2020 Hyundai Santa Fe: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Sep 12, 2026 · IL · fire

I drove my car from for about an hour to my destination. I get to my destination and park and the car starts smoking lightly from under the hood and then increases. I was still sitting in the car when I was told my car was on fire. It went from a little smoke to a full blown fire in a couple of minutes. I got out the car and within minutes the front of the car caught fire and blew up. The car has been inspected by insurance. There were no warnings prior to this happening. I could have been serious injured or possibly killed. I am currently experiencing PTSD from this event. My son was just in my car previously. I am have this happened when I was there alone. I see that there are certain years that have been affected by fire, but the 2020 should be involved.

Filed Aug 12, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · PA · fire

I went to the store, came home , parked and turned off the car. Went to go outside about 10 minutes ,maybe. Black smoke coming from right front. By the time i grabbed the keys and fire extinguisher there were flames coming from the engine compartment

Filed Nov 25, 2025 · Engine · 94,400 miles · MN · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH onto the ramp, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle stalled and shut off, and the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact was calling for Roadside Assistance and noticed white smoke coming from under the hood. The stated that the smoke then turned dark brown and then black, and then flames appeared under the hood. The contact grabbed several things of value and exited the vehicle and started running. The vehicle was engulfed in flames, and the EDR was destroyed. The contact sustained minor scratches after falling while running away from the vehicle. No medical attention was sought. The Police and Fire Department were called to the scene. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed due to the incident not being related to a crash. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The local dealer where the vehicle was purchased was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle had been purchased two months prior to catching on fire. The vehicle was inspected by the Insurance provider and declared a total loss. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V181000 (TRAILER HITCHES); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 94,400.

Filed Nov 6, 2025 · Engine · TN

I recently inquired about this vehicle that was for sale at Grayson Hyundai. It's has a KSDS that needs service immediately and the pre-owned manager is not willing to do that; in fact he's refusing because "They aren't Hyundai" when that is a lie and his dealership can definitely do that service. Safety is a huge concern because the engine could potentially catch on fire or worse. Nothing has been inspected or replaced or fixed at this dealership. I did not go to the dealership myself so I don't know what lights could be on. But with the recalls and this KSDS campaign service needing to be done I don't think there is anything else wrong with the vehicle.

Filed Sep 27, 2025 · Engine · OH

On [XXX}, my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.0T (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced sudden complete engine failure accompanied by a strong burning smell. The vehicle would not start or turn over, stranding me and creating a safety hazard. The burning smell indicated potential fire risk. This appears to be related to the known Theta II engine defect that has caused multiple recalls and engine fires in Hyundai vehicles. Despite dealer confirmation that the engine was clean and well-maintained with no customer fault, Hyundai has denied warranty coverage. The sudden failure pattern with burning odor represents a serious safety defect that could endanger drivers and passengers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 10, 2025 · IL · fire

A few days ago, while driving on one of Chicago’s busiest expressways, my Hyundai 2020 Santa Fe with only 56,000 miles and a complete record of up-to-date maintenance, suddenly started smoking, smoke coming from under the front hood then caught fire without any warning. The fire consumed the entire front end of the vehicle from underneath the car to the top hood of car, to make matters worse, my seatbelt temporarily locked up during those critical moments, compounding the terror of the situation, potential risk to my life and property. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to escape unharmed, but I remain visibly shaken and traumatized by the experience. As you can imagine, this unexpected event has profoundly affected my peace of mind and trust in the safety of Hyundai vehicles. It is extremely concerning that a modern car, properly maintained according to its manufacturer's recommendations, could catch fire during regular operation, no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of any problems prior to the incident. I have always valued Hyundai’s engineering and safety standards, which is why I find this incident especially alarming. I am uncertain to what component failed the fire department stated it could have been either the brakes or electrical. As of writing this no official inspection to determine cause has been conducted however, I have reported the fire and filed an insurance claim and asked If they are able to determine how this happened to provide me with this information.

Filed Dec 9, 2024 · Electrical · FL · fire

The vehicle seat caught fire overnight, Sept 26th, and was discovered the morning of Sept 27th 2024. The fire was contained to inside the vehicle and melted parts of the driver seat and lower part of steering wheel. The vehicle interior was covered in orange dust and had extremely toxic smell inside. Insurance 3rd party inspected and declared it a total loss. A few weeks later, a neighbor and fellow Hyundai SantaFe owner mentioned that he had heard of an issue with the Santa Fe catching fire. With this new information, I called Hyundai to alert them. Hyundai opened an investigation, but closed the claim since the 3rd party that declared it a total loss had already sold it as salvage. They also denied any recalls pertaining to my specific vehicle or knowledge that electrical fire was a potential issue for this model and year. There was a recall for a tow hitch that lead to fires....but mine did not have a tow hitch. Obvious concern is that this could be a wider issue than just 1 vehicle and lives and property of those owners and others could be at significant risk.

Filed Nov 6, 2023 · Engine · NY · fire

After having a warranty repair for a valve cover gasket' at CENTEREACHHYUNDAI, I picked up my car. Only 8 minutes into my drive home the engine light went on and engine error code appeared. At that piont smoke was coming from the hood when I heard a pop and flames appeared at my passenger side window. I turned the car off removed my phone and exited the vehicle. No one else was in the car but within minutes the fire was totally involved. I also noted it took the fire department very long to arrive. If anyone was trapped in the car they would have peristed.

Filed Dec 5, 2022 · Engine · PR

Vehicle emitted smell of burning turned on check engine light and oil. Warranty service indicates that the fault corresponds to the oil pump, what is a safety hazard. Santa Fe 2020

Filed Mar 10, 2022 · PA · fire

This car just caught on fire in my fathers driveway at midnight last night...doesnt appear to be from engine compartment

Filed Mar 16, 2020 · Engine · 80 miles · IL · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2020 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH the power steering suddenly failed causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn. The contact stated while stopping the vehicle it suddenly stalled. The contact stated various warning alerts illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer pugi hyundai (1866 ogden ave. Downers grove, il.) who diagnosed that the battery was faulty. The battery was recharged but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the alternator and battery was replaced. Later, after driving and parking the vehicle, it caught on fire. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire department report was taken as they believe the fire was started in the engine compartment. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 80.