NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Car stalling and don't move when it's in a complete stop
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:23V181000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
On Thursday, May 11, 11:45 am, I experienced a distressing incident at Moulton Elementary School in Laguna Niguel, CA, 92677. my car was parked near the school building, with the engine turned off and the gear set to park. I was there to pick up my children, and at that time, nobody was inside the vehicle. Unexpectedly, my car started moving backward as if in neutral gear, despite being in park mode. I estimate I was approximately 10 feet from the vehicle in front of the school building. The situation was alarming because numerous children were nearby, which could have resulted in a tragedy. Thankfully, no one was injured or hit by the moving vehicle. Instinctively, I attempted to stop the car by using my entire body to push against it. Unfortunately, my efforts were unsuccessful, and as a result, I sustained severe back pain. I have been on bed rest for the past five days due to the discomfort caused by the incident. Subsequently, the vehicle collided with another car, which belonged to a teacher. The incident shocked everyone, and the reason behind the car's unexpected movement remains unclear. Later, I discovered through online research that my car was actually on the recall list, but I had not been informed of this beforehand. As a result of the incident, we contacted the police, and they arrived at the scene can confirm that the car was indeed in park gear during the incident. It is vital to investigate this matter thoroughly to determine the cause of the vehicle's accidental movement and prevent future accidents. I hope that this statement provides a clear account of the accident that occurred at Moulton Elementary School. I strongly urge authorities and the involved parties to take immediate action to address the issues surrounding my car's movement and prevent any similar incidents from happening again.
Numerous different occasions since I bought the vehicle this year in March 2023 when on highway, side streets and even in parking lots with nothing, no cars no objects or humans in front or behind the vehicle my forward collision warning and rear end collision warning has came on which caused the car to break on its own and it is a safety concern. I have been to the dealer numerous times since I’ve bought the vehicle and currently have reached out to Hyundai Motors of America and pretty much got told to suck it up nothing they can do for me as the computer isn’t showing any codes or issues my car has now been at dealership where I bought it for 2 weeks now and no resolution besides come get the car and figure it out on my own and as a single mother with a child with disabilies I don’t know what else to do.
Pantalla de instrumentos se apaga instrument display turns off
Driving down the road I heard a loud noise when I stopped I noticed oil under my car. When I was 0.1 mile from my house the oil light came on. I arrived home called Hyundai and they towed the vehicle and reported that the oil plug had was missing and I need to contact the place that changed my oil last.
I got flashing check engine light in my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0T. My car won’t rev beyond 2000rpm when it happened. Blue link app and car’s infotainment notified of P1326 Error. It is available for inspection. I was turning left in a yield on green light, I was at risk when my car stuttered and won’t rev beyond 2000rpm. I contacted my local dealer, they said they can’t take my car even for diagnosis due to no appointment availability till June 1st week. I was able to get hold of another dealer who can take my car in this Friday itself. Hyundai Roadside assistance said they will only tow vehicle to my local dealer and I would have to pay for tow charges if I go to any other dealer. They can’t provide me loaner car at all. My insurance said they won’t provide rental car unless it is an accident. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet. Based on my initial research there has been class action lawsuit against Hyundai on Theta II 2.0T engines but it only covers till 2019 model. I received flashing check engine light warning in my dashboard and app notification in Bluelink about ECM fault DTC P1326. I was driving vehicle normally without any issues on engine before this happend
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact state that while driving into the driveway, the engine seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil drain plug had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000. The VIN was unavailable The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense with no assistance provided from the manufacturer.
Vehicle not moving transmisión fail after u turn off the engine it will work again Oil leak by bolt in the oil pan
This vehicle has the Accident Avoidance system which is great until it snows or there's a heavy rain then you get lights on the dash and the Accident Avoidance system and cruise control turn off because the sensor gets covered with snow or heavy rain. I spoke with a service technician who said it's a know issue but there are no fixes at this time. What the sense in having a safety system that shuts off when you need it the most in bad weather. Once you clean the snow or ice off the sensor area the lights go out. It happens any speed.
Moon roof suddenly shattered while on the highway, no other vehicles around, nothing was thrown or anything object found to hit the car, glass was thrown in vehicle, Had to slow down due to wind entering car, dealer was called and he declined to repair, said it was an insurance problem, adjuster will be out to inspect damage, there was no warning, only a loud boom then strong outside wind, until I slowed down and pulled over.
Large sections of paint peeling from vehicle. Paint starts to bubble and then crack in large pieces. One section has peeled and flew onto the windshield while driving. Hyundai has recently had issues with this white color paint and it is continuing to be a problem. Report has been made to Hyundai with no resolution.
