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: service brakes
17 reports, newest first. Show all
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated that the brake pedal was inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated while depressing the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.
Service brakes, Engine, Oct 1, 2024, fire
Driving on a slight upgrade, lost power and smoke started to come out of the vents and from under the hood. Had no brakes and by the time we were able to drift to a stop, the engine compartment was on fire. There was no warning lights. Witnesses saw fire under the car while we were coming to a stop. The car and all contents were totally consumed. Following some research on NHTSA vin decoder we found that this car has the same engine (GDI THETA II) that has been involved in many fires and is involved in class action suits. Even though this car has the same engine, it was never recalled. That may indicate that there are other cars out there that may have the same problem but have not been informed.
Service brakes, Sep 14, 2024
None
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.
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Mar 19, 2024
My car started accelerating on its own, out of nowhere. There were no prior indications. No prior damage. It began accelerating on its own. After shutting the vehicle off and turning it back on, the issue has persisted. Anytime it is in drive or reverse, it accelerates at an extreme rate. It also disabled the brake, when the acceleration began.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, May 16, 2023
I was driving my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe to my morning job, & noticed a slight trembling of the vehicle initially. Upon approaching a stop sign at a 2 way stop, I noticed that my brakes were not fully engaging so I pumped them a couple times. Immediately my car started accelerating on its own faster and faster until my brakes were not stopping the car at all even with my foot pushing the brake pedal down as far as possible. My foot wasn’t on the accelerator at all. I noticed a pickup truck about to cross the intersection for which I needed to stop. Because I had no control over the car to get it to stop, I slammed the car into park, & it finally stopped just before my car crossed through the intersection. If I had not done that I would’ve been hit directly on my drivers side door by a truck going at least 55 mph. The car revved really high for several seconds after putting the car in park. I drove 10 mph to my work destination, & experienced exactly the same symptoms when I was pulling into my parking spot. As soon as I started braking to come to a stop to park, the car immediately started to accelerate again beyond my control & the ability to engage my brakes, even with my brakes pushed down as far as they would go. Again I slammed the car into park, otherwise my car would’ve run through the side of a barn & a horse stall with a horse and the barn owner inside. I checked to make sure nothing was impeding the movement of my accelerator and braking pedals, and nothing was. No warning lights came on at any time. I am very concerned as I am reading multiple reports of almost identical incidents for other Hyundai Santa Fe owners of a variety of years, & because this issue can’t be reproduced, there is no recall, and no code comes up, owners are not being given a solution or any type of support by Hyundai dealers or the manufacturer itself. I absolutely do not feel safe driving my car for my own safety & the safety of those on the road with me. I was almost killed today.
Steering, Power train, Service brakes, Mar 16, 2023
While driving the car experienced a catastrophic engine failure as well as loss of steering and brakes. Was able to get to the side of the road without injury. This could have resulted in injury or loss of life if the drivetrain would have locked up. The vehicle is at the dealer now, after a 250-mile tow. The dealer said that they have eight cars at their dealership with the same blown engine issue. No warning lights came on prior to the incident.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Jan 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Nov 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Nov 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the brakes made an abnormal squealing sound upon depression of the brake pedal without warning. The contact also stated that the vehicle would jerk forward while accelerating. The contact then received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified about the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Nov 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the brake pedal felt spongy while depressed. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Oct 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Service brakes, Oct 24, 2022
I wish to file a complaint against Hyundai for the untimely manner in which they’ve handled recall 218. This recall has been in place for several months with many notifications that the recall exists. Yet, the company has failed to provide a solution to this highly sensitive and dangerous problem. At a moment’s notice, these cars can short circuit and burst into flames, this can be fatal and the company is not doing everything they should be to ensure their consumers are safe!
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Oct 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Oct 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, May 26, 2021
The ABS, traction control, and another light are illuminated. Upon investigating online this is a known issue with these cars. No recall has been issued. My car is available for inspection.