2015 Hyundai Santa Fe: engine stalls while driving

Filed May 17, 2026 · Engine · CA

The engine failed due to complete and sudden oil loss. The vehicle is currently at Fremont Hyundai and available for inspection. Safety risk: the engine failed while driving on the highway with children in the vehicle. A check engine light appeared with no prior warning, the vehicle immediately lost power and stalled, requiring an emergency exit and tow. This is a direct collision risk at highway speed. The failure was confirmed by an independent mechanic who found zero oil in the engine and identified it as a known Hyundai defect. The vehicle was then towed to Fremont Hyundai, which is currently conducting diagnostics. The vehicle has been inspected by an independent mechanic and by Fremont Hyundai [XXX] ). No police or insurance involvement. There were NO warning lights, oil pressure alerts, or symptoms of any kind prior to failure. I purchased the vehicle in 2024 and maintained regular oil changes and checkups with receipts. The last oil change was performed a few months before the failure. No mechanic ever flagged low oil. The only warning was a check engine light that appeared seconds before the engine stalled. I have incurred $900 in towing costs as a direct result of this failure. Fremont Hyundai is now requiring me to pay $280 for a diagnostic, followed by $890 for a two-week oil consumption test. They have also stated that if the engine does not pass the initial diagnostic, they cannot help me at all. Given that the engine ran completely dry of oil, it is highly unlikely to pass. This means I am being asked to pay fees for a process the dealership already expects to fail, leaving me with no path to resolution and a car I cannot drive. The 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe is included in a class action lawsuit (Cho et al. v. Hyundai Motor Company) over this exact defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 9, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · CA

2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited, 3.3L Lambda II GDI V6, ~102,000 miles. In December 2022, an authorized Hyundai dealer replaced three specific parts under a Hyundai recall/campaign (records requested). On Sunday [DATE] at approximately [TIME] PM, I was driving on [FREEWAY], [STATE], at 55–70 mph at night. With NO prior warning — no warning lights, no chimes, no loss of power buildup, no knocking, no engine protection mode — the engine suddenly and completely died. The failure was instantaneous. There was no limp-home mode and no opportunity to reach the shoulder under engine power. The vehicle lost forward momentum and rolled backward in a live highway travel lane, where it remained stranded until a tow truck recovered it. No injuries. The 12V battery and electrical system remained fully active throughout. The instrument cluster was operational and capable of displaying warnings before the failure. None were displayed. Dashboard warning lights illuminated only seconds AFTER the engine had already died — a post-failure consequence of engine shutdown, not a pre-failure warning. An independent mechanic diagnosed a seized engine due to loss of oil flow. No oil pressure or low-oil light had ever illuminated. The vehicle was then transported to the Hyundai dealer that performed the 2022 service; they promised a diagnostic call and have not provided one or any written diagnostic. This failure mode matches Hyundai TSB 24-EM-003H (15yr/150k extended warranty for 3.3L Lambda II engines in 2013–2019 Santa Fe), the federal safety agency Recall 21V‑727 (acknowledging stall risk at highway speed), and the active class action Burns v. Hyundai Motor Company (C.D. Cal. 2025). Hyundai's KSDS is documented to trigger a blinking MIL, audible chime, and reduced-power Engine Protection Mode upon bearing wear. None of these protective behaviors occurred.

Filed Jul 24, 2025 · Engine · SC

015 Santa Fe Ultimate. 134,000 miles. Original owner. All maintenance done per manual. Wife on hwy 2 hrs. Started loud engine knocking noise. No warning whatsiever.Pulled off closet exit. Stalled.Restarted.Pulled into gas station. Trusted mechanic inspected. Stated not to drive. He had identical vehicle at shop,identical problem.110,000 miles. Needs new engine.Noticed on fbook Forum,"Hyundai Engine Problems". Alot of similar complaints posted. Hyundai not warranting over 100,000 miles. This could have been much worse if it had been at night,in a rural area. Shocked has not been a recall!

Filed May 27, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · GA

During routine vehicle operation when entering an interstate highway, , the vehicle developed a loud knocking sound from engine bay along with high RPM abnormal shifting. Vehicle was stopped as soon as possible in the safety lane when it stalled and shut off. No warning lights were present during the time of failure. Vehicle was towed to home of residence.

Filed Feb 12, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · CA

Recent cold weather starts in the morning (40-50 degrees fahrenheit) have caused my car to have poor or stalled acceleration. It will occasionally not go past 20 or 40 mph while the RPMs rev high. The DTC error code would read P2565 as a pending code. An independent mechanic changed out my transmission fluid and switched out my boost pressure sensor but the problem is still there. Hyundai says that they need to replicate the problem but it does not occur when I take it to them so it's very hard to have this intermittent issue diagnosed by them. This is a very dangerous issue in my opinion if your cars engine revs high without accelerating and can potentially cause serious accidents and injury. I know I'm not the only person experiencing this issue as I've read on online forums of other car owners describing the same issue. Please issue a safety recall before someone is seriously injured or dies as a result of this intermittent issue.

