Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
As early as last summer, my 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe started to (intermittently) accelerate when I stepped on the brake. Frankly, I thought it was related to the sandals I was wearing. I thought I was occasionally stepping on the gas and the brake at the same time (I have very big feet -- size fifteen). The problem stopped when I switched shoes (which also corresponded to the end of summer). The problem came back intermittently this summer and is now repeatable. When I am going down a steep hill at speeds over about 20 MPH, the engine RPM's increase when I step on the brake. It does that while in gear and while in neutral. Obviously, if the drive train is in gear, the engine "fights against" the brake; if the drive train is in neutral, the engine revs. If the engine is in neutral or is shifted into neutral after the acceleration starts, the engine races until I let off the brake. …
While driving the engine would decelerator then cut out. I can be on the highway going speed limits of 70 or on a side street going 30 or under. It even happened when I pulled out of my drive way and drove down my street (4 houses down) and got to my cul-de-sac and all power shut down. Neighbor had to stop to avoid hitting me because I was rolling and could not stop. All power to steering wheel and brakes would be non operational. I have to manually pull the wheel to one side to avoid traffic, causing an accident, or from being hit by head on traffic. The first occurrence was in February of 2017 and the most recent was January 18th on my way home from work. It has happened to us over a dozen times and found blogs that state that Hyundai denies that this is happening.
Today April 28, 2015, my mother, daughter and I were coming home from running an errand, when we came to are house we pulled up and went in reverse to pull into the drive way like normal so we can park the car in the garage. When we pulled in we were going just 5mph. Then suddenly when my mom was pushing the brake the stop and put the car into park. The car out of no where lurched and crashed into are washer, water heater , and caused the back windshield to shatter. An we have had this car for 3 years and its always the same routine, so were very shook up on how this could happen. Even though this happened at a resident im filing this since it could happen anywhere to another car.
I was stopped in a left turn lane and I believe I was the 8th or 9th vehicle in line. I had my foot on the brake pedal and the pedal went to the floor! I turned my steering wheel to the left as far as I could, but I tapped the bumper of the vehicle in front of me. There were no injuries and very minor damage to the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of me, and very minor damage to my front bumper. No other vehicles were involved. I called the Hyundai dealership and told them that my brakes had failed and had caused an accident. I was told that it was probably not the brakes, but the master brake cylinder. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership (carl gregory Hyundai, at northlake, columbus, ga) this morning I called to check on the status of the vehicle and was told that they had driven the vehicle for 200 miles and could not reproduce the problem. …
My ESC, dbc, and ABS warning lights all illuminated at the same time this morning. There are many complaints of this happening on numerous Hyundai forms. Folks have been told to replace hubs, sensors and assorted other pieces. Most do not work costing hundreds of dollars. My particular vehicle had the lights come on maybe 6 or 8 months ago. Go off and come on again and off again. I've ignored them not noticing any driving impact. But the car is warning me that it isn't safe to drive the car. This is not a one of or two or three issue. This from another owner;all three light illuminated on my 2011 Santa Fe so I changed my front right ABS speed sensor which was the cause of the lights, but the dash lights are still illuminated. Took it to the dealer and they said there is a short in the ABS system wiring harness. What's the cost to fix? $4500.00 really! …
Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and coming upon a red light, the contact attempted to stop the vehicle by applying the brakes. The contact indicated that while pressing the break pedal the vehicle initially slowed down but the vehicle would not stop causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of a second vehicle. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene. The contact also indicated that the airbags did not deploy during the crash. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 15,000. Jft
Takata recall I brought my car 1 year ago I've been doing maintenance oil change, tune up on my car, however it started making some type of ticking noise when I brought it back to the dealership I was told I could pay for a new engine or drive the car until it breaks down. I don't have any money for a new engine. I put 5000 dollars on the car for a down payment. Im also financin it at this time. Also the breaks making a squeaky sound in I know my breals are good.
I was turning right into a parking space, applied the brakes and the vehicle surged/accelerated. It went over a curb and hit another vehicle. When it stopped I looked down and my foot was indeed on the brakes, to the floor. A similar thing happened twice before. I was turning onto another street and the car felt like it surged. Fortunately both times there was no one in the other lane or in front of me.
We have had 3 separate instances when our SUV stalled and the engine shut down when proceeding to drive once a stop signal changed. The most recent occurred yesterday when we made a right turn onto us 101 from steiner street in sf. The power steering went out, the brakes failed and the engine shut down. The car restarted once I got it back into park. It was a harrowing experience on this busy street
Started car, noticed the following dash lights were on: ABS ESC downhill braking checked online and found that Hyundai recalled 1.7 million vehicles for this problem (defective brake lamp switch) up to 2011. I'm concerned that my 2012 car has the same issue, even though my VIN is not included in the recall. These lights stay on no matter if moving or stationary.
Brake complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the brakes of the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe, 8% of the model year's 354 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe, though it has 1 recall 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 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 52% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.