2016 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 236 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 12th highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 6 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 6 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/modulePark outsideFeb 3, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
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 multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
Campaign 22V056000 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
Seat belts, front, warning light/devicesMar 10, 2016
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front seat occupants do not fasten their seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Without a warning to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 141.
Campaign 16V145000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
11 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Wheels, Service brakes, Aug 2, 2024
Abs system is randomly locking up calipers causing a dangerous speed wobble. Dealership can't re create so won't diagnose. Have had to replace all brake calipers and components were near new but ruined because of abs applying brakes when unnecessary. Vehicle is very unsafe to drive, pulled hard to left at one point veering me into oncoming traffic. Independent mechanic has made caliper release by manually releasing abs system. Same results were not found by releasing pressure at master cylinder making abs the obvious culprit. No warning lights but I just replaced two cracked rotors on rear at 130k miles. That should not happen. Has caused hub readings of 270 on three different tires at 3 different times. Santa fe has recall on this system for every year but mine, very curious as to why not. If this was not a dealership only part , it might not be such a big issue, but being it is main source of stopping a 4000 lb vehicle, I have concerns. Hyundai dealership was very condescending and of little to no help. I have an Independent are certified mechanic who is happy to talk with you if needed. Please help, as of right now am.making payments on an unsafe vehicle with not much hope of it being fixed.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jan 17, 2024
The company has stopped supporting their Bluelink function that is causing the screen to do a continuous search for a connection and remaining blank so the controls and cameras are not visible. The company has sent out patches for some models as the old service was on 2g and 3g which are discontinued but they are not sending an update for my vehicle. I have engaged the dealer and they say they've had numerous complaints on this matter with no fix available. This is an absolute safety hazard and needs to be addressed. Please help me; I am an [XXX] Veteran and should not have to buy a new car to be safe! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Please help me; I am an 83 year old Veteran and should not have to buy a new car to be safe!
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 10, 2023
EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSOMPTION AND THE BRAKE LIGHTBULL KEEP BURNING FREQUENTLY.
Electrical system, Oct 3, 2023
Ever since I bought This 2016 hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0 Turbo from Advantage Hyundai, in Hicksville New York in December 2017, I have been having Battery problems, especially when the temperature falls below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The alarm goes off by itself, it does not matter what time of day, draining the battery in the process. I took it back to the dealership they held the car, while giving me a loaner. I have taken the car to them no less than 6 times each time they assured me that the battery problem was fixed, yet the problem continued. I spoke to their Headquarters in California. They gave me the run around until the warranty expired.I recently changed the battery and alternator and the problem continues.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 23, 2022
The engine control module (CPU) failed and at first the car experienced random warning lights thatwhen placed on diagnostic computer, no codes were noted. the next issue was a strong gasoline smell in the cabin. the cpu read this as a faulty fuel pressure regulator. when a second code pull was done it was reported as evaporator canister failure requires changing. The problem was in fact a leaking fuel injector rail and two injectors with defective improperly seated "O" rings. Explainig the gas smell and poor milage. "Ms. G" owns the 2016 santa fe sport with 2.0 GDI motor. There are about 80K miles The intermittent warning lights became and issue during the annual inspection/tag renewal. the DMV inspector saw the traction control, ABS, incline parking brake light and the service engine soon warnings intending to fail the car after the problemwas explained he connected his code reader, and found no codes. About April of 2022, a recal notice was recieved noting especially the 2,0 GDI MOTOR. I explained everything to the Huyndai rep. who informed me that the recall was directly related to the matters we discussed. When i described the final episode where the motor simply shut off. I explained it was towed to my shop ,again placed ot the full spectrum scanner / computer. At this time a complete systems diagnostic was preformed, ignition on - motor not running, including a complete sensor check. It was during this portion of the testing that I noticed that asensor was not reporting any data, or the existance of an oil pressure sensor. Now the ignition switch was then turned on/off the designated number of times and the car was started and a definite knock was detected. Ms. G is by no means uninformed regarding automobiles her parents restored several vintage Jags, And a 1966 330GTS Ferrari.The point being had she had any warning the vehicle was low on oil she would have checked and added as needed. In the end the Hyundai rep assured us the engine replacement was free.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 20, 2021
The problem with my purchased Hyundai is that it's not giving a warning message for the oil or over heating. The engine continues to gather a lot of gunk. Also, there is a recall on these specific models and I was notified by a class action law suit. HyundaiThetaEngineSettlement.com. The car has a chance of exploding. I did not agree with the terms of the class action suit. It was only offering compensation if I was already injured, or having to commit conspiracy with a crime of lemon law and consumer rights, and possible murder. These SUV's were built in 2016 and had enough time to be taken off the market. I purchased my vehicle last year 2020.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jun 23, 2021
Drive The car on the Highway and seemed like I was losing power and a few minutes later I heard a knocking on the engine
Electrical system, Feb 10, 2021
NAVIGATION SYSTEM WON'T LOAD- WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED, THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM (SCREEN SAYS BLUELINK)- STARTS THE PROCESS OF LOADING- WITH A LOADING BAR BELOW THE WORDS "BLUELINK'. , AT ENGINE START- WHEN LOADING, THAT BAR MOVES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. ONCE THE SYSTEM IS LOADED, THE NAVIGATION SCREEN COMES ON. THE PROBLEM: THE LOADING PROCESS STOPPED LOADING AT APPROX. 60,000 MILES -THE NAVIGATION SCREEN IS STUCK IN THE "LOADING" SCREEN. MECHANIC DID A HARD RESET, DID NOT WORK. THE SYSTEM IS STALLED, AND HAS NEVER LOADED SINCE THEN. CAN NOT SEE THE NAVIGATION SCREEN, NOR THE RADIO PRESETS, BLUE TOOTH, STEREO SPEAKER SETTINGS, CAN'T GET TO ANY OF THESE SETTINGS OR OPTIONS.
Electrical system, Sep 14, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OIL SENSOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO MONTHS LATER, THAT THE ENGINE LEAKED OIL AND FAILED TO RETAIN ENGINE OIL. THE CONTACT CALLED THE HYUNDAI OF BECKLEY DEALER LOCATED AT 3921 ROBERT C BYRD DR, BECKLEY, WV 25801, (304)-254-8220, AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT. THE CONTACT INQUIRED ABOUT AN UNKNOWN OIL LEAK RECALL AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED BUT, NO ONE ANSWERED THE PHONE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 94,000.
Electrical system, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Aug 8, 2018
TAKATA RECALL AIRBAG LIGHT ON AND MY SUV HAS BEEN IN 0 ACIDDENTS, THE AC AIR STATES IT'S ON BUT DOESN'T BLOW ANY AIR AT ALL! IT ONLY HAS 69640K MILES, KNOCKING SOUND WHEN I AM ON PARK OR HAVE THE BRAKE ON WHILE AT RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN!
Electrical system, May 12, 2017
WHEN DRIVING THE PARKING LIGHT COMES ON, DOWNHILL ASSIST COMES ON AND THE TRACTION CONTROL GOES OFF, THEN THE SPEEDOMETER GOES FROM THE CURRANT SPEED TO ZERO THEN FLUTTERS BACK TO THE CORRECT SPEED, THEN REPEATS. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT SPEEDS FROM 25 MPH TO 70 MPH. DEALER SAYS THEY CAN'T FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG.