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2013 Hyundai Santa FE Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 605 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Hyundai Santa FE, most often about the engine (46% of complaints, typically around 89,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Santa FE model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2013 Hyundai Santa FE problems
Engine
279 complaints · 46%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
Wednesday my car stalled at the stop light while in drive with the brake on. Then 2 days later down the interstate my engine started knocking very loudly so I pulled over and got it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership. They reported the engine has failed and will see what they can do about the recall.
Engine has a metal knocking noise it was in jenkins Hyundai on 4/20/2017,6/01/2017 it will be going in again this week a part? The recall #162 is in place but no body wants to address this recall # I have 95,000 miles on this car and no one wants to fix.
Steering
95 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 6,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system.
While driving at speeds of 45 MPH and up, the vehicle wanders and drifts from side to side. This is very tiring to drive and requires constant attention. At the lower speeds it seems to wander mostly to the left so you constantly have to correct to the right. Dealer has made six attempts to fix without success.
This vehicle wanders all over the road. Whenever there is any wind -- even passing other vehicles -- the vehicle is unstable. In my opinion this car is not safe to drive.
Brakes
63 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles. Parts named most often: pedals and linkages, antilock, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
While driving I turned the corner going roughly 7 MPH and my car just completely stalled out. I was able to get it back started but drove it home and didn't want to risk taking it out on a major highway or street.
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Santa FE. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost all motive power, but he was able to safely coast to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the engine was on fire. The contact…
Other or unspecified
56 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles.
Push button start does not always start. Intermittent problem causing vehicle to strand US multiple times. Vehicle is parked and when you try to start it it will not start.
The camera has a tendency to just go black, losing all rear visibility. It happens when the car input in reverse and lasts a few seconds or more.
Electrical
53 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 59,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery, starter assembly.
My 2013 Hyundai Santa FE limited has previously had two of four door latch assemblies fail. One was replaced under warranty one I paid the dealership to replace. Now a third latch assembly has failed. There are two tsbs against this failure (14-01-004-1 and 14-01-004) specifically for the 2013 Hyundai Santa FE yet the…
The entire inside of my Santa FE is damaged due to a fire in the seat. My car was locked overnight and parked in my driveway. The doors were locked and there is no sign of forced entry. The front drivers side seat is totally burned out and damage to the drivers door is melted. There is smoke damage in the entire…
Transmission
52 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 48,500 miles. Parts named most often: transfer case (4-wheel drive).
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa FE. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled down the driveway without being prompted. The vehicle rolled over the contact's arm and caused second degree burns. Medical attention was required. The issue recurred, but the contact was able to depress the brake pedal and stop the…
Air and defrosters quit turn engine off restart and it worked.5 times .the engine is a 2013 2.0 turbo Santa FE using oil 2 quarts a week, engine is making a noise. Also, dealer said they could not do anything until it gets bad? You must check the oil all the time..
Fuel system
42 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 29,500 miles. Parts named most often: fuel injection system, delivery, storage.
When driving on the freeway, vehicle lost power and shut off, smelled and saw smoke coming from the vents. Pulled to side of road and opened hood to check engine and flames shot out, closed hood and truckers ran over with fire extinguishers and called fire department. Within 5 minutes vehicle was totally engulfed and…
After accelerating from a stop light, turning left onto a two lane 35mph road, the car seemed to downshift and would not respond to the accelerator. It continued to move forward at no more than 10-15mph jerking and lunging up a hill, causing a hazard for approaching cars. The AWD light came on along with another light…
Suspension
23 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 11,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa FE sport. The contact stated that while accelerating from a traffic stop, a loud grinding noise emitted from outside of the vehicle. The vehicle failed to operate in drive or reverse. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who stated that the front axle was fractured. The…
2013 Hyundai Santa FE 2.4 is having major steering issues. At speeds above 45mph the SUV sways all over the road and is almost impossible to maintain control of. If you have any type of wind the SUV will change lanes and if you slightly correct it over corrects. I have checked the tire pressure and the tires show no…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Hyundai Santa FE recalls
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed april 10, 2024 through october 11, 2024. Owners may contact hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 251.
