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, Mar 3, 2022
Car has 122000 and lost power. Hyundai said it needs a new engine and refuse to pay
Steering, Mar 3, 2022
Hyundai has a problem with the steering coupler in numerous vehicles, including our Santa Fe. Problem is caused by deterioration of the plastic coupler between the electric power assist motor and the steering column. Hyundai has not recalled this item on other Hyundai models, but is doing an EXTENDED SERVICE REPAIR for 15 years unlimited mileage if you bring it in and ASK FOR IT TO BE FIXED. However, they are NOT doing this for the Santa Fe, as they say "they are not seeing a problem with this model", even though it has the same defective part that is being replaced in other Hyundai models. My vehicle is showing signs of this defect and has a definite "BAD SPOT" in the steering when you drive the vehicle. It is very dangerous and WILL LEAD TO LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL IF IT IS NOT FIXED as soon as possible. However, Hyundai, at the dealership level and at the Hyundai North American level refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with the Santa Fe, using the same parts as the other models that they admit have a defect. There have been no repairs of modifications to the steering system of this vehicle. It was purchased new and used as a daily driver since purchase in May of 2013. Hyundai is refusing to replace the rubber steering coupler that is defective.
Engine, Mar 1, 2022
VERY WELL MAINTAINED LOW MILES WITH A P1326, P0014, C1611 CODES WHICH I HAD CLEARED AND LOOKED AT BY MY SHOP ONLY TO BE STANDARD HALF-MILE LATER ON A VERY BUSY ROAD, HAD A TOW COME AND GET ME WHICH WAS EXPENSIVE ALONG WITH THE BILL I HAD JUST PAID FOR. I THOUGHT IT HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE B/C THE SMELL WAS SO TERRIBLE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. THIS SUCKS AND THEY PROBABLY WON'T DO A [XXX] THING ABOUT IT. AS I LIVE ALREADY LIKE I'M IN POVERTY THIS ISN'T ENOUGH. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Other or unspecified, Feb 23, 2022
Exploding Sunroof On 02/22/22 I was driving home from an appt, going approx. 40 mph when all of a sudden i heard a loud sound like a shotgun and then glass from my sunroof was falling down on me. I have a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Nothing hit me, I didn't hit any pot hole or anything, the weather was around 70 and overcast, it was terrifying. My first thought was a stray bullet shot in the air came down and hit the sunroof. Thank goodness there wasn't a car near me on the 4 lane road. I was able to pull off on a side street; i was shaking, bawling, and so confused. There was no warning whatsoever, just BAM, explosion. I called 911, who came out within about 20 minutes. Upon further investigation, we determined the glass was protruding upwards and out of the car indicating the explosion came from inside the vehicle. We examined the large pieces of glass to see if there were any scratches or dings and found nothing. I filed the police report, closed the sunshade to drive home without glass falling on me. Things could have been much worse. I just found out since my car only has 77K miles, the sunroof is still under warranty and will be fixed by Hyundai. Still, something should be done about this as I've been researching, it seems more common than it should!
Other or unspecified, Feb 15, 2022
I pulled in my garage and my husband walked in front of my vehicle and said that he could smell something burning but there was no oil leaking and we didn't know where the burning smell was coming from except for it was under the front of my car under the hood somewhere. That was very scary after I heard about this recall for the Hyundai's catching on fire but no mention of my 2013 vehicle
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Vehicle speed control, Feb 12, 2022
When the cruise control shuts down, the tachometer cuts out and the vehicle seems to go into limp mode. Brightening or dimming the headlights causes an intermittent bright flash to the interior lights. This could be potentially dangerous seeing as you have no acceleration, which could cause very extensive damage to person and property. The intermittent bright flash could be a result of an unregulated power surge, which could cause damage to person and property.
Vehicle speed control, Feb 10, 2022
When I engaged the Cruise Control it caused the vehicle RPM's to quickly jump from about 3 up to over 5 RPM's and the gear would slip not accelerating but slowed down in traffic.
Engine, Feb 8, 2022
My wife was driving down the highway on her way home from work. It was dark and at the evening rush hour,when the highway is already dangerous to be traveling on at that time. All of the sudden while traveling in the second lane her engine lost power and dropped in speed to 20 mph from 65 mph. There were no warning lights, or prior sounds ,vibrations or other symptoms to indicate an issue. She immediately became worried about trying to get the car off the highway and to a safe place, with out causing or being involve in an accident. She called me scared and didn’t want to drive it any further. After we got the car home, I checked for fouled plugs, bad coil pack, maybe bad fuel in the tank or possibly a bad or stuck injector. None of these had any issues. Our son who works at Somersworth Hyundai here in New Hampshire,as a salesman, talked to the technician there and he told us to bring the car there and he’d take a look at it. When we heard back from him the technician said that there was no compression in cylinder number 2. My safety concern is that when this the case the injectors continue to dump fuel into the cylinder. Causing excess fuel that doesn’t get combusted in the cylinder to be dumped into the exhaust manifold and out the tail pipe as a heated vapor. The concern is the fumes, the possibility of a fire igniting in the hot exhaust manifold and causing an uncontrollable situation. The technician also said if you take a bore scope you will see that a valve in the head has broken off for cylinder 2 and has caused this issue. The car has been sitting in my garage now for 4-5 months. We still owe on this car and it can’t be safely moved anywhere with out being towed.
