2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: check engine light

Filed Aug 13, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · NC

The vehicle suffered a severe engine overheating failure that created an immediate fire risk and electrical safety signaling failure. A brand-new replacement engine was installed by an authorized dealership in April 2026 under a goodwill warranty and had only been driven ~ 3,100 miles since installation. While operating the vehicle, the air conditioning suddenly stopped functioning. Upon restarting, the check engine light illuminated; however, there was never any dashboard temperature warning indicator, notification, or chime to alert the driver to an active overheating situation. Shortly after, the engine completely disabled itself and died while in transit in a parking lot. AAA was contacted to tow the vehicle. Smoke was visible coming out of the engine's oil dipstick and oil intake spout before being towed. After being towed home, an overwhelming chemical burning odor was noted and continued to get worse. A physical check revealed that the oil level on the dipstick was critically overfilled a full inch above the maximum fill line. The local fire department responded to the scene to mitigate the thermal risk, ordered the battery disconnected due to safety hazards, and deemed the vehicle entirely unsafe to operate or connect to power. This represents a catastrophic failure of critical safety equipment and onboard driver warning networks on a newly installed engine assembly, presenting an active safety and fire hazard to passengers. An official corporate safety case has been opened with Hyundai Motor America under Case Number: 43112676.

Filed Apr 13, 2026 · Engine · 155,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the check engine warning light started flashing, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, where the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a parking lot, where a mobile mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had seized. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact that the engine had failed, and there was sludge in the engine oil. The dealer informed the contact that the engine replacement could not be covered due to missing oil change documentation prior to the ownership of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

Filed Apr 2, 2026 · Engine · 114,080 miles · HI

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a blown engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the warranty service was declined because the oil maintenance records were not available. The failure mileage was approximately 114,080.

Filed Jul 30, 2024 · Engine · LA

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to exceed 15 MPH. The contact was able to arrive to the intended destination, where the failure persisted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the knock sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Apr 25, 2024 · Engine · 148,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. Additionally, the contact observed white smoke coming from the engine and an abnormal oil burning odor. The check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 148,000.

Filed Jul 31, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · 94,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power however, the driver was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality, but the failure recurred. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000.

Filed Aug 18, 2022 · Brakes, Engine · 71,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated he took the vehicle to the dealer to be serviced under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V303000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 45 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the knock sensor detected a failure and shifted the vehicle into SAFE mode. The manufacturer was contacted by the dealer. The dealer was asked to continue performing tests on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 71,000.

Filed Aug 12, 2021 · Engine · 147,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle would not exceed 60 mph. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Pepboys who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to vibrations caused by the damaged connecting rod bearing. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

Filed Apr 17, 2019 · Engine · 133,000 miles · NY

On tuesday april 9, 2019 my wife called me during her drive to work and told me her car was running very rough while traveling to work on a local ny parkway. She said the check engine light also came on. When she came home I tested the obd and saw that the reader said the code was p0302 which signifies a #2 cylinder failure. I was able to bring the car to a repair shop yesterday. The repair shop just called and said the #2 cylinder has no compression. After reading numerous complaints filed here and on other forums, I believe my car has experienced the type of engine failure occurring at an alarming level.

Filed Mar 10, 2019 · Engine · FL

Personnel, I received the attached 'product improvement campaign' notice from hyundai for my 2015 santa fe sport vehicle. If you read the campaign, I think, it reads like it should be a safety recall. They state the engine can have excessive connecting rod bearing wear. How can you believe them that the engine will not happen quickly and cause an accident. I think, as usual, they are looking more at the dollars than possible loss of life. The federal safety agency should be protecting the driver, not the manufacturer. Hyundai is placing the burden of their mistake on the customer. I had the software update done, but that does not solve the safety problem. This condition limits where you can drive this vehicle. The customer cannot be too far from a dealer. They do not state how far you can drive the car once the engine light blinks on! However they do threaten you, if you drive too far, you may void the warranty. Then they ask you to accept their apologies. They do not state if they will pay to toe the vehicle to the dealer. [xxx] I could not figure out how to attach the copy of the campaign. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jul 24, 2018 · Engine · 30,000 miles · MD

On 7/19/2018, after starting the vehicle, I noticed the engine would not rev more than 4000rpm while in park. Thought this might be a safety feature so didn't give it much thought. I drove the car that day approximately 80 miles, and about 1 mile from my house, while stopped at a stop sign on a city street, the engine died. I was able to get the car started but it immediately died again. I was able to again get the vehicle started and drove it the rest of the way home. No check engine light ever illuminated! Drove the car about 20 total miles over the next 3 days with no problems. On 7/23/2018, my wife drove the car to work and the engine stopped running while she was still moving on a busy city street. She was able to pull to the side of the road. The engine would not start again and she had to have it towed to the local hyundai dealership. Still no check engine light! We bought this vehicle on 7/11/2015. A 36 month old vehicle with approx 30k miles and it breaks down? This problem is not an annoyance. This problem is a safety issue! The federal safety agency should be ordering a mandatory recall, especially after the problems they had with prior year hyundai engines.

Filed Jan 19, 2018 · Acceleration, Engine · 700,662 miles · PA

2015 hyundai santa fe sport 2.0t 4cyl wjth the previously recalled (2011-2014) engine. Theta || gdi 2.0 was running perfectly normal one day no warning lights or messages were displayed besides my tire pressure light . I was driving about 30 miles an hour on flat paved road when the engine started making a knocking/ ticking noise very loudly , the check engine light then came on , I turned the car around to head back home which I was only 4 miles away , the car was losing power to the engine as I kept driving to make it home , I made it to the hill I live on which is steep and tried to go a little faster but the car wouldn't go over 20 MPH at this point and the noise is becoming louder and louder . I made it to my drive when the engine shut down . I turned the key off for about a minute and then tried starting it up again , it wouldn't. Turn over and made a loud clunk . I did try having the vehicle repaired as I was told the trouble code it was displaying were p0014 and p0024 , my mechanic diagnosed this as the engine timing solenoids needing to be replaced and the camshaft timing being advanced , I went ahead with the new solenoids and a complete oil change due to there being metal shavings in the oil and on the solenoids . After the repairs were complete it was test driven by the mechanic and the engine shut down once again, the brand new solenoids and oil all had been contaminated with metal shavings . I was then advised that the engine needs to be replaced at my expense as it is out of warranty. I now have a car with an outstanding balance that doesn't run and a very high mechanic bill and nothing to show for it. I will not be purchasing a replacement engine out of pocket as this is a faulty engine