2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner Complaints

Complete unmitigated loss of acceleration and power while traveling at highway speeds, creating an immediate life-threatening road hazard. Following a warranty engine replacement and mandatory dealer software flash at Clay Cooley Hyundai (Sherman, TX), the vehicle began experiencing powertrain communication issues. While operating the vehicle at 65 MPH on the highway, the vehicle completely failed to accelerate and lost propulsion power, nearly resulting in a catastrophic rear-end collision with an oncoming 18-wheeler semi-truck. Dealership diagnostics claim "no trouble codes present," but live data telemetry confirms the High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) is actively commanding and delivering a dangerous 1,600 PSI to the fuel rail at hot idle. This abnormal fuel delivery is paired with a severe powertrain stutter in 3rd gear. Service personnel at multiple locations confirm a widespread, high volume of transmission failures and severe drivability issues specifically tied to this recent Hyundai software update. Corporate has denied repair coverage. The vehicle remains an active highway safety hazard and is completely undrivable.

NHTSA ID

11756411

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle jerked and shuddered abnormally. Additionally, the transmission hesitated, and the vehicle almost stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact was informed that the Service Campaign Number: 9C2 was completed. The contact was informed that the updated software was confusing the transmission and had caused the failure. The contact was informed that the remedy was not yet determined. In addition, the contact was informed that the dealer was waiting on instructions from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 63,036.

NHTSA ID

11755907

Incident

May 22, 2026

Mileage

63,036 mi

Was driving down highway, 95 South in VA, when sunroof blew out. No traffic in front at the time, nothing hit the car. Driving around 65 mph. Temp outside was ~85-87, AC in car at 74. Just blew up and out after a large "Bang". There was no impact to the vehicle prior and no other marks or scratches to the vehicle indication an impact.

NHTSA ID

11755867

Incident

Aug 9, 2026

The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe was brought to dealership on 3/27/26 for an oil change and a computer update was completed for Emissions Improvement. Upon picking the vehicle up after service, it was noticeable that it was not shifting correctly. I spoke to the service department and asked if the memory was cleared with the update an if it was having to relearn how I drive and the said it should not be affected. This went on for a few days and I left the car with them to duplicate as there were3 no stored codes. After a few weeks, the Teck Line recommended a new transmission, which Hyundai offered goodwill assistance. As we were waiting for the transmission to arrive from being on backorder, a bulletin for Service Campaign 9C2 was release on 5/18/26 that described my experience with shifting issue almost exactly. The transmission was replaced and the drivability issues still persist. Hyundai says that I must let my car warm up for 1-3 minutes to allow a catalyst to reach temperature and not cause rough shifting. This rough shifting is the effect of the update and thus te reason that my transmission needed to be replaced. Further investigation showed that this update is a known issue and cannot be reversed once installed. Currently, I must start my car in 90 degree weather to warm it up as a result of this update which is not logical in any thought process. I have asked Hyundai to cover the balance of the new transmission as this is a result of thier faulty software update with no success.

NHTSA ID

11755540

Incident

Mar 27, 2026

A Hyundai recall 9C2 update was applied to my vehicle. Ever since that update my vehicle hard shifts on cold starts which I fear is damaging the transmission. Hyundai dealer was able to replicate this and keeps advising us that concern is ‘under review with Hyundai’. I have the service order that states this. This problem has been ongoing for Months! I think Hyundai needs to find a resolution to this as my research indicates it is impacting a lot of customers.

NHTSA ID

11755044

Incident

Jun 24, 2026

The 9C2 campaign software update introduced dangerous vehicle hesitation and unpredictable gear changes in active traffic, presenting and immediate crash hazard

NHTSA ID

11753154

Incident

May 20, 2026

On June 10, 2024 at 107,129 miles Hertrich Hyundai dealership of New Castle inspected my vehicle and submitted a request to Hyundai for engine replacement under the recall settlement of the Theta II Engine Settlement. Hyundai denied the request because of the rebuilt title, even though the rebuilt title resulted only from prior Roof damage unrelated to the engine, powertrain, or recall issue. After continuing to seek assistance from Hyundai, my engine ultimately seized and suddenly stopped working on May 10, 2026, while driving on the highway with my two children. The vehicle lost power and stopped in traffic, creating a dangerous situation and causing my children extreme fear and distress. Had Hyundai honored the Theta II Engine Settlement when I first requested assistance, this failure could have been prevented. I request that Hyundai honor the Theta II Engine Settlement and replace my defective engine at no cost to avoid any future problems. My Hyundai Santa Fe is covered under the Theta II Engine Settlement. For over three years, I repeatedly contacted Hyundai after experiencing symptoms consistent with the known Theta II engine defect. Hyundai failed to provide meaningful assistance, did not properly process my requests, and denied coverage solely because of the vehicle’s rebuilt title.