Electrical system, Air bags, Feb 8, 2022
Have had a recurring issue with the airbag light illuminating. This has been ongoing since 2 years post purchase. Have had airbag replaced, multiple fuses, wiring harness replacement. All repairs end with the light returning. Am unsure of the reliability of the airbag in the event of a crash.
Engine, Feb 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating and making a knocking sound. The contact stated that he then took his vehicle to an independent mechanic who advised him that he needed to take his vehicle to the dealer. The contact stated that once he arrived at the dealer he was advised that he would need a new engine and it may be covered under the warranty. The contact stated that he was denied the warranty coverage from the manufacturer, as he did not follow up with a recall to update the engine software to prevent the engine from knocking. The contact stated that he never received a recall notice regarding the recall. The contact also stated that he was informed that even if he had the software updated the engine failure would have still occurred. The contact stated that he spoke to the manufacturer who explained the denial and a case was opened. The approximate mileage failure was 99,023.
Engine, Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where an oil consumption test was performed. The contact was informed that the engine was blown and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Steering, Jan 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel was loose. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving to her residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an insulator pad for the power steering to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Engine, Jan 27, 2022
The engine(3.3L) on my vehicle went out. It has well under 100,000 miles on it. I was driving down the highway and the engine just started making a noise and instantly shut down. There were no check engine lights on or any warning at all. The vehicle wasn't making any noises at all until the moment it shut down without warning. There wasn't any oil pressure lights on or low oil lights or nothing. The oil was always regularly changed. My family and I are just lucky that we were on a cold, dark, empty highway that night instead of on a busy interstate. If we had been in busy traffic, it would have been a very dangerous situation. I have called the Hyundai dealership(Crain Hyundai, North Little Rock,AR)where I bought the vehicle from. I explained to them what was going on. They said there is nothing they can do about it because I'm the second owner of the vehicle. I called the Hyundai Cooperation and explained the situation to them as well. They gave me a case number and also said there is nothing they can do about it. I went on the internet and found that several people have had the same problem with their vehicle engine (3.3L)as me. I also found that Hyundai had done a recall on that same vehicle year, make and model for the exact same problem. But their recall was only for the 4 cylinder engine and not for the 6 cylinder engine. I called Hyundai Cooperation back and told them that they needed to add the 6 cylinder engine to their recall as well. They still insisted that there was nothing they could do. I think the Hyundai Cooperation needs to fix this problem. It's very expensive to us consumers of theirs. Someone could also get hurt if their vehicle shut down on them in heavy traffic or in the wrong place.
Other or unspecified, Jan 20, 2022
While driving the sunroof glass exploded/shattered on its own. This was confirmed by Denbigh Body and Painting. Luckily, I had the headliner closed so only a few pieces of glass got through, but no injury occurred.
Power train, Dec 30, 2021
Motor blown rods are knocking and will seize up
Engine, Dec 30, 2021
The back of the engine is smoking and has a burning smell
Engine, Dec 27, 2021
This is my daughter car and she is getting no where with Hyundai. The middle of November I was driving her car from Raleigh nc , we stopped to get gas , then I got to my house and then she drive to her house. After 20 minutes later she called and her car had stopped on the side of the road. She waited for triple a but no luck so she had to leave on the side of the road. The next day car was towed to garage. They said motor was gone. No warning no nothing. He told us about a recall 953?? Or something so we towed to Hyundai. They said she didn’t have a recall so they will not pay for her car to be fixed. We feel like Hyundai should stay behide this engine. My daughter is a hard working nurse and purchases this car used snd still owes 5,000 and they said they would give her 500.00 for the car. The car was driving great and no lights ever came on the dash. Please help me to get in touch with the right people bc I know this all has to do with all the engine problems all Hyundai’s are having. She did say right before it stopped running some lights came on the dash then it just died. She thought it was just a battery so she tried to get triple about with a battery but they were behide that night and never showed. The oil had been changed about 3,000 miles when this happened. Please help us get her car fixed. Thank you
Steering, Dec 24, 2021
I own a Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 GLS, at about 78,000miles. There is currently a loud clicking noise that occurs when you turn the steering wheel, also steering wheel vibration when you apply the brakes. There is a play when you turn the steering, from my review and research, it is caused by a disintegrated rubble coupler in the steering motor. I called Hyundai customer support, and also when to the dealership, and I was told that it is not covered under warranty. This seems to be common problem with a number of Hyundai cars. I expect that Hyundai to announce a recall on this as its a safety issue, rather, they don't seem to care.
