NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
348 reportsMileage unknown · Sep 30, 2023
Engine
My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's engine oil light comes on within just a month or two of an oil change. Hyundai service shop told me that my car was possibly burning oil. I learned that this is a common issue with some Hyundai's and Kia's when the vehicles reach around 90,000 miles. Mine began burning oil at around 88,000 miles…
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My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's engine oil light comes on within just a month or two of an oil change. Hyundai service shop told me that my car was possibly burning oil. I learned that this is a common issue with some Hyundai's and Kia's when the vehicles reach around 90,000 miles. Mine began burning oil at around 88,000 miles. I went through what they call the Oil Consumption Test for three months. That resulted in them replacing my engine under warranty, thank goodness. I didn't feel safe for three months knowing that my car was burning oil. It seems this is a common issue that may warrant an investigation and/or possible recall.
NHTSA ODI #11547492
Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 2023
Engine
Engine burns oil at an unnatural rate. Also has issues with bearings that wear out fast and burn more oil.
NHTSA ODI #11545196
Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2023
Engine
Vehicle is burning oil at an alarmingly higher amount than it should. Have filled the oil twice in the last month due to it being low. Have been tracking the oil levels for the past month and it is quickly losing oil (no stains in the driveway, white smoke out of the tailpipe, no oil splatter inside the engine compartment). Have…
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Vehicle is burning oil at an alarmingly higher amount than it should. Have filled the oil twice in the last month due to it being low. Have been tracking the oil levels for the past month and it is quickly losing oil (no stains in the driveway, white smoke out of the tailpipe, no oil splatter inside the engine compartment). Have been taking pictures of the dipstick while checking it regularly.
NHTSA ODI #11545041
90,500 miles · Sep 12, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast off the roadway. The contact unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after numerous attempts. The contact drove the vehicle…
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The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast off the roadway. The contact unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after numerous attempts. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer however, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle had been experiencing hesitation while depressing the accelerator pedal weeks prior to the engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V578000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 90,500.
NHTSA ODI #11544113
Mileage unknown · Aug 28, 2023
Engine
I went to take my car in for an oil change and every time i go in, my car is 3 quarts low on oil. I was told to take my car to the dealership in Hilton Head because the Savannah office couldn't get me in for an appointment for months. Hilton Head service center had me take my car there every 1,000 miles for an low oil consumpti…
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I went to take my car in for an oil change and every time i go in, my car is 3 quarts low on oil. I was told to take my car to the dealership in Hilton Head because the Savannah office couldn't get me in for an appointment for months. Hilton Head service center had me take my car there every 1,000 miles for an low oil consumption test. I was told not to put oil in the car even if the oil light came on which it did like maybe 200 miles before i was due to go back because it would throw off the test at the time. After doing this for 3 to 4 months of back and forth over there, then i was told that i needed to get my engine flushed, and it wasn't covered, so i had to get it financed. After flushing the engine, it did not solve the problem. Then i had to bring in all my receipts from my oil changes to make sure they were done on time. This all had been escalated to the Hyundai corporate office and they then denied replacing my engine because it was out of warranty. I think this is totally unfair that i have to continue putting oil in my car every 7 days as a result of them not replacing my engine. If for some reason i forget to put oil in my engine this could cause a fire or blow up while iam driving.
NHTSA ODI #11541228
96,000 miles · Aug 21, 2023
Engine
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle stalled and jerked. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was …
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The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle stalled and jerked. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000. The VIN was unavailable.
NHTSA ODI #11539899
65,000 miles · Aug 15, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had recently received an oil change. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed to be taken back to the dealer …
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The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had recently received an oil change. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed to be taken back to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased for assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
NHTSA ODI #11538656
104,000 miles · Aug 1, 2023
EnginePower Train
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle struggled while accelerating before there was an abnormal bang coming from the engine compartment. The contact was able to coast to the side of the roadway and received Roadside Assistance; however, the vehicle failed to restart.…
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The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle struggled while accelerating before there was an abnormal bang coming from the engine compartment. The contact was able to coast to the side of the roadway and received Roadside Assistance; however, the vehicle failed to restart. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, Roadside Assistance observed oil leaking from the engine and stopped the attempts to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that a piston had fractured, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.
NHTSA ODI #11535908
Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2023
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control
I have need to get 3 oil changes within the past month and a half. Twice I was told I was driving with no oil in my car and the engine was getting ready to go. I notice when I start my car in the morning it is making a rattling noise, this also happens when I try to accelerate and the car will get stuck in gear and hesitate bef…
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I have need to get 3 oil changes within the past month and a half. Twice I was told I was driving with no oil in my car and the engine was getting ready to go. I notice when I start my car in the morning it is making a rattling noise, this also happens when I try to accelerate and the car will get stuck in gear and hesitate before speeding up. It's been dangerous trying to drive on this highway. I also notice a thick white smoke coming from my muffler. I'm constantly paying for unnecessary oil changes and diagnostic from independent service centers and was told my motor is bad and causing all this oil consumption. I was told to contact Hyundai but no luck.
NHTSA ODI #11533022
74,874 miles · Jul 14, 2023
Engine
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle for an oil change, the mechanic informed her that there was no oil in the vehicle and that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed, but no issues wer…
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The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle for an oil change, the mechanic informed her that there was no oil in the vehicle and that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed, but no issues were found. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, oil was added to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond while driving and depressed the accelerator pedal. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist due to the mileage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 74,874.
NHTSA ODI #11532352
Official recalls
3Feb 3, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
Jun 5, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.
Jun 5, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the bolt for the driver's seat belt anchor might not have been sufficiently tightened during assembly.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the bolt was not sufficiently tightened, driver's seat belt may come unanchored in a collision, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners and dealers will verify that the driver's seatbelt anchor is properly secured, free of charge. The recall began July 7, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for the recall is 165.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2AQ23002 · Hyundai And Kia Abs Module Fires
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.
DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.