NHTSA ID

11753050

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

I own a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4L (VIN: [XXX]). On XXX, my vehicle received Campaign 9C2 (ECU software update for Theta II emissions improvement). Shortly after this update, I began experiencing a drivability issue that did not exist beforehand. Description of the issue: The problem occurs only after the vehicle has been sitting long enough for the engine to become completely cold, typically overnight. During approximately the first 1/4 mile of driving, the vehicle intermittently jumps, surges, or lurches while accelerating normally. Once the engine warms up, the symptom completely disappears and the vehicle drives normally for the remainder of the trip. There are no warning lights, no check engine light, and no diagnostic messages. The Hyundai dealer has had the vehicle for nearly a week but has been unable to reproduce the concern. Because the issue only occurs during the initial cold start and first portion of the drive, I am concerned that it may not have been tested under the same conditions in which I consistently experience the problem. I am not claiming that Campaign 9C2 caused the issue, but the timing is notable because the symptom began only after the ECU update was performed. I am requesting Hyundai's assistance in determining whether: - the ECU update was installed correctly, - any required adaptation or relearn procedure is incomplete, - there are any related Technical Service Bulletins or software updates, or - additional diagnostics should be performed during a true cold-start drive with live data recording. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11751838

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

On July 4, 2026, I was driving 2.5 hours from home. My car stopped after about an hour of travel. The car shook and the check engine light came on as the car shut down. There were no warning lights on in my vehicle. I have oil change records. My car had burned through all the oil in an hour. This is not a new problem with this model Hyundai. Every group I went to discuss the problem online all had customers who reported their vehicles suddenly started burning oil quickly which resulted in damaged motor with no warning lights in the dashboard. I had to have my car towed from out of town to the dealership. The dealership that said I had extended warranty on parts of the motor. However upon checking the motor, they said it wasn't covered. I filled out a claims report with Hyundai motors who looked into the problem and also said it's not covered under warranty. This is a known issue of Hyundai with a failure to warn of low oil in the car's warning center. This is a fault of Hyundai. I've taken good care of my car and just paid $1000 for new tires on July 2, 2026 before my trip. The dealership quoted me a price of $3500 to replace the motor with a used one. It would also require 16 hours of labor which I Believe is $200 an hour. I believe they should replace the motor due to faulty systems. My car has 107,000 miles on it, but whenever I've gone to have it checked out, everything checked out fine even at the dealership. Also, this is a known issue that Hyundai is refusing to address with their customers.

NHTSA ID

11751827

Incident

Jul 4, 2026

My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX]) was brought to Herb Chambers Hyundai of [XXX], in December 2023 to address the Underbody Corrosion Recall/Campaign (9A0). The dealer performed the preventative service. However, the remedy completely failed because the frame was already severely structurally compromised by rust. In early 2024, I relocated to [XXX] with the vehicle. Now 2026, The front subframe sub-assembly deteriorated to a hazardous point, forcing me to spend a large sum of my own money on front-end repairs caused directly by this corrosion. Currently, the rear subframe and rear suspension components are heavily corroded and structurally disintegrated. The vehicle is completely unsafe to drive, presenting an imminent risk of structural collapse and suspension failure while in motion. Hyundai's recall remedy was ineffective and merely masked the rust. The rear subframe (crossmember/cradle) and control arm anchor points are severely corroded, rusted out, and crumbling to the touch, creating an imminent risk of suspension collapse while driving. The extreme corrosion has spread to the metal fuel line the vehicle is unsafe to drive due to the advanced corrosion . Denial of Service by Local Distributor: The vehicle is currently located in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. I presented the vehicle and documentation to the local authorized distributor, Sojitz de Puerto Rico (Hyundai of Puerto Rico). As indicated I brought the Vehicle to MVP Hyundai Humacao (XXX) and filed a claim (# XXX) However they never sent a anyone to inspect the vehicle or process a safety claim, claiming they bear no responsibility because the vehicle was imported from the mainland, Because this is a failed federal safety campaign remedy that now poses an immediate threat to my life and public safety, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11750549

