2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

I WAS AT A FOUR WAY-YEAR-OLD AND STOP WHERE I HAD TO YIELD AS I WAS DOING THE SANTA FE CUT OFF AND I LOST ALL POWER STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND I COULDN'T CONTROL VEHICLE TURN THE KEY OFF AND THEN TURN THE KEY BACK ON THE TRUCK STARTED 20 MINUTES LATER THE TRUCK WOULD NOT START IT WHEN YOU RETURN ON THE ANTITHEFT ALARM KEEPS BEEPING

VEHICLE BEGAN PRODUCING A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND WHILE ACCELERATING. MECHANIC ADVISED THAT CONNECTING ROD BEARING WAS DAMAGED. VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 100,000 MILES AND HAD RECEIVED REGULAR OIL CHANGES. MECHANIC RECOMMENDED REPLACING ENGINE.

I HAVE BEEN HAVING CONTINUOUS ISSUES WITH A LOUD "CLUNK" WHEN MY CAR IS PLACED IN REVERSE, TURNING, SHIFTING GEARS. IT'S INTERMITTENT, BUT LOUD AND HARD ENOUGH THAT IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN HIT. THE CAR DOES NOT KICK OFF ANY CODES, HOWEVER A NUMBER OF OTHER SANTA FE OWNERS HAVE HAS THE SAME ISSUE AND EVENTUALLY NEEDED TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). DRIVING CAR AT 25 MPH - LOUD BANG IN ENGINE AREA FOLLOWED BY SHORT BURST OF BANGING. CAR THRU A CONNECTING ROD THRU THE MOTOR BLOCK. THIS IS A 2012 AWD SANTE FE MODEL - HERE IS THE CONNECTION THIS ENGINE WAS MADE IN ALABAMA THE 2.4 LTR FOUR CYLINDER AND WAS RECALLED DUE TO DEBRIS IN ENGINE CRANKCASES.....THE SONATA WAS THE RECALL. THIS SAME ENGINE IS IN MY SANTE FE. MY MILEAGE IS ONLY 59+ K MILES. THEY WONT REPLACE IT. YOUR NHTSA REPORTED THIS ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, A REPORT WRITTEN BY [XXX] OF CONSUMER REPORTS, THIS SAME ENGINE WAS PRODUCED FOR SANTE FE, KIA OPTIMA, KIA SORRENTO ETC. DON'T YOU THINK THAT THIS 2.0 LTR AND 2.4 LTR "THETA II" ENGINE, WHICH IN SONATAS ALONE WAS A 470,000 CAR RECALL... IS THE VERY SAME ENGINE THAT IS FAILING IN OTHER MODELS OF KIA AND HYUNDAI. THIS CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT ONLY 59K MILES COULD HAVE KILLED MY DAUGHTER IF SHE WAS ON THE FREEWAY. YOUR REPORT STATES THIS ENGINE IS THE SAME ENGINE BUILT IN THE SAME US MFGR PLANT IN ALABAMA AND THAT IT WAS ALSO USED IN THE HYUNDAI SANTE FE MY VEHICLE- BETWEEN THEIR PRODUCTION OF 2009 AND 2012 - STILL A COINCIDENCE --- I DON'T THINK SO. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS ENGINE FAILURE IN THE INTERNET AND THE PRICING GAUGING OF THE CONSUMER FROM $4,500 TO OVER $8,000 WHEN THIS DEFECTIVE ENGINE SHOULD BE REPLACED FROM HYUNDAI FOR FREE. THEY ARE HIDING THE TRUTH HERE LOOK AT THIS NHTSA WRITTEN REPORT. I DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC PHOTOS BUT CAN GET THEM. TODAY THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP ON RT 130 BURLINGTON LOOKED AT MY VEHICLE AND DECLARED THAT I NEED A NEW ENGINE AND THEN SUGGESTED A USED LOW MILEAGE ENGINE. I WANT A NEW REPLACEMENT JUST LIKE THEY REPLACED IN THE SONATAS WITH THE VERY SAME ENGINE, IF YOU CAN HELP ME AT ALL OR REOPEN THIS CAN OF WORMS THAT HYUNDAI IS LEAVING UNDER THE RUG IT WOULD HELP OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HURT BY HYUNDAI. MY CONTACT [XXX]- CELL [XXX] *DL

