There are 31 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I had a recall on the oil leak and took care of it to dealership in Weston Fl they had car for 2 days pick car up. I replaced to alternator because it was full oil prior to me taking it to the dealership. Now a few months later there is still a leak and it’s leaking on my alternator, again same place they said they fix. I have the paperwork. I am having smoking issues that they said was fixed it, but looks like the put glue on it.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing difficulty charging. The contact stated that while driving 50-60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times while driving on the highway. The vehicle was able to be jump-started. The contact stated that a mobile mechanic had inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that there was oil leaking onto the spark plugs. The contact stated that the vehicle was chugging while driving. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in Hyundai Campaign Number: 976. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. The dealer diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was leaking onto the alternator and onto other unknown parts. The dealer replaced the valve cover gasket and the alternator under Hyundai Campaign Number: 976. The contact stated after driving 7-8 minutes after picking up the vehicle from the dealer, the contact noticed an abnormal odor and smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled into a gas station and parked the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The contact stated she drove to the nearby residence of a friend instead because she needed to report to work. The contact stated upon opening the hood and starting the vehicle the following day, the contact noticed flames in the engine compartment. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the fire had occurred due to an old oil leak; however, the contact stated there was also a noticeable new oil leak under the hood. The dealer later informed the contact that the starter had failed, and that the fire had not caused any further damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Vehicle has stalled couple of times while driving. One on the service road just about to merge on the highway 1604 North after taking left turn from the Potranco road about a year ago. Steering got locked and engine died, I managed to pull over to the right shoulder into the parking lot of Med Clinic. After couple tries, I was able to get it going. There is occasional check engine light on that goes off after some time of driving and not sure if this is related to stalling of engine. There is a history of oil leak under the hood. I received recall service notice for leaking cylinder head gasket which outlined same issues that I encountered before and took vehicle to the dealership. It was kept for 2 days for service and was returned to me. There is still sign of wetted oil on the parts. There is no sign that I could see of opening and taking parts apart for the so-called completed service, dust and debris seem to be untouched. I have a doubt that service evert took place. I filed a complaint with the Hyundai Motors requesting independent assessment if gasket was actually changed. They sent an acknowledgement of receiving the complaint, but no one has contacted me.
Head on impact rear ending a truck. Engine locked melted head gaskets and destroyed radiator
CAR CUTSOFF WHILE DRIVING
TURNING LEFT THRU AN INTERSECTION TH E CAR STALLED, LEAVING US WITH NO BRAKES AND VERY LITTLE STEERING. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE.
THE CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. NO PRE-WARNING OR ALERT BEFORE IT HAPPENS
WHILE NORMAL DRIVING DOWN A CITY ROAD GOING STRAIGHT THE VEHICLE WILL STALL WITHOUT ANY NOTICE OR ANY CHANGE IN CONDITION. YOU LOOSE ALL POWER, BRAKES AND STEERING WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND HAVE TO BRING IT TO STOP WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE AND PLACE IN PARK. THEN YOU CAN START THE VEHICLE ONCE AGAIN LIKE IT HAS NO ISSUES. THIS ISSUE PRODUCES NO ENGINE TROUBLE CODES AND HAS HAPPENED 3 OTHER TIMES IN THE 6 YEARS WE OWNED THE VEHICLE. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND WE NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN.
THERE HAVE BEEN 3 INSTANCES WHERE AFTER TURNING ON MY VEHICLE, THE POWER IS THROTTLED AND I CAN ONLY DRIVE A COUPLE MILES PER HOUR. I RAN A DIAGNOSTIC SCAN, AND OBTAINED THE CODES P2106, P1295,AND P2135. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. THERE APPEARS TO BE A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN OUT FOR THIS ISSUE (TSB 09-FL003-2). IF THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE, SHOULD THERE BE A RECALL? THANK YOU.
WHILE ACCELERATING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC THE ENGINE STARTING MAKING A STRANGE NOISE. IT CONTINUED TO RUN AND THE NOISE DECREASED, AND SOMETIMES EVEN QUIT. THE NEXT DAY THE NOISE WAS BACK AND WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HILL THE ENGINE DIED AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO COAST ONTO AN EXIT RAMP. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT RESTARTED AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED WITH THE KNOCKING SOUND AND THEY FOUND METAL IN THE OIL IT WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. I COULD NOT AFFORD THE OVER $7,000 ESTIMATE SO I LOADED THE CAR ON A TRAILER AND TOOK IT HOME TO REPAIR MYSELF. WHEN I DISSEMBLED THE ENGINE I FOUND ONE OF THE CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS HAD SPUN AND ALL THE MAIN BEARINGS HAD SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH METAL DEBRIS ON THE BEARING SURFACE.
