2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

After the ECM recall for a software update the car would not run correctly. It jerks and and runs rough. It almost stalls when you put your foot on the gas. I took it back to the dealer and they can not get the problem to duplicate. Noone else has looked at the problem. There were never any problems with the care until the recall. The problem occurred the day I brought the car home from the ECM update.

My vehicle experiences severe, unpredictable harsh downshifting/surging when slowing down, specially from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st gear. The transmission kick causes unexpected vehicle hesitation and deceleration changes in active traffic: presenting an immediate crash hazard. The dealership head technician has physically test-driven the vehicle and confirmed the failure. However, Hyundai Corporate is refusing to replace the failing transmission under 10 years/100,000 mile warranty because the vehicle's computer has not yet thrown an electronic error code. The manufacture is actively trying to force me to drive an unsafe vehicle until the transmission completely fails in traffic, putting my family and other drivers at severe risk. May 28, 2026 currently milage is around 88,000. The dealership currently has the vehicle.

Hello, I was driving home from work with my six-month old in the car and the engine stalled while on the Belleville Turnpike. It seized and I was almost rear-ended by a tractor trailer hauling lumber to the lumber yard just a few streets away. I couldn't move the car and was afraid of how to even attempt to secure my car as my daughter was strapped in her car seat. An extremely nice man pulled over and began to flag vehicle to go around me. By this time, I had only my hazard lights on. I was frightened beyond belief having gone through that experience. The car was towed to the dealership who confirmed it was catastrophic engine failure(misfire of a cylinder). They stated initially with my 3rd party warrant that it would be covered and in their words " it was a good thing I had a warranty". Fast forward to two weeks after I check to see what is going on. Things have changed. Now, because I am missing one oil change receipt, they need to be paid $1400, to further corroborate the cause of the engine failure. I haven't paid and honestly don't plan on paying them anything. To date, I have spent over $2,000 on car rental fees since my car is now sitting at the Global Hyundai Dealership.

After my Hyundai dealership performed a recall on emissions my Santa Fe Sport started having problems on cold starts. After it has set for a few hours when I would put into gear and start to driving the car acted as though it was trying to flood out. I have to feather the accelerator and drive very carefully for at least 1/2 - 3/4 miles. This is very dangerous and make me very uncomfortable driving. I took my vehicle back to my Hyundai dealer and the mechanic told me they were waiting for a recall to the recall. How stupid!!! It has been over a month and nothing has been done to fix the problem. Please advise!

reporting a serious safety concern involving my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with the Theta II engine. While driving on the highway, my vehicle suddenly lost power without warning. The vehicle became unsafe to drive and I had to pull over and have it towed. There was no warning light before the failure. The vehicle has been regularly maintained. Hyundai later stated there was internal engine damage. My vehicle also shows an open engine-related recall/campaign since November 2025. I have found many similar complaints from other Hyundai owners describing sudden loss of power, excessive oil consumption, and engine problems involving the Theta II engine. I contacted Hyundai Motor America and provided documentation and videos, but I have not received a meaningful response. I am concerned this issue may represent a serious safety defect because the sudden loss of power occurred while driving on a highway.

The engine in my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport equipped with the 2.4L Theta II GDI engine is experiencing severe excessive oil consumption. The vehicle consumes approximately 2–2.5 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles despite multiple repair attempts and dealership-performed combustion cleaning procedures. Hyundai Motor America and the dealership documented the condition under PA #[XXX] and recommended engine replacement. Hyundai Motor America advised me in writing that the vehicle should not be operated in its current condition because of the excessive oil consumption and pending engine replacement. Excessive oil consumption creates a risk of sudden engine failure, engine seizure, stalling while driving, and potential engine fire if oil levels drop unexpectedly. Because the engine rapidly loses oil between normal service intervals, the vehicle may become unsafe to operate without warning, placing myself, passengers, and other motorists at risk. The defect was confirmed multiple times by Capital Hyundai in San Jose, CA through two official Hyundai oil consumption tests. The dealership documented oil consumption of approximately 2–2.5 quarts per 1,000 miles and submitted the results to Hyundai Motor America under PA #[XXX].The dealership also performed multiple repair attempts, including spark plug replacement, fuel induction cleaning, combustion chamber cleaning, and repeated oil changes, but the excessive oil consumption continued. Prior symptoms included: Check engine light illumination, Cylinder #4 misfire condition, Engine noise, Excessive oil loss between oil changes, and Oil level dropping significantly within short mileage intervals. The check engine light and misfire condition first became severe enough to require dealership diagnosis on or around [XXX], when the vehicle was towed to the dealership. The excessive oil consumption issue was formally documented beginning [XXX] during Hyundai’s oil consumption testing process. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6

NO power till car warms up for 5 minutes. It will be jerky on highway. The gas mileage is going down drastically, I was doing 32 miles to gallon and now it's 22mpg. All this is after the recall we just had performed. I have no power trying to avoid accidents, taking off from stopping. Car smells weird now.

I am submitting a complaint regarding a turbocharger failure on my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe VIN [XXX] . The vehicle experienced turbocharger-related failure symptoms including loss of power and drivability concerns. This created a potentially dangerous situation because the vehicle was unable to accelerate normally and could have caused difficulty merging into traffic or maintaining safe roadway speeds. I contacted Hyundai Motor America requesting assistance with repair coverage. Hyundai denied assistance solely because the vehicle was outside the warranty period by time and mileage, despite the seriousness of the failure. I am concerned this issue may be related to broader engine or oil-related defects reported in Hyundai vehicles, including possible oil starvation, excessive oil consumption, or internal engine contamination that could contribute to turbocharger damage or failure. I believe this condition may represent a safety-related defect because sudden power loss during operation increases the risk of a crash. I request that NHTSA review this issue and investigate whether similar turbocharger or related engine failures are occurring in 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

After the installation of the Service Campaign 9C2 engine update, the car now seems to surge or rev up briefly at lower speeds like it can't find the right gear or is trying to briefly accelerate. It doesn't seem to be as noticeable at highway speeds, but in residential or low speeds, it's very noticeable and a little unsettling as the car feels like it wants to briefly lunge forward. No lights are on the dash and there is no indication of any malfunction, but it did not behave this way prior to the 9C2 engine program update. I waited for a couple weeks before contacting Hyundai Corporate about this issue because I was hoping maybe the transmission or engine was relearning after a battery disconnection, but it has not gone away.

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH a loud noise and smoke was suddenly present coming from under the hood of the vehicle and the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed back to the home. The contact indicated that during the failure no warning messages or lights had displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 83,000.