2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Engine failure out of nowhere 110,000 well maintained. Driving on [XXX] early afternoon Monday [XXX]. All of a sudden check engine battery and oil indicator lights all came on and vehicle died. Had towed to shop and told engine failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Have had car for 8 months, just hit 70,000 miles and now need to replace my timing chain kit. Will cost 1,500 to 2,000 estimated.
Engine failed me driving 75 MPH down I-10. Completely stalled. No warning indication lights. Car did not over heat. Just shut down and never started again. I had to coast over 4 lanes of traffic, pulled off the road using my emergency flashers for a short period until those went out as well. Car did have oil and all fluids. I had to have car towed home 3 hours from home. I have had vehicle looked at and have been told engine seized up on me. I have had this vehicle not even a year and I am a single disabled woman. I have found several others have had this issue as well and have a really hard fight to get these thinks fixed. I have put a brand new motor and had the alternator checked it passed the test. Battery did not, was drained. I bought a new battery and all electronics are working and car goes into ON position with the push start but no engine life at all. No clicks, No life at all. I can hear fuel pump doing its normal things and I can do any electrical thing on inside. I have had no ride, no sleep at night, anxiety attacks over my car just stalling out now being told engine seized up 2016 Santa Fe Sport 2.0 T
Engine knocking/failure at 75000 miles. No warning/check engine lights prior to failure. Dealership quoting $17k to rebuild engine.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle lost power and the engine began to knock and then the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: DP22003 (Engine). The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated, and there was white smoke emanating from the exhaust pipe, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cylinder head bolts, resulting in damage to the cylinder head gaskets and requiring a replacement engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Car started to present problems at around 100k miles when it would start to hard shift any time it shifted in to 2nd gear. On several occasions it would fail to accelerate beyond 25 mph one of these instances happened while driving at speed on the interstate where pressing the gas pedal to the floor did not accelerate the car. Resently the engine would not turn over instead all of the display and indicator lights would flicker on and off rapidly. In all of these instances the car never through any codes with the exception of one time i May 2024 and were inconsistent enough that it was difficult to replicate issues when brought in for inspection. All of the above symptoms were alleviated by adding about a quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so. Again when asking about these issues the repair shops could never give a reason for why it was going through so much oil.
-Premature complete engine failure, at approximately 72,000 miles. -Luckily, was able to get vehicle to manufacturer dealership prior to complete immobilization of vehicle while on the road. -Engine “bearing” failure per dealership. Requires complete engine assembly for repair. Complete engine assembly no longer available, only manufactured for 6 years, and requires 150+ parts to be assembled at dealership for “short block”. -Dealer serviced maintenance documented at correct intervals. -Incident occurred without any warning lights, first and only symptom was a loud knock from the engine that increased in volume and and speed with increasing RPMs. -Vehicle remains at dealership, pending resolution. -Dealership states no active manufacturer recall on issue with this particular engine, but is aware of many other similar complaints and engine failure with this model of engine, 3.3L Lamba II GDI engine. Desire to add my complaint to any others as this poses a safety risk to other owners. Online research reveals an active investigation by the NHSTA and a class-action suit regarding this issue. Please help, and contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.
Engine threw a rod
Engine seized at 116000 miles on one of the busiest roads in town in below zero weather. I was nearly hit by an suv and also an Oversized Load Semi. I'm so thankful the towing guys showed up within the hour. There was no warning when this happend, no check engine light or oil light on. Two days before, on the last time it had beenbdriven I walked out to find it had started on it's own. It was Friday night, so I wasn't sure what to do yet. The vehicle was making a cl8cking sound durimg accelation on the Sunday morning the seize occurred, so I made plans to call the mechanic first thing Monday morning. It seized before I had the chance. I just lost all power to accelerate and had to pull over. The car took several minutes and many attempts to even turn off. Then never restarted again. I had thought a belt had broken, but our mechanic informed us the engine seized. Please investigate these 3.3 litre engines, they need to be recalled. We refuse to make this some other families problem, or to pay Hyundai one dime more of our money, or waste our time, energy or emotions on diagnostics and fighting them. We could not trade it in, so we lost the trade in value and had to finance our next vehicle. We are arranging this Hyundai to just be sold to a salvage yard for parts. It is otherwise useless.
I own a 2016 hyundai santa fe and today the car just slowed down and then shut off, with no warning on a bridge, it was so scary being on that bridge and the car just stopped. I get it towed to hyundai dealership and they informed me my engine possibly seized but need a diagnostic test and it will be 4 to 6 weeks due to ALL THE ENGINE PROBLEMS ON THERE SANTA FES. So I have been reading on this site and the same thing is happening to others. I hope hyundai does the right thing.
