2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid 2025 has a bad factory seal on the high voltage harness - hybrid battery connector that causes water to intrude the connector under normal conditions which can short the battery and pose a major safety issue. Hyundai is refusing warranty coverage of my shorted hybrid battery on my brand new 2025 Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid stating “Flood” with no evidence of flood damage. My car experienced multiple P engine hybrid system faults on XXX and would not drive. I had it towed the Van Hyundai Carrollton on that date. They did not look at the car for over a week and it sat on their lot the entire time. On XXX they finally inspected it and claimed the car had been “flooded” and shorted the hybrid battery. The only evidence they provided was moisture in the high voltage harness. There were no water/silt lines, any other damage to any other components, and no evidence of any water anywhere else on the vehicle. The video they showed of the undercarriage only showed normal splash marks from driving. The car was never flooded/submerged. Any water/moisture found in the harness would have been due to a faulty/defective factory seal that should be impervious to water under normal operating conditions. No water/flooding/submersion damage would have been obvious of this. The dealership refused to provide any evidence and had no follow-up. One key aspect they refused to acknowledge was there was a massive rainstorm in [XXX] onXXX which was also the only rainstorm in the area in the previous 1-2 months. This happened while the car was on the dealer’s lot. The car had no issues with any water prior to being at Van Hyundai. A case was opened with Hyundai Corporate and the Dealship also lied stating the car wasn’t in their system until XXX, which is false as I have phone records, tow records, and appointments showing the 7/10 date, so corporate overlooked that. I disagreed with the dealerships diagnosis as it was a scapegoat finding putting all blame o INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA ID

11755330

Incident

Jul 10, 2026

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle suffers from an intermittent, total engine stalling and propulsion failure. Without warning, the engine completely shuts down while driving and automatically drops the vehicle into "Accessory (ACC) Mode". The vehicle is fully intact, operational when it restarts, and is available for immediate inspection upon request How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This issue has occurred five total times in live traffic, severely risking the safety of the vehicle's occupants and surrounding drivers. The most recent and dangerous incident occurred on the freeway in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. A sudden, complete loss of power on a high-speed freeway leaves the vehicle entirely vulnerable to rear-end collisions, as it leaves no room or momentum to safely coast to the shoulder. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The vehicle has been brought to an authorized Hyundai dealership five separate times specifically to diagnose this exact stalling issue. Because the failure is intermittent, dealership service technicians have been unable to replicate the problem during their test drives or resolve the root cause. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected five separate times by authorized Hyundai dealership technicians during the service appointments mentioned above. No police, insurance, or independent manufacturer representatives have inspected the vehicle yet, as the stalling has not yet resulted in a physical crash. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?There are absolutely no dashboard warning lights, check engine indicators, error messages, or mechanical symptoms prior to the failures. The engine shuts down instant

NHTSA ID

11755009

Incident

Jul 25, 2026

After waiting a month (called in june car went in 7/28/26)for an appointment with my dealer for 2 recalls and a broken rear seatbelt the dealership has deemed my vehicle unsafe to drive and has impounded my vehicle for almost a week. They have to replace not only 1 rear seatbelts but ALL rear seatbelts. The original recall is for the front seatbelt.

NHTSA ID

11754125

Incident

Jun 26, 2026

235/60R18 103H While driving the 1year old car, the tire pressure reading in the vehicle began to go down, upon exiting the vehicle it was determined that two holes blew through in the side wall of the tire. Thankfully, this was not as dangerous of a situation as it could’ve been as the car had just come off the highway and was traveling at a lower speed a residential neighborhood. The tire is not available, it was disposed at the place it was replaced at. There were no major tire stores open as it was a Sunday so it replacement tire had to be purchased from a local tire vendor.

NHTSA ID

11753774

Incident

Jul 26, 2026

I am submitting a second and more urgent safety complaint regarding the Driver Monitoring and Driver Assistance systems in my vehicle. I previously reported this same core defect: the system falsely fails to recognize my face, sounds repeated warnings, and disables driving assistance while the vehicle is moving. Despite that prior complaint, the defect remains, and the seriousness of the danger has clearly not been recognized or addressed. This defect has now placed my life in immediate danger. While I was driving, the system falsely determined that it could not properly see my face. It sounded repeated warnings and then abruptly disabled driving assistance. That sudden withdrawal of assistance created a near-crash situation. I was attentive and was not experiencing a medical emergency. The danger was created by the system’s false detection and defective response. A safety system should reduce danger. This system detected a supposed problem and made the situation more dangerous by removing the assistance that was helping keep the vehicle under control. Had this occurred beside a concrete barrier, near stopped traffic, in a construction zone, on a curve, or next to a large truck, the result could have been a fatal collision. I could have been killed because of this system defect. When a driver cannot be verified, the vehicle should maintain lane control, reduce speed, activate hazard warnings, and perform a controlled safe stop. It should never abruptly withdraw assistance and create a more dangerous condition. I request that NHTSA investigate why a previously reported life-threatening defect remains unresolved and require Hyundai to correct this system logic before someone is seriously injured or killed.

