Hyundai Santa Fe collision warning problems

Filed Nov 9, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · TX

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? • The factory digital A/V audio amplifier failed due to an internal electrical short circuit. It is physically located on the driver's side behind the 3rd-row side panel trim. Yes, the component is still inside the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? • The failure completely disables the vehicle's audio output, leaving it 100% silent. This cuts off all audible warning chimes for critical safety features—including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warnings, Rear Cross-Traffic Alerts, and Parking Sensors. Driving without audible crash-avoidance alerts significantly increases the risk of an accident. Additionally, the internal short creates an active parasitic battery drain that can unexpectedly stall or strand the vehicle in dangerous situations. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? • Yes. The problem was officially reproduced, diagnosed, and confirmed by AutoNation Hyundai [XXX] on XXX under Repair Order #XXX. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? • Yes, the vehicle and component were formally inspected by a factory-trained Hyundai dealership technician ([XXX], Technician ID XXX). 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? • The primary symptom was a severe, unexplained parasitic battery drain that first appeared and completely destroyed the battery in XXX. The battery had to be replaced under warranty at that time. The complete loss of cabin sound and safety chimes occurred suddenly on XXX, caused by the amplifier shorting out and continuously draining the electrical system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 6, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · IN

On 10/19/2026 at about 7:03 AM, driving about 50 mph on a rural two-lane road, with no vehicles, pedestrians, stop signs or lights nearby, my 2024 Santa Fe suddenly braked hard on its own. The electronic parking brake and Auto Hold engaged, and the car sounded a series of alarms and showed a warning screen I had never seen before. It was not the normal forward collision warning. My two daughters were in the car on the way to school. I photographed the dashboard right after, once the car was moving again. It showed 4 active warnings plus driver-assistance warning lights. It was a cold, foggy morning, about 42 degrees F. I have reported this to the dealer and asked them to pull the stored codes and driver-assistance logs. The car is at the dealer now for repeated electrical failures and a failure to accelerate from a stop.

Filed Oct 31, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · OH · crash

My 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy was purchased in February 2026 with about 12,000 miles on it. The previous owner had problems with the backup camera and had returned it to the dealership. When I bought it, I was assured that the camera issues had been fixed. It worked fine for a few months, then I started getting a green screen with "no signal" message when I tried to go into reverse about 75% of the time in May of 2026. I took it to the dealership and they could not get the problem to duplicate. They ran a basic diagnostics test on it and said everything was fine. I picked up the vehicle and it started malfunctioning again, so I took it back. I alerted the service department driver what was going on with it and asked him to see if he could duplicate the problem while I spoke with the advisor. The driver was able to get it to duplicate the green screen. The service department replaced a cluster unit (it is under warranty) and returned the vehicle to me. It worked fine until early October, and then the green screen issue occurred again. The screen also began flickering at times when I put it in drive. I made an appointment to come in and have it looked at but they said if it was working on the day I came in that they would not be able to do anything, as it had to throw a code. A few days before my appointment I was backing up in a parking lot and the reverse camera screen wasn't working. Another vehicle was backing up at the same time and I was unable to see them (they didn't see me either) and my collision warning did not work, either. We collided and my vehicle was dented badly on the lift gate. I took the vehicle back to Hyundai and they found a coaxial cable that was loose, tightened it, and it worked for 3 days. Now it's not working again and I still have damage to the rear-end of my car from the parking lot accident.

Filed Sep 3, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MN

Collision warning sensor alarm randomly comes on my dash and my car slams on the breaks. Very dangerous, I’m scared to drive down the highway going 60mph. 80,109 miles 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. I have not brought it in to a Hyundai dealership because they want a diagnosis fee and everything else. Hyundai should fix it. This alarm has happened several times than it will go away and come on like 3 times in a row, usually daily when I use the car

Filed Jun 26, 2026 · Driver assistance · CA

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the automatic emergency braking system engaged while there were no objects or vehicles near the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the pre-collision message was displayed while the vehicle was parked or was idling. The vehicle was taken to dealer on several occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the dealer assessment was most important. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jun 21, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · PA

