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, Jan 10, 2022
Motor was using way too much oil between engine oil changes. The vehicle only had 76,000 miles on it. My wife was driving to work when it stopped working. My mechanic said Hyundai was aware of poor engines. My wife was driving it and engine stopped working. Now have to replace the motor.
Engine, Jan 6, 2022
I was driving on the interstate with my 2 kids in the car and my car started losing power. I was able to coast off the exit and the car died. No warning lights, no smoke, no noises, nothing. The engine seized up. We provided maintenance records but Hyundai is denying its their fault or a faulty engine. They quoted us $18,000 for new engine
Engine, Jan 5, 2022
On Oct. 25, 2021 my family and I were returning from a day trip. I stopped to re-fuel my car and when I got out the engine was making a horrible noise. No lights came on, nothing indicated any kind of issue. I asked my husband and he said it is the engine and told me to turn the car off. We pushed the car to a safe space and took an Uber home. The following day I had the vehicle towed to the local Hyundai dealership. Within a few days I was told the vehicle failed a rod bearing test and that it was being submitted to Hyundai for review and hopeful assistance with replacement because the engine was done. It was indicated that because I had the larger engine and there were no recalls on that one it wasn't likely Hyundai would help but it was worth a shot to try. It took several weeks but Hyundai finally responded and said they would not assist. I was advised by the dealership to file my own claim and argue so I did. It took over a month to get a response from Hyundai despite multiple calls from me and Hyundai basically told me I was on my own. So, I have a blown engine in a vehicle I owe over $16,000 on that only has 103,000 miles. I have taken appropriate care of the vehicle and it has NEVER run low on oil. This is a catastrophic failure with no recourse. Hyundai does not make the engine any longer (gee I wonder why? ) and a remanufactured engine with a 1 year warranty will cost me between $8,000 and $11,000. I have been told by every junk yard within a 200 mile radius that the engine I am looking for is hard to find because they are generally purchased as they come in the door because of such a high need for replacement engines.
Engine, Jan 4, 2022
I have a 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport 2.4 Liter engine. On December 16th at 3am i was on the highway and the gas would not go above 65mph after i herd a clunk, but i did not hit anything in the road. 4 miles after that it started slowing down with all the warning lights going off. 3 miles after that off the highway onto a city street and 4 miles away from home the vehicle made a sudden down shift (it seemed) started to slow down after a sound of my engine clinking and sounded as some parts fell off. A half mile away from home it slowed to a walking pace and shut down. I looked under the vehicle, oil was everywhere, i looked under the hood and seen the same thing. After a half mile tow my mechanic of 12 years who inspects the vehicle and does all the repairs and oil changes three to four times a year stated the pins and rods under the engine fell apart and blew a hole in the bottom of the engine. My mechanic T.J.Burns at Burns Automotive, CarMax mechanic and Precision Auto all in Greenville, South Carolina said the 2.4 Liter engines from this manufacturer are known for blowing out and dying after 100,000 miles regardless of proper maintenance and this IS a a manufacturer's defect in their professional opinion.
Engine, Dec 29, 2021
Excessive build up of sludge, even with proper maintenance.
Other or unspecified, Dec 28, 2021
The engine had a catastrophic failure due to bearing failure with no advanced warning lights. The issue occurred while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. The engine had an immediate drop in power and produced a searing grinding noise. The drop in power forced my speed from 55 to 35 mph in a matter of secondS. I had to negotiate across 3 lanes of traffic in order to exit the highway to find a safe stop to contact roadside assistance. Some smoke was coming from the engine but no fire. Prior to the incident, the vehicle had been driven <3 miles in local stop/go traffic from a cold start. Roadside assistance towed to local Grayson Hyundai Dealer who inspected the engine and determined the bearing failure within two days. The check engine light came on at the same instance as the engine failure. There was no advanced warning even though Hyundai performed a recall that updated software to specifically detect and alert to potential failure. Car is still awaiting warranty repairs by dealer. Dealer will not provide any written details to me or provide any cost or timeline estimates for the repair. While the failure occurred within the manufacturer’s 5 year/60K mile warranty, the warranty has now expired in the 5 months it has been waiting to be repaired.
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 8, 2021
We consistently had issues with losing power on turns. My wife questioned Hyundai many times. They took it for a test drive and said they could not duplicate the issue and that they did not receive any complaints from anyone. We believed them until I saw many complaints on various websites including this site. Then the major issue occurred. I was merging onto an interstate making a big right hand loop and while I was in the middle of the right turn loop, the car lost power and then it did not come back. I had multiple cars behind me and many on the highway with nowhere to pull over. Top speed was 45 mph. It turned out to be a blown Turbo. The car is under warranty. That was in July of 2021. It is now December 2021 and I still do not have my car with no idea of when it will be fixed. After telling us they would have the part in August (which didn't happen) then September (which didn't happen) then November (which again did not happen) they said they didn't even show a ship order any longer for the part. We were told to call customer affairs. I called them on 11/22 and again on 12/8 - still no one is calling back. I'm stuck driving a small car while I'm paying for an SUV that no one will give any feedback. There were many cars at the dealer lot which appeared to be the same issue - same model. This has to qualify for the lemon law. The loss of power suddenly is extremely dangerous so if you have one, be careful.
