2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Powertrain (other) Problems

The primary component failure is within the hybrid powertrain control architecture, specifically involving the transmission control system or internal transmission clutches/modules (TCM/HEV control module). The vehicle utilizes a 6-speed automatic transmission integrated with an electric motor. During highway cruising, the transmission locks into a single gear ratio or a protective "limp mode," resulting in a total loss of normal acceleration despite high engine RPMs. The vehicle and its components are fully intact and available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at severe risk because the sudden, unexpected loss of acceleration occurred while traveling at highway speeds in active traffic. When the transmission locked and power cut out, the vehicle rapidly shed speed and dropped to a hazardous 20-35 mph on a high-speed roadway. This created an immediate, extreme risk of a high-speed rear-end collision from vehicles traveling behind me, forcing me to make defensive lane changes toward the shoulder without normal engine power to navigate safely. This happens without warning no notices or errors pop up when it happens. The issue is intermittent and has been presented to an authorized Hyundai dealership technician multiple times. Because the vehicle often resets its communication modules and temporary limp-mode parameters once the ignition cycle is turned completely off and back on, the dealership technicians have encountered difficulty pulling permanent historical diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). However, the failure patterns match a widely documented, repeating issue among 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid owners regarding HEV torque calculation or loose engine wiring harness pin tension

NHTSA ID

11766539

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

While driving on a highway at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle abruptly suffered a catastrophic loss of power and entered "Limp Mode," creating a severe safety hazard on the roadway. The vehicle was safely maneuvered and pulled over to the side of the road. Upon shutting the vehicle down and attempting to restart it after a few minutes, the powertrain completely failed to engage, refusing to shift into either Drive or Reverse. The vehicle became entirely disabled and required a flatbed tow to the dealership. ​Dashboard Warning Messages: - ​"Transmission Control System" - ​"Check Hybrid System" ​Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): - ​P177700 (Transmission / Hybrid Powertrain Control Malfunction) - ​P178400 (Transmission Control System / Electric Oil Pump or Actuator Circuit Fault)

NHTSA ID

11765583

Incident

Sep 2, 2026

First Incident – XXX Weekend ([XXX]) Accelerating at an on-ramp to a major highway (I-37S) in [XXX], vehicle suddenly lost power. Speed dropped from 60 mph to 45 mph, then 28 mph, in a 65 mph zone during rush hour traffic. No apparent cause: had ¾ tank of fuel, a clean maintenance history, and no prior issues. Managed to reach the shoulder and, after several minutes, able to exit the highway. Vehicle would not accelerate above 35–45 mph and stayed around 30mph, and the hybrid battery showed less than 25% charge. Notified Red McCombs Hyundai (original seller). When a loaner vehicle became available, we brought the Santa Fe in. After a week, the dealership stated they could not duplicate the problem and returned the vehicle to us. Second Incident – XXX ([XXX]) On a planned trip from [XXX] to [XXX], again experienced a sudden and severe loss of power. While merging onto I‑10W, in [XXX], the vehicle speed dropped from 80 mph to 60, then 50, then 38 mph. Able to avoid a collision because of an unusually wide median where I could safely stop. Used GPS to find a local Hyundai dealer - Casa Hyundai of [XXX] - and drove there, using surface roads only. Turned vehicle in for maintenance and continued trip using a loaner vehicle. Casa Hyundai reported, days later, that despite logged error messages indicating problem with hybrid system and advising user to immediately stop, they were unable to isolate problem. Third Incident – XXX (Unknown location in [XXX]) Entering I-10E after fuel stop (80mph zone) and accelerating hard on a slight incline, again experienced sudden loss of power, slowing to less than 40 mph. Drove on shoulder for two miles to next exit 284 and stopped w/motor running to recharge. No error codes or warnings displayed on dash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11762194

Incident

Jul 4, 2026

While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power on the highway and would not accelerate beyond approximately 20 mph despite accelerator input. There were no warning lights or check-engine light. The condition created a safety hazard because the vehicle could not maintain normal traffic speed. Hyundai dealer has been unable to determine the cause on other vehicles with the same problem, and was trying to discourage me from reporting this. They also said that they'd keep the car for 3 days, and likely return it with no diagnosis, so do I really want to go through this? They seemed unconcerned that this is a very dangerous issue in a highway.