I have videos of these two incidents and others that I could not upload. While driving on the PA Turnpike at 4:25PM on 5/22/26 75 mph my accelerator pedal stopped responding, my front collision warning light, engine, EPB, and numerous other lights came on across my dashboard despite there being no contact with any object and my speed rapidly dropped. The front camera came on as if there was an object too close. I was in the middle lane. While I was trying to move to the shoulder there were tractor trailers behind me and to my right that began flashing their lights because my speed drastically dropped and was unable to safely stay with the flow of traffic in the heavy rain. While still in Drive car started changing through notices on my digital screen "Check Blind-Spot Safety system" "Check Forward Safety system" with the car crash icon, and "Check Driver Attention Warning (DAW) system." Then I began trying to press the accelerator pedal again and the car would not move at all but the tachometer was going to 2x1000rpm. When I turned the car off and turned it back on again the engine light was still on, but the accelerator pedal was responsive. About an hour later when the tow truck driver from AAA attempted to drive the car on to the flat bed the accelerator pedal was unresponsive again. This was at least the fifth time my vehicle had lost propulsion without warning. Every prior time Bowser Hyundai had different reasons for the failure, made a repair, and said it was safe to drive. Another incident occurred 4/7/2026 using cruise control at 84 mph when the car unexpectedly lost propulsion. The accelerator was again unresponsive, I was on the turnpike with two children in the vehicle. I steered towards the shoulder and the car slowed to a stop. After that incident, Bowser Hyundai replaced the transmission on the car. They notified me on June 18 that they believe they fixed the problem again but I don't feel the vehicle is safe for my family and worry it will be deadly

Filed May 26, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · IL

I own a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe that was purchased on 08/15/2025. The first malfunction occurred on 08/25/2025, only days after purchase, and the vehicle has experienced repeated safety-related issues since then. The vehicle has repeatedly displayed false Forward Collision Warning alerts, Blind Spot Warning failures, Park/Neutral errors, and intermittent disabling of safety features. The most serious incident occurred when the vehicle unexpectedly entered “Limit 20 MPH” mode while I was pulling into active traffic with my toddler in the vehicle, limiting acceleration and creating a safety risk. I have also experienced false collision alerts while parked and after the vehicle was shut off. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership multiple times for diagnosis and repair attempts. Some issues were duplicated by dealership personnel, while other visits were documented as “could not duplicate.” A front ultrasonic sensor was replaced, but the vehicle continued experiencing safety-related concerns afterward. During the repair process, I was informed and observed that dealership personnel appeared limited in what repair actions could be taken after consulting Hyundai through their diagnostic system. I was also informed that Hyundai influenced what could be included on service reports and that dealership personnel were instructed to “print the book” rather than fully document observed concerns. I believe this may have affected repair efforts and documentation of ongoing issues. The vehicle has been out of service for extended periods and the issues continue despite repeated repair attempts. Due to the ongoing malfunctions and inconsistent operation of the safety systems, I no longer feel safe driving the vehicle because I am concerned it may not function properly during a real emergency situation. Attached are photos of various dashboard errors and warning messages that occurred during these incidents to document the alerts and malfunctions experienced.

Filed May 11, 2026 · Driver assistance · GA

While driving on the interstate, while using cruise control, my vehicle braked and decelerated, uncontrollably. The collision alert alarm went off. I forced the vehicle to accelerate and it stopped the braking and the collision alarm ceased. I took the car to the dealer and they spend the day checking it over. They said they couldn’t get the same reaction I reported, but reset the cruise control. On my way back home on, again on the interstate, and with the cruise control activated, it again had the same failures. I called the dealer and told them. They asked if I had recently mounted any new equipment on the windshield. I said I had Velcro attached and EZPASS toll reader. They asked me to remove it, because might be interfering with the cruise sensor. After I removed it, and while continuing on the interstate, with cruise activated, it again repeated the same failures. The dealer arranged to have my vehicle towed to their shop.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · AZ · crash · 1 injury

I was at a standstill waiting for oncoming traffic to pass with my foot on the brake and all of a sudden the car accelerated and the forward collision warning fail to come on and I hit a trailer because of it

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Driver assistance · KY

Team, My car was in a minor accident Last. After that, the repair shop replaced my bumper and front camera. Don Franklin Somerset Hyundai performed a calibration on my new radar. They calibrated it six times, but there are still many issues with the HDA driving system. 1. False Dual-Side Warning When a vehicle is present only on the right side, the vehicle camera system incorrectly detects vehicles on both the left and right sides. In reality, there is no vehicle on the left side. In this scenario, both the radar warning and the camera detection are incorrect. 2. Wrong-Side Warning In some cases, when a vehicle approaches from the left rear, no warning is issued on the left side, while a warning is incorrectly displayed on the right side. In this scenario, both the radar warning and the camera detection are incorrect. 3. False Warning During Smart Driving While driving on the highway using the smart driving function, when the vehicle is required to turn left or right, the system may generate a false dual-side warning. As a result, the vehicle aborts the intended left or right turn and continues driving in the center of the lane. In this scenario, both the radar warning and the camera detection are incorrect. 4. while driving manually (without HDA engaged) or parking, the vehicle shows left-side or right-side collision warnings without clear cause. I reported these issues to Hyundai USA approximately three weeks ago. I was instructed to bring the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. However, during my recent visit, the dealership representative only reviewed the videos I provided and concluded that no issues were present, without conducting a physical inspection or test drive of the vehicle. Given the ongoing safety concerns and lack of proper diagnosis or resolution, I am submitting this complaint for your review and assistance. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Thanks, Best Regards, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5