2013 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 605 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 14 involved a crash and 41 involved a fire. 13 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/modulePark outsideSep 22, 2023
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Sonata Hybrid, 2012-2015 Accent, Azera, Veloster, 2013-2015 Elantra Coupe, Santa Fe, 2014-2015 Equus, 2010-2012 Veracruz, 2010-2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, and 2013 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module may leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024 through October 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 251.
Campaign 23V651000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchJun 5, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.
Campaign 17V358000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftAug 12, 2013
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2013 front wheel drive Santa Fe Sport vehicles manufactured July 13, 2012, through March 12, 2013; and equipped with 2.4 liter engines. Due to a manufacturing issue, the right front axle shaft may fracture.
A fractured front axle may result in a loss of power to the wheels. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked without the parking brake applied, it may roll away. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front axle shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Custom Care Center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 112.
Campaign 13V355000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
605 reports, newest first.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 6, 2023
Our family 2013 Santa Fe was leaking fuel in June 2023. Hyundai of Chantilly failed to check on Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that were related to our 2013 Santa Fe. TSBs are circulated to “General Manager, Service Manager, Parts Manager, Warranty Manager, Service Advisors, Technicians, Body Shop Manager, Fleet Repair”. Per Recall 180: Hyundai is conducting a safety recall in the United States to confirm the high pressure fuel pipe was properly connected by Hyundai dealers to the fuel pump outlet during prior engine replacement. What is the safety recall? Certain model year 2011-2018 Hyundai Sonata, model year 2013-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, and model year 2014-2015 and 2018 Tucson vehicles had engines replaced. In some cases, during engine replacements, the high pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, allowing fuel to leak. What will Hyundai do? Hyundai dealers will inspect the connections of the high pressure fuel pipe to the fuel pump outlet for fuel leaking. If leaking fuel is detected, the fuel pipe will be replaced and properly installed with a new one. This procedure will be performed at NO CHARGE. My daughter mentioned to Hyundai Service Advisor, that the engine had been replaced under the recall last Spring 2023. Why didn’t the Service Advisor or Service Technician check the TSB? That should have been the first thing to do, especially when fuel lines don’t go bad that quickly. The level of incompetence at Hyundai of Chantilly Service Department is staggering. I paid over $1300 at Hyundai of Chantilly, most of which is covered by a recall. Now, I’m in the process of requesting reimbursement from Hyundai Motor America, which could take 120 days to process/receive. Why should customers have to do research to find out whether their vehicle was impacted by a recall? Hyundai should be fined civil penalties for failures in fixing recall issues.
Engine, Jul 1, 2023
loss of compression - cylinder 2
Power train, Jun 26, 2023
The component is the differential. Yes it is available The differential is leaking oil from the coupling assembly and makes noise while driving like a skip and when you turn to the left and in reverse. Because it helps with the braking time and lessened the risk of things such as vehicle rolling over on curves. I've had my car in for this problem since Jan. 2023 with the dealership telling me and repairing everything but this problem. Took it to two other mechanics that both agree its the coupling . Call the dealership again because Hyundai states they must see the problem are they are 1-3 months out. I have the pictures from mechanic and their sister company did have a recall on the 2013-2020 Sorento that uses the coupling but never a recall on Hyundai. I received a new engine in 2022 and after this noise started, put my car in the shop from Jan2023-May2023 and they never found the problem but said it was the tie rods and a axle that was replaced and still did not rectify the problem. Car has been sitting .
Engine, Jun 22, 2023
I was driving down the highway on my way out of town with my son was going 60 miles down the highway in my engine field in the middle of the highway. My car just shut off and I had to cut through traffic to get on the side of the road. Praying that me and my son were safe. Then my car started smoking.
Other or unspecified, Jun 19, 2023, fire
05/22/23 engine shut off as I was exiting freeway. Dashboard fully illuminated with all check engine lights on. Put the car in park, turned car off, and turned it back on and the engine turned over and allowed me to get home. 5/23/23 inspected at AAMCO. Issue was not able to be replicated and tech stated that the computer did not record any issues from previous day. 6/6/23 engine spontaneously shut off on freeway. Pulled to shoulder and heard knocking sound, saw plume of smoke, then car erupted into flames. No injuries. Los Angeles FD report 0591 Car determined total loss.
