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
967 reports, newest first.
Engine, Oct 5, 2023
When driving vehicle it turns off while driving. It simply cuts off. It has done this at least 3 times already.
Engine, Oct 2, 2023
On interstate 77 in west virginia when vehicle slowed, whent into Beckley, WV. Stopped at Autozone checked oil was OK, check engine light 0018 ( crankshaft position sensor), started to go to Beckley Hyundai about 2 miles away. Engine quit before getting there. Got tow to dealer who said engine seized and needs new motor. (Car has 78,000 miles) Apparently this has happened to a lot of 2017 Santa fe. Hyundai will not pay for repairs. The 3.3L G6DF motor has been discontinued, and rebuilt motors are in short supply, as so many other Santa Fe are waiting for motors. Hyundai had a recall of 2017 Santa Fe built between Jan. 26 - Feb. 13 because of engine failures, but problem appears to be wider than that.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Sep 30, 2023
ABS light, passenger air bag light and skid light came on. Passenger airbag light flashes whenever car is in drive
Service brakes, Engine, Sep 29, 2023
The oil leaks every time I brake, and car engine and brakes get hot.
Engine, Sep 28, 2023
Paid off my vehicle at the end of 2022. Beginning of 2023, it started knocking. Had it towed to the Dealership and come to find out, the engine needed to be replaced. Well we had them replace it while I tried working with Hyundai. Explained that my 2017 has the 3.3 engine. Only 420 vehicles were recalled. However, mine was not one of them. It’s the exact thing that was happening with the recall vehicles. Now they want to charge me another $11,000 to get it back from the dealership. This is clearly a problem but they won’t assist.
Engine, Sep 26, 2023
After changing my oil, engine started knocking and now car has faulty engine that is very expensive to replace.
Engine, Sep 23, 2023
Engine failure, crankshaft sensory did not go off and it will need a brand new engine. Only 94k miles
Engine, Sep 20, 2023
In June, I was driving my Santa Fe down the highway with my children when it suddenly died. I had no control over the vehicle. There were no warning lights on, my engine temp was not high. I was able to get it off to the side of the road. I found that the oil was almost completely empty even though I have regular oil changes and have had no leaks. I took my vehicle to Vern Eddy on Sioux City, IA, where I originally bought this vehicle. (I bought this new) They confirmed it was the rod bearings. Which is a known manufacturers defect in many of their engines that are being recalled however, not in this particular model so, they are refusing to fix it. I've looked online and seen hundreds of others with this exact engine having the exact same issue. I just want them to fix it. My children could have been seriously injured.
Service brakes, Sep 9, 2023
All safety lights AEB, TMPS, ABS, on. The car breaking as driven due to this issue. Reported to Hyundai Headquarters. They said it was a major safety issue but not willing to pay for repairs especially since it's a safety issue.There many reports online of people experiencing the same issue with new cars as well. Having to pay for this is not very noble of Hyundai.
Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2023
On my 2017 Santa Fe equipped with a power lift gate, when the power struts start to fail, it is without warning and intermittent. The lift gate will fully open, then suddenly drop down about a foot before stopping striking the top of the head. At first the drop down would occur several seconds later when one was already under the lift gate and bump the head when moving back. This started about 2 months ago. Hyundai had to replace both power struts where the total job cost just over $1,700.00. The part were $1,244.08. Although I took a video of this with my cell phone, it is too large to email to my Gmail or AOL inbox. Eventually the lift gate could fail completely possible trapping a small person under same.
Engine, Sep 1, 2023
I was driving the car and then all of a sudden I was getting a lot vibrations. It was very hard to control the car. I pulled over and had it tow to the dealer I bought it from, Herb Chambers Honda of Westborough, Massachusetts. They told me it was the fuel injection system. I had replaced, and then the same thing happened again, they sent me to Herb Chambers Hyundai of Auburn. They told me it is the engine. They refused to replace it.
Engine, Aug 31, 2023
Car stopped suddenly and when I went to check, the oil had been completely depleted. The shop says the engine failed, most likely because the oil had evaporated. Low mileage, well maintained, so the car has a defect that can be life threatening. Thankfully, for me, it stopped in a quiet road and had to be towed. This could have happened in busy traffic and caused a bad accident.