The engine completely gave out all of a sudden on the highway while coming home from vacation. We were stranded on the highway and had to have someone come help my husband push the car off highway to the nearest convenience store. The car would not take a jump so we paid $427 to have it towed from Bay St. Louis, MS to Kenner, LA to our reputable mechanic to find out the problem. Per our mechanic the engine has completely gone out. This car is not even 10 years old, is well maintained, gets regular oil changes and only has about 87 or 88K miles on it. It has not been inspected by anyone other than our mechanic. There were no warning signs at all on the car prior to this or when it killed and died. Completely killed. We have called Corporate Hyundai office and they gave me a case number of [XXX] and said I would have to deal with the Hyundai of Metairie location and it would be 3 weeks before they could even inspect the vehicle after I incurred another towing charge. I did call the Service Dept. and left a message for Mr. David Porter to call me but he has not called back. I cannot believe a car does not last more than 10 years and at least $125,000 miles. Therefore, I would like to report a problem so this does not happen to anyone else and recoup some of my expense costs as my car is valued at like $13,500 if it was running and only a 1,000 if not running. A refurbished engine is anywhere from a $3500 to $4800 plus the cost of a warranty and labor. I have read there were some engine complaints on Hyundai and there is a pending investigation. Mechanics name David Mills, 627 Oxley Street, Kenner LA.504-466-8776. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I left my house and vehicle was perfectly fine. NEVER any warning lights since I owned the vehicle. It was not due for an oil change. I was traveling about 60 mph and after about 5 miles, vehicle just stopped running. At that point, I looked at dash and all the lights were on and vehicle was completely unresponsive. No steering, brakes, nothing. I was able to drift off of road and that was it. Tried one time to restart it and nothing. Had it towed to hyundai dealer and first they said it was the starter and today, after being there for a month, they said engine had seized.
Engine is consuming oil at an alarming rate. After 2000 miles, 3 quarts of oil was consumed
The vehicle will not accelerate over 30mph. I was entering the interstate on ramp and am not able to accelerate to the speed limit. The cars approaching had to slow down significantly to avoid a rear end collision. This happens every time whether I am at a stop light on a normal roadway or entering the interstate. There are never any warning lights or sensors indicating that there is a problem. I have completed all of the recalls and system updates required by the manufacturer. I have completed the oil consumption and engine cleaning multiple times and it has not helped the issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact’s wife then drove back to the residence, and the contact added oil to the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Hyundai Campaign Number: 966; however, the dealer informed the contact that the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The engine in my vehicle seized, prompting an inspection that unequivocally attributed the failure to a well-documented and acknowledged issue with the engine. This incident occurred while I was navigating on highway, placing my family and fellow road users in a precarious situation. The dealership's assessment reaffirmed that this recurring engine problem afflicts my vehicle model and had been thoroughly scrutinized by their experts. Remarkably, there were no warning signals such as the engine light or oil light to forewarn me of the impending engine failure. Despite having undergone a recent oil change, no apparent symptoms signaled that my engine was running perilously low on oil. Regrettably, Hyundai has chosen to decline any responsibility for replacing my engine or extending assistance. Their reasoning is grounded in my failure to procure a software update that, unbeknownst to me, was an essential requirement. Furthermore, I had received no prior communication via mail, email, or phone alerting me to the necessity of this update. It is crucial to note that this software update, while designed to enhance warning mechanisms, does not offer any guarantees against engine failure but merely serves to provide advanced notice of potential issues.
Engine threw a rod and damaged the whole engine. No warnings. Same exact issue my friends 2015 did. Her engine was replaced.
Engine seized while driving
2016 Sante fe and this is not the first engine I seen go back I seen 2011 ,2012 ….. and this one 2016 happen to me. Had oil oil change done have record of it but no sign engine just blow
This is to update case 11541562, submitted electronically to NHTSA on 8/29/2023, 10:48:33 PM and 11537141, submitted electronically to NHTSA on 8/8/2023, 12:54:24 PM Napleton Hyundai of West Palm Beach and Hyundai Motor Services have repaired the Sanata Fe vehicle and replaced the engine along with some other repairs. At this time, we withdraw any complaints we had against Hyundai and Napleton Hyundai of West Palm Beach. The Service manager, Mike Clancy went above and beyond our expectations and we have no issues currently with the dealership. Mr. Clancy's service in the end turned out to be outstanding. The vehicle was returned to us and is currently in working condition, please close out these cases. Thank you for your time attention, and help with this matter.
My 2016 Santa Fe engine spun a rod bearing at 130,900 miles. Took to dealership and they diagnosed it and refused any warranty.
On August 11, the car suddenly lost power/acceleration & the dashboard lit up with engine, battery, and oil lights. I coasted down the hill to our home without any power. On Monday, it started again without lights, but we called the dealer & were told it would be 4.5 weeks before they could see us & there was nothing they could do without lights on the dash. So we took it to a nearby service center. They performed an oil change & compression check & deemed everything fine. The car drove mostly fine, with an intermittent pause/hiccup at stoplights. August 26, at highway speed, the car shuddered loudly, & the engine light flashed. As I coasted to the shoulder, there was a POP sound. I parked, turned off the car, & inspected the tires. The rear passenger tire had a 3-in gash but didn't deflate. I tried turning on the car again & it just ground & jerked with the flashing engine light. I called AAA & towed it to the dealership, where it's waiting to be inspected. This is a Theta II engine & received the KSDS software recall update in 2019. My child was in the car with me. I wonder if the KSDS gave the first warning on Aug. 11 but failed to stay on to pass on the data to the service center.
MPM Automotive in Port Charlotte, FL sold me this vehicle with a cracked head gasket after leading us to believe that it was fixed before we signed all documents for ownership.
I was driving my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and first noticed that when I stepped on the gas pedal, the car hesitated and then finally kicked in and would accelerate. I was approximately 60 miles from home when the engine totally failed. Luckily I was not on an interstate or I could have been in a severe accident and injured or died. I had the car towed to a Hyundai dealership, who determined it was a complete engine failure and the car needed a new engine. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms to indicate a problem.
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The 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe has 124 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.