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2018 Hyundai Santa FE Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Hyundai Santa FE, most often about the engine (51% of complaints, typically around 19,000 miles). It is 24th of 26 Santa FE model years by number of complaints and has 2 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 2018 Hyundai Santa FE problems
Engine
56 complaints · 51%Half of these problems showed up before 19,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
Driving vehicle on the parkway at approximately 65 MPH, engine felt like it was shutting down, car stopped accelerating, engine light was blinking, speedometer stopped working, blue link notification system advised to get to service today. This occurred one week after the car received a software update for a knock…
A recall letter from Hyundai on my 2018 Santa FE on a knock sensor took it to my dealership they did what ever the recall was 3 miles down the road my car went intp limp mode took me from 70mph to 30 call the dealer had to limp it back they hah it for 3 weeks had the wire harness replaced asked they had any trouble…
Brakes
19 complaints · 17%Yesterday when I was teaching my vehicle I suddenly marked steering wheel on the board. And on the brakes every time I put the emergency parking brake it makes a loud sound on the left rear side.
Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 11%The rear camera has a blue screen this is known for Hyundai Santa FE sport. Also my SUV ran hot while driving. The SUV is only 2 years why is the antifreeze/coolant ran out. It was bone dry. Talk to car shop and I was told that the water pump usually ho out on the Hyundai Santa FE sport. Also my SUV act like it dont…
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa FE. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle independently came to an abrupt stop. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with alternator, battery…
Transmission
10 complaints · 9%The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa FE. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The…
Electrical
9 complaints · 8%I called the dealership to report a hot smell in my car on tuesday. They told me to bring it in for service inspection. Thursday morning the car was driven for a short time and parked in the drive way after. Approximately two hours to two and a half hours later the car cab was full of smoke. The fire department and…
6 months after I purchase a brand new 2018 Santa FE grande my vehicle start cutting off when I turn the wheel a certain way I reported it to the company it will not detect on the machines so they cannot fix it so I'm stuck with a car that continue to cut off and nobody knows why
Steering
8 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 8,000 miles.
Yesterday when I was teaching my vehicle I suddenly marked steering wheel on the board. And on the brakes every time I put the emergency parking brake it makes a loud sound on the left rear side.
Steering exhibits "stiction" after driving for 20-30 minutes. This becomes worse as speed is increased. Small movements of the wheel produce no steering effect but resistance is felt. When the resistance is overcome, the result is slight over steer. Under these conditions it is difficult to drive in strait line as…
Air bags
6 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: air bag/restraint control module.
Driving a rental car at 4:30 a.m. On country road attempting to catch our flight back home. After driving approx. 20 minutes, headlights went out and dashboard lights. We had no visibility, attempted to stop vehicle, left pavement and struck a tree. During our week rental of this vehicle we did have issues with SUV…
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa FE. The contact stated while his fiancee was driving at 45 MPH, a deer impacted the driver's side of the vehicle. No air bags deployed. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated after the impact. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medication…
Speed control
5 complaints · 5%When driving on a back road going about 35-40 MPH, all of a sudden the rpms spiked way up and the car started shaking. As I pressed the gas pedal the car would barely move but the rpms would go extremely high. Every time I had a stop light and tried accelerating once the light turned green the car would barely move…
Slow to accelerated I have to re press the pedal just to try an speed up on the highway im getting honked at trying to go up hills I have to press it to the floor to go up hills an it idles out an its very dangerous to drive on the freeway I cant go past 50mph an I use sport mode its dosnt help it this should be a…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2018 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 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Steering: steering wheel/handle bar
Risk: A steering wheel separation while driving can cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will check the production lot number of the steering wheel assembly, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on march 26, 2018. Owners may contact hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 173.
Full defect summary
Hyundai motor america (hyundai) is recalling certain 2018 hyundai santa fe and santa fe sport vehicles. The steering wheel assembly may break, possibly resulting in the steering wheel separating from the steering column while driving.
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
Questions about the 2018 Hyundai Santa FE
- What are the most common problems with the 2018 Hyundai Santa FE?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (56 complaints, typically around 19,000 miles); brakes (19 complaints); other or unspecified (12 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2018 Hyundai Santa FE have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 3, 2022 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2018 a bad year for the Hyundai Santa FE?
- It is 24th of 26 Santa FE model years by number of complaints, with 109 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.