Engine, Jun 16, 2023, fire
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that her husband was driving at 55 mph while depressing the accelerator pedal but the vehicle failed to accelerate and began to decelerate its speed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to park on the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The driver was unable to restart the vehicle, and he saw smoke exiting the hood. The contact and her husband exit the vehicle safely before the vehicle was engulfed in fire. The fire depart extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The contact called the police department and also filed a police report and deemed the vehicle was a total loss The contact stated no one sustained any injuries nor sought medical attention. The contact called the insurance company and had the vehicle towed to a towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Jun 9, 2023
I was driving down the highway when the car suddenly just jolted stalled and misfired. I put on my hazards and jerked to get a read since the engine light came on. After 4 diagnostic tests and 3 different mechanics the codes read misfire in cylinder 2. Spark plugs were installed new, but after further inspection and 3 pressure tests the problem was scoring to the cylinder wall, not the cylinder coil itself. The final test was by a Hyundai dealer, but he did not tear down the engine further to find exact cause. He initially suggested an oil change, but I have been getting oil changes every month before service is due as oil is burning off and not lubricating essential mechanical parts. I have records of monthly changes. I also had several issues with brake fluid leaks regardless of tube installation per another recall for ABS system. I visited dealer under the advise of Hyundai customer service telling me I was under an extended warranty up to 150,000. After visiting dealer I was told the warranty does not cover my power train issue but only pertaining to rods and bearings. However, according to best practice guide 162 and class action I am still eligible for free inspection as a returning customer which was denied. I had no notice or knowledge of a bad engine when purchasing vehicle. I was told of ABS system recall and a no cost inspection. The previous owner serviced the recall 162 so it’s showing as closed, but as a returning customer I believe it to still be active and deserves further review. A tow would be required to inspect the vehicle at any dealership or repair shop.
Engine, Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Engine, Jun 7, 2023
My engine randomly misfired out of nowhere one day and a rod threw through my engine. I have a perfect history of proper engine maintenance with scheduled oil changes included. There is a safety recall on my year, make and model or vehicle for premature wear of bearings that cause the motor to seize but my VIN number says I’m not affected. I believe I have been.
Engine, May 25, 2023
I have had my Hyundai for 3yrs and religiously get my oil changed from my mechanic. My car is consuming oil. I got an oil change a month ago and went to check my oil on my dipstick and it was VERY low. There is no oil leaks. My car vibrates when I sit at a light or am parked it also has bad acceleration.
Other or unspecified, Engine, May 23, 2023, fire
As I drove off the highway and stopped at the light, all of my warning lights came on and fire started coming out of the hood in front of me. I bailed out of the vehicle and the entire front half of the car burned/melted completely.
Engine, May 18, 2023
Engine consumes oil significantly. After 3 month of oil change, most no oil is shown on the dip stick. I noticed that there is a recall for 4 cylinder engines but no recall for V6 engines. However, same issue is happening to my V6 engine. I am refilling oils every month.
Engine, May 13, 2023
I was driving down the interstate coming up to a bridge with barely any emergency shoulder in the pouring rain with my 7 year old son in the back seat when all of a sudden my car lost power and would no longer accelerate over 60mph. I pulled to the side of the road and had to have my vehicle towed. After I finally made it back home, I researched the issue and found that this has already been recall on my vehicle back in 2017 prior to me purchasing the car and it supposedly fixed but either it wasn't fixed or the repair has failed again. I see many other owners of other Hyundai models and Kia are having this issue even after these so-called repairs have been made.
Structure, May 10, 2023
The paint on my vehicle is pealing off
Engine, Apr 28, 2023
The engine is burning oil without any warning lights come on engine almost seized up . No no oil low light came on. Do you like that came out was check engine so we bought it to the dealership for service and then the ones they told us with the problem with the engine and looks like the same problem that a Hyundai is having with the four cylinders which they are replacing unfortunately is only up to 150,000 miles a Hyundai will not do nothing for us on this engine because it’s not part of the recall, oh this is the same problem. The four-cylinder’s are having I was told by the mechanics in the service tech from a Hyundai. This is the second time this happened the first time they said we need a new toilet. We need a pressure switch We needed some other stuff in the car which almost came out to $4000 to get fix that at Hyundai add Voz , Ed Voyles and Hyundai in all Semira Georgia. I was just hoping you could help us with the situation to see if there’s anybody else out there with that problem.
Engine, Apr 25, 2023
While driving the vehicle, power was lost several times, the engine redlined because it could not switch gears. All of the oil was used by engine 40 days after oil change. Hyundai has repeatedly ignored our request for a new engine.
Engine, Apr 5, 2023
The engine is failing due to a broken bearing inside the engine. This caused oil to leak inside the engine and burn out through the exhaust. There were no warning lights such as a check engine or low oil. The reason we took it to the shop is because the car started making raddling and knocking noise when pressing the gas pedal. The mechanic shop informed us there was no oil in the vehicle when we just got a synthetic oil change in December. They diagnosed that significant engine damage was done and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle is almost 10 years old and has 108,000 miles. There were no warning signs of this happening it just happened. There were no major issues with this vehicle. We consistently maintained the vehicle maintenance and oil changes and kept all records.
