2015 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 254 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 9 involved a crash and 13 involved a fire. 10 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
Representative owner complaints: engine
160 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Aug 18, 2023
My 2015 Santa Fe V6 AWD engine had 2 pistons seize up while driving. NO warning lights. I bought the Car with approximately 75K Miles and by 85k miles engine lights came on and engine was losing power. Local mechanic spent $2K trying to fix it but could not. Sent to Hyundai dealer where I purchased it. I spent another 2K (they covered about 3K as Hyundai would NOT cover repairs so dealer did). After month without the car, I got it back. 15k miles later (just as car turned over 100k miles) the car engine began making strange noise but no warning lights. Called AAA and thought we could make it 3 miles to repair shop but engine died in traffic. A second engine request from different Hyundai dealer was denied as "out of warrenty". No oil was leaking (and just had it changed!), no sign of issues of any kind, it just blew. Lucky no one was injured and was able to get to side of the road. I feel they issue should have been fixed at 85K and there must be a real piston issue in this vehicle.
Engine, Aug 15, 2023
Rod knock, engine failure. Vehicle still runs. Engine was accepted for replacement via Kearny Mesa Hyundai dealership.
Engine, Aug 15, 2023
Engine threw a rod. Brought it to Kearny Mesa Hyundai here in San Diego, they submitted a claim to see if corporate would grant an engine replacement and it was denied due to it being a V6
Engine, Aug 4, 2023
My vehicle engine seized while driving on the freeway. There was absolutely no warning. No lights for oil issue nothing flagged. I had no previous issues with my vehicle and I am concerned that I will have to pay for this myself .
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 4, 2023
On August 2, 2023 I was driving my truck and it completely shut off on me on the highway. I push the start button to turn the engine and it just keep turning like it wanted to start, but it didn't. Called the tow truck to take it to the shop, to then get a call after two days saying that they couldn't find out what was going on, because when they ran the test it didn't come back with any code. The clerk informed me that when he started my truck that next day, it cranked as if nothing was wrong. He drove it around about 15-20 minutes ,and it didn't do anything like what it had done the previous day before. I am very concerned because this could have been a bad outcome because I was in the highway on Wednesday. I need someone to further look into this matter.
Engine, Jul 28, 2023
When passing a vehicle on the highway, engine light came on and power was reduced. After, diagnose was informed of needing new engine. Took to get 2nd opinion and same thing was needed.
Engine, Jul 28, 2023
This vehicle has the 3.3L V6 engine in it. It has a blown engine due to oil consumption. We did regular maintenance to this car, including oil regular oil changes. There was no warning lights for low oil. Engine failed while my wife was driving on the highway. We had it towed to my mechanic and he found it was 4 quarts low on oil even though it had recently had routine service. Hyundai says this is not covered under warranty - I understand that MANY other Hyundai owners of the 3.3L V6 are having the same problem. Engine has 113K miles on it.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jul 26, 2023
During normal driving operations the car lost all power as our daughter and her 2 children were driving down the street. She called us and notified us that the car would barely run and that she had her hazard lights on and had no safe place to pull over. When she arrived back home from a few miles away the motor was making a very loud knocking and tapping noise. I immediately checked the oil in the car which we have changed on a regular basis and very recently and to our disbelief there wasn't a drop of oil on the dipstick. No indicators or warning lights had come on to tell us the oil was low. We immediately called a local Hyundai dealership, and they explained that thousands of people have experienced consumption of oil with no obvious leaks causing catastrophic engine failure in Hyundais. Upon inspection from the dealership, it was determined that the motor had spun rod bearings due to excessive oil consumption. However, we have since discovered that the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe is pending a class action lawsuit in California and no recall is current for this year and model. This could have caused serious and devastating fatalities to not only our family but others as well. Hyundai has not yet been willing to work with us for a car we purchased a little over a year ago and are still financing. The warranty did not transfer to a 2nd owner and we were not informed of this. Now the car sits at a dealership and I continue to make payments on a useless vehicle. The manufacturer of Hyundai's engine is the same for many models. However, not all models and years have had recalls yet. This puts thousands of people, like us, at risk for serious injuries, fatalities, and devastating financial loss. The public relies on their vehicles for their family's transportation and their jobs. I did my research and searched for this year, make, and model and found nothing that deterred me from finding this vehicle unsafe or unreliable. Hyundai is not in good faith protecting customers.