La guagua a tenido problemas con el tren delantero. Comenzó con un sonido en el Guía. La Hyundai le reparo esa pieza y luego continuó con el mismo ruido. Ahora tienen que cambiarle el Rack and Piñogn. Mi guagua tiene solo 19,750 millas creo que vino mala de fábrica.
ENGINE FAILURE THE CAR WAS CALLING FOR ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE
On 01/21/2023 after exiting thr highway and pulling into a shopping center signals started popping up on my dashboard and ny car lost speed. I tried making it down the rd to a tire discounters but ny car lost complete power and would not turn on. A tow truck toad it to the tire discounters and once on the flat bed it was a puddle of oil and a trail of oil coming from my car. Once there tire discounters states that my car needed to go to a dealership. It set at kerry hyundai Alexandria until may 2023 waiting to be diagnosed. Once diagnosed it stated that ny car was missing the drain plug and that I needed a brand new engine. I had a oil change at car x on 12/10/2023 and hyundai blamed car x stating that they didn't tighten my plug. But car x denied. I got a lawyer n began to sue car x when car x lawyer responded stating that there were other people having the same problem and hyundai was being investigated. My car is currently still sitting at hyundsi because I don't have 7800 for a engine and hyundai will not cover the engine under warranty
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that he shifted to park(P), turned off, and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure had recurred 5 times while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the immobilizer warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 30,595.
I was locked inside the car on 22 Dec 2022 and could not get out until somebody opened a door from the outside, inspite of the fact that the inside lock buttons by the opening handles showed red on the lock buttons. When the lock buttons were pushed in, they immediately popped right back out. If held in the opening handles still remained 'limp' and moved without engaging.the unlocking mechanism. The windows also did not respond to their controls. Thee above occurred whether the ignition was on or off. The vehicle was in "Park".The electric buttons on the door console also had no effect, including the child lock button. The key pendant also got no results even though it had allowed entry and starting only minutes before. There was no pre-warning and this had never happened previously. After a (locked) door was opened from the outside, all functions returned to normal. Outside temperature was 20° F. I did not try to open the hatchback. This is a fatally dangerous situation even though the malfunction would not likely be reproducible at the dealer service department. Meanwhile I plan to purchase a glass breaking escape tool. The Hyundai dealer had no suggestion for emergency exit.
As I was driving on the highway, the engine oil light came on. As I was trying to safely get off highway, the engine light came on. The engine stopped operating, but I was able to coast to a safe spot off highway. Car would not start after that. Towed to dealership. Noticeable oil was on the flat bed. Have not received update on vehicle from the dealership. Car is available for inspection. The safety of me and my family were are risk due to not being able to accelerate on the highway. Oil light came on first. 5 minutes later engine light came on. DTC P123600 appeared in my Hyundai app. Car is owned by me and my wife (Jennifer Reardon)
Vehicle emitted smell of burning turned on check engine light and oil. Warranty service indicates that the fault corresponds to the oil pump, what is a safety hazard. Santa Fe 2020
I was pulling out of a sidestreet and realized a car was coming and used the brake. The Automatic Braking system activated and VIOLENTLY stopped the car. I was only going about 5 miles an hour but the tremendous force from the Braking system caused my rotator cuff and my bicep to tear. It cost me thousands to pay for surgery and physical therapy. I am very worried about all the injuries that this system causes. I have since had the dealership turn it off. I can not risk being injured like that because the car thinks that there will be a collision when I know that my manual braking was sufficient. There was no chance of any accident. I had Hyundai (case # 20962390) inspect the car & they claim (after 4 different inspections) that there is no issue with the system. They also claimed that it wouldn't activate at 5mph but I know that is not true. So if it works correctly, how many people are injured? Before you mandate that the car stop at 65mph, you need to gather more info on how many injuries have occurred.
On 07/12/2020 My 2020 SANTA FE Slipped out of park while in garage. It rolled backward until it hit neighbor's porch damaging my tailgate and tail light. It was taken to Hyundai dealership and they said they could not replicate the problem. On about 08/28/22 The next incident was the transmission slipped down into low gear and would not go over 40 MPH. Again the dealer cannot replicate and the car is still at he dealer.
