2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced a sudden rear passenger-side suspension failure while driving under normal conditions. I was driving straight when I heard a loud bang. The vehicle immediately became unable to continue driving. The rear passenger-side wheel was visibly tilted inward at the top. There was no collision, pothole impact, or other known incident that caused the failure. The vehicle was purchased new and has fewer than 30,000 miles. The dealership has presented an approximately $11,000 repair estimate and indicated that the failure is not covered under warranty. I am concerned about the safety and reliability of the vehicle’s rear suspension system and request that this incident be documented and investigated for a possible component defect or safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11777324

Incident

Oct 30, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. During an oil change appointment, the dealer informed the contact of Hyundai TSB Number: 25-01-028H-1 (Seat Heater Unit Software Update) and associated the bulletin with the failure. The dealer completed the repair; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure identified in the TSB had caused the battery to drain. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the HPCU and main wiring harness were replaced twice, the battery was replaced once, and the transmission was replaced once; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-25 MPH and coming to a stop on an incline, the vehicle shut off. Several messages, including "HEV Low Battery - Hibernation Mode", were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was shifted into neutral and rolled into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone and email, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 23,489.

NHTSA ID

11775071

Incident

Dec 2, 2025

Mileage

23,489 mi

I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, which I purchased as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle in April 2026 with approximately 15,000 miles. The vehicle currently has approximately 27,000 miles. While driving on the [XXX], my vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly lost propulsion. The vehicle’s electrical systems remained on, but it would no longer accelerate normally. There were no warning lights, messages, or alerts before the loss of power. I was in active freeway traffic with numerous vehicles behind me. Because my vehicle could no longer maintain speed or accelerate, I was placed in an extremely dangerous situation. I feared being struck from behind by another vehicle. It was a terrifying experience. I was eventually able to pull over to the side of the freeway. I turned the vehicle off and waited briefly before restarting it. I was then able to get off the freeway and reach a gas station. Once at the gas station, multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and I observed that the hybrid battery was not charging. The vehicle ultimately became undrivable. The vehicle was towed to Centennial Hyundai in [XXX] for diagnosis. The dealership advised that diagnosis could take approximately two to three days. This is the first time the vehicle has experienced this failure. However, the sudden loss of propulsion without any prior warning created a serious risk of a rear-end collision. I am concerned that this failure could happen to other Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid owners while driving at freeway speeds. I am requesting that NHTSA review this incident as a potential vehicle safety defect, including the sudden loss of propulsion, lack of advance warning, and apparent hybrid charging-system malfunction. At the time of this complaint, the cause of the failure has not yet been confirmed by the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11774907

Incident

Oct 29, 2026

I was driving around 60-65 mph and felt like the left rear wheel was having trouble catching the road. 15-30 seconds later I was put into a spin, did one full revolution before hitting the soft dirt embankment right after the on ramp for 10A on NJ-18 South. When I got out of the car, the left rear wheel looked like it had snapped from the main arm of the suspension. Airbags did not deploy.

NHTSA ID

11774856

Incident

Oct 11, 2026

My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has multiple ongoing problems. Several are intermittent. BRAKES: The brake pedal intermittently sticks when I first start the car. STARTING/ELECTRICAL: On two occasions the vehicle would not start and roadside assistance had to come to start it. It is also sometimes hard to start. The Digital Key on my phone intermittently fails to unlock the doors or start the car. On occasion, all audio is lost at startup, including the radio, speakers, and turn signal sound. The front left speaker intermittently cuts out or sounds distorted. The passenger front door exterior handle/unlock intermittently fails. The driver side temperature knob is stuck at 77 degrees F. POWER TRAIN: The vehicle hesitates/stutters during the first half mile of driving after starting. SEATS: The driver seat memory intermittently fails to move to the saved position when the car starts. SUSPENSION: A creaking, spring-like noise occurs when the car rocks during initial acceleration and braking, possibly from the driver side front. I have reported this to the dealer twice before. Inspection: I have reported these problems to Westlake Hyundai in Thousand Oaks, CA, on previous visits and have another service appointment scheduled. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. I am concerned about the brake pedal and no-start problems as safety issues.