NHTSA ID

11761734

Incident

Sep 2, 2026

Our family was driving on the highway at 55mph (I-495 in Alexandria, VA), the car instantly began to decelerate, despite having my foot completely on the accelerator and we had to limp over to the side of the road onto the shoulder. We had to wait multiple times for the hybrid motor to re-power itself to get off an exit at 10-15 mph. The car is now in "limp mode" and will not drive above 35 mph. This is the 4th time that we have had the same issue occur. Hyundai has provided a different fix each time, but they have yet to find an answer as to why this instant loss of acceleration keeps occuring. In the wrong circumstance. This instant loss of acceleration could be deadly and cause severe injuries to the individuals in the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11758911

Incident

Aug 23, 2026

On XXX, at approximately 6:30 PM, my wife was driving our 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid on [XXX] when the vehicle suddenly lost propulsion power. It would not accelerate past approximately 55 mph. With the accelerator pedal pressed fully to the floor, the vehicle did not gain speed. I drove the vehicle myself the same day, immediately after she arrived home, to verify the problem, and I reproduced the identical condition. The vehicle accelerates normally from a stop, but at approximately 40 to 50 mph it stops accelerating and will not exceed approximately 50 to 55 mph regardless of accelerator input. No warning lamps illuminated and no messages appeared on the instrument cluster before, during, or after either event. The vehicle health check in the official Hyundai application reports the vehicle status as normal. The driver receives no indication that anything is wrong. This is a serious safety hazard. Sudden inability to accelerate in traffic creates a substantial risk of a rear-end collision and makes it dangerous to merge onto a highway, pass, or clear an intersection. Because there is no warning, the driver cannot anticipate it. The vehicle has approximately 13,741 miles and was purchased new on XXX. Scheduled maintenance was performed at the selling dealer on XXX at 7,924 miles. The vehicle has not been driven since XXX and is available for inspection on request. It is scheduled for dealer inspection on XXX. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. I am aware of numerous owner reports of a similar loss-of-power condition in 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles in which the gasoline engine reportedly fails to engage and the vehicle operates on hybrid battery power alone. In several of those reports the trouble code cleared itself before the dealer inspected the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11755812

Incident

Aug 7, 2026

Vehicle went into limp mode while driving on the freeway and then would not go past 30 MPH even after pulling over and restarting it. At first there were no errors but after a restart the following warning showed up: "Park with engine On to charge battery". Everything worked fine earlier that day.

NHTSA ID

11752584

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The car immediately stopped driving and went into limp mode and cannot go over 30 mph. It was taken to a service dealer. They could not replicate the problem, therefore the vehicle was given back as undiagnosed. This next incident occurred and almost caused an accident, and that was on, again driving on the beltway around Columbus, OH. The car went from 70 mph to 30 mph. The vehicle stayed at 25 to 30 mph the entire time. Could not get it to do anything else. Drove cautiously on the side of the road and got to the dealership after driving 30 minutes at 25 mph. Dealership ended up saying the transmission needed replaced. It has been at the dealer for 3 weeks waiting on a transmission

NHTSA ID

11751764

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid AWD was serviced under warranty on 4/22/2026 for a driveability concern after experiencing a loss of power while driving. The service history shows part HY35326-2M500 was replaced. On or about 5/25/2026, the same issue occurred again while driving at highway speed. The vehicle suddenly lost motive power and dropped from approximately 70 mph to approximately 30 to 40 mph, creating a serious safety risk because the vehicle could not maintain speed with surrounding highway traffic. No warning lamps, dashboard messages, or diagnostic codes appeared during the failure. The vehicle is currently at a Hyundai dealership for inspection and repair for the repeat issue and should be available for inspection upon request. The prior dealer record appears to describe the issue generally as a “driveability concern,” but the current repair diagnosis and full repair notes are still pending. It is unknown whether the dealer has reproduced or confirmed the failure during the current visit. I am reporting this as a sudden loss of motive power at highway speed involving the fuel/propulsion system, engine, and/or powertrain.