Engine, Aug 29, 2023
I've owned my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3L V6 since late 2021. I haven't noticed it using oil. Stopped at a traffic light, the engine lost power. It was so scary! No warning lights were on my dash. I was thankful to not be rear-ended...although I could have filed an insurance claim if I had been. As it is, my insurance says it is a 'mechanical failure.' The car would not start but luckily some strangers pushed me out of the highway. I tried two different jumper cables and was able to roll up my windows but not much else. The car was towed back to hometown. At a repair shop, the mechanic told me the engine was locked. It has 97,000 miles on it and I'm the second owner so the 100K warranty doesn't apply to me. I called Hyundai and they instructed me to have the car towed to a Hyundai dealership where they 'might' help. The car sat for 2 weeks before anyone looked at it. This week, I heard from the repair shop that the engine is seized and not repairable. This model has no open engine recalls. I don't understand how this engine isn't being recalled like the other Hyundai models. I have to say that I will no longer purchase Hyundai's or recommend them to anyone else! As I still owe quite a bit on this car, I still don't know what I am going to do. The shop said they would look for an used engine with lower miles. I still haven't heard anything additional. Seems like the hens are guarding the henhouse pretty tight!
Engine, Aug 22, 2023
Driving down the highway and vehicle just shut off at a stop light. No lights of any kind on the dashboard. Started it up stayed running, checked all the gages, everything was normal. Was waiting at the red light and it turned off again. When I started it up again noticed that the oil light was on longer than the other lights, but it went out. Pulled over and checked the oil, no oil on the dip stick. Put 2 quarts of oil in it and tried to limp home. Turned off again and wouldn't restart. No warning lights. Took it to a dealership and was told the engine was seized and they knew about the oil consumption issue, but they told me that 3.3L engines weren't covered. No I still have half my car to pay for and engine replacement costs as much as the car is worth. I currently still have the vehicle and trying to figure things out.
Engine, Aug 21, 2023
I've owned my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3L V6 since 2017, the last year, the engine has been consuming oil at a higher rate than normal. Performed an oil change in early June, it has burned 3 quarts of oil in two months. Last Thursday, 08/17/2023, the engine started knocking bad, and it lost power as the vehicle was being parked. Towed to a repair shop, waiting on inspection but it sounds like a camshaft knock, but it's terrible. It has 103,000 miles on it and I just paid it off last year. I don't understand how this engine isn't being recalled like the other Hyundai models. I have to say that I will no longer purchase Hyundai's or recommend them to anyone else.
Power train, Engine, Aug 21, 2023
My ‘17 Santa Fe has been well taken care of with regular oil changes and we have kept up with the recommended maintenance. While driving on 8/17/2023 the car started to struggle to accelerate and I heard a knocking sound. Within moments there was total engine and power failure and I had to quickly get the vehicle off the road to avoid being rear ended. There were no warning lights on until the moment it was dying. The battery light, check engine light, and oil light came on, but then the vehicle had quickly lost all power immediately after. Once it was towed to Meineke and looked over by the mechanics there it was determined that it needs a new engine and that it had very, very little oil in it.
Engine, Aug 18, 2023
Blown engine in the middle of the highway. The car have been consuming excessive amounts of oil. I though that, if the car has the oil change done more often, the engine would be fine, but that was not the case.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 16, 2023
Had oil changed July 5, 2023, Aug. 14 check engine light came on. Took it to shop and was told Hyundai vehicles are burning oil in the engine and the diagnostic code came back as Catalytic Convert and had to add oil. Have oil spots all over my drive so was told to check oil and make sure it's not low and see if light comes back on. Repair shop checked for recalls and found none for this car, yet. Daughter has 2013 Kia Rio with same problem for past couple of years. Why do recalls take so long?
Engine, Aug 16, 2023
Previous to the day of this incident there was no check engine light showing. I was driving and heard a knocking /grinding sound that progressively got worse. I was trying to get home and the engine suddenly died , all of the warning lights came on and the engine couldn’t start. Took it to the dealership. The third party extended warranty didn’t cover it because all of the oil was missing ( no oil leak was present). Still waiting to see if the dealership will repair.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 15, 2023
Upon approaching stop sign, the vehicle stalled and after restart, the vehicle ceased acceleration at intervals. This caused the vehicle to impede/slow traffic during journey. Again, at stop light, the vehicle stalled and “all” warning lights appeared. The engine failed to restart and the vehicle was towed from traffic due to engine failure. The vehicle is a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 with 116,000 miles. An Engine Class Settlement has been established for the model years 2010-2012 with this same issue. The vehicle will be towed to a dealership for inspection, confirmation and repair. I felt the need to make an incident report thinking maybe other reports have been filed, also, and the manufacturer reusing to admit to problem issues.