MY 2008 SANTA FE WITH 109,000 MILES SUDDENLY SHUT OFF ON ME WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. THE STOP SIGN WAS ON A SLIGHT TURN AND I NEVER REALIZED IT UNTIL I HAD NO POWER STEERING AND SAW ALL THE LIGHTS LIT ON THE DASH. I PUT CAR IN PARK AND IT RESTARTED WITH NO ISSUES. LATER THAT DAY I WENT TO START THE CAR AND ENGINE MADE A LOUD CLUNK SOUND AND CAR SHOOK FOR A SECOND. I DECIDED NOT TO DRIVE IT THAT DAY. IT HAS BEEN 3 DAYS SINCE THE FIRST SHUT DOWN AND SO FAR THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING LIKE NORMAL. CALLED HYUNDAI AND MADE NOTE OF MY COMPLAINT BUT DIDN'T SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE OR SO MAYBE THEY ARE NOT AT LIBERTY TO SAY IF THEY HAVE. THEY NEVER GAVE ME AN ANSWER EXCEPT TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER TO SEE IF THEY CAN DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM. I SEE RECALL WAS PUT OUT FOR THE 2010-2012 MODEL YEARS BUT NOT FOR OLDER MODELS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE ROUTINELY INSPECTED FOR EMISSIONS, THE VEHICLE FAILED DUE TO A FAULTY FUEL GAUGE. THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THE DETAILS COULD NOT BE PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,129.
TOOK MY CAR TO A TWO MECHANICS WHO BOTH SAID THERE IS A GAS LEAK IN THE EVAPORATOR OF THE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM. I READ ONLINE THAT THIS ISSUE IS COMMON WITH SANTA FES AND I BELIEVE THE COMPANY SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND GET THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE FIXED.
WHILE ACCELERATING TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE PEDAL STARTED GOING TO THE FLOOR. PRYING UP ON THE PEDAL WITH YOUR FOOT DID NOT HAVE AN AFFECT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE AND THE DEALER HAS LOOKED AT IT TWICE AND HAS ADVISED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.
I EXITED A TOLL AND PROCEEDED TO ENTER THE NJ TURNPIKE, SUDDENLY, THE STEERING BECAME TIGHT. I NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS OUT, ALONG WITH THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE JUST TURNED OFF. THANKFULLY, NO TRAFFIC, I PROCEED TO PULL TO THE FEEDER OF THE ENTRANCE. PUT CAR IN PARK, AND THE CAR RESTARTED. I AM NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED, AND FEARFUL THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN, WITH TRUCKS BEHIND ME, UNABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE AND RISK SERIOUS INJURY. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WARNING WAS INDICATED. I RECENTLY HAD TWO KNOCK SENSORS REPLACED AT THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 175,000.
MY WIFE INDICATED THAT WHEN SHE GOT ON THE RAMP TO RT. 80 , THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. SHE ALSO STATED THAT SHE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT SINCE SHE HAD NO BRAKES NOR POWER STEERING. THIS OCCURRENCE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY BY A NUMBER OF OWNERS YET YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM WHICH COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO OIL DRIPPING FROM THE VALVE COVER ON TO THE ALTERNATOR. I GUESS YOU'RE WAITING FOR SOME ACCIDENTS TO HAPPEN BEFORE TAKING ACTION....MAYBE A FEW DEATHS RESULTING FROM A CRASH. VERY PROACTIVE!
I WAS DRIVING TO A STOP LIGHT ON A DOWN HILL SLOPE WITH MY WHOLE FAMILY IN THE CAR WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY CAR TURNED OFF. ALL AT ONCE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, MY BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, AND I COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO RE-START. I TURNED ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND AT THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION I TRIED TO RESTART MY CAR BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. A FEW MOMENTS LATER I TRIED AGAIN AND IT STARTED BUT IT WOULDN'T LET ME ACCELERATE ALMOST AT ALL (THROUGH AN INTERSECTION!). THERE WAS ALSO A CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, AFRAID IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE ANYWHERE, TURNED THE CAR OFF, WAITED ABOUT FIVE MINUTES, RESTARTED IT, SUCCESSFULLY. I LET IT IDLE FOR A WHILE UNSURE WHAT ELSE TO DO. I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE HOME WITH NO OTHER INCIDENT. THE CLICKING WAS OFF AND ON THE ENTIRE DRIVE HOME BUT HAS SINCE GOTTEN QUIETER. *TR
I ALSO HAD THE FUEL SENSOR GO OUT AND HAD IT FIXED. AND I HAD TO HAVE MY ALTERNATOR REPLACED TWICE. ONCE WHEN IT WENT OUT AND AGAIN IN 9 MONTHS DUE TO RECALL FOR A FUEL GASKET COVER DEFAULT. SO I PAID THE FIRST TIME OUT OF POCKET $700 ONLY TO FIND OUT IT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO THE DEFAULT. LYNDA
THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE CAR, I TOOK IT TO BE DIAGNOSED AND IT IS A FAILURE OF THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. APPARENTLY HYUNDAI IS WELL AWARE OF THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. ADDITIONALLY, THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY IS ONLY SOLD TOGETHER, THEREFORE THIS IS A FIX THAT WILL COST AT LEAST $800 WHICH I CANNOT AFFORD. SO NOW I JUST HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AT ALL TIMES, HAVING NO IDEA HOW MUCH FUEL I HAVE OR IF ANY OTHER ENGINE ISSUES HAVE COME UP. SHAME ON HYUNDAI. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 31 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026