Incident

Jun 6, 2026

After having the Service Campaign 9C2 ECU SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THETA II EMISSIONS IMPROVEMENT, TSB 26-01-013H-2 done, my vehicle started having driveablity issues. On a normal, cold start the engine's RPMs go up really high, so I take my foot of the gas and the revs drop, almost stalling the car, and then the car bucks. I put my foot back on the gas pedal, and the engine revs really high again and takes off. If I try to drive normally, the car bucks and runs rough. My car also revs a lot higher during highway driving, than it did before the update. All of this is also causing terrible gas mileage. My car did nothing like this until I had the 9C2 update.

NHTSA ID

11750493

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

The vehicle is in limp mode and is displaying a flashing check engine light with a P1326 powertrain code. The vehicle in question is a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport equipped with a Theta II 2.4L GDI engine at 118,000 miles. Per the service campaign T3G, listed on the NHTSA website, this vehicle is covered under warranty repair since it is a Theta II engine vehicle that is displaying an active P1326 power train code. The vehicle is under he 10 Year/120,000 miles limitations of the extended warranty. The dealer just submitted to us a quote to repair the vehicle and is stating that none of the repairs listed are covered under warranty. This includes a quote to replace the engine knock sensor, which is a warranty item under the T3G service campaign’s extended warranty.

NHTSA ID

11749634

Incident

Jun 29, 2026

After going to the Hyundai dealership for them to perform Service Campaign SC2 on 6/10/26, the engine is a little jumpy for the first minute or two of driving, especially low speeds through my neighborhood.

NHTSA ID

11749509

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

Hyundai Campaign 9C2 recall update: Took my vehicle in to have the Hyundai Campaign 9C2 recall update performed on the vehicle on June 9th, 2026. Since the update the vehicle is hesitant/jerky upon first drive of the day or anytime it sits more than a few hours. Occasionally it will do this while I am driving. I feel it is a saftey risk because this could cause my vehicle to abruptly hesitate without braking and cause someone to hit me, or worsetransmission to fail while at highway speeds. I took it back to the dealer that performed the required update around june 23rd 2026 and informed them of the problem caused by the 9C2 campaign update.I got the we don't know anything about it causing problems runaround. Even though it has been documented that dealers were notified of this problem. They then wanted to charge me a $100 diagnostic fee to see if it might be something else, I declined that because I know it is from this update. My vehicle ran perfectly fine and smooth before this update was applied and no CEL lights are on. I did this update because it was required to be done by Hyundai. When I started researching why my vehicle was hesitant/jerky after the update is when I found that anyone that did this update is having these same issues, and it has been happening for a while now and Hyundai corporation has done nothing to correct this problem other than tell us to sit for at least 3 minutes or more before driving it. That does not help when it does it even after driving for a bit and possibly creating transmission problems.

NHTSA ID

11748778

Incident

Jun 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH on the interstate, the contact heard an abnormal tumbling sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact noticed an unknown object had detached from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact determined that the detached component was the radar sensor. The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system and the adaptive cruise control became inoperative. The contact stated that the vehicle had not been involved in a crash prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The mechanic advised that the radar sensor could not be reattached and stated the failure was possibly caused by a crash. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11748721

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

Mileage

130,000 mi

Airbag light on. La Quinta Hyundai verified light on scanned codes found active b134800 Driver airbag resistance circuit short to ground 1st stage. Testing found clock spring issue internal fault. Since this clock spring is related to driver airbag, & horn, it would seem that this would be a safety hazard that would be under warranty. The extended warranty (Z01) that I received from Hyundai doesn’t cover my problem.

NHTSA ID

11748248

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

We are driving on the highway and the engine just stop working but all lights are still working. I am trying to put gas but it seemed that the engine completely shuts off dangerously without warning. This put my family at risk because there were a lot of big trucks beside us. Theta II 2.0L Turbo engine just stalled I believe this has been around . Can you please help us.

