2016 Hyundai Santa Fe: won't start

Filed Mar 19, 2026 · Engine · OH

Beginning about a month ago, I noticed a rattle upon the engine start up that lasted for a 1-2 seconds then stopped and everything sounded normal. I thought it could be b/c of the cold weather. I went in to get a routine oil change on 03/11/2026 and they said the oil looked fine, but it was about a quart low, indicating it was burning some oil somehere. They said to check in in a few months and they would top it up if needed. I asked them about the rattle and they thought is might be from a bad (timing chain tensioner) but said I should get it checked out. I called on Friday 03/13/26 to schedule an appt at my local Hyundai Dealership on 03/17 . The night before(03/16), I was driving my vehicle and suddenly on the road, I heard a loud noise in the engine, and the power shut off, the Engine and oil light came on and I just had enough time to pull off the busy state route. My car would not start or turn over. I had it towed to the dealership and they did determine that it was a "Rod Bearing Failure" that caused the engine to sieze. I provided them evidence of my oil changes which from 10k-93k miles on my car since I have owned it. I have had the oil changed 10 times. They are saying they only allow 8k between oil changes to honor the warranty and have initially denied my claim. The service associate at the dealership said my valvetrain was 'somewhat' dirty, but nothing to where it was the cause for this issue. And since it was the Rod bearing that failed, the exact part that was recalled, he was surprised they were not even offering any good-will offer, to split the cost of the engine replacement. I have reached out to Hyundai Consumer Affairs and am waiting to hear back to see if they will be fair and work with me on this to honor the warranty issue or at least share the cost burden for this "well-known" failure in their engine.

Filed Dec 3, 2024 · Engine · GA

Car started to present problems at around 100k miles when it would start to hard shift any time it shifted in to 2nd gear. On several occasions it would fail to accelerate beyond 25 mph one of these instances happened while driving at speed on the interstate where pressing the gas pedal to the floor did not accelerate the car. Resently the engine would not turn over instead all of the display and indicator lights would flicker on and off rapidly. In all of these instances the car never through any codes with the exception of one time i May 2024 and were inconsistent enough that it was difficult to replicate issues when brought in for inspection. All of the above symptoms were alleviated by adding about a quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so. Again when asking about these issues the repair shops could never give a reason for why it was going through so much oil.

Filed Aug 16, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · MD

Was driving on a 5 hour car ride at 5pm on August 16th and was going up a hill, the vehicle quickly lost all power and the engine light lit. I was able to pull the car to the side of the road with the momentum that the car already had, but was not able to get the car to a safe space (its about 6 inches from an exit ramp lane), as the car would not drive. Once I got the car to the side of the road, I checked the engine and did not see any excessive heating or anything out of the ordinary. I tried to restart the car and the check engine light is lit and the battery system for the car turns on but the car will not start or try to turn over the engine. The car is currently sitting on the side of the road. My wife and my dog were in the car and we had to quickly move to a safer place away from the 70 MPH traffic. Calling a tow truck tomorrow to take it to a dealership. It was a little scary that the engine power cut out like that without giving an engine light notice in advance or giving time for me to navigate to a more safe space to park it.

Filed Jul 16, 2024 · Engine · PA

On July 3, 2024 my husband was driving our 2016 Santa Fe with a v6 engine on a highway. He was coasting down a hill going approximately 65mph when he heard a loud bang and saw something shoot off to the left of the vehicle. When he tried to brake, he realized the car had shut off and he did not have automatic steering or breaks. He managed to get the car safely pulled off the highway by using all his weight to stand on the brakes and turn the car. The car did not start up again. When we got the car towed home, we were looked under the hood and found that the engine had shot a rod. We found pieces of the engine/rod along the bottom of the engine bay. We called local mechanics as well as Hyundai service center and got quotes for repair ranging from $9-20k. The car was purchased in July of 2023, the engine had 97k miles on it, with 8k miles being put on from July 2023-July 2024. The vehicle passed PA state inspection on June 2, 2024 by the dealership’s service center.

Filed Aug 13, 2023 · Engine · IL

Vehicle is at 106,000 miles. Coming to a stoplight the vehicle completely shut down. Upon inspection seeing the drive belt was missing. Vehicle will not turn over, battery is fully charged no other issues. Check engine light is now flashing AFTER it shut down NOT before like the federal safety agency recommends..

Filed Jul 16, 2022 · Engine · IL

My 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's engine just stopped on me on Friday afternoon June 17th. I was driving home from work, going about 45mph when the engine started making a loud clicking noise & the engine light started blinking and then died , I was able to coast into a neighborhood but the car wouldn't start back up so I had to have it towed to the dealership I bought it from. The car has since been at the Dealership that I bought it from used in February 2021 with 87K miles on it. The dealerships service department says that the engine seized and that it needs to be replaced. They submitted a request to Hyundai USA to replace the engine but Hyundai USA has denied the request twice now. Unfortunately We owe $11k still as we have not even had it a year & a half. I discovered , upon some reserching that many people across the country have had or are currently experiencing the same issue with Hyundai USA. Looking for any help to solve my issue. I've been without a car since 6/17/22.The Dealership has no loaners & renting a car out of pocket is $400 - $500 per week. Please help

Filed Jul 11, 2022 · Engine · IL

My 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe's engine just stopped on me on Friday afternoon June 17th. Driving home from work on a busy road my car began to make load noises & the engine light began to blink, within minutes my car died going about 45 mph, luckily I was able coast into the entrance of a neighborhood. The car would not start back up and I was stranded more than 20 miles from home. Only hours earlier I was on several major expressways and it frightens me to think of what could have happened if my engine stopped working earlier than it did. I had to have the car towed to the dealership from which I bought it. I was hoping they could fix whatever the problem was however they told me that my engine seized and it needed to be replaced. The car has since been at the Dealership, Rosen Hyundai of Algonquin, ever since. I bought the car used in February 2021 with 87K miles on it. The dealerships service department submitted a request to Hyundai USA to replace the engine but Hyundai USA has denied the request twice now. Unfortunately We owe $11k still as we have not even had it a year & a half. I discovered , upon some reserching that many people across the country have had or are currently experiencing the same issue with Hyundai USA. Looking for any help to solve my issue. I've been without a car since 6/17/22.The Dealership has no loaners & renting a car out of pocket is $400 - $500 per week. Please help

Filed Sep 13, 2020 · Driver assistance, Engine · 82,000 miles · PA

While driving about 65 MPH on the highway all of the warning lights (engine, oil, etc...) came on at the same time and the car just shut down and lost power steering. Luckily I was able to pull over without any problems. The vehicle wouldnt start. It just mad a click when turning the key. All of the lights work in the vehicle. The vehicle has about 82,000 miles

Filed Jul 16, 2020 · Engine · 78,000 miles · IL

While driving. Dash board lights flickered, car shut off, (luckily not while on the highway) when trying to start the car, engine would not turn over. Hazard lights did work.towed to dealership. Hyundai assessed and claimed an engine recall. It's been a month. But hyundai did replace the engine alone with additional part.