NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Engine started knocking pretty bad during a trip. Just over 80,000 miles not covering due to 2nd owner.
Catastrophic engine failure.
Check engine light came on, made an appointment to bring to the mechanic. 1 mile into the trip, engine lost power. We had to tow to the mechanic. Synopsis: hole in block caused by catastrophic engine failure at 120,000 miles. When check engine light occurred, oil was at correct level; and vehicle has always been maintained properly.
Was driving my 2017 Santa Fe Ultimate 3.3L v6 at a low speed on residential streets. With only 110,000 miles without warning or indicators the engine failed. Regular schedule oil changes were preformed. Hyundai wouldn't offer any goodwill financial help with a engine replacement, stuck with a car loan and work working vehicle.
Catastrophic engine failure at 86,200 miles. Engine making chugging and ticking sound and metal flakes in oil. Normal oils changes at Hyundai dealers every 5-6k miles (or 6 months). Hyundai wouldn’t cover because 2nd owner (should have covered up 100k power train.
After a perfect dealership maintenance history and being babied since bought new, the 3.3L V6 engine in our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe seized at 101,800 miles without any warning other than a slight knock on startup the day this occurred. The engine seized while being driven on a side road without any warning lights, causing loss of steering and braking power. Hyundai has extended the warranty on the 4 cyl engines for this model year vehicle, but based on online forums there is clearly a manufacturing defect with the V6 engines as well. We were forced to pay ($1,541) for 20% of the cost to repair the engine with rebuilt components after Hyundai kept the car for nearly four months. I feel this payment should be reimbursed given the warranty on the V6 engines also needs to be extended.
This car is using a quart to quart and a half of oil every thousand miles!
Camshaft actuator first thst costed over $4200 to fix and now engine needing to be rebuilt with an estimated cost of over $17 000
Hyundai Safety Concerns. The details of the incidents are as follows I own a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport turbo on Saturday June 24th while driving down the palmetto expressway at about 70 mi an hour the vehicle suddenly stopped. It was a very dangerous situation with my family aboard we were lucky to have Florida highway patrol toys to a safety location. The car was completely dead and the vehicle was told to homestead Hyundai dealership for repairs 4 days after delivering we received a call letting us know that the computer had been damaged due to a oil leak in the engine that was repaired by them 10 months prior. It has come to our attention that there are recalls for this vehicle for crankshaft problems it is a concern that this is a safety hazard for us and that the dealership is not being transparent with us is the consumer. We have emailed Hyundai Motors Corporation and filed a complaint. I kindly request your immediate attention to this matter, as the safety of my family and other drivers is at stake. I trust that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will conduct a thorough examination of the reported incidents, the dealership's actions, and the potential risks associated with the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Turbo. Your intervention and expertise are vital in ensuring consumer safety and holding accountable those responsible for any negligence or lack of transparency. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I eagerly await your response and hope for a swift resolution to this alarming situation.
While driving down a California freeway, the sunroof of my wife's 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport exploded without warning. Glass rained down on my niece and nephew in the backseat and caused my wife to swerve a bit in surprise. Luckily there was no one else on the road and no one was hurt by the glass. She was not near anyone or anything, plus nothing fell into the backseat so we know that it wasn't anything that impacted the glass causing it to break. Upon further review, this is a problem with Hyundai vehicles and it looks like they are the subject of multiple class-action lawsuits for it. This is the second time something like this has happened. In 2016, my wife was leasing a Sonata and the sunroof exploded unprovoked. The dealership took responsibility that time and one of the mechanics stated that it was "a known issue".
On June 22, 2023, I went to start my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe in a shopping center parking lot. I had recently driven from the Pgh airport to Monroeville and stopped to run errands. Upon reentering my vehicle I used the push button start to start the car. The engine started and the center computer screen turned on, however the dashboard did not light up and I was not able to shift into Reverse. I cycled the car ~5 times trying to get it going, but the same start-up happened. Upon calling husband (after trying to start another few times) he recommended that I look at the fuses. At this point I opened the driver side door and was outside looking at the fuse panel. This is when I heard someone shouting from the highway across from the parking lot that my car was on fire. I looked at the rear of my car and saw flames coming from the rear bumper. I quickly stepped away from the vehicle. The entire drivers side of the rear bumper was engulfed in flames. Both the police and fire departments came to the scene. We were collectively able to extinguish the flames and the car was totaled.