NHTSA ID

11747482

Incident

Jun 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that after an unknown Emission recall was performed on the vehicle, the vehicle started sputtering at start-up and then while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known failure after the Emission recall repair. The contact was informed that the manufacturer was working on a fix for the issue. Additionally, the contact was advised that the recall repair was optional, but the contact had opted to have the vehicle repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was contacted several times, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ID

11747342

Incident

Jun 9, 2026

Mileage

78,000 mi

Hi, I have a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport and I recently went to the dealership to get my brakes done and that day they did the recall 9C2 which is a software update on the engine/transmission and the next morning when I drove my car the rpm’s were going up and my mph wouldn’t go past 15 mph for about a block down the road and the car jerked two times and then drove like normal. I call the dealership let them know about the issue and it’s never been an issue in the past and they set up a appointment I come in and they tell me if it’s not related to the brakes then I’ll have to pay $250.00 for a diagnosis test. Unbelievable I don’t believe this is a coincidence I have taken well care of my car and the past owner as well and the car doesn’t even have 100k miles. I have researched other people in the same situation as me and even read that Hyundai is recommended us to warm up our cars before driving now. It is so frustrating my car was perfectly fine until that recall and they won’t do anything about it.

NHTSA ID

11746619

Incident

May 19, 2026

vehicle serviced on 5/7/2026 for Hyundai service campaign 9C2 immediately after noticed car was not driving as it had been prior to this update, sluggish acceleration on start, chugging and then rapid sudden acceleration. returned to service dept May19. Diagnostics revealed no issues, problem persisted. returned to service dept. May22. Informed Hyundai was looking into this issue related to the 9C2 update and awaiting a new update to fix the problem. As of todayJune15 there has been no action to remedy the problem. Do not feel safe driving a vehicle that hesitates when starting to drive and then accelerates roughly. this has happened consistently upon cold start up thus far but concerned it may happen while in traffic or at other times and result in an accident.

NHTSA ID

11744314

Incident

May 7, 2026

Overview Over approximately six months, I reported persistent drivability concerns to Hyundai on Perryville — specifically hesitation, engine trembling, power loss on acceleration, and eventually a flashing check engine light, particularly when the engine was cold. Despite multiple dealership visits and over $1,500 in out-of-pocket expenses, the root cause was not identified until my fifth visit: a clogged catalytic converter. Hyundai Motor America determined the repair was not covered and declined to explain the diagnostic basis for that decision. When I sought a second opinion at an independent shop (recommended by the dealership), that shop ignored my explicit instructions not to drive the vehicle, drove it, and the car broke down in their care. Their own invoice now states the vehicle needs a new motor. I am filing this complaint to document the full pattern of negligence, misdiagnosis, and failure of care by both parties.

NHTSA ID

11743838

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11743251

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

My wife was driving our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe around March 8, 2023 with our 3 children in the vehicle. She began merging onto interstate 70 when the vehicle made a noise and became undriveable. She could still steer but pushing the pedal down did not do anything. She had to carefully pull over off of the highway so that she did not get in an accident. This vehicle had to be towed to a mechanic who said the engine had seized up and that the oil is gone from the engine and that I would need to have it sent to a Hyundai dealer. This vehicle had 108,334 miles on it so it was just past Hyundai's 100,000 mile warranty. This vehicle was towed to a Hyundai dealer who confirmed that the engine was locked up and that an oil sample found metal in the oil. The dealership recommended to replace the engine with a used one for over $11,000 which I declined then charged me $160 for evaluating. No warning lights or indicators were ever showing any issues. We did notice sometimes after an oil change that they would state on the invoice that the oil was a half quart low. This vehicle was parked in a garage and never had a drop of oil leak. Hyundai recently extended the warranty for this vehicle to 150,000 miles and then declined my repair claim due to the repair not being done at a dealership. The sudden loss of power while driving was a scary incident for my family but thankfully no one was hurt.

NHTSA ID

11743206

Incident

Mar 8, 2023

The engine burns oil fast. You have to replace oil on a regular bases. The car also looses fluids fast as well. This causing the engine to over heat. This causes the cylinder to head blow.

NHTSA ID

11743064

Incident

May 8, 2026

I was told my top side of my engine failed, and they only cover bottom side engine failure. As well as pieces was missing. When I looked at the video it showed that my screws has fell off vs removed.

NHTSA ID

11742869

Incident

May 13, 2026