NHTSA ID

11751090

Incident

Jul 17, 2026

First tire blowout- 6/3/26- on Ohio turnpike tire just blew. No nails / no pothole/ no reason back passengers side Second tire blowout - 7/4/26 on laurel street Pittston ( paved road, hit small bump in road. Nothing unusual) tire just blew out. Front drivers side). No nails no reason) Third tire issue -7 /16/26 large bubble noticed on back drivers side . Going to try to drive it to get ANOTHER new tire. After investing this on the internet, this is a know problem with the pitelli scorpion tire on the calligraphy model. We were never notified . Recommendation in line is to Replace all 4 tires! We just patio 1300.00 for the other 2 new ones which are apparently not safe. We no have to get a tire We were lucky that the 2 blowouts did not cause us to get in an accident or cause injury to someone. It’s only a matter of time and hundai will have a major suit in their hands I am going to file a complaint with Hyundai and the attorney general and anyone else I can think of. People need to be warned and they need to pay for new tires tie me plus the ones I already replaced Ethan now need to get rid of. If you Google you will see this had been a known problem previously reported to Hyundai

NHTSA ID

11750737

Incident

Jun 3, 2026

While driving on the on ramp to [XXX] the car completely stopped and all systems shut off. There were two dash lights that flashed quickly with one being the check engine light but I did not see the other long enough to identify it. The dealership could not reproduce the issue but has the car now and is doing a more thorough evaluation. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine stopped. Yes it is available How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Extremely dangerous as it came to a stop in the middle of the road. It was late at night so at that moment no one was behind me. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no, the warning lights flashed on as the car died but disappeared once off. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11749471

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

On [XXX] after spending the day at Henson Creek Golf Course in Fort Washington, MD, I returned to my vehicle and discovered that it had completely lost all electrical power and would not start. The vehicle exhibited no warning signs prior to the failure. Believing the issue to be related to the battery, I contacted AAA for roadside assistance. AAA attempted to jump-start the vehicle, but the jump-start was unsuccessful. The vehicle was subsequently towed on May 18, 2026, to Pohanka Hyundai in Capitol Heights, MD for diagnosis and repair. After approximately nine days, the dealership advised that the battery terminals had been secured and that no additional problem could be identified. On [XXX], the exact same issue occurred again; however, this incident was significantly more dangerous because it occurred while the vehicle was being driven. While traveling during morning rush hour through a busy intersection in Northeast Washington, DC, the vehicle suddenly and completely lost power without warning while in traffic. The vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection, creating an extremely hazardous situation. Fortunately, motorists traveling behind me were able to stop in time, and no collision occurred. However, this incident could easily have resulted in a serious crash involving injuries or fatalities. The vehicle was towed to Ourisman Hyundai in Bowie, MD, where it is currently undergoing additional diagnosis. I am extremely concerned that this vehicle has experienced two complete electrical failures within approximately one month, including one incident that occurred while driving in heavy traffic. Because the dealership was unable to identify the root cause after the first incident, I am concerned that a serious defect may exist involving the vehicle's electrical system, battery system, wiring, power distribution system, or another component affecting vehicle operation and safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11747163

Incident

May 17, 2026

Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles equipped with power seats with or without Integrated Memory System (IMS) may produce buzz, squeak, rattle noises when the driver’s front seat is adjusted forward or backwards due to friction within the motor’s tube. This bulletin provides instructions to remove the motor tube.

This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 1st Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system. Refer to the 2026 1st Navigation Map and Software Update Key Improvements and Additional Improvements tables in this TSB for a list of specific changes. The software can be downloaded via Navigation Updater (NAU) and updated by USB.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may rupture during deployment, and have caused serious injuries and fatalities. Please see attached announcement, provided by NHTSA, for more details.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and underwent airbag replacement using non-genuine parts. These dangerous inflators have ruptured during deployment, posing a serious risk of injury or death due to metal fragments entering the vehicle cabin. To date, Hyundai is aware of three people who have died while driving a Hyundai vehicle with one of these substandard replacement airbag inflators that deployed in what likely would have been a survivable crash. NHTSA has issued a public advisory urging vehicle owners and service professionals to have vehicles inspected if there is reason to believe that a non-genuine replacement airbag may have been installed. Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, prior airbag deployments, or unknown repair histories may present a higher risk. NHTSA strongly cautions against self-inspection by vehicle owners and recommends inspection by trained technicians.

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to verify Bluelink Data Communication Unit (DCU) network connection and if needed, reset the DCU in Dealer Mode to resolve the connection.

Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles equipped with 2nd row captain’s chairs have an armrest cap that may detach. This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the armrest cap on the 2nd row captain’s chairs with a revised part.