2017 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 967 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 14 involved a crash and 23 involved a fire. 18 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
Engine and engine cooling, engineSep 20, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.
The engine bearing wear may cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168.
Campaign 17V578000 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
Tires, pressure monitoring and regulating systemsMar 6, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an appropriate warning in the event of an underinflated tire. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
An underinflated inflated tire can increase the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the TPMS sensors, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for the recall is 159.
Campaign 17V142000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringNov 21, 2016
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result, in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 153.
Campaign 16V842000 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: engine
668 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Apr 6, 2023
Car is properly maintained and serviced. We were driving on Highway and I heard a rattle. I turned down the radio then the speedometer changed from 65MPH to 0. The car was just rolling and lost all power. Then, for the first time ever, the check engine and battery light came on. Lots of smoke from the back and from under hood. They said it threw a rod through the back of the engine, and all the oil leaked out. I had it towed to a dealership
Engine, Apr 3, 2023
Two weeks ago, I heard a noise when we started our Santa Fe but the car continued to run and no warning lights were on the dash. The day after I heard the noise, I was driving and the car suddenly stalled - fortunately, I was on a side road but had I been elsewhere I could have easily caused an accident and been a danger to myself and others. I was going 30 MPH and looked down to see my car said 0 MPH so I pulled off the road. My car had no warning lights at all prior to the stalling but once I stalled, the check engine light came on. All my electrical continued to work. We had the car towed to our usual auto mechanic who told us our engine had failed but they believed our issue was under a Hyundai recall. We had our vehicle towed to the closest Hyundai service center, but they denied that our VIN was under the recall despite our car being the exact make, model and month of manufacturing the recall stated. Attempts to speak to Hyundai corporate resulted in the same denials. So now, with no warning, my 6 year old, barely used car has a completely dead engine through no fault of our own. Our car was regularly maintained by our local auto mechanic. Our car is currently sitting at the Hyundai service center after being quoted over $17,000 to replace the engine.
Engine, Apr 1, 2023
I was driving with my 2 children in the car, and with no warning there was a loud pop noise and lots of smoke came out of the hood I had to pull over as quickly and safely as I could. The car died and would not come back on. Mechanic advised that the rod went through the engine block. I took the car to the dealer after seeing on line that the same year make and model had the same thing happening to the point the cars have caught on fire. I have taken very good care of all of my vehicles she had an oil change every 7k miles on Synthetic oil. I was told the recall was in the 4 cylinder engine and i have the 6 cylinder engine. It is the same exact thing that happened to the 4 cyclinder engine and having all the mechanical reciepts showing that the car was taken care of per service miles.
Engine, Mar 31, 2023
Car lost power, and engine has catastrophic failure. Needs new engine, has 74k miles on it!
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Mar 31, 2023
My engine had been using oil at a very fast rate and I was just told that hyundai consume a lot of oil. I have had this car since 77k miles and have issues ever since I bought it. At first I had issues with it not accelerating on the interstate and then it would randomly stop while I was driving, almost like a car hiccup. I took it to the dealership, and other car shops and no one found anything wrong. Finally two weeks ago, I was on I85 and my car was driving really roughly and idling roughly as well. No lights came on until it started to decelerate on the interstate to 30 miles an hour and I had to pull off to the side of the road. Then a bunch of different lights came on and I turned it off and it wouldn't turn back on. I had it towed to the dealership, and they stated I had a bad engine, and Hyundai may replace it but it will take the shop 4-6 months to even take the engine apart to see whats happening. I'm out of a car for at least 4 months probably more, and there is nothing I can do. The mechanic is thinking there is an issue with the bearing.
