2018 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT Complaints

I recently purchased this used vehicle in June(2025) and after a couple of months of owning the vehicle, I started noticing the car oil level when I checked, started being lower than normal pretty frequently. And it has gotten to the point where I would have to top the oil off every week only after driving a few 100 miles. When I went for my oil change this October, I did informed Hyundai about the issue and they told me to drive the vehicle for 900 miles, do not top it off. And I am following what they're saying, and right now, I just checked my oil, and I have only driven it for 468 miles since I had gotten it changed on October 22nd of this year, and it's showing about a 1/2 quart low at the dipstick already. But if it gets too low before the 900 miles, I would take it to Hyundai so as not to cause any damage to the engine driving it with the oil too low if it gets to that point. The service tech did state that the first step in correcting the issue was to do a combustion flush. And I hope that Hyundai is taking care of the issue for us consumers. I appreciate your prompt response regarding this matter. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving to the residence at a moderate speed, the oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The following day, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that there was no oil in the engine even though an oil change had been performed a month earlier. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where an oil change was performed. After the oil change, the contact stated there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine while driving at various speeds. The contact then stated that while at a stop light, the engine seized while depressing the accelerator pedal, with several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the crankshaft rod was defective. The dealer linked the failure to Hyundai recall 953; however, the contact was later informed that since the vehicle was not serviced for a prior knock sensor recall, the vehicle no longer qualified for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The contact was later informed by the manufacturer that the vehicle would not be serviced under warranty. The contact stated that the recall was placed on the vehicle prior to owning the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.

I'm the second owner of this vehicle, I purchased it when it was one year old. I've provided careful maintenance, as this is my only vehicle. In the last year+ it started burning more and more oil. I was told by a mechanic that there were no signs of leakage and that these engines tend to burn a lot of oil so I was very careful to monitor levels and up the oil changes. 6 months ago, it was in the shop for new brakes and had a complete diagnostic exam and there were no issues with the engine. Two weeks ago, before a road trip, I again had full diagnostics done on the vehicle and there were no codes that popped up. The vehicle died on my trip. Reading the codes, I received my first code regarding problems with my cylinders after the vehicle died. Now I need a completely new engine because cylinders 1 and 3 failed. The car only has 80,000 miles on it. In all my years of my family owning different vehicles, I've always owned vehicles until they were well over 100,000 miles. The only two vehicles owned by my family that ever needed engine replacement early in their lives were both Hyundai vehicles. After I was told that I needed a new engine at 80,000 miles, I was told that this was not due to the one specific problem Hyundai would cover so I have to pay to replace it myself. There are a plethora of forums, mechanic experiences, etc, that show these 2.4L engines have this exact problem, but Hyundai washes their hands of us. As a second owner, I don't qualify for the engine warranty, which was extended to 120,000 because Hyundai knows these engines are horrible. My warranty ended when the car was 5 years old, and had 60,000 miles. And up until last week, I've never had an engine code pop up in diagnosis so I have no idea how I was supposed to predict premature engine failure and remedy it within that time frame. It's just another hit against anyone who can't afford to buy a brand new vehicle.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that shortly after an oil change was performed, the "Low Oil" icon was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption, and the oil dipstick indicated that the engine oil level was low. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

In 2023, I purchased this car in December. I didn' t know this car would have such known problems. In over a year and a half, the spark plugs have been changed 5 times. After each oul change within 2 weeks, not a month, I constantly have to add oil to the car. In the colder months, I have to wait at leasr 15min. before the car would even start. Would someone help me with these problems? I am [XXX]. I know recalls were placed on cars with similar problems. Plus smoke, I can't remember black or white comes out the tailpipe. The date you see, was the lasted date listed to add more oil. PLEASE HELP ME... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My husband was driving our vehicle on the highway when the engine began to smoke and the caught fire. Unfortunately it was not able to be saved. We filed a claim with our carrier and are pending an inspection. We looked up our vin and confirmed a fire recall from 2022.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway, there was a ticking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered metal shavings inside the engine oil. The contact was informed that the metal shavings might indicate engine failure. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,162.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle off the highway into a local gas station. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where a diagnostic test determined that the vehicle had experienced engine failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who confirmed the engine failure diagnosis. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 97,052.

I own a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. I leased it new, then purchased outright in May 2022. I had no issues with my vehicle. I maintained it regularly. Had appropriate interval oil changes. At no time from 4/2018 to 6/2025 did I have any knowledge of any issues with the engine in my vehicle & neither Hyundai nor the dealership contacted me in any manner to notify me of an issue with my engine. On or about October 2024, my check oil light came on for the first time in 6 years. I do not drive much because I work, & have worked, from home since July 2020. I took my car to my mechanic. He added almost 4 quarts of oil. I returned two weeks later & he changed oil. He saw nothing that caused him suspicion. He suggested I check my oil levels. Extreme oil consumption continued. My check oil light NEVER came back on. No other lights came on until 10/6/2025. I drove minimally. In July, 2025, I discovered my vehicle has a known defective engine. I uncovered multiple lawsuits against Hyundai regarding the defective engines. On 9/12/2025, I sent a Massachusetts General Law 93A Demand Letter mailed Certified Mail to Hyundai & dealership. On Oct. 6, 2025 at approx. 11:30 am, I turned on my car & without warning, my car immediately began shaking violently & vibrating & stalling - IN PARK. The check engine light began to flash intermittently in PARK. I drove my vehicle 7 miles to my mechanic (praying the whole time my car would not blow up with me in it); the car violently shook & vibrated the entire 7 miles. The check engine light changed to solid & acceleration was almost non existent. I am waiting for my mechanic to most likely give me bad news. Neither Hyundai nor the dealership have yet responded to my MGL 93A Demand Letter.

I have taken my car to the dealership now 3 times for the same recall issue. This time, they are telling me Hyundai will not repair my car on their end because of "sludge buildup" to which i was not aware. I submitted all records of maintenance and they are refusing to fix my vehicle. I now have an inoperable, because not safe, vehicle that is legally required to be fixed by Hyundai for it's recall, but is not being fixed. Recall 237 If I were to try to drive the vehicle, it could put lives at risk. It will not accelerate quickly, could go up in flames, and does not go the speed limit on highways which are required for me to get home and to work. The recall was confirmed by the dealer as the check engine light flashed and caused a certain code to pop up for maintenance. The solution would be for Hyundai to fix the car, but they are refusing and saying the whole engine needs to be replaced now even though there's nothing wrong with the engine.