The engine seized without warning or notice. No warning lamps came on to indicate anything wrong with the oil pressure, engine, or anything else. I received notices for low gas from time to time, but never anything concerning the engine. I heard engine noises the day before the engine seized. The next day it failed. The car was inspected by the dealership and Hyundai to determine whether the cost would be covered by them and this is what was reported to me in the cost for repair: “Engine Rebuild/Replace: 3.3L LONG BLOCK, GASKETS, AND FLUIDS This is the entire process needed to either rebuild or replace the vehicle's engine. This is a process needed when the vehicle's engine is in need of serious repair.” I was denied coverage because my VIN number was not on the recall list for 2017 Hyundais. I believe it was recall 168. When I looked into it, I read exactly what happened to mine. My safety was a concern because the engine stopped while I was driving and I had to coast into a safe area without causing an accident. I was told by the dealership that this was a common problem for 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe’s but the recall is not for all of the Hyundais this problem has happened to. I was told by a former employee of Take5 that Hyundais burn oil quicker than most cars. I can’t confirm that the issue was from a lack of oil, but from what I’ve read, that could be the main issue. I believe a warning on the quickness of oil consumption should be put out as well as an improved warning system/sensors for this make and model.
As I was driving my vehicle the car started to shake. I was able to make it to a gas station and then had difficulty getting the car to turn over. After several attempts the car turned over but the check engine light was flashing and the car had fumes coming out the back. I towed the car to the dealership I bought it at they determined that the fuel injectors failed and caused the engine to be flooded with gas requiring an entirely new engine to be put in the car.
Driving 65mph, loss of power and cel light came on. Manged to get vehicle home. Did not notice any engine noise . Checked cel code. P1326. Did investigation on code and found long list of issues, including excessive oil consumption. Checked oil and found none on dipstick. No oil light was illuminated. Have had no issues with oil loss prior till today. Oil changes every 5000 miles. Bought vehicle in 2020 with 57000 miles(currently 110000) and was not aware of service code 953, so not sure if vehicle is updated. Vehicle is currently parked and will be towed to nearest dealership, but from reading prior complaints, and as Hyundai will not replace the motor, most likely a waste of time. Will join class action lawsuit over this. Aware of ABS recall and was going to schedule that service, but vehicle is currently not drivable.
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.
The engine on my car was consuming oil at a rapid rate. The dealer service department gave me the run around for many month. Stating they could never duplicate the issue. when clearly the whitish blue smoke pouring out of tailpipe and horrible combustion fumes inside cabin of car. At some point bluish smoke turned to black smoke and that when the $800 combustion test was suggested. Which they say will tell me if the engine is bad. how do they not know the signs of a bad engine. my car sat in service department for 2 months for them to say it's not covered under warranty. I tried everything to hold the manufacture responsible and they was unwilling to budge and help. The car has the extended warranty and my car was under the mileage and years. My car been sitting in my driveway since May 2024 needing a engine replacement. The fumes in cabin of vehicle was unbearable which cause me to have to drive with window down. Vehicle never show any warning lights when engine oil was low or empty. another incident was with the radio not turning off even after the battery went died. The radio continue to work and connect to phone when battery was died. After charging battery radio would again kill battery and not shut off. The only way it would shut off is to disconnect radio. How dealer explained the issue was that of a modem. That the car probably need to be reset when radio was disconnected it worked. But after that it happen 3 more times. these cars need to be recalled and all customer should get there money back. To own a 2005 Santa Fe with over 216,000 miles with no oil burning / leaking or smoke out tailpipe say a lot on the manufacturing of this vehicle. I have no mechanical issues with this car and that was the reason i wanted to upgrade to 2017. Now I wish I had never brought the 2017. Beware before buying this brand because they are no good.