Engine, Nov 27, 2021, fire
The owner had just left the driveway and was driving up the neighborhood block at low speed in the vehicle when another driver motioned that there was a problem with the car, pointing at the driver's side wheel well. The owner immediately pulled to the curb, exited the vehicle, and saw smoke pouring from the vehicle. Grabbed purse and moved a safe distance away. Spontaneously the car caught fire under the engine before the fire truck arrived 8 minutes later. Huge flames shooting from under the hood were captured on both video and photos. The car is a total loss. Had been well maintained.
Other or unspecified, Nov 23, 2021
Car loses power when taking off and turning either direction, like when you are getting out into traffic. Very dangerous. Just when you need to accelerate it looses power for a few seconds. Traction control light comes on each time, very briefly. Happens at random times, so it is hard to duplicate and trouble shoot. Service Dept says even if it is a known problem, Hyundai will not fix (still in warranty) unless they can duplicate problem ON MY CAR! And they will charge $150 if it doesn't happen for them.
Other or unspecified, Nov 9, 2021
When making a sharp right turn and accelerating the car hesitates then catches and accelerates suddenly. It can be very scary when trying to turn onto a busy road. The issue is repeatable.
Engine, Oct 29, 2021
Dealership suspects "Rod Bearing Failure" due to knocking, loss of power and metal flakes in oil. Just 400 miles before oil was changed at dealership with no mention of issue. Technician claimed it just didn't happen, its been going on for some time. There is no mention in any service history of 4 years between the 2 dealers that it was happening. Total engine failure will happen (engine will seize). It matches the recall done in November 2017, #168 by Hyundai on a "certain" Santa Fe with the 3.3L engines. If the engine seized while driving, it could have caused an accident. Hyundai Corporate said I was the 2nd owner, warranty ended at 60,000 miles... I am owed nothing. No warning light or knocking happened until the afternoon of 8/9/21. Then the dealership took possession at 1st available date 2 days later and inspected it.
Engine, Oct 29, 2021
While driving the vehicle on a major city street at approximately 40 mph the stopped running not allowing me to move out of the roadway and almost rear ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was moved out of the road way and towed to my residence. It was found that the check engine light showed code P0014 and P0024 crank shaft issues which caused the vehicle engine to lose power. Vehicle was taken to dealer ship and manufacture was contacted. Note that there had been a prior recall for engine and crank shaft issues. Manufacture advised that the vehicle was out of warranty and that the VIN number was not part of the recall. Manufacture was not willing to take any other action to resolve the problem with the engine issues.
Other or unspecified, Oct 26, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that upon turning the steering wheel in either direction, the steering wheel would remain seized in the turning position without warning. The contact stated that he manually adjusted the steering wheel to prevent the steering wheel from remaining seized in the turned position. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and an independent mechanic where the steering wheel was realigned; however, the failure returned after each repair. Brown-Daub Hyundai (3901 Hecktown Rd, Easton, PA 18045) was also notified of the failure but was unable to schedule an appointment. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Engine, Oct 5, 2021
Had oil changed on June30 2021 and on July 3 2021 the engine seized without oil in it. Had it towed to St. Augustine Hyundai and put a claim for replacement engine and Hyundai denied fixing it 3 months later with no explanation. Anyone I talked to in Hyundai Corporate they couldn't tell me why it was denied. This is the only vehicle we have and now we have no vehicle to drive.
Engine, Sep 27, 2021
This is a Santa Fe Ultimate AWD with the 3.3 l engine. We were driving home and in our neighborhood when the car suddenly stopped with no warning. We had it towed to a local shop and were told the engine had completely seized and needs to be replaced. It was not low on oil and has been regularly maintained. Only 60,000 miles.
Engine, Sep 25, 2021
Even though my check engine light wasn’t on my vehicle began to stall while I was merging on a major highway. A mile later the car began to smoke from behind made a weird noise and it completely stopped. Me and my 7 yr old stayed stranded on the shoulder of a highway while semis whizzed by at 80 mph. Called roadside assistance but no longer covered so couldn’t be helped while me and my families life was in danger. Case manager at the national office rude unsympathetic and hung up on me. My car is still with the dealer even though it is under warranty and has been with the dealer since September 8,2021 every time I call they give me the run around as I pay $1200 for a rental because they refuse to provide me with one.
Engine, Sep 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle loss power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Engine, Sep 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, a knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine bearings had failed, and metal particles were discovered in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V578000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 74,400.