MILEAGE AROUND 82,000 MILES | ALWAYS HAD ROUTINE, ON TIME, MAINTENANCE | NO ENGINE LIGHT ON (OR ANY OTHERS) | ON A TRIP DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY GOING AROUND 65MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET (2 ADULTS AND 1 CHILD IN THE CAR, NOT TOWING ANYTHING), OUR SUV STARTED MAKING A STRANGE NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING, THEN PROGRESSED TO A CONSISTENT NOISE WHETHER ACCELERATING OR NOT. WE DECIDED WE NEEDED TO STOP IN THE NEXT TOWN (ABOUT 20 MILES AWAY) TO TAKE A LOOK, BUT BEFORE WE COULD REACH THE NEXT TOWN THE CAR WITHOUT WARNING SHUT DOWN, STARTED SMOKING, AND PIECES OF THE CAR FELL FROM BELOW THE CAR. MY HUSBAND RAISED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE, AND QUICKLY PUT IT OUT. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP AND JUST BY RAISING THE HOOD THE MECHANIC KNEW THE ENGINE EXPLODED, AND INFORMED US IT WOULD BE AROUND $6500 FOR A USED ENGINE. FROM THE TIME THE NOISE FIRST STARTED UNTIL THE ENGINE BLEW UP WE DROVE 12 MILES. WE HAVE TRIED CONTACTING HYUNDAI TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE ISSUE, AFTER WAITING ON HOLD FOR 30+MINUTES ALL THEY CAN SAY IS THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO SINCE WE ARE OUT OF WARRANTY, WHEN WE ASK TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER ONE IS NEVER THERE AND THEY PROMISE THAT WILL HAVE THE MANAGER CALL US BACK, BUT WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PHONE CALL. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, IT SEEMS WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE. MY HUSBAND USED TO SELL HYUNDAI'S AND KNOWS FOR A FACT THAT THE SANTA FE AND SONATA'S HAVE THE SAME ENGINE - THE 2011-12 SONATA ENGINE HAD A RECALL, WHY DIDN'T THE SANTA FE HAVE A RECALL? THE SANTA FE IS MY SECOND HYUNDAI TO OWN, I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER DUE TO THE ISSUES WITH MY SANTA FE AND LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. SIDE NOTE, WHY WOULD I SPEND $6500 ON ANOTHER ENGINE, WHEN THERE SEEMS TO BE AN EXPLODING PATTERN.

ENGINE FAILURE ON INTERSTATE WHILE TRAVELLING 70 MPH. KNOCKING NOISE AND COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. WOULD NOT RESTART. DEALERSHIP ADVISED THE MOTOR LOCKED UP.

STARTED CAR, NOTICED THE FOLLOWING DASH LIGHTS WERE ON: ABS ESC DOWNHILL BRAKING CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT HYUNDAI RECALLED 1.7 MILLION VEHICLES FOR THIS PROBLEM (DEFECTIVE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH) UP TO 2011. I'M CONCERNED THAT MY 2012 CAR HAS THE SAME ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THESE LIGHTS STAY ON NO MATTER IF MOVING OR STATIONARY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THERE WAS A TAPPING NOISE OCCURRING FROM THE ENGINE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN LATER TAKEN TO ETTLESON HYUNDAI (6420 JOLIET RD, COUNTRYSIDE, IL 60525, PHONE NUMBER: (708) 231-4586) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE DEALER PLACED A TITLE BRAND ON THE VEHICLE AND WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE WARRANTY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW 6/15/12. WE CHANGED OIL AT PROPER INTERVALS. I NOTICED WHEN WE FIRST STARTED CAR A TAPPET NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. NO LIGHTS SHOWN ON DASH. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO THE NEAREST HYUNDAI DEALER IN FEAR OF CAUSING DAMAGE TO ENGINE. THEY KEPT CAR FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS . THEY CALLED AND TOLD US ENGINE WAS GONE. WE PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY AT TIME OF PURCHASE. THEY TOLD US SLUDGE WAS IN ENGINE. THIS WAS CAUSED BY OWNER NEGLECT. FOUND NUMEROUS OWNER TESTIMONIES ON LINE WHICH THE SAME THING. HYUNDAI HAS NUMEROUS CLASS ACTIONS SUITS ON THEM. THEY HAVE MAJOR MANUFACTURING PROBLEMS WITH THE CLEANING PROCESS WITH METAL FILINGS LEFT IN ENGINE. LOOK ON LINE UNDER HYUNDAI ENGINE FAILURES THERE ARE NUMEROUS WEBSITES REGARDING THIS ISSUE. CONSUMER NEEDS TO BE MADE AWARE OF THIS IF THEY DON'T ALREADY. WORD OF ADVICE , STAY FAR AWAY FROM HYUNDAI. THEY DON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR SO CALLED WARRANTY. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY IS NOT EVEN WORTH THE PAPER ITS PRINTED ON. THE BEST THING THEY COULD DO IS TAKE CARE OF ALL COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM AND THEN GO BANKRUPT.

MY SANTA FE HAS ONLY 78,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED VERY WELL. DESPITE THIS, DURING OUR EVACUATION FOR HURRICANE IRMA, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY LOCKED UP ON THE HIGHWAY, DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER STRAIN, WE WERE NOT TOWING ANYTHING AND ONLY HAD 2 PERSONS IN THE CAR. WE WERE LEFT HAVING TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE I WAS INFORMED THE THE THETA II 2.4L ENGINE THAT WAS IN MY VEHICLE WAS ON RECALL. HOWEVER THE RECALL ONLY COVERED THIS ENGINE IN THE HYUNDAI SONATA MODELS AND FOR SOME REASON WAS NOT COVERED IN THE SANTA FE. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY AN IDENTICAL ENGINE WOULD BE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM IN ONE MODEL VEHICLE BUT NOT IN ANOTHER. I HAD EVEN HAD THE OIL CHANGED 3 WEEKS PRIOR, WHICH THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT EVERYTHING APPEARED FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND IN GOOD WORKING ORDER WITH THE OIL, TRANSMISSION AND COOLING SYSTEM.