We experience a feeling of loss of power and almost stalls while trying to make left or right hand turns from a complete stop. It has happened since we purchased car in 2012 but so intermediately that we would just try and explain it away (we came up with oh - we are traveling in the mountains, got bad gas, weather hot, weather cold, maybe I imagined it) but when I almost got hit in the side took it in to dealer again. They have had it 4 times for the same trouble and until the last visit could not duplicate it - dealer in june 2014 kept car many days and then I received a call from service manager who asked if I braked left footed - well yes I do as my husband does. He said they could duplicate the problem only when they left footed braked and their solution was to not do that. I asked some more questions, basically why that would make a difference since we have always done it. He said since the toyota problems the sensors in cars are more sensitive? I told him there are over 80 complaints with the odi for same problem in 2012 santa fe - he said oh that is a different problem - I read all of them - trouble sounds the same to me. We researched this car before buying - nothing in their advertisements, paperwork or on the net said left footed braking will cause your car to stall - we would not have purchased it however, I am not even positive that is the problem. I did also open a complaint with hyundai - they denied a claim of a lemon car and said to just to stop braking left footed. The letter said they drove it 200 miles with no duplication of trouble which is not what the service manager told me - they were able to duplicate it. We now have a car I will not drive because it is dangerous and who would buy it since we would have to disclose this hesitation problem. Just rec. Letter from lawyer asking us to call him - have not yet.
2012 Hyundai Santa Fe acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 40 of 40, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Submission from congressman thompson on behalf of constituent re 2012 hyundai santa fe defects. *smd the consumer stated on two separate occasions, the vehicle behaved as if, it were in neutral, although the gear shift was in drive and the check engine light illuminated. The consumer was able to find a dealer, where they applied an approved update to the computer board. The vehicle performed as designed for the next 500 miles. The consumer experienced four similar failures, while driving on the parkway. The consumer went to another dealer, and they replaced the throttle. The consumer has since driven 1,000 miles, with no problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine stalled with the illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road. Upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred two times and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer each time. The computerized system went into the limp mode which caused the throttle body sensor to fail. The vehicle was repaired on the two separate occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 08-20-14 *bf updated 09/3/2014
I was turning right into a parking space, applied the brakes and the vehicle surged/accelerated. It went over a curb and hit another vehicle. When it stopped I looked down and my foot was indeed on the brakes, to the floor. A similar thing happened twice before. I was turning onto another street and the car felt like it surged. Fortunately both times there was no one in the other lane or in front of me.
Engine light comes on. Has happened three consecutive days. Within initial 10-minutes of driving, car bucked/surged and engine light appears. Car would not accelerate in one instance. Pressing gas pedal had no effect. Could only coast to dealership maintaining whatever speed I had by having the car in drive and idling. Very unsafe to be unable to accelerate. Hyundai dealer 'fixed' problem by doing a software update. In no case would it seem plausible that the software is coded to disable the acceleration. The software update did not make the issue go away. Following day, the car bucked/surged again and the light came on. Car now left at dealership again for the third time.
Please investigate the hyundai line of cars. I was driving this car that I owned. I had just driven 140 miles, and I was on city streets making my way to the inlaws. I stopped at a stop sign and as I accelerated and proceeded to make a right turn on to another city street, the engine completely died. I noticed it when my power steering locked up, I had no brakes and I was headed right toward a home's front door. I was able to stop the car when it hit the curb dead on. I then put the car in to park and turned the car back on and it fired up right away. I really believe that hyundai has the same problem as gm. There was nothing wrong with the car after that and I could not duplicate the incident. I traded the car in a few days later because I refuse to drive it. If you google the problem, I was able to trace it back at least 11 years. How can you trust a car that where the engine will just turn off sporadically. Dealership claims "they've never heard of such a thing..." lies. The know about it, they just haven't done anything about it. I seriously think there needs to be an investigation in to this vehicle. I saw stories of peoples hyundais dying on the freeway. They could have been killed. One lady said that she was told next time it happens to leave the car as is and they will tow it and check it out. They towed it after it died and nothing. That's what leads to me believe that in this vehicle, the key can also become disengaged while driving. Similar if not exactly to the problems with the gm. I beg of you to investigate!!!
