2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Power Train
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
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that during cold starts, the vehicle experienced hard shifting from first to second gear. After restarting the vehicle, the failure was corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local transmission specialist who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
The car has intermittent hard upshift from 1st to 2nd gear. It feels as if the transmission seems to slip for a moment then jolts the car, making a hard bang noise and jerking forward, and at times spinning the rear wheels. If I stop the car, turn off the engine and restart it clears the issue. It does not throw off any codes. I have taken it to the Hyundai Dealer several times and they have verified it with me while in the car but since it does not give a code or warning lights they tell me they cannot fix it. Hyundai corporate has also been made aware. This started at 77K miles and has been occurring for the last 3 years. I have brought it into hyundai over a dozen times for the concern. I have several videos of the issue
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle briefly shifted erratically, slamming into gear and violently lunging forward. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, who was also unable to duplicate the failure. 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 unknown.
I was driving down the road to get dog food when all the electrical went black on the car and it started down shifting, it quickly came back on It put my safety and others around me at risk as I was on [XXX] in Eustis a high traffic area in the middle lane and close to nowhere to get on the side. The next day it had started knocking - the rod bearings, I turned it off quickly and that was the last time I had turned it on. I had taken it to the shop and they said the engine will have to be replaced. We have had this (2nd owner) car a little over a year. Owe 24k on it and they are telling me it will be 14k to replace the engine. Towed it to our local Hyundai where they are saying the same and there is no recall on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Driving down rd at 35 mph felt a sudden jolt and loud noise, car lost power and all lights came on. Coasted to a safe driveway and shut it down. Tried to re- start and it was a loud racket so immediately turned back off. Crazy thing is the oil was just changed , no leaks in garage or warning lights. Now I’m stuck trying to replace an engine that should’ve lasted more than 5 years!
Not really an incident but my car has the same issue as the class action lawsuit from Hyundai for issues with the connector rods going out. I can’t get it fixed because of this issue. Hyundai says they can’t do anything about it and sent me your info! Can someone please help me? I still owe $23,000.00 on this car! Is there a way to add the recall to my car? It is an almost $14,000.00 repair! It started knocking out of nowhere and isn’t drivable because of the issue.
Camshaft actuator first thst costed over $4200 to fix and now engine needing to be rebuilt with an estimated cost of over $17 000
The crankshaft broke due to abnormal wear the cars mileage is 102000 the check engine light never cam on it died in the middle of the freeway with no warning at all
My 2017 Sante Fe had an engine seizure on April 28th and Thank God nobody was injured. Allowing people to drive around in this ticking time bombs, without any notification of a potential issue, is very concerning. Especially for someone who owns 2 Hyundai vehicles that are driven on dangerous highways in PA. My car is not only serviced on a regular basis, but I am exception who actually checks his oil in between oil-changes. Little did i know or suspect what was happening under my hood. I had AAA tow my car to Freysinger Hyundai on Friday 4/29/23 for what was diagnosed by a trained mechanic to be Engine Seizure. Since that time, I have been very patient as I know I didn't have an appointment but i do own two vehicles from the dealership and expect some decent level of service. Three calls last week to the service department and all I was told was it was in line to be diagnosed. My car has about 88k miles on it currently and I am the original owner and therefore the 100k Mile Powertrain warranty is in effect. I just finished talking to the service manager, [XXX], and he informed me that my car is still waiting in line to be diagnosed as they are backed up with vehicles having similar issues. I asked if the dealership should contact me and give me updates and inquired about a loaner car to utilize while my current $45k car is in the shop. He informed me to rent a car from Enterprise and if approved, would be reimbursed. If my car is under warranty what question is there, other than the question of another recall. The folks at Enterprise told me they are getting a ton of Hyundai owners with engine seizure issues, which is what the AAA driver told me, and the service department at Freysinger keeps telling me. Engine Seizure in an acceleration lane could kill someone and this issues needs to be made public: check your oil outside normal service levels, and have all vehicles brought in and examined for signs of overheating/seizure. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Car engine failed at highway speeds in the middle of the road nearly causing an accident. Brought to hyundia dealeship who is refusing to pay for rental costs while engine is being replaced. Car only has 50,000 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle stalled with no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle had been stalling from the time of purchase when making a right or left turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000.