Full defect summary
Hyundai motor america (hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 elantra, genesis coupe, sonata hybrid, 2012-2015 accent, azera, veloster, 2013-2015 elantra coupe, santa fe, 2014-2015 equus, 2010-2012 veracruz, 2010-2013 tucson, 2015 tucson fuel cell, and 2013 santa fe sport vehicles. The anti-lock brake system (ABS) module may leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: axle shaft
Risk: A fractured front axle may result in a loss of power to the wheels. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked without the parking brake applied, it may roll away. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front axle shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began on september 19, 2013. Owners may contact hyundai custom care center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 112.
Full defect summary
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2013 front wheel drive santa fe sport vehicles manufactured july 13, 2012, through march 12, 2013; and equipped with 2.4 liter engines. Due to a manufacturing issue, the right front axle shaft may fracture.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Hyundai and kia ABS module fires
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has received eight hyundai motor america (hyundai) and eight kia america, inc. (kia) part 573 recall reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or hydraulic electronic control units (hecu) manufactured by the equipment supplier mando. The part 573 recall reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by mando. Safety recalls included in this audit query (aq) review include: hyundai recalls 20v-520, 20v-543, 21v-161, 21v-160, 21v-303, 22v-056, 22v-810, and 23v-651. Kia recalls 16v-815, 20v-518, 20v-519, 21v
Loss of motive power
Summary
The national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated july 13, 2022, petitioning the agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain hyundai motor america, inc. And kia america, inc. Vehicles spanning model years (my) 2005-2021. The petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are
Engine fires
Summary
On march 29, 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened two preliminary evaluations (pe19-003 on hyundai and pe19-004 on kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year hyundai and kia vehicles.â during the pe investigations, hyundai and kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types.â the remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement.â additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software modif
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) of the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated october 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (etc) system on certain kia vehicles resulting in the opening of dp21-003. Accordingly, model year (my) 2005-2016 kia optima/k5, my 2006-2015 kia sorento, my 2007-2016 hyundai elantra, my 2007-2016 hyundai santa fe, my 2006-2015 hyundai sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a vehicle owner questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (odi) number 11439675.on november 12, 2021, odi opened defec
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
During this preliminary evaluation (pe), the office of defects investigation (odi) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (my) 2011-2014 hyundai sonata and santa fe vehicles equipped with theta II and lambda II engines (approximately 1.3 million vehicles). Odi also reviewed field data of other hyundai vehicles equipped with theta II, gamma, nu and lambda engines (approximately 4.8 million). As a result of this pe, hyundai has issued NHTSA recalls 20v-746 and 21v-727 to address potential engine failures and fires in certain hyundai vehicles
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
In a letter dated june 11, 2018, the center for auto safety (cas) petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima and sorento, and hyundai sonata and santa fe vehicles. In a letter dated july 24, 2018, cas requested that my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles be added to the petition. Cas stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The office of defects investigation (odi) had already opened recall queries (rq17-003 and rq17-004) on all kia and hyundai vehicles equipped
Scope and timeliness
Summary
Nhtsa opened recall query (rq) 17-004 to investigate the timeliness and scope of hyundai?s theta II gdi engine recalls (recall nos. 15v-568 and 17v-226), and hyundai?s compliance with reporting requirements. On november 23, 2020, the agency entered into a consent order with hyundai to administratively resolve NHTSA?s assertions of violations of law in connection with rq17-004. Nhtsa?s assertions included that hyundai may be liable for civil penalties on multiple grounds, including the untimeliness of recall nos. 15v-568 and 17v-226, inaccuracies in hyundai?s recall reports, and that a required report describing potential safety-related issues contained certain inaccuracies or omissions.under
Front axle shaft failure
Summary
In a letter dated august 9, 2013, hyundai-kia america technical center, inc. (hyundai-kia) submitted two defect information reports (dir) to NHTSA identifying a safety defect related to fracture of the right front axle shaft in my 2013 front wheel drive hyundai santa fe sport vehicles built from july 13, 2012 through march 12, 2013 and my 2014 front wheel drive kia sorento vehicles built from january 7 through march 12, 2013 (recall nos. 13v-355 and 13v-356).according to hyundai-kia, the right front axle driveshaft may develop a crack in the area of the stub at the wheel end of the shaft due to problems with the stub supplier's forging process for axles installed in vehicles built prior to m
Questions about the 2013 Hyundai Santa FE
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Hyundai Santa FE?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (279 complaints, typically around 89,500 miles); steering (95 complaints, typically around 6,000 miles); brakes (63 complaints, typically around 89,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Hyundai Santa FE have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 22, 2023 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Hyundai Santa FE?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Santa FE model year since 2000, with 605 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.