2018 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
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Engine Issues: A week ago, on two separate occasions, my Santa Fe cutoff while driving suddenly. A day later, I noticed a rhythmic knocking upon starting my vehicle. The knocking would increase during acceleration and decrease when I let off. I am only at 83,000 miles on this 2018 vehicle. I took the vehicle in for an oil change and they didn't notice anything off about the oil. Afterwards it slightly improved; however, once I was able to get it to the shop they said there were metal shavings in the engine/oil and it was a complete engine failure costing $12,000 to replace. There were no indicators that there was an issue on the dash.
Significant oil consumption and engine noise.
Engine stopped abruptly without warning while driving vehicle.
My engine failed on 11/21/24. I brought it to dealership to confirm the failure on 11/22/2024. I was driving on the highway when the car started to violently shake and then shut off. The dealership sent pictures of the engine and other components to Hyundai to confirm the engine failure. No lights came on prior to the failure.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while her son was driving 60 MPH in the far-left lane with the contact seated in the front passenger's seat, the contact and the driver noticed a burning odor. The driver was able to pull into the median. The driver and the contact exited the vehicle. The Fire Department was contacted and arrived on the scene and confirmed that there was no fire. Additionally, the contact stated that there was no smoke. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being towed to the residence, she noticed that there was oil leaking onto the flatbed of the tow truck, and there were metal shavings in the oil. The contact stated that after the vehicle was towed to the residence, a mobile mechanic inspected underneath the vehicle and noticed that there was a hole in the engine. The contact took photos of the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
The engine started exhibiting consumption of oil and knocking around 84,000mi had the car towed to the shop. Don’t have much faith they will do anything even though it is a certified preowned.
About a week ago the engine started making a strange sound when accelerating at low/mid speed through 2nd and 3rd gear. Best I could describe the sound was "a leaf in a fan blade". About 3 days after that sound started I just happened to be driving with the windows down around 10mph and heard a slight ticking sound. I returned home and immediately checked the oil. Upon opening the hood of the car I saw oil sprayed all over the left side of the engine compartment. When I checked the oil level it was completely empty, but there was standing oil on the skid plate underneath. There were never any warning lights of any kind. Both of the sounds were quiet enough that when the radio was on I couldn't hear them - thankfully I drive with it off most of the time! I parked the car for the weekend, put 4quarts of oil in it Monday morning and drove it to the dealership to drop off. They inspected it and (according to them) found a snapped cam shaft and a cracked timing cover which is where the oil was leaking from while driving. There was also a high amount of metal shavings found when they did a contamination check. This is the primary family car. We use it to go out of town almost every weekend and had just returned home the night before I found the oil leak. With how the oil was spraying across the entire engine compartment and all over the belts this could have very easily resulted in an engine fire at worse or have left us stranded on the side of a busy interstate with a bricked engine along with two adopted foster children with severe PTSD, anxiety, ADHD and extreme behavioral issues when confronted with stressful situations.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that upon checking the engine oil dipstick, the dipstick was abnormally dry. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed an oil consumption test over 1,000 miles, and found that the engine was consuming 2 quarts of oil. The contact was informed that the excessive oil consumption could cause damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
My Hyundai Santa Fe’s engine blew up while I was driving it and everything shut down without warning. I was stuck in the middle of a busy 4 way stop until I was pushed into a parking lot so I could get towed. There was no warning lights such as oil, engine lights, no sensors what so ever!!! It had begun burning oil and I made an appointment to get it checked but the oil was not low this time. I was told that the 3.3/6 cylinders engine isn’t in the recall list and is out of warranty at 123,000 miles so they won’t help replace the engine!! This is a $40000 vehicle!!! I’ve looked online and from what I’ve read there are many many people suffering the same issue with this engine but it’s not part of the class action lawsuit. PLEASE PLEASE HELP. I cannot afford a new engine or a new car.
Vehicle started normally except for a few chirps that began today, belts are due for replacement so assumed this was it. No unusual noises, behaviors, sounds or performance issues until an hour later; coming to a light where a left turn was to be made, the car started stalling - still no noises or indicators lit. Upon starting the turn the engine shut completely off, and was just barely able to coast to the shoulder. The vehicle’s power completely cut, and attempting to start the vehicle did nothing. Checked the oil, and the dip stick was completely dry, however it was above the low level notch when checked 2,000 miles previously. Upon filling the oil up and jumping the battery which had depleted from sitting with the hazard lights on, the vehicle started but has a very loud knock. With the help of police who had stopped to assist I was able to get the vehicle off of the road and to a safer place to be towed to a nearby shop; have not yet contacted them as they were not open today but I expect the low oil may have caused damage to the engine.
Was on my way home from work, and suddenly my engine threw a rod and now my engine is blown.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while conducting a routine inspection on the vehicle, the contact noticed that the coolant was low in the coolant reservoir. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer where the vehicle was inspected. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer suggested that the vehicle remain at the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.
The engine has always burned oil very quickly in my opinion. The engine seized despite regular use. The vehicle was just outside of warranty so we have to pay for a new engine.