On feb. 2, 2013 after pulling out after a stop light the car ran normally for a very short time and then all power left. It would go only in idle speed. After turning the car off and then restarting it the car would run normally for a while and then do the same thing. A throttle body was replaced. On, jan. 28, 2014 the same thing happened again. Another throttle body was installed. The service department at the hyundai dealership nor hyundai could tell us why this throttle body was defective nor could they guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. We could not feel save driving it down an interstate or in heavy traffic and have the car just basically stop with no warning.
My 2012 hyundai santa fe has lost power twice while driving. The first time this occurred was on april 11, 2013. It happened again on march 1, 2014. Both times the vehicle shut off while driving at a slow speed. The first time was on a roadway, the second time was in a parking lot. I have read of similar experiences on the internet. I have notified the dealer and hyundai customer service of both incidents. Hyundai has advised there is nothing they can really do unless they are able to duplicate the issue.
My car does not ever stop when I try to stop. I can be stopped on an incline and the car will roll out in the main road and will not go in oncoming traffic. Then all at once it will take off at a fast speed and I have almost been hit many times by oncoming traffic. I have had my car in the dealer several times and they say they cant find the problem with the car. My car has 28,000 miles on it now, this problem has been occurring since the car was new. The problem is happening more often now. It is very dangerous for my family to drive. I need your help. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Vehicle picked up after inspection at dealer and driven approx. 1 mile when vehicle experienced sudden loss of power. Took back to dealer, miller hyundai, and they advised nothing wrong. Then on 11/11/13 same thing occurred. Miller hyundai advised they completed an ECM upgrade. Left dealer lot and drove approx. 1/2 mile and same thing occurred. Miller hyundai then replace the throttle body on 11/14/13. On 12/19/13 the same thing occurred, sudden lost of power. This is the 4th time in 8 months that this has occurred.
1st incident occurred while driving approximately 20 MPH in morning rush hour traffic. The rpms dropped to idle and the engine malfunction light came on. The accelerator would not respond to increase speed or rpms. I rolled to the shoulder of the road and turned off the car. When I re-started it, the engine malfunction light was still on but I was able to drive off the road and to the dealer. Same thing happened two additional times on my way to the dealer. Dealer advised that a computer update was needed. I was told the repair was made. Next morning I drove approximately 5 miles and the same issue happened, except this time I was traveling 55 MPH. Re-started the car and was able to drive back to the dealer. I am now being told that the throttle body is being replaced as per instructions from hyundai and that I was not the only person having this repeat problem.
We started the vehicle and the check engine light came on. We then checked the manual and it stated there might be an emissions problem so we checked to make sure the gas cap was tight. We started it again, but the light came on again. We backed up the car, but it would barely move. We called the dealership to have it towed and checked. The dealer called us the next day and said someone cut the wires above the accelerator pedal. That claim was suspicious because the vehicle is locked inside the garage and our house has a security system and a large dog. We also had 6 family member staying with us. Opening the garage door would have woke someone up. Also, the vehicles outside the garage were unlocked and untouched. After reading some complaints on here, I see there is an ongoing issue that may have been covered up by the dealership by cutting the wires. The location of the wires would have been extremely difficult to get to inside my garage. They also were cut and not chewed based on the pictures that were taken by the dealership for my insurance company.
This is the third time this has happened but by far, the most significant. This incident occurred 9/8/13 - driving down nys interstate and was passing another vehicle when the car began to lose power. I was traveling at 70 MPH and before I knew it was down to 35. I immediately pulled over onto the median, turned the car off and re-started it. (this is what I was told to do on 8/19/13 during the first incident). Prior to that, I put on my emergency flashers, waved my hand frantically out the window for the cars behind me to get over, as there was nothing I could do. After restarting my car I ultimately removed myself from the highway and took the back road home. Needless to say, I an quite anxious to get back on the highway and drive my vehicle. I called the dealership again and they told me to bring it in for a software upgrade. I asked if in fact they could just put in a new throttle actuator and they said it cost between $600-$1,000. Apparently this condition causing accidents or even possible injuries still does not warrant the new equipment.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was 16,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated after she made a right turn. The failure caused the contact to crash into another vehicle. No one was injured. The contact had to continue to applying the brakes in order to stop the vehicle after it crashed into the other vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and it was not determined whether or not the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 22,000.
