Page 3 of 3 · complaints 101–110 of 110

2018 Hyundai Santa FE complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2018 record →

Engine
Filed Dec 20, 20181 milesCA

ENGINE PROBLEM

Steering
Filed Nov 7, 201818,000 milesFL

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS HIGHER THAN 60MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMS TO STICK IN ONE POSITION AND JERK WHEN YOU TRY TO ADJUST THE STEERING IN THE SLIGHTEST.

Seat Belts
Filed Nov 7, 20187,500 milesWA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FAILED TO MAKE AN AUDIBLE SOUND WHEN IT WAS ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SPOKANE HYUNDAI (8801 E SPRAGUE AVE, SPOKANE VALLEY, WA 99212, (509) 922-1450) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT A FAILURE COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V145000 (SEAT BELTS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,500.

Engine
Filed Oct 16, 20184,638 milesNH

WHEN DRIVING ON A BACK ROAD GOING ABOUT 35-40 MPH, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RPMS SPIKED WAY UP AND THE CAR STARTED SHAKING. AS I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE BUT THE RPMS WOULD GO EXTREMELY HIGH. EVERY TIME I HAD A STOP LIGHT AND TRIED ACCELERATING ONCE THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE AND RPMS WOULD JUST KEEP REVING UP REAL HIGH. I WAS AFRAID I WAS GOING TO GET HIT OR REAR ENDED. HUGE SAFETY CONCERNS.

Service Brakes
Filed Sep 26, 20186,954 milesNY

YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS TEACHING MY VEHICLE I SUDDENLY MARKED STEERING WHEEL ON THE BOARD. AND ON THE BRAKES EVERY TIME I PUT THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE IT MAKES A LOUD SOUND ON THE LEFT REAR SIDE.

Power Train
Filed Sep 4, 20186,000 milesTN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,000.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Aug 17, 20182,000 milesAL

LED HEADLIGHTS PARTICULARLY ON UNLIGHTED ROADS PRESENT A DARKEN SHADOW ON THE TOP HALF OF THE WINDSHIELD WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. NARROWING VIEW IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS ONE IS UNABLE TO SEE APPROACHING TRAFFIC OR PEDESTRIANS. DEALERSHIP AND HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SUPPORT STATED THAT HEADLIGHTS MEET SPECS. SERVICE MANAGER DROVE CAR AT NIGHT AND TOLD ME THAT HE SEES THE ISSUE BUT HAS NO FIX. HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SUPPORT SAID IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE, BUT A DESIGN ISSUE AND I COULD MODIFY THE HEADLIGHTS AT MY EXPENSE AND BREAK THE WARRANTY. I WILL ATTACH A PICTURE AND CAN BRING THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT AGENT TO VALIDATE.

Engine
Filed May 30, 2018135 milesPA

DRIVING @60 W/CRUSE ON GOING DOWN A HILL ENGINE RPM'S SUDDENLY JUMP FROM 2000 TO ANYWHERE FROM 3000 TO 5000 RPM'S AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP ENGINE RACING IS TO TAP THE BRAKES TO DISENGAGE CRUSE. ALSO VEHICLE WILL NOT SPEED UP WHEN TURNING A CORNER,LIKE THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T DOWN SHIFT.THESE BOTH HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 800 MILES.

Steering
Filed Apr 24, 2018NY

WE LEASED THIS NEW VEHICLE ON APRIL 21ST 2018. AT THE TIME, WE DID NOT KNOW IT HAD AN OPEN RECALL FOR A FAULTY AND DANGEROUS STEERING WHEEL/COLUMN CONNECTION. WE WERE FINALLY NOTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP 2 DAYS AFTER THE SALE ON APRIL 23RD, 2018. ATLANTIC HYUNDAI OF ISLIP, NY TOLD US THAT THEY THEMSELVES WERE JUST NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL, BUT THROUGH A SEARCH I LOCATED ARTICLES SHOWING THAT HYUNDAI MOTORS BEGAN NOTIFYING CUSTOMERS ON MARCH 16TH, 2018, OVER A MONTH EARLIER. MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN WERE ALLOWED TO DRIVE OFF THE LOT IN THIS VEHICLE, WHICH COULD UNKNOWINGLY EXPERIENCE A SEPARATION OF THE STEERING WHEEL FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHILE BEING DRIVEN. WE WOULD NOT HAVE LEASED THIS VEHICLE IF WE HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE RECALL AND BECAUSE THEY LIED, STATING THAT THEY HAD JUST GOTTEN NOTICE OF THE RECALL.

Steering
Filed Mar 17, 20188,000 milesAL

STEERING BECOMES UNSTABLE DURING DRIVING ON WINDY DAYS. STEERING TRAYS TO OVER COMPENSATE FOR WIND AND BECOMES SCARY TO DRIVE.

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2018 Hyundai Santa FE → · Every Santa FE year → · How the figures are calculated →