2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Powertrain & Transmission Problems

The 3.3 liter V6 GDI engine failed while driving at approximately 136000 miles. Heard a ticking noise start shortly after leaving home, and had hesitation and shaking upon acceleration from a stop sign, but saw no warning lamps. Went around the block back home to find out the ticking noise was under the hood. Motor oil was almost 3 quarts low, but only 2/3's of the way through the service interval. Checked for leaking, saw none dripping, but did see oil on the under of the rear differential. I then let the car run for minute or so in the garage and looked for leaks. I saw no active leaking and ticking was quieter, so I drove to a close gas station to get a little gas and test drive, still no warning lights. On the way back, about a mile from home, the engine light came on, despite the ticking sound being gone. Within a quarter mile, at the next stop sign, I let off the brake to accelerate and the car started rolling backwards, causing the vehicle approaching from behind to swerve into the turn lane. The vehicle was no longer running, and wouldn't restart. Towed to local mechanic and was told 2 days ago the engine was seized, and replacement was needed. I have not contacted any dealership or the manufacturer, as I the second owner and do not have a warranty. However I have spent the last 2 days reading seemingly 1000s of articles and forum posts related to this engine, whether it be in a Hyundai or a Kia. Several of the articles I have read about this 3.3 liter GDI Lambda -II engine and it's horror stories, referenced this nhtsa site as a place where complaints can be made, so here I am. Many articles describe the same problem.. hesitation... ticking.. sudden mysterious oil loss... little, if any warning... complete failure while driving, putting safety at risk. With the problem with engine so blatantly rampant, it is my fear that after I scrap this vehicle, there will be a recall. Over the phone quotes, and online pricing have ranged from $7500-20000 for repair.

We were on our way home from the children's hospital in Philadelphia for my daughter (4 hours away from home) and my 2015 Santa Fe with the 3.3L motor began to knock. My dad (who is very mechanically inclined) pulled over at a gas station and checked oil and other fluids. It was low, even though I just had oil changed 900 miles before and it was checked before our trip to the hospital. We bought oil and put it in. Knocking was still there but was not as loud. We got back on interstate. Few miles up the road it completely lost power, extreme knocking, no lights on in the dash or any gauges out of normal range. He checked oil and it was completely empty but there was no oil trail or anything. We coasted into a crossover and that's when he saw the connecting rod under the car.

During routine vehicle operation when entering an interstate highway, , the vehicle developed a loud knocking sound from engine bay along with high RPM abnormal shifting. Vehicle was stopped as soon as possible in the safety lane when it stalled and shut off. No warning lights were present during the time of failure. Vehicle was towed to home of residence.

engine replacement can be avoided you should use fuel injector cleaner every 3000 miles, sediment clogs injectors, and pistons which fuel leaks into oil pan, causing oil/fuel mixture to burn, creating overheating, which leads to oil burning, and eventually engine seizing. If you use fuel injector cleaner every 3000 miles this will prevent needing to replace motor.

Recent cold weather starts in the morning (40-50 degrees fahrenheit) have caused my car to have poor or stalled acceleration. It will occasionally not go past 20 or 40 mph while the RPMs rev high. The DTC error code would read P2565 as a pending code. An independent mechanic changed out my transmission fluid and switched out my boost pressure sensor but the problem is still there. Hyundai says that they need to replicate the problem but it does not occur when I take it to them so it's very hard to have this intermittent issue diagnosed by them. This is a very dangerous issue in my opinion if your cars engine revs high without accelerating and can potentially cause serious accidents and injury. I know I'm not the only person experiencing this issue as I've read on online forums of other car owners describing the same issue. Please issue a safety recall before someone is seriously injured or dies as a result of this intermittent issue.

Engine light coded 1326 on July 28, 2023. Car engine was replaced Aug- September 20, 2023. September 27 the engine light coded 0263. October 4 the engine light coded 0263. October 5 the engine light coded 0263 October 13 the engine light coded 0263.