Power train, Engine, Mar 28, 2023
1. Over several documented and undocumented times since July 2021, this vehicle has consistently lost >1 quart of oil every 1k miles. 2. This issue has been confirmed by the dealerships involved several times. 3. It is identified as the Theta engine failure. It began in 2012-13 and has been a constant for Hyundai and Kia models for 7 years. 4. There were no warnings from the initial ignition vehicles system check or at any time while operating this vehicle. Even when the engine loss was measured at about 4 qts. 5. This vehicle has been through 2 complete "oil consumption" programs that measure the oil loss during three consecutive 1K mile periods. Also it has had 2 "combustion cleanings" after which a follow up 1k mile oil check found that it still lost >1 qt of oil. 6. The failure of this engine is always a concern. I have personal and anecdotal testimony of what can happen with the failure of this engine. My wife and I are both in our 70's. We are also helping our 26 year old grandson with various transportation requirements. He has spastic dysplasia cerebral palsy and is unable to walk without a cane or walker. Longer distances require a wheelchair. We cannot push that wheelchair, we cannot carry him. We are in trouble if this engine fails and we are miles from home. Also, the vehicle under went the required ECM UPDATE as required by the NHTSA at 39843 miles on January 11, 2019. This update required the installation of a module that would decrease the RPM'S of the engine if there was a failure. There are horror stories on various FB Group pages about the terror of being on a 70 mph road, in the middle lane, when the engine fails and goes immediately to 35 mph. I have a personal friend who experienced that on I-95 in Maryland and was petrified. 6. Finally, after speaking with various Hyundai Service employees, I feel that I was mistreated after the first process. When my SUV lost >1 qt after 1K miles after the cleaning, I should have gotten a new engine.
Engine, Mar 27, 2023
Engine started making a loud ticking sound about a year ago. No check engine lights and no oil lights. Brought it into Liberty Hyundai in Ramsey, NJ. They flushed the system for $200 and said there was nothing else that had to be done. Then Jan 2023 oil warning light comes on. Checked oil and it was full. Brought it to Paramus, NJ Hyundai and they replaced the oil sensor for $1600. Still said everything was okay. Car is still not sounding right with 74,0000 miles.
Engine and engine cooling, Mar 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough idle. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V578000 (Engine And Engine Cooling), however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000.
Engine, Mar 27, 2023
The vehicle lost power. When we looked under the hood there was oil all over and all oil had leaked. There is a small hole in the side of the engine block.
Engine, Mar 25, 2023
My 2017 Santa Fe SE Ultimate AWD was scheduled for an oil change and yearly NC State inspection and I scheduled that with the local dealer that I use regularly for servicing my Hyundai. On the way to the Hyundai dealership, Johnson Hyundai of Apex, I felt that the engine was making a strange knocking sound when accelerating and seems to have lost power. So I mentioned that to the dealer servicing technician Jeremy and he told me that he too noticed the knocking sound and that they will let me know what is going on. I got my complementary ride back home and in few hours got a call from dealership that I have a blown engine and that they will try and contact Hyundai to see if they will replace the engine. Few day later they called me that Hyundai was going to only pay 90% of the nearly $20000 cost and that I’ll be paying the balance. I insisted full payment but they declined and I am still fighting them to pay for my rental coverage. There were no sign of engine problem or service lights and my suv has been regularly serviced by Hyundai from day one. They need to cover the total cost of the engine as I see there are many other owners that are in the same boat.
Engine, Mar 24, 2023
Engine is using a quart of oil every thousand miles.
Engine, Mar 23, 2023
Was driving 55 mph and engine went into limp mode on busy road almost creating a tear end collision with multiple vehicles traveling at high rate of speed. Cam shaft bolt har sheared off cracking the fuel cover resulting in loss of engine oil. Told this was not covered under warranty but fixable. So fixed that along with front and rear brakes for a total bill of over 3k. Less than 500 miles Later my 21 year old son was driving - engine started clanking loudly the he lost acceleration while traveling a proximate ally 49 mph in heavy traffic. Car needed to be towed and am not being told the engine is blown.
