2020 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems

Filed Oct 25, 2026 · Engine · CA

Hyundai Dealership, Pedder Hyundai of Poway, applied recall 9C2 to 2020 Santa Fe on 10/20/2026. Vehicle idle is now rough at startup and gas pedal angle no longer is reliable for controlling vehicle speed. Engine surges and jerks during initial operation on residential street due to software change. The vehicle did not operate in this manner for the last six years. I never felt like I had erratic engine control due to gas pedal response. I would like this recall removed and the original software re-applied, or my car bought back by Hyundai.

Filed Oct 9, 2026 · Engine · VA

The vehicle is experience severe, progressive engine oil consumption, completely depleting its engine oil below the safe operating limit ("Low" mark on the dipstick) every 500 miles. This creates an imminent risk of sudden engine seizure, catastrophic mechanical failure, and sudden stalling at highway speeds. The authorized dealers (Safford Hyundai Manassas) and corporate case management (Case #43193472) have failed to fix the issue after multiple visits. Furthermore, dealership service staff explicitly instructed me that I must continue operating the vehicle for an additional 1000 miles even if the oil falls below the safe "Low" limit to satisfy corporate test parameters. Forcing a consumer to drive a vehicle with depleted engine oil is a severe safety hazard to myself and other drivers on the road. The manufacturer is also underreporting oil consumption volumes on service invoices to avoid warranty repairs.

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · KS · crash

I do not know what caused this. Here is what happened. While parking the car suddenly accelerated, over the curb, on the sidewalk narrowly missing the building because I turned hard right to avoid the building and I was able to brake to a stop glancing off a concrete pillar. We could have been hurt crashing into the wall/windows, anyone on the walk would have been hurt & anyone in the store could have been hurt. The car was towed to Hatchette Hyundai-East waiting to be looked at. There is no police report because it was private property and no damages except to my car. No warning lamps or messages. I remember 2 previous incidents that happened recently. While driving in normal city traffic, my passenger asked if I had speeded up? It was morning traffic, so I didn’t really think about it. Later that day while returning home there was a weird thing that happened. Again, in traffic, the car engine did something weird, but I thought it was the car reacting to the car beside me being too close. It was like it downshifted, slowed down and then resumed normally. The only other time I had any problem was on May 9th near Lawrence, Ks. The car began vibrating and felt like it was going on rumble strips when I accelerated and did not get up to speed. If I let off the gas it quit. I had the car taken to McCarthy Hyundai-Lawrence, Ks. They diagnosed an issue from the computer codes and completed repairs having the car from Monday until Wednesday.

Filed Sep 23, 2026 · Engine · NY

Codes P0172 and P016B. Oil has fuel in it due to high pressure fuel pump leaking. Possible premature engine failure or fire. This is a 2020 santa fe limited 2.0T.

Filed Sep 23, 2026 · Engine · SC

At times the engine will freeze up, stall the car while driving, or the car will altogether turn off when at a stop sign or light, while the car is still on. I've had the oil changed before the mileage indicated expired because the engine light came on and I was told the car had no oil at all when I know the oil was just changed within a 3 months time frame.

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Engine · 137,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to properly accelerate, with the check engine warning light illuminated and flashing. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, engine oil was added to the engine. After retrieving the vehicle, the contact discovered that the engine oil level was low shortly after the engine oil was added. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil and the vehicle was taken back to the local mechanic. The mechanic confirmed that the engine oil level was low, and metal shavings were found in the engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that an oil consumption test was needed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was 137,000.

Filed Sep 10, 2026 · Engine · IL

At approximately 122,000 miles, my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced a serious engine malfunction while I was driving on the highway. The check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle began thrusting/jerking forward unexpectedly. We immediately took action to exit the highway and were able to get off the highway, but the engine died before we could fully stop the vehicle. This created a serious safety risk because the unexpected jerking and subsequent loss of engine power occurred while traveling at highway speeds and could have resulted in loss of control or a collision. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic. After inspecting it, the mechanic stated that the engine needed to be replaced and recommended taking it to a Hyundai dealership because of the continuing issues associated with the Theta II engine. The vehicle was then towed to the Hyundai dealership. The Hyundai dealership inspected the vehicle and determined that cylinders 2 and 4 were not firing and recommended replacing the valve shaft. We requested a complete engine replacement. Hyundai initially offered a 50/50 split of the repair cost, but after we requested an engine replacement, Hyundai declined and instead offered a 70/30 cost split. There was also a previous documented concern regarding increased oil consumption, as noted in an earlier oil-consumption report. The vehicle has been inspected by both an independent mechanic and a Hyundai dealership. The vehicle and engine components are available for inspection upon request. No police or insurance inspection was performed, to my knowledge.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Engine · OK

My car has the 2.0 T GDI theta 2 motor and it went into limp mode and after scanning the codes it’s the p1326 code. The vin doesn’t show to be apart of the class action lawsuit but it’s the same motor

Filed Sep 2, 2026 · Driver assistance, Engine · FL

Hyundai Motor America & Wallace Hyundai of StuartVEHICLE: 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe (2.4L Theta II GDI Engine)VIN: 5NMS23AD5LH181669INCIDENT MILEAGE: 181,000 MiHYUNDAI CASE NUMBER: 42981944SECTION 1: CATASTROPHIC INTERSTATE SAFETY INCIDENTOn July 16, 2026, while navigating heavy, high-speed traffic on Interstate 95 (I-95) at approximately 80 to 85 MPH, my vehicle suffered an un-commanded, catastrophic mechanical engine seizure. The vehicle instantly dropped from highway speeds down to a 21 MPH "limp mode," creating an immediate multi-car pile-up hazard on a major interstate. Physical inspection immediately after the failure proved that the engine oil level was completely full. The internal components catastrophically failed due to a documented, systemic factory defect involving premature rod bearing failure and oil starvation mechanisms, entirely unrelated to consumer maintenance.SECTION 2: PRIOR SAFETY COMPLAINTS & DOCUMENTED TIMELINEHyundai Motor America has intentionally forced me to operate a known, life-threatening safety hazard for 17 months, during which I drove an additional 31,000 miles under extreme duress. I filed formal oil consumption complaints with Hyundai Corporate every three to four months. I was forced to manually replenish the engine oil every 1,000 miles due to excessive oil loss.Specific safety reports detailing hazardous engine behavior were formally logged with Hyundai on November 25, 2025, and again in April 2026. Rather than remediating the vehicle, Hyundai corporate claims adjusters and dealership supervisors ignored these warning tracks, effectively throwing a consumer out into active traffic in an unsafe, defective vehicle.SECTION 3: AUTOMATIC SHUTDOWN TRAUMA & ACCIDENT RISKThe manufacturing defects caused an intermittent, un-commanded automatic The manufacturing defects caused an intermittent, un-commanded automatic engine shutdown condition. On 5 to 10 separate occasions while stationary at active traffic lights, the vehicle stalled10times

Filed Aug 31, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · NY

My car is consuming an immense amount of oil, the manufacturer recommends oil changes every 7,500 miles, I get an oil change less than 3,000 miles and on my last oil change i was told that there are oil shavings in my oil filter. I just got the SC9C2 update and now my engine is knocking. Car drives super rough and has signs of rod bearing failure. My engine is the Theta II 2.4GDI, a class action lawsuit was filed against Hyundai but my car wasn't included. I don't understand how Hyundai can know about this issue with this engine and not cover replacement. A car should at the very least last for the life of the loan, I am going to end up with no car and still making payments.