There are 11 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
AS I WAS DRIVING MY FAMILY HOME FROM A SOCCER MATCH IN DENVER TO OUR HOME IN BRECKENRIDGE MY CAR(HYUNDAI, SANTA FE 2011) LOST ALL POWER WITH OUT THE ENGINE DYING. WE WERE HEADING WEST AND IN THE TUNNEL. IT WAS EXTREMELY SCARY AND PUT MY FAMILY IN DANGER. NO WARNING LIGHTS HAVE EVER COME UP ON MY CAR BEFORE OR AFTER. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME OF MANY INCIDENTS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED AND NOT ONLY WHEN I HAVE BEEN DRIVING BUT ALSO MY DAUGHTER, SHE HAS HER PERMIT! IT DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN ON THE INTERSTATE BUT ALSO AROUND OUR COMMUNITY WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE HAD IT CHECKED IT OUT WITH MY MECHANIC AND THEY COULDN'T FIND THE ISSUE AS THE DIAGNOSTIC CAME UP WITH NOTHING. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF BUT MY FAMILY AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED VERY HIGH, THE RPMS INCREASED, AND THE VEHICLE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE. THE DRIVER IMMEDIATELY DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ACCELERATING FORWARD AND CRASHING INTO A WALL. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,279.
TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON. PREVENTS SHIFTER TO GO INTO PARK. MUST RURN ENGINE OFF ON NUETRAL THEN TURN CAR ON TO ELIMINATE TRACTION CONTROL ERROR IN ORDER RO PUT SHIFTER INTO PARK
IN OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR, MY 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY GOING THE SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT AND GET TO SAFETY, BUT IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I AND MANY OTHERS COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE SAME THING HAPPENED IN 2012 AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT. SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT, THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF RECALLS DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. I THINK IT DEALS WITH THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE IDLE SYSTEM. OBVIOUSLY IT IS STILL A VERY DANGEROUS CAR TO DRIVE. I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO INVESTIGATE THIS BEFORE SOMEONE DIES.
VEHICLE STALLED WHEN LEAVING STOP LIGHT LOST SPEED WOULD NOT ACCELERATE HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS ON LINE SOME ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE VEHICLES I AGREE SAFTEY IS AN ISSUE DEALER OR MANUFACTURE CANNOT FIND SOLUTION TO PROBLEM. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY DECELERATED TO 5 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE DEALER UPDATED THE COMPUTER SYSTEM HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE SECOND TIME THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, THE ACCELERATOR BLOCK WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED HOWEVER, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000.
THIS CAR HESITATES AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. I AM GETTING AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. WHILE SITTING AT A LIGHT AND I START TO GO I TURN THE WHEEL AND THE CAR HESITATES AND LUNGES FORWARD AND I HAVE TO STEP ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW IT DOWN. MY FOOT IS NOT STUCK ON THE PEDAL AND THE CARPET IS NOT DOING ANYTHING. I WENT ON LINE AND LOOKED UP MY CAR SANTA FE HESITATIONS. I MUST OF READ TWENTY ARTICLES ON THE SAME PROBLEM I HAVE. NOT ONLY THIS YEAR BUT A LOT OF OTHER YEARS OF THE SANTA FE. THEY ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT HAPPENS LIKE ONCE A WEEK.. IT'S SCARY.OTHER PEOPLE HAVE WENT TO HYUNDAI AND WHERE TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. PLEASE GET ME AN ANSWER. THANK YOU. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESISTATED WHEN ACCELERATING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER A BRIEF HESITATION THE VEHICLE TOOK OFF. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES, BUT THE DEALER HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE THROTTLE, BUT THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE IT WITHOUT DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,000.
ON DECEMBER 19,2011 I WAS SLOWING DOWN COMING TO A STOP SIGN AND ON OR ABOUT THE TIME AS I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THE MOTOR STARTED RACING OUT OF CONTROL. I PUT ALL MY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE CAR, THEN SLAMMED THE GEAR INTO PARK AND TURNED THE MOTOR OFF. I THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP DID DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AND SAID THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. RELUCTANTLY, I ACCEPTED THE CAR BACK. ON FEBRUARY 6, 2012 THE SAME INCIDENT OF THE MOTOR RACING OUT OF CONTROL HAPPENED WHEN I SLOWED DOWN COMING TO A STOP SIGN. I AGAIN PUT ALL MY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THEN TURNED OFF THE MOTOR. THE CAR WAS AGAIN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I CALLED HYUNDAI CORPORATE OFFICES AND ADVISED THEM OF THE TWO INCIDENTS OF THE MOTOR RACING OUT OF CONTROL. THEY SUGGESTED THAT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP HAVE A SERVICE TECHNICIAN DRIVE THE CAR FOR ABOUT 250 MILES TO SEE IF THIS "RACING MOTOR" INCIDENT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I AGREED TO THEIR RECOMMENDATION. ON FEBRUARY 11,2012 THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP TECHNICIAN WHO DROVE MY THE CAR FOR 250 MILES CALLED ME AND SAID THE MOTOR RACING OUT OF CONTROL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN . HE SAID HE DID RE-PROGRAM THE COMPUTER AND I COULD PICK UP THE CAR. HE SAID THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, BUT I FEAR THIS UNSAFE INCIDENT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AND HYUNDAI NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION TO REMEDY THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM AND PREVENT ANY FUTURE INJURIES FROM HAPPENING. *TR
STOPPED ON A SLOPE 5-20 FT. LONG (UP OR DOWN), REMOVE RIGHT FOOT FROM BRAKE PEDAL TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC- SANTA FE WILL BARELY MOVE FORWARD REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR "PUMPED" THEN: SUDDENLY WILL SPIN FRONT TIRES-ACCELERATING VERY RAPIDLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED A MINIMUM OF 25 TIMES. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ENTER A BUSY STREET, ROAD OR HIGHWAY. DEALER UNABLE TO FIND CODE ERRORS NOR COULD THEY DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. COMPLAINED TO DEALER SERVICE TWICE ABOUT THIS SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS RANDOM, DANGEROUS CONDITION WHEN OWNER/OPERATOR CANNOT FEEL SAFE AND CONFIDENT THIS SUV WILL RELIABLY ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP ON A SHORT SLOPE AS IT SHOULD EACH AND EVERY TIME. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STATIONARY POSITION, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO MOVE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000.
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