Engine, Jul 24, 2023
Owner states his 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe developed an engine noise, and the check engine light came on. The vehicle was stopped and restarted after 30 minutes, but the engine noise continued. The dealer replaced the engine; however, the owner is seeking rental reimbursement. Also, the vehicle was crashed in the dealer's possession and determined a total loss.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 12, 2023
I came through car was and proceeded to vacuum area, as I approached the area I applied my brakes and car sped up jumping the curb. I tried pumping the brakes and finally brought vehicle to a stop after applying pressure. I tried to back up, but felt I was going to damage the vacuum hoses, so I pulled forward believing I had clear area to get to the other side. As I pulled forward I didn’t realize how close I was to a brick column as it didn’t appear in my side view mirror. As a result right rear door, rear quarter panel and trim were damaged.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jul 9, 2023
Engine suddenly went into limp mode and jerked steering while on the highway (engine light happened AFTER). We started about 60mph, then vehicle slowed to about 30mph in a few seconds. Almost crashed into a semi-truck trying to get my car under control, then almost caused a pileup collision behind a slow-moving traffic control vehicle. Limped into town. Engine was rattling. Found the engine to be very hot under the hood. Found oil dripping underneath (research says certain Hyundai Santa Fe were recalled for this issue). Oil was low, even though I had it topped off less than a week before. It seems this may be related to large oil use resulting in engine overheat. Mechanic later disclosed to me there was oil buildup underneath and in the engine. Towed into another city to get available mechanic. Found error code P1326. Mechanic took a couple days to determine it was NOT caused by faulty sensor. (attached invoice) Towed to another city where I could have it taken into the lot (there is a long backload of cases at Hyundai). I saw about a dozen of the exact same model as my car in the service lot waiting repair (and many similar models). Told by dealership it would take 2 months to repair and there would be a diagnosis fee. This shouldn't have happened to my car. It was relatively new and low miles for an engine failure. The result was an expensive series of expenses and extremely dangerous series of near-collisions. It has been difficult to contact and navigate Hyundai corporate for help with this. They seem to have a lot of backlogs of these problems related to my model. I get put on hold for long periods. I was assigned case number and case manager who hasn't contacted me yet. I am still without a car as of today.
Engine, Jun 29, 2023
I was driving my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe on the parkway and while changing lanes, I wanted to accelerate to maintain a safe speed. As I attempted to accelerate I noticed that the car was slowing down. There were no strange sounds or dashboard lights I was aware of but the tachometer read zero. We pull onto the shoulder and were eventually towed to my mechanic. He determined with some confidence that the engine had seized. It will be towed to a Hyundai service facility where it will be evaluated and diagnosed and possible fixed for free under the current warranty
Engine, Jun 26, 2023
Car oil consumption. Caused engine to seize. No warning no lights.
Engine, Jun 5, 2023
Motor had rod bearing failure loud start ups and won’t cover warranty at 92k miles
Engine, Jun 3, 2023
My car have a engine lights on due the code #1326 ,Vibrations indicating excessive connecting Rod bearing wear . the caris on safe mode. I was check on line and i see that hyundai have a lots problem with the motor GDI 2.4 . some report says that the car can catch fire . also the hyundai car have a lots of recall regarding a safety issues . i think the hyundai shoud be responsible to repair all the problems this cars have because how they allowed to put the cars on the market with all these problems.
Engine, May 31, 2023
The check engine light began flashing without warning. I experienced sluggish performance and loss of power. Luckily I made it to my home. I took my car to my local mechanic and was informed my car was "burning oil" or over consuming oil. I never had an oil light indicator come on or any warnings that my car was having an oil issue. The only way to fix this is engine replacement. I called the dealership where I purchased my car and was informed that the warranty had expired. My car is sitting in my driveway inoperable. From my understanding this is not supposed to happen and is the result of poor, defective manufacturing of the engine components on the part of Hyundai. A warranty shouldn't be a consideration in the repair. Upon researching this issue I found that while there is a recall, my vehicle isn't on that list, but is on the affected list for this problem. Hyundai has been manufacturing and selling these vehicles to consumers for years with full knowledge of the problem. Out of 174 complaints on this site, 94 are related to the engine.