Engine failure occurred. Engine began making a knocking noise. The check engine light failed to initiate. No warning lights of any kind came on.
While Driving home the car just lost power while going 50mph. The engine started knocking then the engine light started flashing and the car wouldn't go above 37mph. This is definitely not good. I was holding up traffic trying to pull over while not being able to even do the speed limit. Also the oil consumption is outrageous! I have never owned a vehicle where I had to add oil as much as I do in this one.
The engine was making a knocking sound and the check engine light came on. I did not have the time to get it to a mechanic (approx 2 days of driving with knocking) before the knocking stopped and the engine stopped. The car stalled out in the middle of the street and I was able to coast to a complete stop on the side of the road and push it to safely back home.
2017 3.3V6 GDI engine. Suddenly lost power, knocking severely. No oil in engine, no signs of leaks or burning, never had any issues of oil consumption between changes. Oil last changed 2 months prior. No warning lights ever came on for low oil or low oil pressure. Hyundai blue link app indicates all systems normal with the vehicle. Safety risk of sudden loss of power while driving without warning and complete engine failure.
Engine failure. The vehicle was towed to Crenshaw Hyundai in Burlington, NC. Crenshaw Hyundai advised me the engine needed to be replaced due to rod failure. I cannot confirm if the parts are available for inspection. Engine failure while driving causing a stall. The problem has been verbally confirmed to me by Crenshaw Hyundai. The problem has not been inspected by police, insurance representative, or anyone else other than Crenshaw Hyundai. There were no warning lamps displayed prior to failure of the engine.
While driving my 2017 Santa Fe, a ding from the instrument cluster preceded the vehicle stalling during a turn in a busy intersection. The vehicle would not respond to attempts to restart. I had the vehicle towed to the local Hyundai dealership for inspection. I authorized a teardown of the engine. They reported their findings to Hyundai Motors America (HMA) for authorization under an extended warranty. That request was denied. I have read the case, Davy Cho v. Hyundai Motor Company, Ltd., 8:22-cv-00448, (C.D. Cal.). My vehicle is in the correct year range and engine class represented in the suit. This vehicle is also under NHTSA investigation (DB22-003) for a separate defect that can cause the vehicle to stall without prior notice. The Hyundai dealership has now quoted $19,900 to repair. This is a gently driven and well maintained vehicle. I have reached out several times to HMA who states, the vehicle is beyond the original manufacturer's warrantee. I have tried several times to have the case reviewed. I'm told these decisions are final. HMA Case # 21352488 I was lucky to have had the traffic lights and traffic in a condition that I could drift through my turn, apply hazard lights and get assistance from the Police Dept. who closed the road allowing me to coast the vehicle backwards off the interstate bridge to place me and my vehicle in a safer place to manage. In different circumstances, this could have been catastrophic.
Car is consuming oil quickly. After two thousand miles the entire tank is burned
Right after warranty was out. My car starting using oil. There are no leaks just horrible oil consumption. We did a consumption test and it showed my car using one quart of oil every 315.94 miles. The dealership wants to do a combustion chamber cleaning for $849.06. Then stated this may not fix it. If not a new engine is needed. I was wondering if there is a recall for this problem with my vehicle. I have tried to reach Hyundai but they have not returned my emails. I was supposed to hear from Hyundai costumer affairs in 3/5 days from June 3. Still have not heard from them. I need to get Hyundai to remedy this situation. It is outrageous, I have heard of several people across the nation having this problem. My case #[XXX] is what Hyundai gave me. Need to find out what I can do about this or if you can help me? Thank You for your time [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Oil pan leak
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
Car maintenanced regularly. Engine went completely bad at 116,000 miles. 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Xl 3.3l engine.
