NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Component: TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an appropriate warning in the event of an underinflated tire. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Consequence: An underinflated inflated tire can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the TPMS sensors, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for the recall is 159.
Component: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Consequence: If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.
Consequence: The engine bearing wear may cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168.
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result, in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Consequence: If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 153.
Component: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front seat occupants do not fasten their seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: Without a warning to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 141.
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe equipped with a Rockland Electric Mobility Scooter Lifter, Part Number: 10101194. The contact stated that after the mobility scooter lifter was installed on the vehicle, the vehicle experienced electrical failures. The A/C became inoperable, and the hatch opened intermittently. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked approximately a month after the lifter installation, the alarm sounded intermittently during the day. The contact observed the vehicle from the residence, but did not notice any abnormality. The contact installed the mobility scooter on the vehicle in the evening. The contact stated that the vehicle alarm sounded at night, and the contact noticed that the vehicle had caught on fire and there were flames coming from underneath the hood by the engine and firewall location. The vehicle was significantly burned from the front end to the trunk. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A fire department report and a police report were filed. There was no property damage. There was no physical injury sustained. The contact sustained mental trauma, causing headaches and the right side of the lip to quiver. The contact had called Gregory Fox, an investigative reporter and anchor at WESH 2 News(NBC), who notified the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer followed up with the contact and informed the contact that a third-party investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the fire incident. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard, where a third-party investigation was conducted, and the manufacturer informed the contact that the fire was caused by the Rockland Electric Mobility Scooter Lifter. The vehicle was totaled. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
On April 2, 2026, the engine in my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe failed catastrophically while my wife was driving. The vehicle lost power suddenly and completely. There was no warning and no prior symptoms. She was able to pull over safely in a residential area. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Hyundai dealer, where the service representative suspects connecting rod bearing failure—the same failure mode described in NHTSA recalls 17V226 and 17V578 affecting other 2017 Santa Fe vehicles with the Theta II 2.4L engine. The engine is available for inspection upon request. My VIN does not appear in the recall population, yet the failure is identical to the documented defect. This suggests the recall scope was insufficient. One week prior, we drove this vehicle on a 500 mile family road trip with our child. The failure that occurred could have happened at highway speed. We are lucky to be alive. No warning indicators appeared before the failure. The vehicle has been regularly maintained. The problem has been preliminarily confirmed by the dealer as suspected bearing failure, pending teardown.
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe has 6 NHTSA recalls and 904 consumer complaints on file. The high number of complaints suggests potential reliability concerns — review the complaint details above before purchasing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
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ENGINE. IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. NO IT WASNT REPRODUCED OR CONFIRMED BY A DEALER, BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD BY A COUPLE AND ALSO ME SEEING THAT THE ENGINE WASNT ABLE TO MANUALLY BE CRANKED AT ALL. NO INSPECTION WAS DONE BY MANUFACTURR, POLICE, OR INSURANCE, BECAUSE IT DIDNT CAUSE A ACCIDENT. JUST ENGINE LIGHT WHICH HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLED THEY COULDNT FIX IT, BUT THAT WAS JUST STAYING ON ALL THE TIME FOR QUITE SOME TIME. NO FINALLY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THIS CAN BE INVESTIGATED ON TO BE A RECALL SINCE THE ORIGINAL MILES ARE ONLY ABOUT 68000 AND SHOULDNT HAVE THESE PROBLEM AT THIS LOW MILEAGE.
The vehicle is burning oil even when oil changes are done routinely. Then all of a sudden I have total loss of power will not go over 35 miles an hour. And climbing hill would not go over 20. It just happened no warning lights on dash So now I have a car that is still owning 8 grand on. So now a lawn ornament. I have seen on different formats. That there is hundreds having the same issue. Hyundai is not fixing the issue for any of us
I purchase the 2017 Santa Fe Sport in October of 2023 with just short of 80K miles. It was in great condition and had no issues. I have maintained it according to Hyundai specification and regular on schedule oil changes with recommended 5w-20 full synthetic. At approximately 100K miles, I experienced an oil pressure light on the dash, when checked, the engine was approximately 2 quarts low. From this point on, the engine started consuming oil at an increasing rate all while I maintained regular maintenance. First, 1 quart a month, or about 1200 to 1500 miles, then to 1 quart every 2 weeks or 800 miles. I maintained weekly checks on the oil level and on the evening of 3/24/2026, I had added a quart, bringing the level to the midway point between the high and low dipstick markings. On the afternoon of 3/24/26 while driving on the highway in heavy, but at speed limit, traffic on the highway, I experienced a loss of power and a check engine light. I was able to exit the highway but the car started to run very rough and unable to idle. Luckily, there was no traffic approaching when I turned off the exit and made a left into parking lot to shut off the vehicle. I will be having it towed to a dealership in the next few days for their analysis.
