Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I pulled up into my grandma's driveway, put the car in park. The car continued moving forward and when I depressed the brake pedal, the car accelerated for some unknown reason. So I put both feet on the brake and it still continued to accelerate. My car crashed into my grandparents garage door, then into their car, then pushed their car into their washer and dryer, causing those appliances to push against the wall, breaking the structure, busting water lines, smashing the washer and causing damage.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that after depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle experienced a period of unintended acceleration. As a result, the contact crashed into a brick wall. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 13V113000 (exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained burns from the air bag and a neck injury which required medical attention. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 01/12/16 updated 4/18/18
While driving at a rate of less than 5-10 mpg in heavy traffic on the 105 west freeway. The car suddenly lost power steering abilities and all power in the vehicle without notification lights or any other strange peculiarities. Both the check engine and oil lights went on. I managed to pull over with whatever residual power remaining as not to impede traffic but it was a terrifying struggle. The gears were also locked and unable to shift. I turned off the ignition and restarted the car. All the lights on the dashboard cleared and there are no diagnostics on the computer that reflect this problem. It is unknown what is causing the issue. Months prior (6 months) I was driving at a higher rate of speed (approx 30 MPH) on the same freeway, early morning, and the same problem also happened. This could have caused me to be rear ended badly or worse.
As I was driving my family home from a soccer match in denver to our home in breckenridge my car(Hyundai, Santa Fe 2011) lost all power with out the engine dying. We were heading west and in the tunnel. It was extremely scary and put my family in danger. No warning lights have ever come up on my car before or after. This is the first time of many incidents that this has happened and not only when I have been driving but also my daughter, she has her permit! It doesn't just happen on the interstate but also around our community while driving. I have had it checked it out with my mechanic and they couldn't find the issue as the diagnostic came up with nothing. This is a serious safety hazard not only for myself but my family and others on the road.
In October of this year, my 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe lost all acceleration and the malfunction light came on while I was in the left lane of a major highway going the speed limit of 70 MPH. I was able to pull over to the right and get to safety, but it was a very dangerous situation and I and many others could have been killed. The same thing happened in 2012 and they supposedly fixed it. Since the first incident, there have been a couple of recalls dealing with this issue. I think it deals with the throttle body and the idle system. Obviously it is still a very dangerous car to drive. I believe you need to investigate this before someone dies.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe. While driving approximately 5 MPH and attempting to park, the engine suddenly revved very high, the rpms increased, and the vehicle attempted to accelerate. The driver immediately depressed the brake pedal and shut the engine off to prevent the vehicle from accelerating forward and crashing into a wall. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 123,279.
2011 Hyundai Santa Fe stalls, loses power, will not accelerate, gives no warning. This could cause a major accident and multiple deaths. This happens suddenly while driving along city streets and highways and while turning.
On December 19,2011 I was slowing down coming to a stop sign and on or about the time as I put my foot on the brake pedal the motor started racing out of control. I put all my weight on the brake pedal to stop the car, then slammed the gear into park and turned the motor off. I then had the car towed to the dealership. The dealership did diagnostic testing and found nothing wrong with the car and said the car was safe to drive. Reluctantly, I accepted the car back. On February 6, 2012 the same incident of the motor racing out of control happened when I slowed down coming to a stop sign. I again put all my weight on the brake pedal and put the car in neutral and then turned off the motor. The car was again towed to the dealership. I called Hyundai corporate offices and advised them of the two incidents of the motor racing out of control. …
I backed out of a parking spot and made contact with something which I could not see from my rear view or side view mirrors. Later, when the emergency workers were loading me into the ambulance, I would see that the object was a low, cement pole, which protected a fire hydrant directly behind the parking spot I pulled out of. As I put the vehicle in gear (drive) with my foot on the brake, to pull away from whatever I backed in to, the engine revved and the vehicle accelerated on its own. The vehicle lurched forward (the best way to describe it is the way a pinball bounces off of a bumper on a pinball machine) and continued moving forward, even though my foot was still on the brake pedal. …
I was driving my Hyundai 2011 sante Fe at about 30 MPH on a city road. Suddenly, I felt that I was cut off, there was no control on brake or the steering wheel (both were too hard to operate). So, all I could do was to drive straight, and I was literally crossing some busy streets (luckily, there were no cars when I was crossing these streets) on red signals, with my blinkers on. Luckily, my co-passenger kept cool and suggested if I could operate my parking brake, and I tried this, and my car slowly came to a complete stop. At this moment, I put my car on park, turned off the engine. When I turned it back on, I drove back to a safe place (in a mile), called road side assistance and got it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealer. …
NHTSA investigations
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.
Acceleration complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe, 13% of the model year's 181 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles, and 48% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.