2023 Hyundai Santa Fe with the 3.3L Lambda engine. At 99,625 miles, while driving at highway speed, the engine suddenly sputtered with partial loss of power and a loud clicking/banging noise coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights/check engine lights/oil lights. Drove one mile and parked it in the driveway. Had it towed same day to dealer and after it was inspected it and found to have metal shavings in the oil pan and a catastrophic engine failure (again, NO warning lights on the dash!). Proved to the dealer that all maintenance and oil changes were performed correctly and within prescribed time periods/mileage. Dealer will replace the engine with a Hyundai remanufactured -- not new -- engine under warranty but this "new" engine will only be warrantied for 375 miles which the balance of the original 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty.
I was traveling to work Monday (5/15/2023) morning when I noticed a knocking/vibrating sound coming from my front end. Within a minute my car had shut off/broken down. I was coming up to a red light and was breaking, before I could fully stop the light turned green and as I proceeded to put my foot back on the gas I realized my car was not accelerating, only coasting. I looked down and saw every light on the dashboard on and realized my car was “off”. Previous to the car breaking down there was no warning lights. I pulled over to the side of the road where I pressed my push start button and nothing happened. I then noticed the engine was smoking so I got out, popped the hood and noticed a burning smell. I immediately stepped away because I thought it was going to catch fire. I then called my insurance provider for a tow back to my home. Once home we checked the oil and noticed there was none in there, even with recent oil change. We poured oil in, in hopes that it would turn on, it did not. The engine is blown. Called Hyundai customer care that Tuesday to start the process of seeing if they’ll replace the motor because this is an extremely common and dangerous issue with these engines. They told me I have to wait 6-8 weeks for someone to come out and even inspect my vehicle. That’s where I’m at now!
Engine made knocking noises and was towed to a mechanic. Mechanic discovered metal shards in the oil pan and all signs pointed to being well maintained. We bought used from CarMax and are the 2nd owners. Mechanics best guess is engine failure due to defect and high oil consumption with no signs of leaks. No codes, no check engine light, no low oil pressure light. No warning. Oil changes were completed by us and valvoline at regular intervals. Safety risk of engine failure while driving and causing an accident. Car was successfully pulled to the side of the road. Hyundai dealership unable to help with repair assistance as we are second owners and warranty did not transfer. Researched community chat forums and this seems to be a common issue for this engine to fail.
Without any notification from a malfunction indicator light, there was a sudden knock followed by loss of power. Luckily I was on a country road and not on the highway 99 where congested traffic could have been a hazard. My mechanic said it was a rod bearing code causing catastrophic failure of the motor.
Rod bearing failure causing rod knocking. Engine needs rebuilt or replaced!
My wife was driving our 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA fe to an appointment. When she pulled into parking spot the engine check light came on and the engine stopped running. She coasted to a stop and went to her appointment. When she returned to the car it would not turn over. The battery was OK but car would not turn over. Car was towed to a local garage. They said car had little oil and the engine was sezied. We had the vehicle towed to a Hyundai dealer who confirmed the engine was sezied. The car had 104,000 on it. We had an extended bumper to bumper extended warranty to 100,000 miles. Dealer said they would contact Hyundai about about a new engine. But could not make any promises and for some reason they were hard to find. Last time I checked this site there were 388 similar seized engine reports. We had all maintenance checkes and oil changes at proper intervals.
Car had excessive oil consumption so had to continually add oil. One day check engine light comes on and I drive it two blocks back home. Next time I start car check engine light is blinking. Told need new engine due to low to no compression in the cylinders but they do not know why there is no compression. No prior warnings..complete engine failure..130k miles.
