2014 Hyundai SANTA FE

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2014 Hyundai SANTA FE has 679 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 8.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (41% of all complaints), specifically: the vehicle stalled so frequently, either on free way and local. *tr. ⚠️ 40 fire reports filed.

40 fire reports 18 crash reports 16 injuries

679

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

8.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

277 complaints

41%

• THE VEHICLE STALLED SO FREQUENTLY, EITHER ON FREE WAY AND LOCAL. *TR
• THE VEHICLE KEPT STALLING ON FREE WAY AND LOCALLY. *TR
• I PURCHASED A NEW CAR, ON FEB.1, 2014. THE MALFUNCTION LAMP ON THE DASHBOARD WAS LIGHTED UP IN 1 MONTH. MY CAR WAS REPAIRED FROM MY DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE PROBLEMS ARE NOT CLEARED YET. AT LAST, THE VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM WAS HAPPENED ON APR. 19. I STEPPED DOWN FULLY ON THE GAS PEDAL ON THE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 21 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“THE VEHICLE STALLED SO FREQUENTLY, EITHER ON FREE WAY AND LOCAL. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

59 complaints

• JUNE15,2015 EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING NEAR HOME.SOMEHOW MADE IT INTO MY DRIVEWAY W/O INCIDENT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP THAT AFTERNOON. DEALER CONFIRMED BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO TOTAL LOSS OF ALL BRAKE FLUID, "VERIFIED NO BRAKES & MASTER CYLINDER EMPTY, FOUND BRAKE FLUID L
• DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC (5-20 MPH), WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES WITH NORMAL PRESSURE FOR THIS TYPE OF CITY DRIVING. AT THIS TIME I HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND I HAD TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR AHEAD BECAUSE THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. IT TOOK LONGER AND MUCH MORE PRES
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, THE BRAKES FAILED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY EXCESSIVE FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THERE WERE NO W

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 4 fire reports💥 5 crashes

“JUNE15,2015 EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING NEAR HOME.SOMEHOW MADE IT INTO MY DRIVEWAY W/O INCIDENT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP THAT AFTERNOON. DEALER CONFIRMED BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO TOTAL LOSS OF ALL BRAKE FLUID, "VERIFIED NO BRAKES & MASTER CYLINDER EMPTY, FOUND BRAKE FLUID L”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

52 complaints

• DROVE NEW 2014 SANTA FE SPORT 2.0T FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER BUYING IT 3 DAYS EARLIER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SF REQUIRED CONTINUOUS CORRECTION AT A VARYING DEGREE. IT IS NOT ONLY THAT THE VEHICLE WONDERS, BUT IT DOES SO MILDLY AN
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE DRIFTED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP VEHICLE IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO
• 2014 SANTA FE SPORT AWD - THE CAR WANDERS EXCESSIVELY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE PROBLEM BECOMES WORSE AS THE SPEED INCREASES. THE CAR NEEDS CONTINUOUS STEERING CORRECTING JUST TRYING TO TRAVEL IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THE CAR WILL DART FRONT RIGHT TO LEFT AT VARYING DEGREES OF INTENSITY. THE CAR WAS T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“DROVE NEW 2014 SANTA FE SPORT 2.0T FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER BUYING IT 3 DAYS EARLIER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SF REQUIRED CONTINUOUS CORRECTION AT A VARYING DEGREE. IT IS NOT ONLY THAT THE VEHICLE WONDERS, BUT IT DOES SO MILDLY AN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

49 complaints

• HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT. CAN START/STOP ENGINE IN VARIOUS GEAR INCLUDING REVERSE. PURCHASED APRIL 10, 2014. AFTER DRIVING MY NEW HYUNDAI FOR A WEEK OR SO, DECIDED TO WASH IT. MY HABIT IS TO WIPE OUT THE HATCH AND UNDER THE HOOD. UPON OPENING THE HOOD DISCOVERED NO COOLANT IN RESERVOIR. EVIDENT THERE
• BLIND SPOT DETECTION STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING AND THE DRIVER SCREEN SAID BSD CANCELED. I PARKED THE CAR STOP THE ENGINE AND AFTER RESTARTING THE BSD STARTED TO WORKING AGAIN. *TR
• THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE BUT RATHER A DESIGN ISSUE THAT COULD LEAD TO PROBLEMS STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE KEY FOB IS DESIGNED SUCH THAT A VERY SLIGHT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON A BUTTON CAN REMOVE THE ENTIRE ELECTRONIC PORTION OF THE KEY INADVERTENTLY. IF THIS IS DONE ON ACCIDENT AND THE ELECTRONIC PORT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 6 fire reports💥 4 crashes

“HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT. CAN START/STOP ENGINE IN VARIOUS GEAR INCLUDING REVERSE. PURCHASED APRIL 10, 2014. AFTER DRIVING MY NEW HYUNDAI FOR A WEEK OR SO, DECIDED TO WASH IT. MY HABIT IS TO WIPE OUT THE HATCH AND UNDER THE HOOD. UPON OPENING THE HOOD DISCOVERED NO COOLANT IN RESERVOIR. EVIDENT THERE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

42 complaints

• I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES PER HOUR ON A SUNNY DAY, AND I SUDDENLY HEARD THIS HUGE "POP" LIKE SOMEONE HAD JUST SHOT MY WINDOW OUT WITH A GUN. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I BLEW OUT A TIRE BUT GOT OUT AND CHECKED AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE THERE. I KEPT HEARING WIND WHOOSHING THRO
• I BOUGHT A NEW CAR JUNE 2014 AND WHEN IT WAS RAIN MY WINDSHIELD WIPER HAS NO WATER COME OUT. SO I WENT TO DEALER TO CHECK OUT AND I FOUND OUT THAT THE MOTOR & PUMP ASSY. WAS BAD. BUT THE PROBLEM IS WASHER PUMP HAD TAPE AROUND BODY AND IT LOOKS USED ONE. IT WAS BRAND NEW CAR WHEN I BUY. I AM JUS
• WHILE DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE I HEARD A LARGE SOUND AS IF THE CAR WAS HIT BY SOMETHING. THERE WERE NO CARS OR TRUCKS IN FRONT OF ME OR TO THE RIGHT OF ME. SUDDENLY I HEARD CRACKLING AND PUT THE SUN SHADE BACK. THE ENTIRE BACK PANEL OF THE SUN ROOF SHATTERED.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 4 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES PER HOUR ON A SUNNY DAY, AND I SUDDENLY HEARD THIS HUGE "POP" LIKE SOMEONE HAD JUST SHOT MY WINDOW OUT WITH A GUN. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I BLEW OUT A TIRE BUT GOT OUT AND CHECKED AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE THERE. I KEPT HEARING WIND WHOOSHING THRO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 679 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: THE VEHICLE STALLED SO FREQUENTLY, EITHER ON FREE WAY AND LOCAL. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: JUNE15,2015 EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING NEAR HOME.SOMEHOW MADE IT INTO MY DRIVEWAY W/O INCIDENT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP THAT AFTERNOON. DEALER CONFIRMED BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO TOTAL LOSS OF ALL BRAKE FLUID, "VERIFIED NO BRAKES & MASTER CYLINDER EMPTY, FOUND BRAKE FLUID L
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
STEERING: DROVE NEW 2014 SANTA FE SPORT 2.0T FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER BUYING IT 3 DAYS EARLIER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SF REQUIRED CONTINUOUS CORRECTION AT A VARYING DEGREE. IT IS NOT ONLY THAT THE VEHICLE WONDERS, BUT IT DOES SO MILDLY AN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT. CAN START/STOP ENGINE IN VARIOUS GEAR INCLUDING REVERSE. PURCHASED APRIL 10, 2014. AFTER DRIVING MY NEW HYUNDAI FOR A WEEK OR SO, DECIDED TO WASH IT. MY HABIT IS TO WIPE OUT THE HATCH AND UNDER THE HOOD. UPON OPENING THE HOOD DISCOVERED NO COOLANT IN RESERVOIR. EVIDENT THERE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)