During normal driving operations the car lost all power as our daughter and her 2 children were driving down the street. She called us and notified us that the car would barely run and that she had her hazard lights on and had no safe place to pull over. When she arrived back home from a few miles away the motor was making a very loud knocking and tapping noise. I immediately checked the oil in the car which we have changed on a regular basis and very recently and to our disbelief there wasn't a drop of oil on the dipstick. No indicators or warning lights had come on to tell us the oil was low. We immediately called a local Hyundai dealership, and they explained that thousands of people have experienced consumption of oil with no obvious leaks causing catastrophic engine failure in Hyundais. Upon inspection from the dealership, it was determined that the motor had spun rod bearings due to excessive oil consumption. However, we have since discovered that the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe is pending a class action lawsuit in California and no recall is current for this year and model. This could have caused serious and devastating fatalities to not only our family but others as well. Hyundai has not yet been willing to work with us for a car we purchased a little over a year ago and are still financing. The warranty did not transfer to a 2nd owner and we were not informed of this. Now the car sits at a dealership and I continue to make payments on a useless vehicle. The manufacturer of Hyundai's engine is the same for many models. However, not all models and years have had recalls yet. This puts thousands of people, like us, at risk for serious injuries, fatalities, and devastating financial loss. The public relies on their vehicles for their family's transportation and their jobs. I did my research and searched for this year, make, and model and found nothing that deterred me from finding this vehicle unsafe or unreliable. Hyundai is not in good faith protecting customers.

I drove approximately 40 miles to a gas station and went to park in a parking spot and my passenger exited the vehicle and yelled my car was in reverse even though I thought it was in park, upon trying to again put it in park it would not go in the park position. I was stuck in reverse and the vehicle would not park without using the emergency brake. No warning lights or any other message from my vehicle regarding this issue. I then put it in drive and drove home and again was not able to put the vehicle in park, after attempting numerous times and using the interlock system I was able to put it in park. This is a huge safety concern as there could have been someone behind me when parking and not even realizing the car was not in park as it was snowy out and the car was still for a moment before reversing. Upon looking on google it looks as if others may have had this issue as well.

1. Tranny went out at 115,00 miles. 02/22. Replaced $2400.00. 2. Engine went out, 125,000. 10/22. Yet to be fixed. MANY 2.4L HAVE DONE THIS.

This vehicle is an All Wheel Drive. While approaching an intersection right before coming to a stop the vehicle's rear differential locked up. Attempted several times but the vehicle would not move forward. The vehicle would drive forward but would move in reverse. I drove the car in reverse back to the house. We lifter the car and the rear differential lock while moving forward but works moving backwards. My wife is afraid that even if they fix this issue what if its a defect and the rear axel locks up at higher speeds the outcome would be different.

While driving, there was a noise coming from the car on acceleration. Had been using cruise control and when canceled cruise, and accelerated- the noise became worse. Car stalled and I was able to get it to the side of the road without incident. Lucky there was no other vehicles on the road at the time. Checked the oil and level was fine and no temp issues indicated. When I tried to restart, an engine light came on the dash. Got the car home by coasting in neutral, it was only 2 blocks. Couldn't get an appt for repair for over a week. Had car towed to a repair shop and they said it was a Variable Valve Timing Solenoid. On first drive after replacing this piece- indicator light came on the dash again. Left the car where it was.

The engine is continually knocking. It has caused the powertrain system to start to fail. The interior portion of the car with electrical is malfunctioning and causing the car to lag. Many attempts have been taken to get the vehicle fixed to no avail. $1,000 just to take out the engine to diagnose the problem.

It appears to be a problem with all the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. It has abs, downhill, stability control lights on at the same time. It appears to be wheel speed sensor but they do not know which one. The service manager had said it happens to be a lot of the time the rear sensor that goes out. The service manager made it seem like it happens frequently. When I check online a lot of owners appear to be having the same issue. THREE LIGHTS, ESC, DBC, and ABS warning lights turn on. I am in fear for my life, due the safety on the road if the tires would lose control!

VEHICLE WAS IN FOR REPAIR IN DECEMBER 2018 TO HAVE A MOMENTARY LOSS OF POWER WHEN ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED FOLLOWED BY A LOAD BANG AND THEN THE CAR ACCELERATED. THE DEALER FOUND NO CODES AND LOOKED NO FURTHER. IT HAPPEN A FEW TIMES AFTER BUT NO VISITS TO DEALER. IN JANUARY 2021 WHILE PARKING THERE WAS NOISE COMING FROM UNDER VEHICLE AND IT STOPPED RUNNING. CAR WAS TOWED AND TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED ALONG WITH TRANSMISSION. IT DID NOT HAPPEN AT HIGH SPEED. I FEEL THE BANG AND THE ACCELERATION WERE THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND TRANSMISSION STARTING TO FAIL.

MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 114,000 MILES THEY FOUND METAL SHAVINGS IN IT, WE HAD IT REPLACED. NOW AT 134,000 MILES THE ENGINE WENT OUT, THEY FOUND METAL SHAVINGS IN THAT ALSO. IT HAS BEEN SITTING AT HYUNDAI SINCE DECEMBER 2019 IT IS NOW FEBRUARY 2020 AND STILL WITHOUT A CAR OR A RENTAL. SERVICE DEPARTMENT BUILT AND NEW ENGINE AFTER THEY TESTED THE ENGINE IT STARTED MAKING NOISES AGAIN AND APPARENTLY HYUNDAI SENT THEM SOME PART THAT DIDN'T FIT NOW THEY HAVE TO FIX IT AGAIN... HYUNDAI CORPORATE HAS ONLY OFFERED TO PAY HALF OF THE REPAIRS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT BROKE.

CAR STARTED SURGING FORWARD WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL, IT LUNGES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS WELL. I

RANDOMLY, FROM A STOP, WHEN ACCELERATING THE ENGINE TEMPORARY STALLS OR HESITATES FOR 1-2 SECONDS. THIS VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW AND THE DEALER REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM. IT HAS PROBABLY HAPPENED 50 TIMES OR MORE. ONLINE SEARCHES SHOW MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH ALL MODELS WITH THE 2.X TURBO ENGINE.

DRIVING ON MAJOR HWY, CAR LOST POWER AND SO I LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO PULL OVER, WHEN I GOT TO SIDE OF RD THE CAR STALLED OUT AND DIED COMPLETELY. WOULDN'T RESTART AGAIN. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND BATTERY LIGHT AND OTHER LIGHTS. I TRIED TO CRANK WITH NO LUCK. CALLED FOR HELP. GOT TOWED TO NEAREST SHOP. IT WAS MOTOR THAT FAILED. NO SIGN EXCEPT LOST POWER AND DIED. SAME CONDITION AS MOTORS THAT WERE RECALLED AND MY MOTOR IS A 2014 AND I HAVE EXTRA WARRANTY AND THEY TURNED ME DOWN. I NEED HELP PLEASE.....HELPPPPPPPPP

HIT ACCELERATOR AND WON'T SHIFT INTO GEAR, LOUD REVS AND THEN HEAR A BANG AND THE CAR JUMPS AS IT FINALLY SHIFTS INTO GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED RANDOMLY THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF MY CAR AT RANDOM, I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT, THEN LAST WEEK, I START TO LOSE POWER, AND SAME THING, IT HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES ON THE SAME DRIVE. NEVER ONCE WHEN THIS HAPPENS DID I GET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THEN IT GOT SCARY AS WHILE ON THE FREEWAY THE VEHICLE WOULD DOWNSHIFT WHEN TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED ON ITS OWN WHILE IN DRIVE. STILL NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAR FINALLY GETS BACK TO CORRECT GEAR RATIO FOR THE SPEED. FINALLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. NOW THE CAR WON'T SHIFT OUT OF 4TH GEAR, NO 1ST OR SECOND GEAR.

MY HYUNDAI IS 3 YEARS OLD WITH 70,000 MILES ON IT , I'VE MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURERERS SUGGESTIONS . THE CAR HAD NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON OR WARNINGS THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND THE NEXT DAY I START MY CAR AND IT'S MAKING A VERY LOUD TICKING NOISE WHILE DRIVING AND SLOWLY LOSING POWER UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY STALLED OUT . I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC TO HAVE IT SCANNED , THE SCAN SHOWED THE EXHAUST SOLENOID HAS FAILED AND THE TIMING WAS ADVANCED , AGAIN THIS HAPPENED FROM THE CAR RUNNING PERFECTLY FINE ONE DAY TO THE ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN THE NEXT . SO THE MECHANIC TOOK THE SOLENOIDS OUT AND FOUND METAL SHAVINGS COVERING THEM . I'VE SINCE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIE TYPE OF ENGINE IN THIS VEHICLE THE THETA 11 GDI 2.0T , WHICH HAS BEEEN RECALLED 2011-2014 MODELS . THIS IS VERY DISHEARTENING TO HEAR THAT WITH A CAR THAT IS 3 YEARS OLD MY ENGINE IS NOW BLOWN AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT MY COST , I STILL OWE A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS CAR . I'VE READ THAT HYUNDAI KNOWS THESE ENGINES ARE FAULTY FOR HAVING METAL SHAVINGS IN THE CHAMBERS BUT YET THEY'RE STILL PUTTING THEM IN BRAND NEW VEHICLES , NOW I AM STUCK WITH A LEMON BASICALLY AND HAVE TO SHELL OUT 6 GRAND FOR ANOTHER ENGINE THAT THIS COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN AGAIN BEFORE IT'S PAID OFF . THIS CLEARLY IS A MANUFACTURER ISSUE NOT THE OWNERS