2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Engine Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  4926%
• 25k–50k
  116%
• 50k–75k
  2111%
• 75k–100k
  2413%
• 100k–150k
  6736%
• 150k+
  148%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at 40-45 MPH, she heard an abnormal ticking sound, and the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact stated she saw black smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact did not recall whether a warning light illuminated. The contact and her husband exited the vehicle. The contact stated as they walked back to the vehicle, they notice that the smoke has stopped. The contact and her husband did not sustain any injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated the vehicle had been waiting to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (ENGINE) for five months as the parts for recall repair were not yet available. …

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle began to shake. The vehicle merged to the shoulder of the roadway and suddenly another vehicle crashed into the entire driver's side of the vehicle while the contact was still in the vehicle. The driver who crashed into the contact did not stop at the scene and continued to drive after the crash. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to her neck and chest area that did not require medical attention. The vehicle failed to start after the incident and was towed to the contact's residence where it currently remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) and had scheduled an appointment with the dealer prior to the crash. …

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that upon driving at 55 MPH, the contact stated that the vehicle shut off as the check engine and oil lights illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to her home. The contact was able to restart the vehicle the next day as the check engine and oil lights disappeared off the instrument panel. The contact had an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle; however, since the check engine light did not appear, the vehicle could not be diagnosed. The contact then received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) and took the vehicle to a dealer where they informed her that her vehicle was fine and safe to be driven. A few months later, the contact received a second notice for the same recall and returned the vehicle back to the dealer. …

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud banging sound, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and through the A/C vents, which blocked the visibility of the roadway. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that a significant amount of oil was leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine). The dealer was contacted about the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to the dealer for repair, and a case was filed. …

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that they did not have the proper equipment to complete the inspection of the vehicle as instructed by the manufacturer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, he heard abnormal sounds coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly while driving and occasionally the vehicle would stall. The vehicle was towed to the residence of the contact's niece. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a fractured connecting rod and camshaft bearing failure. …

My engine caught on fire in the middle of the night ([redacted] on [redacted]). The fire department was called by my building's security and they came to put out the fire. The security footage shows that the car engine caught on fire for no apparent reason. The fire department did not identify any foul play or vandalism nor did the security camera footage. Unfortunately since my car has been paid off, I only had liability coverage and could not get the coverage to assess. I had to junk the car. No one was hurt but there was broken glass and some parts around the parking lot due to fire and fire department having to shatter and pry open the engine bay. Please advise if someone can help me in my situation. Also this should be made aware to Hyundai. There was a recall but I was never notified. Nor does any recall history show up for this. See article: [redacted]

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a bearing test was performed; however, the vehicle failed the test. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure stated in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer stated that they were holding the engines for vehicles under the recall. The contact mentioned that an unknown software update was performed and the vehicle was serviced under TSB: TXXM. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 174,067.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, she heard an abnormal popping sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there had been a recall for the year, make and model of vehicle however, the VIN was not included. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.

The contact's sister-in-law owns a 2012 HYUNDAI Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact also stated that the vehicle would shut-off intermittently while driving at various speeds without warning. Neither the contact nor his sister-in-law had taken the vehicle to be serviced or diagnosed for the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) which he linked to the failure. The contact called a local dealer who informed him that her vehicle was not included in the recall due to the date the engine was manufactured. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 202,000

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud knocking and screeching noise coming from the engine and the vehicle struggled to accelerate and then stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer and the manufacturer's insurance agent diagnosed that metal shavings from the ball bearings had gotten into the engine, causing engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer waiting for a complete engine tear down to verify the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,268.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Engine complaints in other Santa Fe years