Engine, Aug 15, 2023
While driving on the highway my engine seized up and stopped working altogether. My dashboard went completely red with warning lights and I could get to the side of the road to call for assistance. The day prior while getting an oil change I was told by the mechanic that some Hyundai cars have been consuming oil quickly and that I had less than a quart left while I just was a little of the 3000-mile mark. The previous oil change I was also told I was at a very low level as well. I called the dealership about the concern and they were willing to run some tests on the car, but that afternoon the engine seized up. The car was towed back to the dealership and I was able to have the engine replaced by the manufacturer. I was very concerned for our safety when the incident happened because I was on a highway traveling at a high-speed rate (posted 60mph) but was glad to safely make it to the shoulder of the roadway.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 12, 2023
On May 2023, while my husband was taking my daughter to go to school with 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, he noticed engine knocking noises emanating from the engine compartment. Shortly after, the vehicle's performance significantly deteriorated, and the check engine light illuminated on the dashboard, and the engine shut down. Get the car towed to the nearest auto service, the mechanic told me that there’s an engine failure as result of abnormal oil consumption causing internal damage and need to be fixed by Hyundai. I called Hyundai USA, and was told that in order to have it covered under the warranty, it needed to be repaired by an authorized dealer. However, no authorized dealer had an available appointment for at least 2 months. Finally after 2 months, I had the car towed to the authorized Hyundai service center for diagnosis and repairs. Upon examination by the certified technicians at the Hyundai service center, I was informed that it needs and engine replacement that will cost around $20,000. I called Hyundai Corporation and had escalated my case to the case manager, but the manager never called back to give me an update. Their customer service department is also frustrating to deal with. They just sort of repeat the same phrases over and over again rather than having any sort of actual conversation with you. It's been more than 2 months after the incident and they finally they can’t do anything about it because it’s outside of warranty. It’s very frustrating
Engine, Aug 12, 2023
My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe is excellently maintained with 130,000 miles on it with a faulty rod requiring engine replacement. There is a safety recall #168 for the exact same failure on the same year make and model and engine but Hyundai will not cover my engine as this recall is vin specific and mine does not qualify. Now left a loan on a car that I cannot drive.
Engine, Aug 11, 2023
About two months ago my son was driving home and noticed the oil light flash on and off quickly while he was driving. He immediately brought the car to our regular mechanic who instructed him to just check the oil "it might be a little low"- When my son arrived home we checked the oil and the oil was down 3+quarts. There is no engine oil leak, and the oil in the car had been changed recently and has also been changed every 3-5K miles per the manufacturers recommendation. We did a bit of research and learned that this is a known problem for thousands of Hyundai owners and that Hyundai recommended we start a case with them. We did. We had an oil consumption test performed during which we were told not to check the oil at all ourselves or it would "ruin the test". We were then told that the car was "only down a quart of oil after 1K miles and so it is fine"- The case manager told us that if the car had been down even an ounce more than a quart, we would be moved into a place where we could get some repairs done on the known defective engine. We are now left with a car that burns oil at a rate that is not normal or safe. In addition, our car makes loud popping noises upon start which we have researched and found is due to oil escaping from the engine and going to places in the car where it should not be. We don't believe the car is safe to drive because there is no consistent way to determine how much oil the car is burning and asking a customer to replace a quart of oil every 1K miles is unreasonable. There are thousands of people across the US who are experiencing this same issue. Why hasn't there been a recall?
Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 10, 2023
The car is 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with a defective crankshaft. The car is leaking oil. I called Hyundai and they noted that although they have recall 168 the VIN for my car doesn't match a recall that is on their website. I spoke to a Hyundai case manager today who said that even though my car has the defective crankshaft they will not repair the vehicle because it beyond 100,000 and the recall is expired. I am seeking help from the NHTSA as my car should be covered under this recall. I took it to an independent shop that noted that my car should be covered. I have photo and documents to prove that my car should be covered under this recall. My VIN just doesn't match their records and they are denying my claim.