7 complaints reported

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
7
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

Transmission issues with DTC light coming on, dealership did software update which did not resolve the problem. Transmission has rough shift and shuddering. Dealership is recommending complete transmission replacement.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Nov 2025
Jul 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving out of the driveway, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated at high speed without warning. Additionally, while in traffic, the vehicle started to stall with a delay while accelerating. The contact attempted to shift into reverse however, the vehicle failed to respond with the transmission warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2023
Apr 2023

Purchased my 2020 Santa Fe august 1st 2020. Mother’s Day of 2021 I was driving to Menards for a plant. I was going 40 mph on a street and braked too slow down to go on a ramp that was 25mph. Traffic appeared and I was stopped completely. I have the “auto” stop on and it would not start back up. I had to put my car in park, turn it off and turn it back on in the middle of traffic. So scary. And this happens monthly now, since august 2021.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Sep 2021
Jan 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that he shifted to park(P), turned off, and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure had recurred 5 times while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the immobilizer warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 30,595.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Dec 2022
Sep 2022

On 07/12/2020 My 2020 SANTA FE Slipped out of park while in garage. It rolled backward until it hit neighbor's porch damaging my tailgate and tail light. It was taken to Hyundai dealership and they said they could not replicate the problem. On about 08/28/22 The next incident was the transmission slipped down into low gear and would not go over 40 MPH. Again the dealer cannot replicate and the car is still at he dealer.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Sep 2022
Mar 2021

THERE ARE THREE ISSUES: 1.) IN SPORT MODE, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SOMETIMES GET STUCK/HUNG IN GEAR (MAYBE GEAR 3 OR GEAR4) AND WILL NOT SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR, EVEN WHEN INCREASING SPEED. 2.) ALSO IN SPORT MODE, AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 10 OR 15 MINUTES THE TRANSMISSION WILL OFTEN SLIP INTO GEAR 5, AFTER REVVING HIGH AND CAN BE HEARD REVVING, BUT IT IS NOT REFLECTED ON THE TACHOMETER, AND THEN WHEN THE GEAR CATCHES IT IS A VIOLET JERK FORWARD. 3.) LASTLY, IN ANY MORE, BUT MOST PRONOUNCED IN "SMART MODE" AFTER TAKING OUT FROM A COMPLETE STOP, AND ESPECIALLY AFTER THE ENGINE GOES INTO AUTO SHUT OFF MODE, THE TRANSMISSION WILL STUTTER AT ABOUT 3 - 5 MPH AND FEELS AS IF POWER HAS BEEN LOST FOR A FEW SECONDS. THIS IS MOST TERRIFYING WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO TRAFFIC, AS YOU NEVER KNOW IF IT WILL HAPPEN OR NOT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jun 2020
Feb 2021

WHEN STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE AUTO ENGINE TURN OFF KICKS IN AS EXPECTED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. HOWEVER, THE BEHAVIOR IS VERY ERRATIC WHEN I RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE JUMPS AGGRESSIVELY WITHOUT ME APPLYING ANY ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES THE ENGINE JUST STARTS AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE UNTIL I APPLY SOME ACCELERATION. I ALMOST REAR ENDED THE CARS INFRONT OF ME FEW TIMES. I GOT WAY TOO SKEPTICAL AND BEGAN TURNING OFF THE AUTO TURN OFF FEATURE WHEN I GET INTO MY CAR.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Feb 2021

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe has 7 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.