The very front glass portion of the sun roof suddenly shattered . I have years of aviation experiences involving inspecting of crash damaged parts and sudden failures. This glass shows no signs of any external damage from a strike of a foreign object. It appears to be a manufactured discrepancy or a stress issues. I have enclosed some pictures of the discrepancy glass. I reported the issue to Automation Hynduia in Corpus Christi, Texas. They said it’s a common issue that falls on the owner. The warranty does not cover this issue, I also paid several thousand dollars for a extended warranty besides my new auto insurance . This is definitely a safety issue that should be addressed by the auto manufacturer. I appreciate your help in making these people accountable for this poor design that involves safety. I taped the glass to profit from the weather. Thank You
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle alarm system failed to activate during a vehicle break-in. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the failure. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the insurance company and an appointment was scheduled for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
There are many reports of Hyundais being broken into and hot wired and stolen using a usb cable. This was remedied for the 2022 year models. My car insurance nearly doubled.The company should do a recall and fix this problem. Thank you for your help. Jim https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/investigations/class-action-lawsuits-hyundai-kia-thefts/63-3e997aa9-582b-45f4-b09b-aa37b2464de0
The ignition systems in mainly 2015-2021 Hyundais with physical keys could be easily hacked using a screwdriver, pliers or the end of a USB cable, because the vehicles are not equipped with immobilizers that require the presence of a key fob. I want a recall so I won't have my car stolen like I hear about on the news about every week.
2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO HIGH ENGINE ACCELERATION WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE ONCE THE ENGINE WAS STARTED THE VEHICLE BEGAN ROARING. THE RPMS WERE OVER 5,000MPH BEFOR RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT RAN AS NORMAL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT 33,350 MILES.
Crack windshield
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
The Windshield cracked without anything striking it. The windshield is being replaced at my expense. There is wind noise coming from the area below the crack where it is attached to the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00M000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Driver’s door is not opening brought it to freeman Hyundai here in Irving and after a month I am still experiencing the same problem.
The Driver's-side rear wheel came completely off the vehicle while traveling at 65 mph on Interstate 75. The vehicle violently swerved into the left lane, and then my wife was able to pull off to the right side of the road. She almost tipped over from the side of the road being on a steep incline. A couple of days before this, the vehicle was at the Hyundai dealership getting a 'Service' where they changed the oil and performed a 'safety' inspection. They did NOT perform the inspection, but lied on the form saying all systems passed. They reluctantly admitted that they didn't do the inspections. There were NO warning lights of any kind before or after the incident, which could have killed my wife.
I have a 202 Hyundai Sante Fe. I was pulling into a parking garage parking spot, going about 3 miles per hours. Suddenly about 3 feet away from the wall (with my foot on the break) my SUV's engine suddenly race and propelled me forward into the wall. No warning lights or messages. No front- end auto breaking, I have reported it to Hyundai. I was injured from the air bag and the seat belt, my passenger was not injured. I am waiting for my SUV to be assessed by my insurance and my auto body company. I have read many articles about circumstances like these and am considering contacting an attorney.
On May 17th, I had an oil change completed on my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe at a Hyundai dealership. On May 18th, I was parking my Santa Fe in a parking lot with which I am very familiar. I parked in front of the building, but realized that I had not pulled up far enough to the curb. I went to pull up a couple feet and as I started to put my foot on the gas pedal, I heard the engine roar and take off. I hit the brake, but it didn't stop, and I drove through the window and into the building. I was stunned. I have been driving for 44 years, and I have never had an accident that has been my fault. I was in shock that the car would not stop. I thought there might be a recall regarding this issue, but there wasn't. A friend told me he though he read somewhere that Kia and Hyundai were having acceleration issues. I went online and I was shocked that there are so many reports of sudden unintended acceleration and my Santa Fe was one of those vehicles. I saw one website where over 60 people with Santa Fe's have had similar issues. I was very lucky that I did not injure or kill anyone. Hyundai needs to investigate these instances, before more people are injured or killed. I feel these vehicles need to be recalled immediately. I have contacted Hyundai USA and opened a case file. After the extensive repairs to my vehicle were complete, I took my car to the dealership and instructed them to replace the throttle body assembly. To NHTSA: Please grant Defect Petition DP21-003 and investigate these issues.
While driving down the freeway, the sunroof of my vehicle exploded. This was not caused by a foreign object, there was nothing on or near my car at the time of the incident, and upon pulling off of the roadway I was able to confirm that no foreign object had entered the vehicle. It was an explosion sound accompanied by glass falling into the vehicle, a large hole in the sunroof, and the glass on the edge of the hole appearing in an upward direction as though the force of the explosion came from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was being operated in a normal manner at the time of the incident, there was nothing to indicate any potential issue with the vehicle. The hazards associated with this incident include the potential for loss of vehicle control following the loud and unexpected explosion and the potential for injury from falling glass. The vehicle was taken directly to the Hyundai dealership where it was purchased, where service staff confirmed the upward appearance of the glass and stated that the repairs would be covered by the vehicle warranty.
We are experiencing exactly what is listed in HYUNDAI TSB #21-BE-005H: intermittent abnormal camera image display conditions on the instrument cluster when the turn left signal is turned on or the radio screen when transmission is in reverse.
