2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Electrical System Problems

This complaint relates to Recall Campaign 251 from Hyundai, specifically the ABS Control Module. I own an affected 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe Sport. I bought it used in October 2023, and it driven by my minor child. While the affected components have yet to cause a problem, the mere fact that this vehicle could start on fire concerns me. Moreover, Hyundai has the wherewithal to fix the problem, rather than simply replacing a fuse and hoping for the best. As a father, it is my privilege and responsibility to protect and provide for my family. In order for me to do this, I would like NHTSA to throw the full weight of their influence on Hyundai and insist that they fix this problem. The very least they could do is provide a suitable vehicle as a loaner until my vehicle is fixed. Better yet, they can buy this vehicle and I will use that money to buy the same, or nearly same, type of vehicle from them. That is a win-win situation in my opinion. I am a retired State Trooper and for over half of my career I conducted numerous Traffic Homicide Investigations and Accident Reconstructions. I lost count of how many civil trials I testified in. I was considered a subject matter expert in several areas, including vehicle equipment failure. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen. More importantly, if this issue is not fixed, people are going to die because of Hyundai's malfeasance. Thank you for your time. I am committed to following through on this and will be watching very closely how both Hyundai and NHSTA respond to this campaign.

Doors unlock without warning while driving.

Burning smell and smoke. No oil leak. Car will not start. I do not have another vehicle to use. I have 2 young children

My car engine compartment fire while parked in front of my condo

Hyundai has not yet come up with a remedy. There is conflicting information about whether car is drivable considering fire can occur while in operation. I have read some information to suggest it can be driven until ABS warning light comes on however that information is not included in recall notice. Would NHTSA be able to confirm we can drive the vehicle if ABS light is not on? Have contacted Hyundai and there is still no remedy. No offer of compensation, buy back or loaner. Note while we can park our vehicle outside, it is not at all reasonable to suggest it be parked away from buildings. That suggests we could be held liable if the car catches fire and nearby structures catch fire. Cars would have to be parked in a field or vacant lot somewhere far and away from any home or business, rendering the vehicle not usable. I noticed there was a recall issued in 2022 for THE SAME DEFECT but affecting a smaller number of vehicles. So this ABS electrical issue has been in effect in actuality, since 2022. How long does a manufacturer have to find the remedy and repair a vehicle once a recall is issued? I do not feel safe driving my vehicle nor having parked in front of my home and in my neighborhood. The local dealership and Hyundai customer service has told me it’s OK to drive the car but again, I don’t find that information anywhere in the notice. If that were the case, wouldn’t the notice say so? Oh - I was going to sell my car to replace it and no one wants to buy it in light of this recall. Help? Thank you!

Please reference NHTSA recall number 23V651000. I am registering a complaint because the manufacturer has failed to remedy this safety issue in a timely manner. It is a fire hazard. Our vehicle is among the affected. This needs to be rectified immediately.

The ABS sensor failed on my vehicle, causing it to no longer accelerate past 20 mph on the highway. This put my safety at risk, as well as my passengers and others on the road because it happened suddenly while I was on the highway. My car could no longer accelerate suddenly while all cars around me were traveling at high speeds. The ABS light came on my dash, as well as the traction control and incline warning. I can no longer drive my vehicle so it has not been inspected yet.

Issue # 1 - Door open light flashing on instrumental panel. I checked out the door and it was closed tightly. It continues to flash today (09/13/2023). During the end of April 2023, I could not lock my doors and the interior dome light stayed on. I was not aware of this and it drained my battery a couple of times in which my vehicle would not start. I now keep my interior dome light in the "Off' position. Now, when I drive at night, it get in and out of a dark vehicle. This is a safety concern since I am a female and I care for my disabled mother. I also cannot keep my doors locked when I am driving due to this issue. For safety reasons, I prefer to drive with my doors locked and I am unable to due this. I took it to the dealer and they believe the door actuator is the root cause. They gave me an estimate of $850 for parts and labor. I declined the repair, I thought it is too costly. Issue # 2 - Air Conditioner stops blowing cold and starts blowing nothing but hot air. This started in July of 2022. The AC works intermittently. I believe the blower needs to be replaced.

While driving vehicle on freeway car stalled and would not accelerate. Car was then pulled over to side of road .Turned vehicle off now it will not turn back on . This almost cause accident on freeway .

The light will indicate that the driver door is opened when it is closed. Which is causing the alarm to go off randomly and it’s draining my battery completely. I just bought a new battery in June 2022 and when I went to start my car today it wouldn’t start. Something is not connected properly but I don’t know what it is.