I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR IN 4 OR MORE TIMES BECAUSE THERE IS A SLIP IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CAR IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. THIS WAS BOUGHT IN 2017 WITH 150 MILES, THE FIRST OCCUPANCY HAPPENED WITHIN MONTHS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD MY ENGINE WAS SENSITIVE AND NOT TO LET OTHERS DRIVE IT, TURN OFF THE CAR, OR THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ERROR. I TOOK MY CAR IN IN NOVEMBER 2020 AND AFTER A FEW WEEKS IN THE SHOP, THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO 'FIND' THE ISSUE. I GOT MY CAR BACK WITH A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION, MID-DECEMBER. THE DRIVE HOME WAS OKAY, BUT SINCE THEN THE ISSUE OCCURS MORE FREQUENTLY. COMING TO A STOP, THE RPMS JUMP, TURNING, THE RPMS JUMP. I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE 3/4 MILE DOWN THE ROAD WITHOUT MY CAR JERKING AND JOLTING. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE. SEVERAL CUSTOMERS HAVE COMPLAINED OF THE SAME ISSUE IN THE PAST YEARS AND EVEN A LAWSUIT WAS BROUGHT UP, BUT THEN WAS DISMISSED. MY CAR VALUE HAS DROPPED ALMOST 50% BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I AM WITHOUT A CAR, STILL PAYING FOR MY LEASE, AND INSURANCE ON A CAR THAT DOES NOT SERVE ITS PROPER FUNCTION.
CAR SHIFTS ROUGH, MOSTLY INTO FIRST GEAR. AS THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED, IT HAS WORSENED AND ALSO SHIFTS ROUGH IN HIGHER GEARS.
WHEN ACCELERATING, MY VEHICLE HESITATES PRESENTING A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN MERGING ONTO HIGHWAYS OR MAKING LANE CHANGES. COULD ABSOLUTELY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT, ESPECIALLY THE RISK OF BEING REAR ENDED. ALSO WHEN TURNING, HESITATES WHEN SPEEDING UP AFTER THE TURN. SAME WITH STOPS.
GO THROUGH CAR WASH MUST HAVE UNDER BODY SPRAYED TYPE OF CAR WASH . I LEAVE P1326 CODE VEHICLE GOES INTO LIMP MODE ALREADY HAD WIRE HARNESS REPLACED BY DEALER. DIDN'T CORRELATE CAR WASH UNTIL I RECALLED GETTING SAME ONE FIRST DAY IT OCCURRED WHEN I BROUGHT IN FOR REPAIR. KNOCK SENSOR HARNESS WHEN I CLEAR CODE GOES AWAY. LOTS OF PEOPLE SEEING IT HAPPEN DRIVING IN RAIN VERY DANGEROUS REDUCTION IN SPEED TAKES FOREVER TO ACCELERATE WHEN HITS NEW GEAR DANGEROUS.
MY 2018 HYUNDAI SANTE FE WAS PURCHASE 'CERTIFIED' USED FROM PUENTE HILLS HYUNDAI IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. ABOUT A YEAR INTO OWNING MY CAR IT BEGAN TO JERK AND FELT LIKE I WENT OVER A HARD BUMP WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE FROM A STOP AND THEN BEGAN DOING IT WHILE I WOULD DRIVE UP HILLS. PUENTE HILLS HYUNDAI INFORMED ME THERE WAS A RECALL AND THAT THE RECALL WOULD 'SOLVE' THE ISSUE. AFTER I GOT MY CAR BACK, A FEW WEEKS LATER IT STARTED AGAIN. BUT HAPPENED LESS OFTEN THEN BEFORE. I RECENTLY TOOK MY CAR IN AND WAS TOLD THAT PUENTE HILLS HYUNDAI WAS ABLE TO RECREATE THE JERKING AND WOULD CALL THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY TO HAVE THEM COME CONFIRM THE ISSUE. WHEN THE WARRANTY COMPANY FINALLY CAME OUT, THEY UNSUCCESSFULLY RECREATING THE JERKING SOUND AND TOLD HYUNDAI MY CAR IS 'SAFE' TO DRIVE AND NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. HYUNDAI TRIED TO TELL ME TO TAKE THE CAR BACK SINCE THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO FIX THE ISSUE SINCE THE WARRANTY COMPANY SAID IT WAS 'SAFE'. I REFUSED TO TAKE IT BACK DUE MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY UNBORN CHILD AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD KEEP IT AGAIN TO SEE IF THEY CAN RECREATE THE JERKING AND THEN CONTACT HYUNDAI DIRECTLY TO SEE IF THEY'LL COME CHECK IT OUT. BUT WASN'T GUARANTEED THAT THEY WOULD FIX AND OR BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. I HAVE CHECKED ONLINE AND SEEN THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE OWNING THIS SAME MAKE AND MODEL HAVE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND HAVE COMPLAINED TO YOU GUYS AND WAS HOPING THAT MY COMPLAINT WILL BE HONORED MORE THAN IT HAS BEEN AT THIS DEALERSHIP. THE JERKING MOTION HAPPENED WHEN BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY, ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN, DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, GOING UP HILL, OR BACKING OUT OF A PARKING STOP AND MOVING BACK INTO DRIVE.