NHTSA ID

11740281

Incident

Apr 22, 2026

Driving home from church this morning, the vehicle experiences a sudden loss of power and the car went into “limp mode”. Even the pedal floored and the engine rpms high, the car would barely go about 25 or 30 mph. A message from the dash board told me to pull over and leave the engine running to charge the EV batteries. The batteries would charge enough for what I thought would get me home but quickly drained leaving repeat the action until I could limp the six miles home with flashers on and cars passing me to get around. No warning lights and no indication there was a problem until it happened leaving me baffled and frustrated. I was just thankful that I wasn’t going faster when it happened. If I had been going faster when this happened, it could have created a major accident. Dangerous! Since this happened on Sunday, the dealer wasn’t open. I hope to get it to the dealer tomorrow to find out what is going on and how to fix it. The car has only 14850 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11736908

Incident

May 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated to 25 MPH with a “Vehicle Will Shut Down” warning message displayed. The contact stated that the engine then began to shut down, and although the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate and stalled. The failure occurred on multiple occasions, requiring the vehicle to be towed each time. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and multiple cases were opened, The failure mileage was approximately 3,300.

NHTSA ID

11736009

Incident

May 6, 2026

Mileage

3,300 mi

I had stopped and put gas in for a full tank. Pulled out onto the Hwy heading towards Houston TX and was accelerating up to speed limit of 50MPH when the warning on the instrument panel displayed HYBRID SYSTEMS DISABLED pull over and stop immediately. Which I did, but I could not accelerate and was losing speed in traffic. I got safely parked and turned the vehicle off. I let the car sit for a few minutes and started it back up. All warnings were gone and the vehicle has performed normally since up to the current mileage of 9374. I took the vehicle to Hyundai today, 4/13/2026 and they hooked it up to the diagnostic system and it showed NOTHING.

NHTSA ID

11730952

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

The 2025 Hyundai Hybrid Santa Fe SEL has experienced two instances (Nov 2025, 11k miles & Apr 2026, 14k miles) where the combustion engine fails to provide power to the vehicle’s wheels. The engine continues to run, but only enough to maintain a charge to the hybrid battery system. When accelerating to speeds above 30 miles per hour or when traveling up inclines, the combustion engine’s rotations per minute (rpm) spiked, however the vehicle’s power-train still rapidly lost power and the hybrid battery drained significant charge. During one instance in November 2025, while attempting to accelerate to 55 mph up an incline, the hybrid battery drained enough that the vehicle was required to be pulled off the road to allow the battery to charge. During the April 2026 event, while containing a family of four (including to young children under six years of age), the vehicle failed to accelerate to 60 mph up an incline on an interstate freeway bridge. The vehicle rapidly slowed to between 20 and 30 mph, putting the family in grave danger from high-speed collisions. Following both instances, the on-board diagnostics computer was reset, “resolving the issue” and the Hyundai technicians elected to make no further repairs or replacements. The onboard diagnostics code P0191 was reported following the April 2026 event, however no codes or errors were identified by the Hyundai technician following the November 2025 event. No additional follow-up was performed, even though the vehicle remained under the manufacturer’s warranty.

