2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT Complaints

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that occasionally, while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was heard coming from under the hood while the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the steering wheel would shudder. The Check engine oil warning light illuminated. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHSTA Campaign: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it remains for further investigation; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to a lack of maintenance records, and the recall repairs were rejected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the recall repairs were performed under previous ownership; however, the recall repairs were not completed. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

Passengers are stuck in vehicle due to failure of doors opening from either inside, outside or both.

I am reporting a serious safety defect involving my 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport equipped with a Theta II engine While driving and exiting the freeway with my wife as a passenger, the engine suddenly failed after knocking symptoms and completely seized/locked while the vehicle was still in motion. The vehicle immediately lost motive power and came to a stop, creating an immediate and dangerous traffic safety hazard. Had this engine seizure occurred moments earlier while traveling at freeway speed, it could have caused a catastrophic accident involving serious injury or death. The Hyundai dealership diagnosed the vehicle with rod bearing failure, which is the known defect associated with Hyundai Theta II engine failures. My VIN falls under the Theta II extended engine warranty program, and the dealership confirmed eligibility and accepted the vehicle for inspection under that coverage. Despite this, Hyundai denied the repair claim, first alleging maintenance-related issues and later stating the vehicle was out of warranty. I maintain that the vehicle was properly maintained with oil changes performed approximately every 6,000/8,000 miles. Some calendar-time gaps occurred because the vehicle was stored and driven very little during my recovery from a personal injury surgery and recovery, but the vehicle was maintained on mileage intervals. This engine defect resulted in sudden engine seizure and total loss of motive power while driving, creating a serious safety risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding motorists. I am reporting this defect so it can be documented and investigated.

On [XXX] while entering the parking lot of my office, I noticed a blinking check engine light on the car's dashboard. I've never experienced this before so I called my husband. He asked me to use a diagnositic tool he kept in the car. I did and there was a code "P1326" when I pressed the key for more information it said something about the manufacturer. My husband told me to call the nearest dealer. I called Castle Hyundai in Downers Grove. I was instructed not to drive the care and have it towed to the dealership as soon as possible which I did. Castle Hyundai verified the P1326 code and fixed the knock sensor, changed the oil. I picked the car up on March 13. On [XXX], the flashing check engine light returned while driving home from work. Again, we used the diagnostic tool and again the code P1326 appeared. The car was towed back to Castle Hyundai. On Monday, I spoke with Christain Jones the service director because I hadn't heard anything about the car. He called later in the day and said that the car needed a new engine. He asked for records of my oil changes since purchasing the car in 2021. I emailed him three from 2022, 2023 and 2024, the four change was done by Castle on March 12 2026. I was told that he would send the the information to Hyundai regarding a new engine. However, he stated that he was not confident the company would approve the claim. This after, I received an email from Eric Marcum with Castle. The email stated that Hyundai denied the engine replacement due to "lack of maintenance". He wanted to know if we wanted an estimate on replacement of the engine. I responsed that I needed Hyundai's rejection in writing and I also wanted an estimate of the replacement. I attempted to contact Hyundai's Customer Care, however, their offices were closed until Monday. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While my vehicle was at an authorized Hyundai dealership for engine warranty repair, I reported a suspension grinding noise and requested that it be inspected. This concern was raised while the vehicle was in the dealership’s possession and was communicated as a safety concern. The engine repair was completed and the vehicle was returned to me. No inspection findings, documentation, or technician notes were provided addressing the suspension concern. The repair documentation I later received does not include any reference to the suspension issue or any inspection findings related to that concern. The dealership has also confirmed that no additional documentation exists beyond the repair order. After the vehicle was returned, warning lights appeared that were not present prior to the repair. A suspension grinding noise may indicate issues affecting steering, suspension, or vehicle stability. I am concerned that the vehicle was released without inspection or documentation of a reported safety related condition.

