Hyundai Santa Fe Sport won't start problems

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Engine · WA

While driving over the pass the car suddenly lost power and was running very rough. Luckily there was an exit close by that we took and the engine died on the exit. We were able to get it started and get to a parking lot where it died and would not start again. While trying to start it in the parking lot the check engine light came on. So, after a $375 tow to the nearest town the mechanic discovered a damaged spark plug and the compression test showed 0 psi. The scope showed a hole in the piston. The car also leaks and burns oil. The mechanic recommended scrapping the vehicle since it would not be cost effective to repair it. The mechanic said ours is the 6th Santa Fe in their shop with a blown engine in the past month. It has not been inspected by anyone else.

Filed Jul 12, 2026 · Driver assistance, Engine · SC

Today while driving to church we started hearing a ping noise ever so often. This just started then . After leaving church to go home the pinging noise got louder than the engine stalled and wouldn't start again. I had to have my car towed to my house. That is where it is now. The tow truck driver said that it was a rod. He said that he was mostly sure that it was happened. He stated that he has towed similar ones like mine with the same problem.

Filed Jun 13, 2026 · NY

The vehicle stooped running while driving and will not start, available for inspection upon request. The vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

Filed May 12, 2026 · Engine · NY

I was driving on a main road at 55-60 mph with my daughter and grandchildren in the car and had a sudden loss of power. I was almost hit from behind. The check engine light started blinking. And the car went into limp mode. I had to limp it to the nearest place to safely get off the road so as not to put my family in any other danger.There is not enough shoulder on the road to pull over safely. It was very stressful. Was able to get it in someone's driveway and then eventually towed to Auburn,NY Hyundai/Chevrolet where it is currently. It would not turn over to start again. It does have battery power. I am waiting to hear from the service techs as to what they think is wrong. They advised me that there is a $199 per hour diagnostic fee. I also told them that we noticed metal flakes in the oil when we checked it. I feel I should mention that the vehicle went into limp mode a few weeks ago also and the dealership told me the knock sensor was bad. I had that replaced at that time.

Filed Feb 21, 2026 · Engine · MN

Engine seizure. Driving 80mph on i90, pop sound from under the hood happens & check engine light came on; immediately pulled over & the oil and battery light came on; turned car off & it would not start again. Smoke then came from engine while trying to restart. Code 1326

Filed Feb 4, 2026 · Electrical · PA

My starter failed while out shopping. No issues starting the car departing from my home, but would not start in the store parking lot. My mechanic did not provide the broken part for inspection however everyone commented that is was very unusual for it to fail as I only have roughly 25,000 miles on it. My mechanic also mentioned that this was 2nd 2018 hyundai sante fe in the past week he had to replace the starter on that vehicle had 60,000 miles. There were no warning lights prior to the event, I suspected it was the starter after having a new battery installed and no success starting because of the lights that remained on on the instrument panel.

Filed Jul 26, 2025 · Brakes, Electrical · NC

I bought the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe yesterday evening. Upon leaving the dealership I promptly broke for a car in front of me. Immediately the vehicle turned off completely. I put the vehicle in the park and attempted to start the vehicle back up. The vehicle would not start up and begin leaking a prominent scent. Following this, white smoke with the same pungent smell was coming from the engine. I propped the hood and saw the smoke continue to release. I then motioned away from the vehicle and called for a tow truck. The car is now being inspected by the dealership I purchased it from the same day. I believe this is related to the federal safety agency recall on 2010-2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, recall date 09/22/2023, recall number 21V303000, and Hyundai Safety Recall 251s Anti-Lock Braking System Fuse Replace. This issue is not listed under my vehicle VIN number but it’s apparent to be the case and issue and is being inspected further by the dealership.

Filed Jun 16, 2025 · Engine · AL

During acceleration to pass car sputters and has no power. Merging into traffic is dangerous. The best shift is faulty as well . Mine is in park but it is showing it in drive and won't crank

Filed Dec 26, 2024 · Engine · IL

My Engine malfunctioned while driving on the interstate at 70 mph. There were no lights that came on no notice just stopped excelerating. Thankfully after exiting the interstate I was able to get to a gas station safely and that is where the vehicle died altogether and would not start again. My husband and I checked the oil at that time and there was absolutely no oil in the engine. The worse part was that my husband had just put 3 quarts of oil in the engine on Sunday and this all happened on Friday of the same week. I work from home and had only traveled 300 miles that week total, so there was no reason for this to have happen. I had it towed to the car shop and they informed me that Cylinder 1 and 4 are not getting any compression at all. I just had the oil changed in this and am very good about keeping up on maintenance in my car. I have had problems with the oil pan cracking, got that fixed. I check my oil every time I put gas in the car due to the fact that I knew the engine was using oil but it was nothing this severe. I would only have to add one or two quarts of oil every other week and I drive a lot for my job. I have never had any lights come on to warn me, there were no noises that was coming from the engine, I did not have any discolored smoke from the back of the car when starting it. There was never any leaks on the ground either. I had a Hyundai Dealership in Springfield, IL look at it and they said it just eats oil nothing more. I had my mechanic look at it and he stated that I needed to keep a very close eye on it, so that is what I did. However, no one told me that this was going to happen. Now I am stuck with car and payment that I can not drive. No recall but several/hundreds of complaints on same thing? And NO RECALL????

Filed Aug 11, 2023 · Engine · TN

In May, my vehicle began having issues with acceleration and was choking when going uphill, or would start choking when slowing to turn or start moving after being stopped. The engine light came on and had code P1326. Dealership did a system update and it went away. The car broke down not long after, wouldn't start. Replaced battery as it wouldn't charge and was drained. Still didn't work. Towed it to dealership. After several days, they said it might be the crankshaft position sensor. A local mechanic replaced it, it did not fix it. Spark plugs were completely burnt up and covered in gas. Changed spark plugs and it seemed fixed, until it broke down last week. Has code P0420 now. Checked oil, it has absolutely no oil in it and it has only been about 3000 miles since my last oil change. It is due for an oil change, but should not be completely out of oil. Burning oil can clog cat converter, causing P0420 code. My vehicle has a theta engine, which was involved in a lawsuit and settlement, which I only learned about yesterday, and have missed the deadline to file a claim. The vehicle has lost acceleration and died while driving, posing a risk to myself and other drivers. Vehicle is unreliable and unsafe. Dealership failed to tell me anything about my spark plugs, and did not mention my vehicle having oil issues. Non-dealership mechanics have been the ones to bring the issues to my attention. Corporate Hyundai will also not help.