This car just caught on fire in my fathers driveway at midnight last night...doesnt appear to be from engine compartment
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00M000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was not able to stop immediately while the brake pedal was depressed, causing his vehicle to rear-end another vehicle. The failure recurred on a separate occasion while the contact's husband was driving, and the brakes failed to stop the vehicle from crashing into their daughter's residence. The air bags did not deploy in either collision. No injuries were sustained and no medical attention was received for either collision. No police report was filed for either collision. The contact's husband was able to drive the vehicle away from both the scenes of the collisions. The vehicle's front end was damaged; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
THE DRIVERS DOOR IS NOT PROPERLY ALIGNED. WHEN YOU DRIVE IT ON THE ROAD YOU CAN HEAR A HISSING SOUND OF THE AIR PENETRATING IN THE CABIN. THE DOOR APPEARS NOT TO BE CLOSED PROPERLY, THERE IS A GAP. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ALGINMENT OF THE PASSANGERS DOOR, THE DOOR IS PROPERLY ALIGNED WITH THE REST OF THE BODY OF THE SANTA FE, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE WITH THE DRIVERS DOOR. I AM PLANNING CONTACTING HYUNDAI DIRECTLY, BECAUSE IF THEY MAINTAIN QUALITY CONTROLS, THIS CAR DID NOT PASSED THAT TEST. DURING 2021I DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR ON THE ROAD, BUT LATELY I TOOK 4 TRIPS TO SC, AND ON THE ROAD THE HIZZING SOUND IS NOTICIBLE.
The tires has a big noise like, it sounds like bum bum bum bum bum, and I bought this car brand new, I went To the dealer and they said there is not warranty for tires, that’s not good, because the noise still there.
Blind Spot System randomly fails to detect vehicle on right side, I have videos of failure. Dealer unable to find problem cause, contacted Hyundai customer service, waiting for response.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00M000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted but was unable to confirm when parts would become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The contact stated that the wiper was finally repaired by using the proper glue.
This is the 2nd 2020 Santa Fe that this has occurred on as well as a 2019 Santa Fe that we formally owned within the last 2 years. The windshield does not take rock hits well. On all three vehicles a rock strike on the windshield not only left a large star impact, but the crack from the impact reaches all the way to the roof pillar. The crack is long. I believe the windshield glass is substandard and needs to be looked into closer as being a possible safety risk. Replacing the windshield and camera recalibration is expensive.
While driving on the highway, the front pane of the panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered. No contact from a foreign object was observed or heard prior to the breakage. The roof was closed, thus our family avoided any glass showering down into our cabin, but this would have been catastrophic had it happened with the roof open. This problem has happened to prior year models of the Santa Fe. Hyundai dealership has agreed to repair the broken sunroof at no cost, however, does not admit fault with the manufacture of the glass.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the contact heard a loud explosion. The contact felt the wind coming from the sunroof. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and saw that the glass sunroof had exploded and shattered. The contact stated that no object had struck the sunroof to cause it to explode. The contact was able to continue driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer to have the vehicle inspected however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Failed tire in question: Tire failed immediately when apparent road hazard occurred on a major freeway. Exited freeway and located a area where I was able to pull over. After changing said tire (Kumho 235.60/R18) I attempted to inspect tire and found the steel belt failed (punctured). Upon further investigation I observed that the steel belt has covered with less than as less than a 1/6th inch of rubber thereby exposing the belt for a potential failure. At this point the mileage said tire was 7700. As of yet the tire warranty has not been confirmed. This tire was delivered on a new 2020Hyundai Santa Fe limited.
The air conditioner quits working after a few minutes if the temperature is over 80 degrees. This has happened multiple times, at least 6 times. I took the car into Hyundai dealer and they said they could fine nothing wrong with it. As soon as we got it back from the dealer it happened again. Heat stroke was our only safety concern. No warning light has ever come on to report this breakdown.
This is the 1st of two 2020 Santa Fe's that this has occurred on as well as a 2019 Santa Fe that we formally owned within the last 2 years. The windshield does not take rock hits well. On all three vehicles a rock strike on the windshield not only left a large star impact, but the crack from the impact reaches all the way to the roof pillar. The crack is long. I believe the windshield glass is substandard and needs to be looked into closer as being a possible safety risk. Replacing the windshield and camera recalibration is expensive.
Back up camera glitches. Causes driver assist to take control at times when not necessary. Have has this in for service at least 4 times since purchasing vehicle in 2020. Service states repaired each time bit eventually happens again. This last time is getting more severe cause multiple electrical short in Overhead lights, Panoramic roof failure to close at times and rear hatch sometimes only partially opens. I saw recent recall for 2021 and 2022 Santa fe's, I believe this problem is what is happening with my 2020 Santa fe and the scope of the recall should be expanded.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026