1) historical details / event: when I bought the car (august, 2012) I noticed the occasional sticking of the throttle and when pressing the break the car would seem to want to accelerate - this would happen once every three months: the dealer said they couldn't find anything. 2) recent event: on 07/07 while driving at 45mph the car immediately started slowing down to less then 10mph and the check-engine-light came on. After pulling over and sitting for a while the car would go up to 30mph - 40mph: over that and it would occur again. Per the dealer - drove it to them. On the way - this slow down occurred multiple times between 30-40mph, once while slowing / breaking - the car immediately accelerated (RPM over 2500) and I almost had a major accident. Dealer diagnosed it as a known issue related to tsb: 13 fl 002 (throttle body bore carbon fouling / p2106/p2110 limphome mode / p0638 throttle actuator control range and that the break issue was due to excessive break booster air causing the throttle assembly to lock open. Dealer claimed issue was known but not seen often and never repeated. Had car all day to fix (finished: 07/08). Asked dealer about other tsbs in the database and was told none of them applied or were applicable. 3) recent event: on 07/08 after leaving the dealer, got 9 miles of driving when it occurred again after making a 25mph right turn and accelerating to 40mph [almost was read-ended by a truck]. Dealer now closed for the evening. Will be contacting dealer first thing on 07/09 and demanding fix and/or replacement - as this is now multiple times with the dealer denying the severity of this.
Just bought this car two months ago. At random, and when making a left onto a busy street, accelerating from a stop light, there is a hesitation and a very quick shut down when accelerating. It re-engages just in time to prevent a potential crash. I talked to the hyundai mechanic about this. They test drove it, but since the problem is random, it would make sense that they weren't able to detect it during the test drive. The problem isn't major for now but all it takes is one event to make it so. I was relieved to see other complaints of the same problem on this website.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate from a brief stop. The contact had to disengage the traction control, turn off the vehicle and restart in order to resolve the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic and the computer was reprogrammed. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 11,000. The current mileage was 12,243. ...updated 06-19-13 *bf the consumer stated the failure occurred three times. During each occurrence the vehicle would fail to accelerate, then the vehicle would shut off and the engine light turned on. Updated 06/28/2013
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 honda santa fe. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle decelerated rapidly without warning as the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on three different occasions. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the problem persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 1,100. The VIN was not available.
In stop and go traffic, I took my foot off the brake to coast towards the car in front of me. This pattern had been going on for several miles. I was not touching the accelerator and in fact, my foot was not on the brake either, and the car suddenly accelerated full throttle. I had just a couple of seconds to try to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me. I swerved to the right, towards the shoulder, but I hit the truck in front of me. I was braking the entire time, but it was not enough to stop the sudden unintended acceleration. My left bumper hit his truck on the right hand side of his bumper. My radiator was damaged and leaked all the fluid out onto the highway. The car was not drivable because of the radiator.
I was at a major interstate interchange, over 6 hours from home when I heard a slight noise and the check engine light came on. The car decelerated, but I was able to pull over to the side of the road. As I put the car in park, I heard the engine suddenly revving, as if I were pressing on the accelerator. Car was towed to the closest hyundai dealership, where it sat for a week, waiting for repairs because (I was told) the part could not be located anywhere in the u.s. On monday morning, I called the service department to inquire about my car and I was told it would be fixed by tuesday afternoon at the latest. On tuesday, I called to check on the status of my car and was told that they expected the part to be in on the next truck. This scenario was repeated twice more. At the end of the 3rd day, I was told that the part could not be located and that my car would not be repaired.the warranty covers up to 3 days of trip interruption service, so I asked what I was supposed to do to get home for work and how to get back to my car. Hyundai consumer affairs told me my situation was a unique case and they set up another case # and told me to keep the rental and file the remainder of the cost to the second case after the trip interruption case was settled. I drove the rental car home and back to the service department again the next saturday, when my car was finally repaired. I was out over $600, had a botched vacation, lost my trust in the safety of my vehicle and, as the icing on the cake, hyundai has refused to reimburse me for the second claim. It scares me to know, now, that the throttle position sensor has been a problem since the 2007 model of the santa fe, causing unintended acceleration and sudden deceleration, putting innocent people at risk. It also scares me that this company conducts themselves in such a deceptive manner when dealing with vulnerable people.
