657 of the 1,968 complaints about the Hyundai Santa Fe (33.4%) concern Engine, making it the model's largest problem area. That share is 1.5× the Engine share across all tracked vehicles.
657Complaints · Engine
33.4%Share of complaints
1.5×vs. all vehicles
204Last 12 months
3.0%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
By model year, Engine complaints peak with the 2018 model (259, 61% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2024 model (20). 204 Engine complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 131 in the 12 months before — the pace is rising.
Owners most often describe: “engine”, “oil”, “consumption”, “sport” and “light”. 20 of these reports (3.0%) describe a crash or fire, with 6 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 25V549000 (2025-08-26, model years 2025).
I went to the store, came home , parked and turned off the car. Went to go outside about 10 minutes ,maybe. Black smoke coming from right front. By the time i grabbed the keys and fire extinguisher there were flames coming from the engine compartment
Engine · 2026-08-12 · ODI 11756416 · Fire
We were at full stop with Auto Hold feature enabled. Car lurched / jumped forward with no depression of the gas pedal. This caused us to strike the car in front of us.
Engine · 2026-06-11 · ODI 11743508 · Crash
Update Re: ODI Complaint Number: 11759237 Subsequent Actions and Manufacturer Refusal to Remediate Safety Defect: Following the [XXX], acute safety incident—where the vehicle lost motive power and entered severe limp mode on [XXX] immediately upon release…
Engine · 2026-09-02 · ODI 11761505
Hyundai Motor America & Wallace Hyundai of StuartVEHICLE: 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe (2.4L Theta II GDI Engine)VIN: 5NMS23AD5LH181669INCIDENT MILEAGE: 181,000 MiHYUNDAI CASE NUMBER: 42981944SECTION 1: CATASTROPHIC INTERSTATE SAFETY INCIDENTOn July 16, 2026, while…
Engine · 2026-09-02 · ODI 11761774
While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power on the highway and would not accelerate beyond approximately 20 mph despite accelerator input. There were no warning lights or check-engine light.
Engine · 2026-09-02 · ODI 11761734
My car is consuming an immense amount of oil, the manufacturer recommends oil changes every 7,500 miles, I get an oil change less than 3,000 miles and on my last oil change i was told that there are oil shavings in my oil filter.
Engine · 2026-08-31 · ODI 11760974
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:CRITICAL FASTENERS Campaign 25V549000 · 2025-08-26 · Model years: 2025
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER Campaign 22V197000 · 2022-03-28 · Model years: 2022
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall 222.
Why modern engines burn oil, and what owner complaints revealThe design choices that make many recent engines consume oil, the warning signs owners describe, what counts as normal, and which tracked models draw the most engine complaints right now.
Frequently asked questions
How common are Engine problems on the Hyundai Santa Fe?
657 of the 1,968 complaints about the Hyundai Santa Fe (33.4%) concern Engine, making it the model's largest problem area. That share is 1.5× the Engine share across all tracked vehicles.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe model years have the most Engine complaints?
By model year, Engine complaints peak with the 2018 model (259, 61% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2024 model (20).
Is there a recall for Hyundai Santa Fe Engine problems?
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 25V549000 (2025-08-26, model years 2025).