I PARKED MY CAR PARALLEL TO THE CURB ON A CITY STREET. I MOVED THE SHIFTER FROM "DRIVE" TO "PARK". I DID NOT TURN OFF THE ENGINE BECAUSE I WAS ONLY GOING TO GET OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS TO OPEN THE DOOR BEHIND ME TO LET SOME SENIOR CITIZENS TO GET IN THE CAR. I RELEASED MY SEAT BELT BUCKLE AND PROCEED TO OPEN THE DRIVER-SIDE CAR DOOR. AS SOON AS MY FEET WERE ON THE GROUND AND MY BODY WAS OUTSIDE OF THE CAR, THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE IN REVERSE DIRECTION. THE CAR WAS MOVING FAIRLY QUICKLY BECAUSE WITHIN A SPLIT SECOND, I WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND BY THE CAR DOOR WITH THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL ON TOP OF MY LEFT FOOT. THE WHEEL PROCEEDED TO ROLL OVER MY LEFT ANKLE, LEG, THIGH, HIP, ABDOMEN, CHEST, AND FINALLY MY RIGHT UPPER ARM AND SHOULDER JOINT. THE CAR CONTINUED TO TRAVEL IN REVERSE BY JUMPING THE CURB ONTO THE SIDE WALK AND FINALLY STOPPED BY HEAVY BUSHES IN FRONT OF A BUILDING. UPON INSPECTION, THE SHIFTER HAD SLIPPED INTO THE "REVERSE" POSITION. BASED ON THE GRADIENT OF THE ROAD SERVICE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, THE REMOVAL OF MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY ALLOWED THE CAR TO MOVE BACKWARD HAD THE SHIFTER WAS IN REVERSE WHICH WOULD MAKE EXITING MY WHOLE BODY OUT OF THE CAR WITHOUT NOTICING CAR MOVEMENT VERY UNLIKELY IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY FOR A 72 YEAR OLD MALE WHO IS RECOVERING FROM AN OPEN HEART SURGERY AND TWO BRAIN SURGERIES. THE SHIFTING MECHANISM AND THE ASSOCIATED CONTROL MUST BE FAULTY RESULTING IN THE "FALSE PARK" POSITION.
ON MARCH , 19 2019 AROUND 5:00AM I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK LIKE NORMAL. AS I WAS GETTING ON THE 60 FREEWAY AT ABOUT 45 MILES PER HOUR MY CAR SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. I HAD NO POWER STEERING BUT I COASTED TO A STOP IN THE RIGHT LANE OF FREEWAY TURNED MY CAR BACK ON AND DROVE ABOUT 500 FEET AND THE SAME THING HAPPEN BUT THIS TIME IT WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON.
WHILE I AM DRIVING AND MY CAR IS CHANGING GEARS, IT DOES FINE UNTIL ITS IN FOURTH GEAR. THE RPM WILL GO TO ABOUT 2,800 UNTIL IT CHANGES TO FIFTH GEAR. ONVE ITS IN 5TH GEAR THE RPM WILL GO INTO A "NEUTRAL" STATE AND REV FROM 4,700 RPM TO 5,700 WITHOUT ANY ACCELERATION. THIS HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING UP A FREEWAY ENTRANCE . I HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP 3X NOW AND ALL THEY KEEP SAYING IS THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS AN UPDATE. AND THE ADAPTIVE VALUES NEED TO BE RE- LEARNED. I HAVE NOW HAD MY TRANSMISSION FLUID FILLED ONCE AND THEN I PAID TO GET A TRANNY FLUSH. AND ADADPTIVE VALUES RESET TWICE. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I HAVE 38,000 MILES AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT THE LAST 15,000 MILES.