Bottom brake lights will not work but top high brake light works. I was stopped by police three times. They state all three brake lights must operate.
Service Campaign Update 9C2 was installed. Since then erratic shifting occurs including up and down shifting without change in acceleration and deceleration or lag. This lasts between 1-5 minutes after initial vehicle start-up. This is dangerous when vehicle attempts to pull out into traffic. Hyundai has been aware of the issue as early as December 2025 but no notice of corrective action has been received.
These vehicles are not suitable to be on the road, and you NHTSA and Hyundai are doing NOTHING ABOUT IT. These vehicles are EATING oil, a quart every 200 miles. My daughter(college) can't even go on a short road trip to another city without adding oil. The engines in these crap cars are blowing up left & right. There are numerous Facebook page groups for these and sister Kia vehicles with the same 2.4 engines. Thousands upon thousands of posts about engine oil and engines blowing up, no one doing anything about it. My daughter's car is beautiful, but worth NOTHING due to this issue, so we are out thousands of dollars on this. We are about to go to WAR with Hyundai on this and I'm sure we'll get nowhere. If we're lucky, they'll install a rebuilt engine...BUT IT"S THE SAME CRAP ENGINE!!!!!!! So we are ALL back to square ONE and NHTSA is doing NOTHING. This is a well known FLAW for years now.
After performing regular oil changes, and even a new fuel pump sensor, I experienced an issue. Last oil change was within the past two weeks. Driving home from the mountains, I heard a knocking sound from the engine bay. I narrowed it down to all gears above 2500RPM, increasing knocking with RPM speed. I took it easy on the engine, mostly coasting down the mountain. Suddenly during acceleration on an uphill, a pop sounded, and copious white smoke started coming from the engine bay. I pulled over despite having no power brakes but I was fortunate to be near an off ramp in a rural area. Trying to troubleshoot roadside, i noticed fluid on the tie rod, but I wasnt able to determine what kind of fluid it was. When I try to start the car, there is one single click, the engine wont even attempt to turn over. Oil, battery and check engine lights are all on. After towing, I found that the fluid leaking from the vehicle is oil. The vehicle is currently at a transmission shop, but from my research, this isnt a transmission issue but a blown rod bearing the Hyundai engines are know for. I will be contacting a dealership to see if they will at least confirm my diagnosis.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe on March 11, 2024, from a private dealer with approximately 46,000. The contact was informed that the vehicle had only one owner who had leased the vehicle. Recently, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The mechanic retrieved a Carfax report and discovered that the vehicle had five previous owners and there were several mileage discrepancies. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 46,000. However, it was discovered that the last known accurate mileage on the vehicle was 113,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil after approximately 1,500 miles, 2 weeks after an oil change was performed. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle was sluggish while attempting to accelerate. The check engine warning light has been illuminated since purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with turbocharger failure. The contact was informed that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. There was no oil found on the dipstick when the oil level was checked. The dealer was contacted and informed of the failure. The dealer determined that an oil consumption test was needed. Additionally, a cleaning of the oil system and an oil change were recommended. The vehicle was not repaired because it was not under recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate to 40 MPH. In addition, the Hill Descent Assist and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that previously, there was a delay with the engine cranking with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was taken to alternate dealers; however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine failed at approximately 95000 miles.
Dashboard cracking - not overly parked in sunlight.
My Hyundai Santa Fe has a major oil leak from the oil pressure light. I took the car to a non-Hyundai shop for repair and was told that the problem should be covered under recall campaign 168. Reference Number: 17-01-071, Date of issue: December 01, 2017. A quick check of internet complaints indicates this is a common problem with this type vehicle. My oil pressure light is on at idle after the car is warmed up. Reno Hyundai dealer informs me that it is not covered by recall. I believe that this problem should be covered based on the volume of complaints from other owners. Can your organization help me in getting some kind of an cost adjustment for getting this repaired. Thank you.
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