving in city traffic. I have owned this vehicle for over two years and I'm experiencing the steering issue more and more now. If most drivers are not truly paying attention to there driving and this sticking this will lead to crashes and deaths.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #14

Sep 012019

Santa Fe

  • 32,000 miles
Currently 42K miles, "sticky steering wheel" or "zig-zag" problem started about 10K miles ago. Dealer service techs I've dealt with seem to have never heard of this problem. After verifying that my daughter was really experiencing the zig-zag problem, I lifted the front of her car so that both front wheels were off the ground. With the engine not running, slowly turning the steering wheel right and left would reveal the "sticky" symptom, which is actually at some point the steering wheel hangs for some reason and then it takes increasingly more torque applied to the steering wheel until it breaks free. If this had occurred driving down the road, the result would be a sudden change of direction. This behavior in the steering system should never occur, but should be silky smooth lock to lock. The attached image shows the system from the steering wheel to the bottom of the connecting shaft. I have read reports that the U-joints in the connecting shaft are the problem, or that the mdps (motor driven power steering) unit is the source of the problem. If I were working this problem, I would disconnect the upper U-joint and rerun the steering wheel test. If the hanging problem was still there, then the mdps unit (or perhaps the star shaped coupling within the mdps) should be replaced. Otherwise, the coupling shaft should be inspected for binding of the U-joints. If the joints are sticking, then a replacement shaft is in order. If neither the mdps unit nor coupling shaft are at fault, then the root of the problem must be somewhere below the connecting shaft. This is a serious safety issue that many owners have complained about, and Hyundai does not seem to have any desire to acknowledge or to even address the problem. I am a former ase L1 master automotive technician.

- Muskogee, OK, USA

problem #13

Dec 202019

Santa Fe

  • 56,000 miles
Notchy steering, feels like the steering wheel sticks, requiring you to use additional force to turn the wheel. This causes over-correcting with the potential to swerving into other lanes or off the road.

- Wellsboro, PA, USA

problem #12

Dec 242018

Santa Fe

  • 13,200 miles
Steering wheel began to get hard like sticky when turn it over right or left, needing more power to drive the vehicle and putting me in risk when reach 60 miles per hour

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #11

Dec 152018

Santa Fe

  • 15,000 miles
Sticky steering wheel when traveling on straight roadways and highways above 40 mph. I noticed a slight stick to the steering wheel while traveling on the freeway or on a straight road above 40 mph. This problem started at 15,000 miles. The steering wheel tends to stick when trying to track straight which causes me to consistently swerve while trying to correct. We took it to the dealership where they were able to identify the issue as a bad mdps unit (steering column shaft assembly) part#56310-2W840. While at the shop, I decided to do some research on my own and found that this unit has been identified in other makes and models as a bad unit due to a rubber coupler inside the mdps and Hyundai has extended the warranty on these parts. I believe that there should be an extended warranty on this part beyond the factory warranty for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. We have owned this car for 1 year 11 mos and it currently has 16261 miles. Notes from dealership tech: " the steering was sticking. The column was at fault internal failure. I was unable to isolate what part of the motor driven steering unit was the root cuase of the sticking. All parts tested good but I still had the issue. I performed a steering wheel calibration and reset the steering feel zero. I redrove the car and noted after driving on a straight level road and 40-60 mph speeds that when I moved the steering left or right that there was a noticable sticking. Before the steering felt like it had assist. I replaced the mdps complete unit reset the tow variant coded and drove the car again"

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #10

Nov 262018

Santa Fe

  • 22,000 miles
While going down the interstate, the steering became very difficult to control. It was if the power steering had disappeared. Very scary. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing issue. Since that time it has happened repeatedly. Went to the dealership in savannah Georgia, they were not very responsive. Going to make an appointment to have this fixed. A google search indicated there are others this happened to as well.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #9

Sep 012018

Santa Fe

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving various speeds, the contact heard a loud rattling, abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to roger beasley Hyundai (24795 I-35, kyle, tx 78640, (512) 262-2020) where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Kingsbury, TX, USA

problem #8

Nov 092018

Santa Fe

  • 26,000 miles
While driving on the highway at speeds over 50 mph, the vehicle drifts to the left and right. I have to over correct the steering and force the vehicle to stay straight. The dealer performed an alignment. However; it did not correct the issue. I'm afraid for our safety.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #7

Nov 062018

Santa Fe

  • miles
While driving highway speed, steering wheel feels like it gets stuck while trying to maintain steering. As you turn the steering wheel left to right and right to left trying to maintain lane it feels like the steering wheel catches each time you slightly turn the steering wheel and causes you to over correct making it difficult to maintain lane. Feel it is a safety issue, especially at highway speeds. There have been times where I overcorrected and the car veered out of its lane. Vehicle has been taken to dealer twice so far and they say they can't recreate the situation, even though I drove the car with service person in it and the "sticking" occurred while I drove it.

- Hampton, SC, USA

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