AT STOP WHEN TURNING RIGHT ARE LEFT AND ACCELERATING THE TRANSMISSION FAILS TO RESPOND AD THE CAR STALLS THEN WILL GO. IF SLOW TO SLOW SPEED AND ACCELERATED THE CAR WILL STALL BEFORE SHIFTING DOWN. THIS PROBLEM IS A SAFETY HAZARD. TOOK IT TO HYUANDI DEALER AT 3000 MILES WAS TOLD IT WAS NORMAL.
I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED ULTIMATE ON MAY 5 OF THIS YEAR, AND NOTICED A VERY HESITATION DURING THE DRIVE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I FIGURED IT WAS THE RESULT OF THE ENGINE BREAKING IN AND THAT I SHOULD JUST BE PATIENT. HOWEVER, IT CONTINUED...AND PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE. SPECIFICALLY, IT'S MOST PRONOUNCED WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP, ACCELERATE OUT OF A ROLLING STOP, ACCELERATE OUT OF A LEFT TURN, OR TRY TO MAKE A QUICK PASSING OR MERGING MANEUVER ON THE FREEWAY. IN ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS, THERE IS A 2 TO 3 SECOND DELAY BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION WILL SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFT AND THE VEHICLE WILL BLAST OFF. THIS IS REALLY DANGEROUS, BECAUSE I'VE HAD NEARLY A DOZEN INSTANCES OF BEING NEARLY REAR ENDED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WON'T ACCELERATE QUICKLY ENOUGH. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT IS TO SAY THAT IT'S LIKE TRYING TO ACCELERATE WITH A DIRTY, SEVERELY CLOGGED, 10-YEAR-OLD ENGINE AIR FILTER, AND THE INTAKE CAN'T GET ENOUGH AIR INTO THE ENGINE TO ACCELERATE AS IT SHOULD. I'VE BEEN TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND IN EVERY INSTANCE WE'RE TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNTIL HYUNDAI RELEASES AN UPDATE OR A RECALL. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I GUESS I'M SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH MY LIFE. I'M AT NEARLY 9,000 MILES AND THE HESITATION IS STILL AS PRONOUNCED AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING. I'M TRYING REALLY HARD TO BE PATIENT AND NOT KEEP COMPLAINING TO OUR LOCAL SERVICE CENTER...BUT WE'VE HAD QUITE A FEW CLOSE CALLS, EXTREMELY CLOSE, AND I'M REALLY HOPING THAT HYUNDAI WILL PLEASE FIX THIS SOON! IN FACT, I JUST READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT HYUNDAI REPLACING THE ENGINES IN THE '17 SANTA FE'S BECAUSE OF A MANUFACTURING ISSUE WITH THE CRANKSHAFT PIN CAUSING THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS I'VE EXPERIENCED. SO I HOPE THAT I CAN PLEASE GET MY VEHICLE REPAIRED BEFORE I END UP IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. THANKS!!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE GEAR IN PARK, THE GEAR AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE MOVED BACKWARDS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS STANDING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WITH THE PASSENGER DOOR OPEN. THE CONTACT JUMPED INTO THE VEHICLE AND APPLIED THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE, AND THE VEHICLE RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,300.
MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE THE RPMS WILL GO UP AND THE CAR DOES NOT MOVE. WHEN IT FINALLY GOES THE CAR WILL JERK AND THE RPMS FALL. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOSS OF POWER WHEN THIS HAPPENS. ALSO SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS ACROSS TRAFFIC, WHICH CAN BECOME DANGEROUS WITH ONCOMING CARS. THIS HAPPENS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE.
WHEN ACCELERATING THE CAR BOGS DOWN. IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY. DANGEROUS IF YOU ARE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. YOU CAN GET STUCK IN THE INTERSECTION.
SEVERE HESITATION WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY AND HAPPENS WHEN TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT. MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN IF ROAD SURFACE IS ROUGH THAT VEHICLE IS TURNING ONTO. THE VEHICLE WILL BEGIN TO ACCELERATE AND THEN LOSE ACCELERATION. ALTHOUGH PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR DOES NOT SPEED UP EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE REVS UP. AFTER ABOUT 3 OR 4 SECONDS THE VEHICLE THEN RESPONDS AND BEGINS TO ACCELERATE. THIS SITUATION DOES NOT OCCUR ALL THE TIME. IT MAY OCCUR 3 OR 4 TIMES IN A WEEK. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND AS A RESULT OF THE VEHICLE NOT ACCELERATING.
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Quick Summary
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe has 59 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.