Engine, Mar 20, 2023
Engine had a massive Engine failure with 90k miles on it. Engine was well maintained when failure happened. Engine shut down and left wife and I on side of the road. Had to towed to dealership and dealership said its an engine failure.
Engine, Mar 10, 2023
Vehicle started flashing oil light during turns or bumps. The vehicle was not at mileage for oil change, but brought it in anyway. Turned out the oil was being burned at an access rate which was luckily caught before there was no oil in the vehicle. Vehicle is regularly maintained with documentation to prove. Followed protocols through hyundai by performing an oil consumption test and a combustion engine clean out. Hyundai service coordinator said my engine needs to be replaced but hyundai corporate declined the coverage. Even though many of these vehicles are having this exact same problem. He acknowledged this is a problem with their vehicles and stated they see at least 4 of these a day in their service shop. They told me that I did nothing wrong; that their engines are defective. The only thing he could do is help me price out a new engine. My Santa Fe sport was seen for this problem starting at 70,357miles. Previous oil change was at 66869.
Steering, Suspension, Engine, Mar 9, 2023
The engine throttles while accelerating and leaks oil and a burning smell comes from under the hood. the smell passes through the air vents and fills the car. I am afraid it might catch fire under the hood. The suspension makes noise and can also feel on the steering wheel. I will appreciate the company if they take safety measures in fixing this issue.
Engine, Mar 7, 2023
While driving at approx. 65 mph on Friday, March 3, 2023 my Hyundai Sanat Fe completely loss power. It dramatically loss steering and brake pedal feel. The vehicle needed to be towed to the closest service station. The engine shows no signs of oil leaks or any other physical issues.
Engine, Mar 2, 2023
I bought a 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe Limited trim with the 3.3 L 6 cylinder on Nov 2, 2022. The car was running perfect until Feb 28, 2023, when while driving the engine started knocking and the check engine light came on. This happened instantly. I had it towed to a mechanic where it was discovered that the oil pan and oil filter were covered in metal shavings. The engine failed at 97,000 miles. The code that is being read is “P0014 Exhuast Camshaft position timing - over advanced. This is the same exact thing that is happening with earlier and Hyundai and Kia engines, but there aren’t any recalls, campaigns, or class action law suits open for my specific vehicle, so the Hyundai dealership that I am bought it from are pretty much telling me too bad too sad, you didn’t buy the extended warranty. Hyundai has a significantly documented issues that are exactly the same problems and seem to only be addressing the older vehicles with the same exact issues. This is almost criminal of Hyundai, because even though corporate and their dealerships are aware of these issues and acting like they are sympathizing, they are offering absolutely no help to their customers for their faulty engines.
Engine, Feb 28, 2023
All of sudden check engine came on along with engine oil and battery on dashboard and couldn’t go over 55 MPH on highway and car has been burning oil the past couple months and was told it wasn’t an issue until engine failed on my husband on the way home.
Engine, Feb 28, 2023
Our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe was driving perfect up until an engine light came on last week. During which the vehicle began sounding like a diesel engine idling rough. Using an inexpensive code reader I connected to the vehicle OBDII port and the code related to an crankshaft position error (i don't recall the actual code set). I brought the vehicle into the dealership for a routine oil change and check why the engine light came on. After the oil change had started the dealer brought me into the garage to show me excessive amounts of metal pieces caught within the oil filter making the vehicle inoperable. They mentioned something must have failed within the engine and the engine chewed it to pieces causing the rough idle. They also mentioned they're surprised the vehicle was still working and it was just a matter of time before the engine failed. The dealer explained it would take 9 months to repair due to the 50 other vehicles ahead of me all needing engines and only 1 technician on their staff qualified to replace engines. I researched online for "2017 hyundai santa fe engine failure" and a recall showed up sounding very similar to my issue (Recall No. 17V578000); however, my vehicle VIN number was not included.