NHTSA ID

11774623

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

On three occasions while Highway Driving Assist / Smart Cruise Control was engaged, my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid did not slow down for the vehicle ahead and continued at its set speed. I had to brake manually to avoid a collision. Dates and conditions: UNKNOWN exact dates. All three occurred within the past several weeks. Warning lamps or messages: UNKNOWN. I did not notice a warning before the system failed to slow down. Inspection: The vehicle has not yet been inspected for this problem. I have reported it to Westlake Hyundai in Thousand Oaks, CA, and it has a service appointment scheduled. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The vehicle also has other ongoing issues, including the brake pedal sticking at startup, two no-start events requiring roadside assistance, and intermittent electrical problems. I am concerned this is a safety defect that could cause a rear-end collision.

NHTSA ID

11774620

Incident

Oct 1, 2026

2025 Hyundai Santa Fe - The sound for the blinkers, rear-view camera alerts, and radio sounds has gone out 2 times, once in XXX and then on XXX. This is a safety issue. I have had issues with an electrical battery drain with the key fob antenna being one of issues draining the battery and replaced in XXX. After the sound went out on XXX, I did not drive the vehicle for 1 day, then went to get into the vehicle on Wednesday, XXX and the vehicle was dead. No lights were on, it would not unlock. I missed the scheduled service appointment I had on the XXX due to the dead battery. The car had sat unused for less than 24 hours. I had to call Hyundai roadside assistance for them to jump the car off and tow it to the dealership yesterday afternoon. The battery drain started happening at 700 miles on the car, where I jumped it off myself, and continued to happen every month or two. I kept jumping it off and taking it to the dealership to let them know what was going on. Sometimes, they would investigate it, and sometimes nothing would get done about it. I have had to jump this vehicle off myself at least 6 times since XXX. Yesterday, I just called roadside assistance. There is clearly an electrical drain on the car battery somewhere in this vehicle. XXX, the car was located in [XXX] on a vacation and started having shuttering and engine light came on. This was fixed on XXX by replacing #4 fuel injector prior to 30,000 miles. This is not a reliable vehicle, or safe. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11774538

Incident

Oct 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. While reversing out of the garage, the back over prevention sensing system failed to alert the contact that another vehicle was parked nearby in the driveway. The failure caused the contact to crash into another vehicle. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site. The contact filed an insurance claim with the insurance company. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

NHTSA ID

11774462

Incident

Oct 22, 2026

Mileage

53,000 mi

This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 2nd Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system. Refer to the 2026 2nd 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.

Some Hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (PDW) sensor(s) that may trigger various DTCs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the PDW sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. This condition may be a result of external damage to the PDW sensor membrane or sensor cover from rock chips or road debris, a collision, or previous vehicle repairs or modifications.

Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. All internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operation, depending on driving conditions and mileage, and this procedure should only be performed when deemed necessary based on inspection and diagnosis of the vehicle as outlined in TSB 26-EM-015H, Engine Oil Consumption – Inspection & Repair Guidelines, or the latest revision.

Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. All internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operation. Oil consumption rates may vary based on mileage, operating conditions, driving habits, and maintenance history. Hyundai recommends following the prescribed maintenance schedule and periodically checking the engine oil level using the dipstick to maintain proper engine oil level.

Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles may exhibit a 12-volt battery drain due to the passive entry feature of the Digital Key 2 premium causing repeated wakeup of the vehicle. This bulletin provides instructions to perform software updates for the Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) and Body Domain Control (BDC) modules.

Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles equipped with natural leather or Nappa leather seating surfaces may exhibit wrinkling on the first or second row seat cushions or seat backs, or tearing along the perforation holes due to the stiffness of the leather material. This bulletin provides instructions to replace the wrinkled or torn seat covers.