2017 Hyundai Santa FE problems
NHTSA has received 1,297 complaints about the 2017 Hyundai Santa FE, and 52% of them involve engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (13%) and electrical system (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,297 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 52% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 41
- Injuries and deaths
- 26 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 17,000 miles 382 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 202 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 54 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 33 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 32 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 19 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 382 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 17,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 63,000 miles (120 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 41 complaints mention a fire; 26 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 26 model years of the Hyundai Santa FE with enough data (623 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
On dec 5, 2019 at 7:50 am, I was stopped at a red light waiting to turn west at a city intersection. When the light turned green, I accelerated and drove towards the middle of the intersection. There was no oncoming traffic, so I continued and was about to make a left turn when I got hit by 2018 ford escape. The driver ran the red light and hit my vehicle in the front drivers side quarter panel, causing visible damage to my fender, wheel, panel and bumper (more damage will be determined by insurance adjuster).
Tl* the contact owned a 2017 hyundai santa fe. While the contact's husband was making a left turn at 10 MPH, the vehicle failed to gain speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Another vehicle traveling from the opposite direction struck the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. All of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed and the driver received a citation for failing to yield. The driver sustained a broken left wrist, cuts to the left hand, and bruises to the upper body/torso.
I went to a drive through car wash. Put my car in neutral and it drives your car through the wash. Once it was done I changed to drive and tapped lightly to get out. I was going to have the car wash attendant wipe down my car. As I approached him my brakes wouldn’t work and the car continued to accelerate despite not pressing down on the gas pedal. None of my electrical lights were working. It took me onto a busy street in Chicago and kept accelerating at full speed.
Santa fe will stall from a stop when making a turn also will stall at a slow speed when you try to give it gas the date I put on this form is the last time it happened. This problem has happened before.
The vehicle fails to accelerate past the initial press of the accelerator from a stop leaving you committed in traffic without power for around 2 seconds. Stepping on the accelerator fails to produce any power. Just had the vehicle looked at by hyundai who said they can find nothing wrong. Hyundai also said there are no bulletins or recalls. A search on the internet shows an alarming amount of chatter from other owners with the same issue.