May 26, 2024 I was driving on a freeway with my grandson. I heard a knocking/clicking sound from my 2018 Santa Fe. No warning lights came on. The car lost all power. I had to navigate the traffic and coast to a stop. Unfortunately we were on the side of the freeway right before a very busy entrance ramp. An 18 wheeler swerved to avoid hitting us. That's when I decided it was not safe to wait in the car for a tow truck. My car was taken to a Hyundai dealership. We received a call that the engine needs to be replaced and was quoted $20,000 for a new engine.I have spoken with a case manager at Hyundia corporate. He says they are waiting on the dealership to request a goodwill warranty because my car was 3,000 miles outside of the 100000 mile warranty. The dealership was suppose to submit it last week but as of today it has not been done. I looked to see if there were any recalls or class action suits for my make and model. That's when I discovered my vehicle has some outstanding safety recalls. I was never notified of these recalls.
1)CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS,2)STOP DRIVING IT,3)YES,4)YES,5)NO THIS IS THE 3.3 LITER ENGINE AND IT START KNOCKING
See attached document for complaint.
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SE with 98000. miles lost power while driving, would not accelerate. No warning prior to event. No check engine light prior.Had the vehicle towed to Dealership for diagnostics. Dealership technician pulled codes P0018; P0300; P0302; P0304; P0306. I was told the repairs needed were: Replace left intake camshaft, CVVT, and timing chain tensioner. I had requested the dealership contact the National Consumer Affairs for Hyundai Motor America to put in a claim on the 100,000. mile warranty. After several weeks they declined to fix or offset the repair costs for this claim. they stated the following; "HMA Is Declining To Provide Assistance Due To The Malfunction Being Out Of Warranty Caused By The Time In Service And Mileage Of The Vehicle. No Goodwill Assistance Is Being Offered At This Time." I believe that that this issue is a common occurrence after reading many other customer complaints with the same issues. Why would HMA state "no assistance at this time". It appears that they would rather ignore this concern until the car is past the warranty period.
Driving at 35 mph, engine lost power and went into limp mode. Check engine light was flashing. Showed code P0018. Catastrophic engine failure. No compression in bank 2 cylinders. Needs an engine replacement. Only 113,000 miles on the engine. No help from Hyundai at all.
My vehicle was turning off without any warning, last oil change was in October 2023, and had the oil changed this month. Engine started making loud noises from top, and eventually louder knocking noises from below. We towed vehicle to the dealer where we purchased at Balise Hyundia in Springfield MA. The vehicle has 84,000 miles and we've always maintained it. There were no warning indicators that there was an issue with the engine. After further research I've discovered numerous articles and complaints regarding Hyundai's 3.3-liter engine after certain number of miles. The engines are failing, and I'm concerned we may be victims of an issue that has existed with these engines. This is a safety issue because there is no warning the engine is failing, the car turns off without warning, and the potential of an overheating engine causing a seizure and fire is always a concern.
Driving at 70 mph and the car’s RPMs dropped. Coasted to exit the highway to find out the car was not accelerating as it should. Took car straight to dealership to drop it off. Have 100,139 miles on the vehicle. Was told by dealership that car was consuming oil. No check engine lights came on, no oil lights on. Nothing. No warning, no smoke, etc. have been told that the car is consuming oil. I was told when I dropped the car off on Saturday there was 1 qt of oil, and by Monday when they test drove the vehicle there was none and the engine had seized up on them in the parking lot. It has now been two weeks. The initial quote given was 11k (if warranty didn’t cover anything). The dealership submitted all maintenance records, registration and the form stating I am the only owner of the vehicle. Friday (XXX) was told warranty would pay 90% and I would be responsible for 10%, did not have an explanation as to why they did not cover all. Ask to get that information. Saturday (XXX) was told warranty would cover 95% and I would cover 5%, awesome. Agreed to get the ball rolling and order parts. Hear from service advisor on XXX, stating that the repairs are now quoted at $23k, so my portion is more. Still no reasoning why. Later found out that Hyundai has discontinued the 11k long block engines, so they are having to order short block engine + all parts to build it. The huge concern is that is ZERO warning. This could have been dangerous had I pulled out in front of a car! I know there are multiple complaints against Hyundai, so I know I am not alone. 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. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating, and failed to exceed 65 MPH. The vehicle later lost motive power with the ABS and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound and there was fire coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she immediately veered to the side of the road and exited the vehicle with her son. The contact stated that the fire died out before the fire department arrived. A fire department report was filed. There was no police report filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that a fractured rod in the engine block had caused the engine to explode, and the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer also informed the contact the fire had burned the electrical wiring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to cover half of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 142,732.
while driving on a highway the engine lock up, and I was fortunate to get to the side of the road. Vary scary
This vehicle has 113,000 miles on it and the engine is blown. The warranty for these cars expires at 100 thousand miles. This vehicle was properly maintained and should not fail. I cannot claim this under auto insurance and the dealer wants to charge me 185 dollars to tell me on paper that I need to pay 20000 dollars for a new engine.
Losing half a quart of oil every 1000 miles, that would be about 3 quarts every 6000 miles This is not normal for a 2018 car with 65700 miles on it Car had an Oil Consumption Test by dealer No warning lights have come on
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The 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe has 36 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.