Engine, Dec 16, 2021
hyundia and darcy hyundia dealership (815) 725-5200 know of this excessive oil consumption problem with the engine and now this vehicles oil consumption has ruined the catalytic converters . vehicle is using 1 qt. a week driving about 150 miles estimated. My Daughter was driving home from work during rush hour and car lost power and went into limp mode . car was towed to dealership .12/3/2021 and had vehicle 7-10 days and said problem is plugged catalytic converters. root cause to much oil consumption.this problem started years ago with oil consumption . we took it to the dealership and they kept saying it was normal .I said that it was excessive .which it was .I could not get them to repair the motor and they new it was excessive oil consumption.My Daughters safety was put at risk.It was night time and rush hour .Now were getting nowhere with hyundia and Darcy hyundia of joliet IL.60436
Engine, Dec 1, 2021
My wife’s 2013 Santa Fe 2.0 Sport AWD started consuming 1-2 quarts of oil a week a few months prior to the problem that inevitably ended in a very stressful and unsafe situation for her on her drive home. The engine with out warning on the dash or any other signs lost the number two cylinder compression and caused the car to have major acceleration issues. As well as raw fuel being dumped into the cylinder and entering into the exhaust manifold. As you can barely breath when standing behind the car or even driving behind it. Her car was taken to a Hyundai dealership after I had seen there was a recall on her motor for a failure of a Nok Sensor. The dealership technician diagnosed the issue and said that there was no compression in the second cylinder due to a valve in the head breaking off. We were told that the repairs would not be covered by a recall and that the cars engine would need to be replaced as the fact that the raw fuel being dumped into the engine destroyed that cylinder. Again no warnings or warning lights, car acceleration was extremely slow and the car shook while trying to get it home safely. I am concerned that in an area where the temperature outside is significantly higher than where we live, that raw fuel could ignite in the exhaust system, as well as cause a vehicle low on fuel to combust due to the vapor of the tank possibly igniting due to to the possible fire in the engine compartment and exhaust system.
Engine, Nov 15, 2021, fire
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that as he pulled into his workplace, he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that he parked the vehicle and left. The contact also stated that the vehicle was burning a significant amount of oil. The contact did not sustain any injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact became aware of the recall for NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer informed the contact that no issues were found upon inspecting the engine. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was still awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Engine, Nov 13, 2021
The engine has a Knock. As if the rod or bearing are lose. The connecting Rod bearings sound loose. It started in my way to Dance class for my daughter.
Service brakes, Nov 11, 2021
The Downhill Assist system shows a light, and the vehicles brake lights do not work when it is lighting up. It only occurs sometimes, but it causes the vehicle to slow on it's own and the brakes light are not working. I feel this may cause an accident or even an injury due to an accident. I was wanting to know if you could investigate this to see if anyone else is having this possibly dangerous problem?
Other or unspecified, Nov 9, 2021
my husband was driving and the engine lights came on and it made a weird noise. He pulled into a gas station and the vehicle shut off. We didn’t dare drive it again. He notice oil leaking onto the ground under the engine. I looked up if there was issues with his vehicle on nhtsa, and saw there was a recall on the engine and hood latch. We did not receive any recall notice at all!! We would have especially brought it in for a engine recall!!! That’s scary with three little ones and a special needs son we take to Memphis StJudes each year. I signed and set an appointment with Hyundai, but it would be till the 17th of November, this month. We were just going to have it towed to them. So instead we towed it back to the house to wait for appointment. My husband contacted Hyundai to confirm appointment and see about loaner car, we have to work. The lady was nice and said she would have the warranty department in charge of recalls call us back. The lady was rude and said there was nothing they could do for us because we didn’t replace the knock sensor upgrade recall!!!!! There is no recall listed on here or on there site! I’m am so frustrated and upset!! This is not our fault. We maintain and keep records on everything and nothing about this has come around or we would of brought it in. Something needs to be done or said. Can you please point us in the right direction?? Please.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started to stall. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that she was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V586000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed. The dealer notified that the manufacturer of the diagnostic test result and the manufacturer informed the dealer that they would not cover the repair of the vehicle because the ECM and cluster update had not been completed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 187,000.