Filed Jan 31, 2024 · Engine · IL

Premature failure of engine that was regularly maintained. Vehicle started sounding louder than normal and stalled spontaneously while driving, stopping in the middle of an intersection. No warning lights illuminated prior to incident. Vehicle had started again when prompted to finish traveling to destination. Oil was checked at destination and was low by 1.5 quarts. Vehicle was towed to nearest Hyundai dealership. Vehicle has now been at dealership for almost 5 months. Tech stated that internals were extremely clean upon inspection but that oil port to 1 or more cylinders may have been blocked, causing burning or premature ware and failure. No metal shavings were found in oil according to tech, and engine still turned freely. Hyundai corporate has agreed to cover 90% of cost to replace motor and offer a 12 month /12,000 mile warranty.

Filed Apr 27, 2023 · Engine · WA

Check engine light came on. It was a Sunday so we took it to the local auto parts shop and they said it was a pressure valve but they couldn’t say exactly which one. We made an appointment to have it checked but when we tried to drive it just a short distance (about a mile) it started stalling so we took it back home (about a mile back). By then it smelled like it was burning so we decided to have it towed rather than risk driving it to the repair shop. However by the time the tow truck came the next day, the car would not even start. The car has less than 70,000 miles and has been regularly maintained, but we are being told it needs a new engine and we have to pay for it. We bought from the dealership and it was only leased prior to that. We thought when we got it it was still covered under the originally warranty but we are now told that was not the case and it is not covered by the warranty. With the number of engine problems on these specific cars it seems very unlikely that this is something that we should be held responsible for but we are not sure how to hold Hyundai accountable.

Filed Mar 30, 2023 · Engine · TX

2015 Hyundai Santa Fe engine stalling or shutting off unexpectedly while driving. Hyundai didn't approve the request sent by West Huston Hyundai to replace an Engine due to lack of maintenance; however, the West Huston Hyundai service department did recalls and oil changes recently (18 Jan. 2023), and another service was done a few months ago in August 2022.

Filed Mar 25, 2023 · Engine · NC

The facts are this: This 2015 Santa Fe Limited only has 100,725 miles on it. I have had it for 70,000 of those 100,000 miles as I am the second owner. I have always had the oil changed at no more than 4000 miles and had all of my servicing done. Two Hyundai dealerships confirmed the issue is the same as with all of the engine issues Hyundai has had in the past and I’m lucky it didn’t stall. No dashboard warning but luckily I heard the noise and brought it in to check before I was possibly injured due to an engine seizing up. The second dealership confirmed as I took it there without telling them what the first dealership told me. Both said it would cost $20,000 for a new engine. It is obvious that this is the same engineering/Manufacturing/parts defect, and a replacement at no charge is deserved and justified. Here are just a few of the recent complaints lodged that match my exact issue: the federal safety agency ID NUMBER: 11508780 the federal safety agency ID Number: 11508037 the federal safety agency ID Number: 11506729 the federal safety agency ID Number: 11500108

Filed Dec 24, 2022 · Engine · MD

While I was driving, the car began to jerk and stall and the check engine light came on. I was able to drive about 3 more blocks then the car cut completely off. The car cut off in the middle of the street with myself and my children inside. We had to walk home and send for a tow truck. My car only had 78,000 miles. This same thing happened with my 2013 Sonata a few years ago. There seems to be a pattern of the motors cutting off while driving. This has caused loss of control of the car and the inability to steer or move the vehicle.

Filed Nov 10, 2022 · Engine · TN

I bought a Santa Fe Sport made by Hyundai Theta Engine Settlement Ext Warranty on March 18, 2022. Also, I did the maintenance and changed the oil after about three months. On August 29, my vehicle shut off while driving without any alarm and did not start again. Imagine what a severe accident may happen to me; thankfully, no one was injured. I towed the car to the Hyundai Wolfchase dealership, in Cordova, TN, and they set an appointment for October 20, 2022. After waiting 50 days, I towed it again there, and their inspections showed the engine seized, and the estimation for repair is $8,200.00. I contacted Hyundai's customer care to use the vehicle warranty that can recall the engine for a vehicle less than ten years old. But they declined my request due to Campaign 953 software that should be installed in my car!!! I did not know about it, and it was not my fault that this car did not have this alarm system.

Filed Aug 15, 2022 · Engine · FL · fire

Premature engine failure due to bearing. Car has oil consumption problem causing a ceased engine. Car stalled going 40 mph under a intersection, managed to pull over and car started fire and smoking. Fire Smothered itself.