NHTSA ID

11730891

Incident

Apr 11, 2026

Sudden loss of power (multiple incidences in the first 3000 miles, multiple service visits). While driving normally there was a sudden loss of power. Once at an interstate on ramp while attempting to merge, and three times while driving on city streets. The first dealer visit resulted in no action due to no codes and the problem not replicating. When I pulled into the dealer and shut off the car; I received an alert that the vehicle was officially transferred to me. When I restarted the vehicle, it operated normally. The consensus was that the vehicle was left in “dealer mode” and it was several days after I purchased the vehicle before the system was updated. The second insident was deemed to be a bad catalytic converter which was replaced by the dealer. The third incident was said to be due to a bad fuel rail sensor which also caused the catalytic converter from the second incident. The fourth incident occurred the day after the vehicle was repaired from the third instance. The vehicle was not safe to drive and was towed to the dealer, where it is today.

NHTSA ID

11730277

Incident

Apr 8, 2026

Vehicle experienced a loss of acceleration while driving. When pressing the accelerator, engine RPM increased significantly but the vehicle did not increase speed. The vehicle felt as though it was stuck in one gear and would not upshift or downshift. The issue was most noticeable while driving uphill, where the vehicle was unable to maintain speed despite full throttle input. This created a safety concern as the vehicle could not accelerate normally in traffic conditions. The problem has been progressively worsening over time. Initially there were mild symptoms, but it has become more severe and frequent, culminating in a near-complete inability to accelerate under load. No warning lights or messages were observed prior to or during the failure (if that’s true—adjust if needed). Vehicle has approximately 28,000 miles. The vehicle is currently at a dealership for inspection and diagnosis, but the issue has not yet been confirmed or resolved at the time of this report.

NHTSA ID

11726897

Incident

Mar 24, 2026

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has had multiple occasions, most recently on February 3, 2026 with 12,330 miles on the car, where the gas-powered engine fails to provide any power to the drivetrain. The car experiences vast power loss and enters "limp mode" where only the small hybrid battery is powering the vehicle. Max speed ranges from 10 - 25mph and there is little, if any, acceleration, even when the gas pedal is pegged to the floor. It is necessary to pull over, engage the flashing safety lights and try to find a safe place to park. After turning the vehicle off and on several times, eventually, the gas engines re-engages. The first incident of this type for this vehicle was on August 7, 2025 with approximately 4,400 miles on the vehicle. It was taken to the dealer, Key Hyundai of Salem, who could not find any DTCs and could not replicate the problem. They said "bring it back if it happens again." They next time was on February 3, 2026 where it happened several times on a trip to and from a local restaurant. This time, at DTC code of P088000 POWERTRAIN / POWERLOSS was recorded and reported. However, by the time the car was seen by Key Hyundai of Salem on February 5, 2026, the code has cleared itself. Hyundai's corporate policy is that historical codes can not be used for Warranty claims. So, the dealer tried one potential fix, cleaning the TCM connectors under the driver's seat, and returned the vehicle stating that Hyundai corporate would not authorize warranty work unless/until the car was presented to the dealership with a current / live DTC or visible broken parts. It seems unsafe to put a vehicle back on the road that could lose power and drivability at any time for no apparent reason. I am aware that there have been several other reports of similar POWER LOSS / LIMP MODE situations by owners of 2024-25 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrids. At the moment, I am told that there is no current Technical Service Bulletin on this from Hyundai.

NHTSA ID

11716187

Incident

Feb 3, 2026

Started car, reading paperwork and suddenly my car went into Neutral bycitself and rolled backwards in a parking lot. Thank goodness no one was walking behind my car. This is the 2nd time it has happened. Additionally, twice previously, my car screen blacked off. 1 other time while sitting at a traffic light, the car shut off. I have been patient but now I'm afraid ti drive this car with only 2,650 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11707089

Incident

Dec 22, 2025

Check emergency, stopping function alert. Check hybrid system stop safely. Both alerts came on the dash the steering wheel vibrated 11 other alerts popped up in the car steered me to the side of the road. It would not start again and This has happened four times in the 7 months I’ve had the car Hyundai cannot figure out what the issue is. In fact they tell me there is no issue because it’s not happening to them while it’s been there for almost a month.

NHTSA ID

11679969

Incident

Jul 11, 2025