After having the ABS recall fixed a while back all of the lights came back on about a week ago. There has been a loss of oil meaning i have been adding oil in between oil changes at least once a week, there has been smoke coming from under the hood and if you run the heat or air you have to have circulate cabin air button pushed or it pulls the smell inside the car and it is overwhelming. The smoking has been going on for about at least a month now.

I was driving on March 20, 2026 at about 12:00 PM when I suddenly noticed smoke, a strong gasoline smell, an oil smell, and a burning odor coming from the vehicle. I pulled over immediately because I believed the vehicle was unsafe and at risk of fire. The vehicle had to be towed. An independent repair shop later found a fuel leak at the high-pressure fuel line / fuel pump area, a loose ground wire on the right-hand side of the engine, a valve cover gasket leak, and engine timing chain noise. I was informed that gasoline had sprayed throughout the engine bay. This created an immediate fire hazard even though no actual fire occurred. This problem was especially concerning because the vehicle had been inspected and serviced by an authorized Hyundai dealer in December 2025, less than about 3,000 miles earlier. The loose engine ground wire and fuel leak raise serious concerns about vehicle safety and the adequacy of the prior inspection. I contacted Hyundai the same day and reported this as a fire-risk safety issue, but I did not receive timely assistance. Because immediate dealer service was not available, I had to authorize emergency repairs at a local shop for safety reasons. No warning lights were noted before the incident. The failure was confirmed by the repair shop.

Circuit board inside the fuse box stopped working and there was no speed indicator, no cruise control, no odometer registering while driving. Also the mechanical fuel pump started leaking fuel at 148,000 miles and now at 156,000 miles it is burning through oil and no oil light came on and the engine went into limp mode and is also now going through coolant too.

While traveling at approximately 80 mph on the highway, my vehicle suddenly lost all response to the accelerator pedal. Despite continued pressure on the gas, the vehicle rapidly decelerated to approximately 40 mph on its own. There were no warning lights, unusual noises, or physical indicators of a problem before, during, or after the event. I was able to safely navigate the vehicle off the highway. The vehicle appeared to operate normally afterward. The following day, I brought the vehicle to a mechanic who was unable to replicate the issue and found no stored fault codes. No repairs were made. Given the known concerns surrounding the Theta II engine in this model year, I am submitting this incident for documentation purposes and to contribute to any ongoing or future investigation into sudden acceleration loss in 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles.

Day 1 – Feb 11 at 4pm incident occurred my daughter was driving the vehicle on [XXX] , she was in the far right hand lane preparing to take an upcoming exit. Suddenly and unexpectedly the hood opened obstructing her view of the roadway and smashed the front windshield. Because she was in the right hand lane she was able to pull the vehicle to to the shoulder of the road immediately. No other vehicles were involved because of both her location (right hand lane) and ability to access the shoulder immediately. She could have been killed! The problem has not been confirmed Hyundai has informed me it will take 5/6 weeks to determine if an inspection is warranted. -Thursday February 19 We got the vehicle to the closest Hyundai dealer Metro West in Framingham Massachusetts on Thursday February 19 - I explained to the service representative the history (recall and repair in 2017) and a request to investigate recurrence of the recall defect as well as to prepare an estimate for repair. I never received a phone back so I called them on Wednesday February 27 and was informed that the vehicle estimate and inspection was in progress. At that point I contacted Hyundai corporate offices and was given a case number. On March 3, I called again and completed the preliminary investigation report - i was informed they would get back to me in approximately 48 hours. - On 3/9/26 after a phone conversation I was emailed a request to inspect my vehicle authorization form and another form (11 questions that had been answer numerous time by phone already) both were completed and submitted the following day 3/10/26. Dealership now threatening storage fees - Because the vehicle experienced failure of a component that was previously repaired under a federal safety recall, I am formally requesting that Hyundai preserve all evidence relating to the hood latch assembly and related components for purposes of regulatory review and potential insurance subrogation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U