Engine, Sep 5, 2021
The engine warning light came on and Oil leak from engine, I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they thought it was an oil cap plug not put in correctly, they put it back in back in July 2021. But oil leak still happen and the engine warning light keeps turn on. Every day i have to check oil level to make sure it not go below the minimum and I keep on adding oil. I have go to the dealership and they unable to help me. I made repair issues know to them, and schedule several appointments and they keep cancel it, they say at this time they do not take any serious engine issues. The last appointment was made on August for September 4, and the Huyndai auto repair center cancel the day before, say that i have to find other repair shop to work on my engine problem. My car buy in October 2016, and currently sit at under 41,000 miles. The Engine warning light came up back in June 2021.
Engine, Sep 3, 2021, fire
The engine in our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe SE 3.3L V6 has always had problems with lag/ hesitation when accelerating from a stop from the very beginning of ownership (first owner). This was always dismissed by Hyundai's mechanics as not actually existing, although it did lag constantly. I know many other have reported similar issues so, I include this only that it could potentially be an early sign of a manufacturers defect leading to larger problems later? Now, we regularly change the oil in our Santa Fe and have never seen a single warning light outside of tire pressure warnings. But on 7/29/21, with our vehicle just out of warranty at 112k miles, while accelerating to freeway speed from an on ramp at 60 mph multiple warning lights came and at the same time there was a very large bang from the engine and a large amount of smoke came from under the hood, enough to seriously affect the vision of drivers behind me. There was a very rapid lose of speed and I also observed things falling from the vehicle in the rearview. I luckily managed the vehicle to the shoulder and quickly got out. I thought vehicle was on fire, it may have been, the smoke kept up for 5-10 minutes. At this point the car would not start or run and a large pool of oil and or coolant formed underneath. It was towed to a Hyundai dealer and the prognosis was a broken connecting rod that had blew a large maybe 5" diameter hole through the bottom of the engine. And now, despite providing proof of recent oil changes, Hyundai has dismissed any manufacturing issues from causing the issue and sighting the problem was from lack of maintenance because of sludge in the engine. Although to my understanding sludge can also be produced rapidly when contaminants, like coolant, from bad valves or head gaskets, enter the oil. When I asked about this the technician literally just didn't answer. So, now we currently owe $7k on a vehicle needing repairs at the quoted price of $8-$14k and Hyundai has closed our case.
Engine, Sep 1, 2021
The engine lite came on, there was a lost of acceleration, the vehicle stalled when slowing down for a stop light or stop sign, There was a ping noise evident with the engine. I didnt trust the vehicle had it towed to the mechanic. The mechanic noted you have only two quarts of oil in the engine. This mechanic performed all routine maintenance, rotations, oil changes, checking fluids etc. There were no signs of oil leaks and or burning of oil with the exhaust. I then sent the car to the dealership for their own review. They confirmed the engine failure and the ping noise was the rod due to lack of oil. The dealership files a claim with Hyundai #PA102790, the claim was denied and still has not provided a reason for the oil loss which was the reason for the failure of the engine. There were no indicator lights noting low oil pressure or the engine is overheating, the engine lite came on in the morning and just like in A MANNER OF COUPLE OF HRS the engine started the symptoms noted above. The dealer ship gave Hyundai's complaint line, but after reading the problems associated with the Engines with the sante fe what is the point to call them?
Engine, Aug 24, 2021
Engine made a loud pinging noise. No warning lights appeared. I had it towed to dealer and they said that metal shavings were in the oil and the engine is shot and needs to be replaced. Car had 95,400 miles. Hyundai denied warranty because I was second owner after ignoring me for approximately one month and they never did reply to me directly, only to the dealer. How can so many Hyundai engines not last for over 100,000 miles?
Engine, Aug 23, 2021
Took 2017 Sante Fe to dealer for a oil change and to look into an intermittent hard shift from a stop. During test drive dealer stated car engine warning light came on and vehicle stalled, mechanic was able to steer vehicle to side of road, vehicle would not restart, after several hours they informed me that engine had seized and would need to be replaced.
Other or unspecified, Aug 22, 2021
As I was driving on the freeway, I heard something that sounded like a bomb go off overhead. I safely pulled over and discovered that my panoramic sunroof had exploded. There were no other vehicles nearby that could have kicked up anything, especially because it was directly overhead. Thankfully I had the interior closed, but if it had been opened myself along with my 4 passengers (three who are young children) would have been covered in glass shards not to mention I could have ran into the wall or something else. Upon investigation, this is a known issue with Hyundai sunroofs. I have not yet been able to have anyone inspect it since it is Sunday. There were no warnings at all that this was going to happen.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 23, 2021
We were driving on a highway at normal highway speeds around 10:15pm. There was some light rain and some lightning in the area. Out of nowhere our panoramic sunroof on our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe just exploded. There were no cars/trucks in front of us that kicked up any debris that could have caused this. It just shattered and the sound was deafening, it sounded like an explosion and for a quick second I thought we were getting shot at until I observed that no other glass in the car was broken so at that point I knew it was the panoramic sunroof.