Engine, Feb 28, 2023
On the incident date listed, we were driving in Denison, Texas, going southbound on US Hwy 75. Traveling at 70mph, the vehicle started to have a loss of power and the vehicle started to shake, as if we were traveling on uneven pavement. Thankfully, we were able to pull to the side of the road to avoid being struck by traffic following behind us. Approximately 7 miles ahead, road construction is being performed, and there is no shoulder. If this incident would have happened in this area, we would certainly have been killed, because there was no place to move the vehicle. After having the vehicle towed to the dealership, the engine no longer had fire in the first and third cylinders. This was due to no oil in the engine. An oil change had been performed on the car on 11/19/2022, at 115,323 miles. So we had traveled 1205 miles since the oil change. When the oil was checked, no oil showed on the dipstick and there were only 2 quarts of oil in the reservoir. 5 quarts of oil had to be put into the engine to attempt to start the vehicle. After doing research on an issue we did not know existed prior to purchase, Hyundai has shown to have an unusual instance of burning oil in their engines. Leaking is not a sign of trouble, or we would have seen this and had it addressed. We are outside of the warranty by 16k miles and the dealership is unwilling to work with us. We believe this should be brought to the NHTSA's attention, to prevent a potentially deadly incident from happening in the near future.
Engine, Feb 24, 2023
Driving car when suddenly all the dash lights came on and car started sputtering. Pulled over to side of road where car completely died. Could not restart with jump. Towed to mechanic where he informed me the engine appears to be ruined. Maintain regular oil changes since purchasing car in 2020.
Engine, Feb 23, 2023
The engine seized while driving. It will be available to inspect if requested. No warning signs whatsoever. Not a light on the dash. 117,xxx or so miles on it. We were driving in the left lane on the interstate when it happened. No noise, just completely shut off. In ST. Louis traffic. We couldn’t get to the right side so it was extremely dangerous. I’m unsure if this is a common issue or not. The vehicle has only had diagnostics so far, no further inspections. I was due for an oil change that week, there were zero warnings signs that I noticed but I’m not a mechanic. No lights prior to incident, but when it occurred the following lights came on: key undetected light, oil pressure light, engine malfunction light, power steering light, battery light, and I believe there was one more unknown light. My vehicle engine just shut off completely and wouldn’t restart.
Power train, Engine, Feb 21, 2023
We were traveling down the road 12/08/22 and a clanging noise started. we were only a few miles from the Hyundai place in Orlando so we drove there. They put us in a rental and said most likely it threw a rod and would need the Engine replaced. It had about 95500 miles on it. Universal Hyundai called and said Hyuandi would replace the engine as goodwill with a rebuilt engine and It will cost me 1300.00. after 65 days in the shop they said I can pick it up. Drove it 11 miles and it broke down again. got it towed back to Universal Hyundai. They said it was the start and alternator and it will cost me 2000.00. My car is 4.5 hours away from where I live. The month before I had to have both sensor assy- oxygen replaced, they changed me for that also. In February of 2022 the Catiliyst Convertor was replaced, which was covered under warranty. I maintained my oil changes.
Engine, Feb 11, 2023
My family was driving down a busy state road at around 45 mph when the engine stalled. Seconds before the engine stalled the check engine light came on leaving no time to react.There were no other warning lights to indicate a problem leading up to the incident. Thankfully with what control we had left of the vehicle we were able to maneuver into a shopping center. Though we were able to stop safely we found ourselves facing the wrong direction in the shopping center right of way. The police arrived to direct traffic in the area around our vehicle as we waited for the tow truck causing major congestion leading out into the main road. The car was towed to the Hyundai dealership for inspection. They diagnosed the problem as a rod bearing failure in the engine. At only 65,000 miles this type of engine failure without any warning from the cars systems is unacceptable and dangerous.
Engine, Feb 10, 2023
Oil consumption bulletin, piston slap, engine failure causing vehicle to shift into limp mode while driving at 70 miles per hour.