Have had a recurring issue with the airbag light illuminating. This has been ongoing since 2 years post purchase. Have had airbag replaced, multiple fuses, wiring harness replacement. All repairs end with the light returning. Am unsure of the reliability of the airbag in the event of a crash.

When the cruise control shuts down, the tachometer cuts out and the vehicle seems to go into limp mode. Brightening or dimming the headlights causes an intermittent bright flash to the interior lights. This could be potentially dangerous seeing as you have no acceleration, which could cause very extensive damage to person and property. The intermittent bright flash could be a result of an unregulated power surge, which could cause damage to person and property.

My vehicle had been stalling on I assign for a couple of months until one day in June 2021 it wouldn’t start at all. I got a new battery installed and assumed that all was well. Weeks later, I was in route to visit family when my ABS, traction, and down hill break lights all came on. I pulled over and tried cutting my car off and on a few times to see if that would resolve the issue and it did not. My car also seemed to slow down a bit and struggled slightly accelerating up hills. In 2019 my turbo engine was replaced after my vehicle stopped accelerating while I was on the interstate. There is currently a recall on 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe’s that reads: “ Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) module, possibly resulting in an electrical short… If the ABS module short circuits, there is an increased risk of an engine compartment fire.“ unfortunately my VIN is not included in the recall and I fear my car may catch fire any day now as a result of this failure.

My car is making a rapid beeping noise it stops every time I break I am extremely scared. I believe it has something to do with my engine. I’ve recorded videos however the box below doesn’t allow videos.

We pulled off the highway to get gas and noticed smoke coming from the hood. We immediately parked at the gas station and my husband, our dog and I got out of the car and within minutes the entire front of the car was in flames. Several passersby stopped and sprayed the fire with their fire extinguishers. We called 911 and the fire department quickly arrived and put out the fire, but the entire front of the car was destroyed. The front of the car melted along with the windshield from the intense heat. The police inspector came and inspected the car and took photos. The car was then towed and our insurance company took possession of the car. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure. The only thing we noticed was a slight hesitation in power as we climbed a hill several times in the half hour preceding the failure. My husband, my dog and I would have been in mortal danger from the fire if we had not stopped immediately and gotten out of the car. The safety of other people nearby had also been at risk if the fire department had not arrived so quickly to put out the fire as the smoke began as we were entering the gas station and parked about 50 feet from the gas pumps to escape the vehicle. We have no idea what caused the fire. The engine had been replaced by Hyundai due to a defect that had caused it to fail about 2 years prior to the current failure.

THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER DOORS LOCKING AND UNLOCKING. THE DRIVER DOOR LOCKS WORK WITHOUT ISSUES. THIS HAPPENS WHEN USING THE KEY FOB AND THE LOCK/UNLOCK BUTTON INSIDE THE CAR.

1) RADIO STOPPED WORKING ABOUT 1 YEAR AGO. 2) ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO, THE DOOR AND TRUCK OPEN LIGHT ON THE DASH APPEARED AND NEVER WENT OFF. 3) ON 1/14/21, THE CAR STARTED MAKING A RATTLING SOUND, AND STOPPED ACCELARATING; AUTO SHOP DETERMINED THE ENGINE WAS RUINED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WITH THE 1ST 2 ISSUES, I WAS STILL ABLE TO USE THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, NOW THAT THE ENGINE IS RUINED, I AM NO LONGER ABLE TO USE THE VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACTS OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH THE VEHICLE LOSS POWER THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, THE VEHICLE ROLLED TO RIGHT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CONTACT PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO PARKED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. . THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART, HOWEVER IT LOST POWER AGAIN AND SMOKE APPEARED COMING FROM THE HOOD AND INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. AND SMELT BURN WIRED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO RESIDENCE BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE BRAKE FLUID MODULE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. HYUNDAI OF CHARLESTON LOCATED AT 8485 RIVERS AVE, NORTH CHARLESTON, SC 29406 WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR WEATHER AND DRY ROADS WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 4, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS TRAFFIC TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AND ALL THE INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON BUT THE CAR DIDN'T START. EXITED THE VEHICLE AND WALKED TOWARDS THE FRONT TO SEE SMOKE, AT FIRST, THEN SAW FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. TRIED TO DIAL 911, BUT HAD WEAK CELL SIGNAL. APPARENTLY 911 WAS NOTIFIED. HIGHWAY PATROL ARRIVED, THE FLAMES WERE SPREADING AND GETTING LARGER. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES, WHICH REACHED ALMOST 10 FEET HIGH. THE FIRE FIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN THE FIRE BEFORE IT REACHED THE FUEL TANK, BUT THE VEHICLE AND ITS CONTENTS WERE TOTALLY BURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS A SHELL OF METAL AND ASH WHEN IT WAS TOWED AWAY.