On May 7th 2023, engine failure occurred on my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe while accelerating up to speed on minor arterial roadway with speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Engine cut out at about 6,000 rpm and check engine light flashed on. After pulling over, the engine exhibited clunking sound when trying to slowly accelerate to move onto tow truck. No warning lights for low oil or otherwise appeared prior to the engine failure despite mechanic reporting after the fact only 1 quart of oil was in the vehicle at the time of engine failure (should have been 5 quarts). Mechanic (Allies Automotive) described the engine as irreparable as an interior rod "buckled". Vehicle was not leaking oil and was regularly maintained every 5-7k miles with synthetic oil changes and routine maintenance tune-up services completed at or prior to dealer-recommended maintenance schedules including latest 100k milestone tune-up. Vehicle only had 117k miles at the time of the incident and was in excellent condition inside and out with an estimated re-sale value of approximately $14k. I was VIN:[XXX] The closest recall information related i could find would be that of NHTSA campaign 17V578000 (Hyundai recall No. 168) which applied to 2017Hyundai Santa Fe Vehicles produced between Jan 26th 2017 and Feb 13th 2017. When i search by my VIN I don't see it recall 168 come up; despite the engine failure appearing to match the description. Hyundai stated would not replace engine. Summary 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. Remedy 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 [XXX]. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I purchased this vehicle only 9 months ago. After driving it for about 2 months I noticed that the engine oil level was so low that the dipstick was about dry. I added oil and chalked it up to the vehicle maybe just having some age to it as the mileage was approaching 100,000 miles at that time. I continued to drive the vehicle checking the oil twice a week needing to add oil about a quart a week. About a month ago the car stalled on me and now i’m being told the engine has a cylinder number 4 failure.
Purchased with 56k miles. Had oil change at time of purchase. Changed oil at 60k and again at 65k. At 67k with no warning lights, no low engine oil light, no warning of any kind, the engine blew. Seems to be a very common problem and dealership told me not covered under warranty since I’m not original owner. Seems to me to be a manufacturing issue if it’s happening as much as I’m seeing.
Engine failed due to excessive oil consumption while driving. Safety was put at risk due to poor build leading to failure while driving. It has been inspected by the manufacturer and was determined it needed to be replaced entirely. Low engine oil light came on, replaced oil, then shortly after failed while driving, after codes disappeared.
In 2023 my vehicle’s engine seized without warning. I had brought it to the dealership in Jan 2023 to replace a recalled issue. After that my vehicle had started acting strange, prompting us to bring it in where they noticed it was extremely low on oil and “dirty” where it shouldnt be. They performed tests and required us to drive 1k miles to see how low the oil would be once brought back in, it did not make it back to the service department by the 1k miles as it completely failed beforehand with no warning light.
I am having excessive oil consumption, pinging of the engine and a delay in acceleration. 2 quarts in 700 miles
The car has a steering defect. The defect causes the car to wonder from lane to lane requiring the driver to constantly make corrections. This is especially dangerous when you are between two vehicles. The car has been back to the dealer numerous times and they state that there is no problem with the steering. Hyundai National claims claims that the defect does not exist.
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was jumping from left to right. The contact stated that the ESC and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the passenger’s side wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. Additionally, the steering column housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving, the steering wheel had extensive play. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 6,200.
This car has oil consumption issues due to a manufacturer defect, design of the engine 2.4L. This has been on going for the last three years and is getting worse. Now is affecting the catalytic converter because of it burning so much oil. The Hyundai dealership will do nothing for me. Now they want $4,500 for a new catalytic converter. I can’t afford a new car and this should be an expense of Hyundai. In my research I have found there are thousands of cars on the road with this issue. They knew about this years ago and just kept making the cars and selling them . They should be helping me and all they are doing is denying that this has a problem. What recourse do I have. Why hasn’t there been a recall?