While driving my 2012 hyundai santa fe (mileage approx. 13366) on the highway in fairly heavy traffic at around 70 MPH and applying pressure to the accelerator, suddenly the vehicle failed to accelerate. I heard a little "blip" noise and felt a very slight jerk, kind of like a sudden gear change or something like that, then the car suddenly started decelerating. I barely missed getting rear-ended by another vehicle and managed to coast across two lanes of traffic to the shoulder of the road without getting hit. I stopped the car and turned it off and called the hyundai dealership and asked them what I should do. I told them the engine malfunction light was on. They indicated that they had never heard of a vehicle doing this before. They said if the malfunction light wasn't blinking, the car was safe to drive and to bring it in at my earliest convenience. On the way home, the deceleration issue happened approximately 3 or 4 more times.this is an incredibly dangerous issue with the vehicle. Took it to a local dealership and the paperwork said they found issue via tsb. They did an ECM upgrade. Vehicle worked just fine for a month and a half and then the exact same problem occurred again. This time I was able to make it home, fortunately without getting into a major accident. Had to stop and start the car about 3 times to get home. Called roadside assistance and had it towed to a different dealership to see if they can find the real problem this time. At this point, I'm not sure if I will ever feel safe driving this vehicle again. How will I know if the issue has really been fixed? This is a very serious, dangerous problem that could potentially lead to a tragic accident. It's hard to believe that there hasn't been a recall issued to fix this problem.
While driving on an overpass and turning to the left, I had just applied the brakes and was applying the gas as I had to get onto the interstate. I noticed the car decelerated, I had no braking power and it was very difficult to steer the car so I coasted to the side of the road. I almost got rear ended by several cars behind me. All the lights were on the car but it seemed dead. I turned the key off and put the car in park. While talking to my husband, I turned the car on and it started and off I drove off with no further problems. What's worse is that day I had my two little girls and my mother in the car. I had to continue to driving since we were on our way to an important doctors appointment. I can't imagine if I were on the interstate at 70 miles an hour. When I called to make an appointment with hyundai service they acted like it has never happened before.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while attempting to drive with both the accelerator and break pedal engaged the vehicle lunge forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vehicle was operating up to standards. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 4,000 and the current mileage was 14,000. Updated 12/20/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while waiting at a traffic light, the vehicle accelerated independently causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The vehicle was not destroyed and there were not injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who that there was static electricity built up causingthe failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The failure mileage was 6,210.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 MPH and making a right turn into a parking spot the vehicle lunged forward and suddenly accelerated independently. The vehicle crashed into a bush and went through a fence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.
My santa fe hyundai 2012 accelerated unintentionally when I was turning into a parking spot. I was making a right turn into the parking spot when it lurched full throttle over two bushes and knocked down a black iron fence and I pressed on the brakes and I was on the side walk. I could have hit a pedestrian! It was very frightening.
I pulled into a parking lot, in front of a bakery, and stopped to allow a car to leave a parking spot. I then proceeded to pull into the vacant parking spot and when I applied the brakes, the vehicle sounded like it was actually gunning into a higher gear, and as I was pushing harder down on the brake with my right foot the vehicle jumped the sidewalk in front of the bakery. I proceeded to apply both my feet to the brakes in hopes that the vehicle would stop, and it did. Thankfully no one was injured and the vehicle stopped before entering the bakery window. I called the dealership and arranged for them to tow it to their mechanics department.
While changing lanes, there was a sudden lack of response while I was pressing on the accelerator. This only lasted a millisecond but was enough that I started to press down to complete the change when throttle response returned. I have had this happen about a dozen times in the 3 months since purchasing this auto.
Driver was pulling into a parking space when santa fe suddenly surged or lunged forward and to the right causing car to jump over a concrete bumper and into another car parked at a 90-degree angle. After the accident investigation was cleared driver proceeded to the local dealership. Enroute the santa fe would not shift out of low gear. Dealer claimed the events could not be duplicated.
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