Engine, May 22, 2023
With out warning this car died and started smoking on a very busy road. I was almost hit several times trying to coast to the median.
Engine, May 16, 2023
Engine rod bearing are failing making noise and causing loss of power i have a v6 engine. I also had a hyundai sonata with a 4 cylinder engine that was doing the same thing and engine was covered under recall my santa fe only has 105,xxx miles.
Engine, May 10, 2023
I have attached a PDF with all documented information including service records, tow, etc. on December 3, 2022 I was driving home on the highway at approximately 45 mph and the engine started shaking uncontrollably. I barely made it into my driveway as it is directly off the highway. I have proceeded to talk to the dealership and Hyundai Motors without any correspondence of help.
Engine, Apr 27, 2023
Check engine light came on. It was a Sunday so we took it to the local auto parts shop and they said it was a pressure valve but they couldn’t say exactly which one. We made an appointment to have it checked but when we tried to drive it just a short distance (about a mile) it started stalling so we took it back home (about a mile back). By then it smelled like it was burning so we decided to have it towed rather than risk driving it to the repair shop. However by the time the tow truck came the next day, the car would not even start. The car has less than 70,000 miles and has been regularly maintained, but we are being told it needs a new engine and we have to pay for it. We bought from the dealership and it was only leased prior to that. We thought when we got it it was still covered under the originally warranty but we are now told that was not the case and it is not covered by the warranty. With the number of engine problems on these specific cars it seems very unlikely that this is something that we should be held responsible for but we are not sure how to hold Hyundai accountable.
Engine, Apr 21, 2023
The engine failed. The failure started at 56,000 miles with knocking and got worse over time. My entire family and others safety was put at risk due to the engine failure and possible lack of performance at any time and chance of fire. The dealership and an independent mechanic confirmed engine would fail and has inspected the vehicle. There was no warnings or lights that illuminated on the vehicle
Engine, Mar 30, 2023
2015 Hyundai Santa Fe engine stalling or shutting off unexpectedly while driving. Hyundai didn't approve the request sent by West Huston Hyundai to replace an Engine due to lack of maintenance; however, the West Huston Hyundai service department did recalls and oil changes recently (18 Jan. 2023), and another service was done a few months ago in August 2022.
Engine, Mar 27, 2023
While driving home from a meeting I began to hear a knock. It sounded like a stick was hitting my fan. There were no warning lights on at this time. Once I turned the corner onto my street, the car died, luckily I was able to just coast home. After getting home, I checked the oil and there was 0 oil in the car. I knew that this is bad. We just had an oil change completed a month ago. I went to the store and purchased some oil and filled the car, which allowed me to start the car and pull into my driveway. I had a fried come over and take a look at it with me, we heard 2 separate sounds, a deep knocking sound and a tinging sound. We decided to try and take it to a shop to get them to look at it. On this drive the car completely died and was unable to start the car. Had the car towed to the shop. They replaced the starter and were able to start the car but heard all of the knocking as well. They advised me to see if there was any recalls for engine oil consumption. I called Hyundai and they do not have any active recalls on this vehicle for engine oil consumption. This seems to match all of the other incidents from many others. This truly needs to be investigated and a recall needs to be issued. This is extremely frustrating!
Engine, Mar 25, 2023
The facts are this: This 2015 Santa Fe Limited only has 100,725 miles on it. I have had it for 70,000 of those 100,000 miles as I am the second owner. I have always had the oil changed at no more than 4000 miles and had all of my servicing done. Two Hyundai dealerships confirmed the issue is the same as with all of the engine issues Hyundai has had in the past and I’m lucky it didn’t stall. No dashboard warning but luckily I heard the noise and brought it in to check before I was possibly injured due to an engine seizing up. The second dealership confirmed as I took it there without telling them what the first dealership told me. Both said it would cost $20,000 for a new engine. It is obvious that this is the same engineering/Manufacturing/parts defect, and a replacement at no charge is deserved and justified. Here are just a few of the recent complaints lodged that match my exact issue: NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11508780 NHTSA ID Number: 11508037 NHTSA ID Number: 11506729 NHTSA ID Number: 11500108
Engine, Mar 17, 2023
The engine failed at 103000 miles, right after the warranty expired. We were quoted twice as much as it is worth to repair it.