My 2017 Sante Fe had an engine seizure on April 28th and Thank God nobody was injured. Allowing people to drive around in this ticking time bombs, without any notification of a potential issue, is very concerning. Especially for someone who owns 2 Hyundai vehicles that are driven on dangerous highways in PA. My car is not only serviced on a regular basis, but I am exception who actually checks his oil in between oil-changes. Little did i know or suspect what was happening under my hood. I had AAA tow my car to Freysinger Hyundai on Friday 4/29/23 for what was diagnosed by a trained mechanic to be Engine Seizure. Since that time, I have been very patient as I know I didn't have an appointment but i do own two vehicles from the dealership and expect some decent level of service. Three calls last week to the service department and all I was told was it was in line to be diagnosed. My car has about 88k miles on it currently and I am the original owner and therefore the 100k Mile Powertrain warranty is in effect. I just finished talking to the service manager, [XXX], and he informed me that my car is still waiting in line to be diagnosed as they are backed up with vehicles having similar issues. I asked if the dealership should contact me and give me updates and inquired about a loaner car to utilize while my current $45k car is in the shop. He informed me to rent a car from Enterprise and if approved, would be reimbursed. If my car is under warranty what question is there, other than the question of another recall. The folks at Enterprise told me they are getting a ton of Hyundai owners with engine seizure issues, which is what the AAA driver told me, and the service department at Freysinger keeps telling me. Engine Seizure in an acceleration lane could kill someone and this issues needs to be made public: check your oil outside normal service levels, and have all vehicles brought in and examined for signs of overheating/seizure. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Just had oil changed, and accelerating onto highway when the check engine light came on and a loud knocking in the engine, with no acceleration. A semi truck had to swerve to miss me due to lack of acceleration. Took it to my mechanic who said there were 6 recalls on this vehicle, one of which was a cam rod failure. Based on the codes the computer was showing, he said it was a manufacture issue on recall notice 17-01-071, for campaign 168 for 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. It only has 98000 miles. No engine, should ever fail with that many miles. I have had several vehicles, and not one has ever had any engine problems, and they all had 200000 + miles. This is clearly a manufacture defect, and I will be fighting this.
Car started knocking in April we parked the car until we could get it towed to Hyundai of Norman! Get it over there for them to tell us then crankshaft has caused an issue with the bearing and it's worn. We do some research to find out that recall 168 by the NHTSA is just that! On our exact year make and model of our vehicle but out VIN was not one flagged for the issue! Hyundai of Norman is RUDE when I asked for them to fill out a.PA for goodwill consideration. The tell us that Hyundai denied.our claim. Now we're going to have to pay 13k to get it fixed!
I was driving my children to school on April 25th. When I heard a knock or clunk sound with the car. Once that happened it also caused a decrease in power to the car, causing those behind me to almost have an accident. After the loud noise there was a continual loud knocking sound. I immediately stopped at the closest auto center. They advised me that I would need a new engine. I had another mechanic look at it as well, and he confirmed needing a new engine. NO warning indicators came on, no oil pressure problem, Nothing! I have always maintained the oil and fluids on the car at regular intervals. I have been told by my mechanic that he had looked at the engine on several occasions for an oil leak because my car was using more oil than he though it should, but there was never any sign of any leaks. This car had about 97,000 miles at the time this happened last week.
The car started making a knocking sound, no service lights had been on prior to this or during this time, and within five minutes the car stopped working and shut down. I was able to get the car back on only to have it breakdown again within a minute. I was able to get it far enough into a parking spot to let it sit for about 15 minutes and when i turned it on again it had a horrible loud knocking sound, and yet still no service lights. The dealership said there was a bearing failure and that they are seeing it all the time and yet my make and model is not covered under the class action suits or engine repairs though they are seeing it in my make and model over and over again. Hyundai is refusing to assist.
At approximately 127,529 miles, our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate AWD with the 3.3L V6 exhibited ticking sounds from the engine and a loss of power, while driving at non-highway speeds. As the vehicle decelerated to pull off the road, a catastrophic engine failure occurred with loss of all power and drivability. The vehicle was towed to our local Hyundai dealership, where a diagnostic revealed that a connecting rod had punched a hole through the engine block, necessitating a full engine replacement. Maintenance was regularly performed on the vehicle. Oil changes had been regularly performed with synthetic oil however, it was observed that oil consumption was a major issue with no check oil light being included in the vehicle. Incident has not been resolved by Hyundai as there is a backlog on when they can work on the vehicle and no service car has been provided.
Oil light flickers on and off once we are on empty. Oil light flickered on and off, car shook, and almost stalled while making a right hand turn. When we have gotten oil changes we have been told we should not be burning so much oil that quickly.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026