2015 Hyundai Santa Fe transmission problems

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 Aug 1, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · KS

The 3.3 liter V6 GDI engine failed while driving at approximately 136000 miles. Heard a ticking noise start shortly after leaving home, and had hesitation and shaking upon acceleration from a stop sign, but saw no warning lamps. Went around the block back home to find out the ticking noise was under the hood. Motor oil was almost 3 quarts low, but only 2/3's of the way through the service interval. Checked for leaking, saw none dripping, but did see oil on the under of the rear differential. I then let the car run for minute or so in the garage and looked for leaks. I saw no active leaking and ticking was quieter, so I drove to a close gas station to get a little gas and test drive, still no warning lights. On the way back, about a mile from home, the engine light came on, despite the ticking sound being gone. Within a quarter mile, at the next stop sign, I let off the brake to accelerate and the car started rolling backwards, causing the vehicle approaching from behind to swerve into the turn lane. The vehicle was no longer running, and wouldn't restart. Towed to local mechanic and was told 2 days ago the engine was seized, and replacement was needed. I have not contacted any dealership or the manufacturer, as I the second owner and do not have a warranty. However I have spent the last 2 days reading seemingly 1000s of articles and forum posts related to this engine, whether it be in a Hyundai or a Kia. Several of the articles I have read about this 3.3 liter GDI Lambda -II engine and it's horror stories, referenced this the federal safety agency site as a place where complaints can be made, so here I am. Many articles describe the same problem.. hesitation... ticking.. sudden mysterious oil loss... little, if any warning... complete failure while driving, putting safety at risk. With the problem with engine so blatantly rampant, it is my fear that after I scrap this vehicle, there will be a recall. Over the phone quotes, and online pricing have ranged from $7500-20000 for repair.

Filed Jun 17, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NC

The engine is continually knocking. It has caused the powertrain system to start to fail. The interior portion of the car with electrical is malfunctioning and causing the car to lag. Many attempts have been taken to get the vehicle fixed to no avail. $1,000 just to take out the engine to diagnose the problem.

Filed Jun 17, 2024 · Driver assistance, Engine · PA

We were on our way home from the children's hospital in Philadelphia for my daughter (4 hours away from home) and my 2015 Santa Fe with the 3.3L motor began to knock. My dad (who is very mechanically inclined) pulled over at a gas station and checked oil and other fluids. It was low, even though I just had oil changed 900 miles before and it was checked before our trip to the hospital. We bought oil and put it in. Knocking was still there but was not as loud. We got back on interstate. Few miles up the road it completely lost power, extreme knocking, no lights on in the dash or any gauges out of normal range. He checked oil and it was completely empty but there was no oil trail or anything. We coasted into a crossover and that's when he saw the connecting rod under the car.

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 Mar 26, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · WA

engine replacement can be avoided you should use fuel injector cleaner every 3000 miles, sediment clogs injectors, and pistons which fuel leaks into oil pan, causing oil/fuel mixture to burn, creating overheating, which leads to oil burning, and eventually engine seizing. If you use fuel injector cleaner every 3000 miles this will prevent needing to replace motor.

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 Oct 13, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · KS

Engine light coded 1326 on July 28, 2023. Car engine was replaced Aug- September 20, 2023. September 27 the engine light coded 0263. October 4 the engine light coded 0263. October 5 the engine light coded 0263 October 13 the engine light coded 0263.

Filed Jul 26, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · TX

During normal driving operations the car lost all power as our daughter and her 2 children were driving down the street. She called us and notified us that the car would barely run and that she had her hazard lights on and had no safe place to pull over. When she arrived back home from a few miles away the motor was making a very loud knocking and tapping noise. I immediately checked the oil in the car which we have changed on a regular basis and very recently and to our disbelief there wasn't a drop of oil on the dipstick. No indicators or warning lights had come on to tell us the oil was low. We immediately called a local Hyundai dealership, and they explained that thousands of people have experienced consumption of oil with no obvious leaks causing catastrophic engine failure in Hyundais. Upon inspection from the dealership, it was determined that the motor had spun rod bearings due to excessive oil consumption. However, we have since discovered that the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe is pending a class action lawsuit in California and no recall is current for this year and model. This could have caused serious and devastating fatalities to not only our family but others as well. Hyundai has not yet been willing to work with us for a car we purchased a little over a year ago and are still financing. The warranty did not transfer to a 2nd owner and we were not informed of this. Now the car sits at a dealership and I continue to make payments on a useless vehicle. The manufacturer of Hyundai's engine is the same for many models. However, not all models and years have had recalls yet. This puts thousands of people, like us, at risk for serious injuries, fatalities, and devastating financial loss. The public relies on their vehicles for their family's transportation and their jobs. I did my research and searched for this year, make, and model and found nothing that deterred me from finding this vehicle unsafe or unreliable. Hyundai is not in good faith protecting customers.

Filed Dec 28, 2022 · Transmission · IA

I drove approximately 40 miles to a gas station and went to park in a parking spot and my passenger exited the vehicle and yelled my car was in reverse even though I thought it was in park, upon trying to again put it in park it would not go in the park position. I was stuck in reverse and the vehicle would not park without using the emergency brake. No warning lights or any other message from my vehicle regarding this issue. I then put it in drive and drove home and again was not able to put the vehicle in park, after attempting numerous times and using the interlock system I was able to put it in park. This is a huge safety concern as there could have been someone behind me when parking and not even realizing the car was not in park as it was snowy out and the car was still for a moment before reversing. Upon looking on google it looks as if others may have had this issue as well.