Engine, Apr 1, 2023, crash
I purchased a Hyundai Santa Fe V6 3.3 L what's 67,000 miles on it from an owner that kept it maintained at the dealership and we have records. I kept it maintained I have records to support. The complaint is the engine started failing without notice while driving which was very dangerous because of the loss of speed while in traffic. The engine would rev up to redline which would force me to let off the gas call losing all power. My four year old daughter and I almost got plowed over from behind on the interstate by a semi truck because our engine would suddenly rev way up to redline without any notice. I contacted Hyundai about it, the engine has now died and we lost $15,000 vehicle because of it. Hyundai has ignored us regarding the dead car and the safety component. They should not be allowed to conduct a business in the United States. The amount of lawsuit stacked up against them for ripping off we Americans, is absolutely absurd. Get off [XXX] and do something about it. I'm a tax paying Citizen and you're allowed me to get [XXX] in my own backyard with regards to a [XXX] car for my family. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) a
Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 27, 2023
I was driving my Santa Fe into my garage and there was a misfire in the engine. And then it stopped running, I have had it parked there now for 1 month because I don’t have the money to put a engine in it ,
Steering, Mar 16, 2023
On February 14, 2023 while driving Steering wheel broke (steering component failed) and had to stop at nearest repair station and was told not safe to drive. It was making clicking noise when turning wheel and backing out of a parking space. Next day had it towed to Hyundai and said the steering component in dashboard fell and metal crash bar was completely broken. They suggested I go through my insurance company because they didn’t know how it happened and said it was from a road hazard or pot hole I hit, but that was not the case and the insurance investigator did not see any signs of a collision and said it was probably a faulty part. What concerns me most is that if I was driving at high speeds on a highway it could have been very dangerous to loose my steering and cause a bad accident. I’m not sure how long my steering wheel was broken because I did hear noises but just thought it was the steering adjustment bar wasn’t in the lock position. It’s very disturbing to think I could have gotten killed. Hyundai doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge that it could be a manufacturer default and a safety issue on there part because the car is out of warranty. They don’t what to tell me what caused the problem of the steering column to fall and the metal bar to break. I’m the original owner and the car is kept in excellent condition with no neglect for this safety issue to happen for no apparent reason is very concerning. The repair fix the problem will cost $5,000. I did research the issue and found that there was a safety recall for faulty steering columns on 2017 Santa fe models and could cause a bad accident. I would like to report this issue and find out if anyone else reported the issue with their 2013 model. I would like to know if the following recall on the 2017 Hyundai Santafe could be somehow connected to my steering column issue: Recall 173. NHTSA campaign number: 18V11800
Engine, Mar 7, 2023
Since I bought this vehicle it has done nothing but burn oil. I do regular oil changes on a regular basis. In between these oil changes I have to add 3 to 5 quarts of oil every 2 weeks. I have only had the vehicle for 2 yrs and 6 months. I am constantly checking the oil I believe there needs to be a recall on this vehicle engine.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 25, 2023
It all started on Thursday, February 16 when I went into my garage and noticed a strange chemical smell and my car battery was dead. My husband replaced the battery that night, but we noticed the break lights stayed on. When took it to a Firestone Department on Friday, February 17, they replaced the battery terminal and ran diagnostics. We finally called and got an answer on Monday, February 20. The mechanic said it was the ABS Control Module and wiring harness. We transported the car that Monday afternoon to the local Hyundai dealership, which we really didn’t want to deal with since we haven’t had nice experiences with them in the past. They never called us and when we finally got ahold of the service department on Wednesday, February 22, they stated that they believe that it is the ABS Control Module, but they are unable to fix it locally. We would have to send it to another Hyundai dealership which is about 100 miles away. After speaking to the Hyundai Corporate Office, they suggested with previous recalls to place an incident report. The recall for the ABS Systems for Hyundai came out on May 16, 2018 and the recall number 218. The recall includes cars with the cruise control systems.
Engine, Feb 22, 2023
I bought this car brand new and have never had any problems with it until the engine seized. The car has been driven 64,691 miles. On 2/11 the car was started in a shopping center parking lot and the engine began ticking. There were no lights present. We drove it home (1 mile) and I called Piazza Hyundai. Their next diagnostic opening was for March 3rd. I made the appointment, left the car in the driveway, and called my own mechanic on Monday, hoping for a quicker repair. On 2/13 the engine still ticked and ultimately shut down on a major road a mile from my home en route to my mechanic. I had it towed to Mighty Muffler and it was declared seized on Tuesday, 2/14. I then had it towed to Piazza Hyundai where it is waiting for it's appointment. There were no lights illuminated until it shut down. After the car stopped working, the engine, oil and battery lights appeared.
Visibility, Feb 7, 2023
While driving the Panoramic Glass Roof exploded on its own.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Feb 2, 2023
On January 20, 2023 I was on my way home from work and was stopped at a traffic light. The light turned green. As I tried to accelerate forward the engine light started blinking and the vehicle moved slow and lost a lot of power and a knocking sound began. As I tried to accelerate more the knocking sound became louder. I found an engine issue after entering my vin# on the Hyundai site. It was found that for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport there was an engine issue. I have attached this issue pertaining to my vin#. I printed this information and took these to my nearest Hyundai dealer, who stated to me that these were not official recall papers and they can't use them. I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle so I never would have received an official recall paper. I proceeded to email consumer affairs at Hyundai and sent these same attachments showing the vehicle issue with my vin#. Hyundai has emailed me back stating and I quote "We have determined your vehicle is not currently affected by any campaigns." I do not see how they determined there isn't a campaign that affects my vehicle when I have proof on paper there is an issue with these engines. My vehicle is a 2013 and under 10 years old. I found a local independent auto garage to look at my Hyundai and they have stated I need a new engine. I am at this time stuck paying out of pocket for a new engine that has clearly an issue Hyundai has had with this particular engine. Thank you for you time. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).