2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

In June 2021 vehicle experienced engine failure at approximately 152,000 miles. Vin# not under Hyundai Engine recall however Hyundai covered new engine replacement under warranty extension due to failure. In November 2022 received notice for mandatory Knock Engine Sensor Detection Campaign, vehicle had approximately 163,000 miles. Was told this must be performed to prevent catostrophic engine failure. Once campaign was installed in December 202 vehicle immediately went into Drive Safe mode and Engine light came on. Returned to dealership 2 more times and each time vehicle went into Drive Safe mode with engine light. Diagnosis was the new engine was defective and needed to be replaced. New engine has under 12,000 miles. Vehichle is now unsafe to drive as it's in Drive Safe mode and needs engine replacement. Hyundai only agreed to cover 85% of the new engine cost as a goodwill. This is not satisfactory to the customer as a brand new engine, under 12,000 miles and 14 months failed and I do not feel I should be responsible for 15% of the cost to replace a defective engine. The fact that the engine light came on and vehicle went into Drive Safe mode immediately following the KSDS campaign installation means there was an existing defect in the engine that was only detected once the campaign was installed.

My oil pressure sensor light wont turn off sometimes blinks on and off or stays on and I am concerned because it could be engine component or electrical. i have nott aken it to hyundai dealer do do an inspection

After driving for a short time, the engine stalls while driving. We have taken the car to 4 different mechanics, including the Hyundai dealer and the issue has not been fixed. The car stalls every time it is driven.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, she heard an abnormal popping sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there had been a recall for the year, make and model of vehicle however, the VIN was not included. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.

Driving on highway and car engine light came on then car engine kicked down like it was going to stall then drove normally then kicked down again . Kept kicking down , drove it home and shut it off. The car starts but is knocking and the engine light comes on and blinks constantly .

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, all four doors and tailgate would lock independently. The contact stated that over some time, all four doors failed to unlock while outside the vehicle with the key fob. The contact was only able to unlock the driver’s side door with the key. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that the door actuator needed to be replaced; however, after the repair, the failure persisted. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

I bought the car used and initially didn't have any issues with it. About a year into having the vehicle I saw that the battery light came on momentarily and then went off. Not noticing anything different with car I thought it was no issue initially. Got the car checked battery checked out after I noticed it happen a few more times but the battery passed testing. Eventually the right headlight stopped working. Thinking it was just an issue with the light I attempted to replace it but the light never came back on. Then the left turn signal stopped working. Got the car checked out and was told that the issue was more than likely an issue with the wiring, either a short or potentially burned wire. Took the car to my local dealer and was told the the headlight assembly was the issue and that it would about 1400 to 1500 dollars to replace. Told the dealer what I was told about the wiring issue and was told that I would have to pay for that and the headlight assembly if replacing the headlight assembly didn't fix the issue Managed to get the headlight assembly replaced on my own and the issue still persists. After initially changing the assembly the headlights worked, but on of the running lights wasn't as bright as it should have been. Here recently the right headlight is out again, along with the left taillight and left turn signal.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that after NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) was completed and driving at approximately 70 mph, there was a loud abnormal noise under the vehicle and the steering wheel began to shake. In addition, the dashboard was hot to the touch. The contact merged into the shoulder of the road and the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the rod bearing fractured and detached causing a hole in the engine. The engine and rod bearing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a bearing test was performed; however, the vehicle failed the test. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure stated in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer stated that they were holding the engines for vehicles under the recall. The contact mentioned that an unknown software update was performed and the vehicle was serviced under TSB: TXXM. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 174,067.

Engine stalled, shutting down both power steering and power brakes, restarted, stalled again and then never started again, while driving 70 mph on a major extremely busy thoroughfare (SR202 in Jacksonville, Fla.) in 05/13. Had vehicle towed to regular mechanic 05/16 who said engine blown, but under recall. Then towed to Jenkins Hyundai 05/19. They inspected vehicle, confirmed engine replacement based on TSB 21-01-022H testing (they gave me a copy) for recall 198. Jenkins then contacted me, replacement was denied approval by [XXX] PA#[XXX], because it listed as "scrap", that 198 is only a "recall campaign, not a safety issue", engine would cost $12,000,00. I found the 198 SAFETY notice online and took it to them, they said they couldn't do anything, I would need to contact Hyundai corp. Contacted Hyundai 06/01, assigned case number [XXX]. [XXX] from HMAusa (833-462-8722 x [XXX]) emailed asking for info, I returned email same day (06/01). [XXX] then emailed 06/07 and I responded both via phone and email same day. Jenkins Hyundai has since called asking what I intended to do. I called [XXX] and she confirmed vehicle listed as "scrap", but that Hyundai does safety recalls on rebuilt title vehicles to talk to dealer again. I uploaded to HMAusa photos of my insurance, registration, tags and even photos of my car at [XXX], copied also to [XXX] (the prior approval email for dealers) on 06/15. Told [XXX] "[XXX] confirmed safety work on rebuilt title vehicles", but they are waiting on HMA approval. It has now been 4 months and nothing. I emailed Center for Auto Safety 08/18 and they confirmed repair is required by federal law even on salvage title. I emailed [XXX] 08/19 about noncompliance and again on 08/24, uploaded to HMAusa. New HMA #20221366, received 08/30 [XXX] "response in 48 hours". NHTSA #[XXX], spoke with [XXX]. As of 09/07 still nothing. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).