Hyundai Santa Fe wipers problems

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · Visibility · OH

The windshield wipers intermittently stop working. This has been occurring for 2 years and the 5dealership cannot find an issue because they always work when the car is in for service. They also now want to charge a diagnostic fee each time it's in since the car is no longer under warranty

Filed Feb 16, 2026 · Body · OH

The roof of my car between the sunroof and the windshield (called panoramic sunroof) shattered as I was driving down the highway. It was about 10:00 pm on a weeknight and there were no cars within sight distance in front of me. When it happened it sounded like a gun shot going off at point blank range and I immediately pulled over and checked for bullet holes. Since it was dark I could not see any damage. Today I took the car and had a small chip fixed in my windshield down by the windshield wipers and the service tech pointed out to me that the roof was shattered. He told me that this happens a lot with this vehicle. So I got online and searched and found a lot of vehicles have reported the exact problem. Down to the sounds of gunshots. So I stopped at my local Hyundai dealership and recorded the conversation. He told me that theres no recalls on this car and It probably shattered by a rock or debris. I told him that when this happened it was late night and no cars within sight in front of me. He didn’t even come out and look at the damage. He said to call my insurance company and I said that is a manufacturer defect and I shouldn’t have to pay for their mistake. When I searched for this on the internet people stated that the dealerships will deny this manufacturer defect and that’s exactly what they said to me. My main concern is that this defect is documented by many vehicle owners from their 2020 vehicles and their Is a recall out for this problem but it stops at 2016 models. In this recall the shattered piece is replaced and there is actually compensation given for people getting scared or dealing with stress dealing with thinking they are getting shot at. I don’t care about any of that. I just want the issue fixed because I did not cause the issue, the manufacturer did. Reason being is that the exact thing is happening to numerous people across the Country. Thank you for your time.

Filed Feb 1, 2026 · Visibility · NY

I have had the driver’s side wiper blade stop working properly twice since purchase. The first instance involved ice within the vicinity of the wiper arm mount on the driver’s side. There was compacted snow and ice next to the arm motor mount location. When the wiper was activated, the wiper could not extend fully vertical due to the snow and ice in the corner and this caused the wiper arm to become loose. The driver’s wiper arm then failed to properly operate and frequently overlapped the passenger wiper arm/blade which still functioned. The arm was replaced under warranty at a dealership. The second time this happened, I was driving during a snowstorm and the wiper was turned on with minimal snow and ice accumulation from roughly one hour of driving and occasional wiper use. The snow buildup between the driver’s wiper blade and the A pillar prevented the blade from completing a full sweep of the windshield and the driver’s side wiper came loose and failed to function properly. It frequently became entangled with the passenger wiper blade, causing visibility issues while driving. I have an appointment for this. The wiper arm itself has splines that match up with the wiper motors located between the hood and windshield. If an obstruction of snow or ice either holds the wiper blade down or prevents a full range of motion, the wiper motor easily strips these splines from the wiper arm, resulting in wiper arm failure, damage/bending of the arm(s) and cosmetic damage to the plastic A pillar trim (from wiper over extending past A pillar. The design of the vehicle wiper recess location prevents lifting the wiper arms if there is any snow or ice accumulation on the vehicle and the wipers are in the normal down position. Combine this with the lack of any melting capability from the windshield defroster or a dedicated wiper defroster, there is no way to ensure the wipers will function properly when needed during a snow or rain storm and freezing conditions.

Filed Jan 27, 2026 · Visibility · 35,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while there was snow on the roof of the vehicle, the windshield wipers failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer because there was space between the hood and the windshield where the snow was collected, causing the windshield wipers to fail to operate as intended. The dealer tightened the wiper blades; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Filed Jan 27, 2026 · Visibility · NJ

Front wipers of the vehicle stopped working with snow buildup. This was solved once by tightening a bolt but happened again while driving

Filed Jan 18, 2026 · Visibility · NJ

It was snowing lightly/moderately, and prior to driving, the windshield was cleared with snow and the wipers set to Low. Once driving began, the wipers stopped working on multiple occasions for a brief period each time, before resuming on their own. During the period that the wipers stopped, the snow accumulation on the windshield caused poor visibility and potential danger to our car as well as others on the road. There were no prior indications on the dashboard or otherwise that anything was wrong with the wipers prior to, during or after the incident, which causes significant concern of a potential repeat of the issue. We returned home with the children immediately and plan to call the dealer first thing in the morning.

Filed Jan 14, 2026 · Visibility · PA

Driving in light rain at 65 mph , drivers side wiper failed after using AUTO feature. Occurrd 12/23/20125. Wiper was fixed by dealership under warranty on 12/26/2025. 3 weeks later on 1/12/2026 very same situation occurred and exact same malfunction happened yet again. Drivers side wiper total non-operational again. Taken back to the dealership for repair and the Dealership said with 100% certainty issue was caused both times from ice and and snow buildup ans will not submit under warranty. Vehicle is garage kept ( heated) and had absolutely no ice or snow on the vehicle upon operation. Weather was 40+ degrees both days when malfunction occurred. Safety issue was serious due to my wife now unable to see through the window potentially causing an accident during adverse weather conditions.

Filed Nov 22, 2025 · Visibility · PR

Something is wrong with the front windshield. Since I bought this SUV the last year, I've noticed that the wipers are very noisy and the windshield gets dirty very frequently. The last week, the windshield cracked for no apparent reason. I called the dealer and their response was that it's not covered by the warranty and I have to claim it from my car insurance. They also have no explanation for the wiper problem and the stains that appear on the windshield.

Filed Aug 22, 2025 · Visibility · MA

AC evaporator drain design problem June, 2024 approx. 3500 miles under warranty, AC evaporator drain line backed up into the passenger front right. Brought it to service - they unclogged and drained the line at no charge. June 2025 approx. 12,K miles under warranty, AC drain backed up again. The excess water drained onto my feet as a passenger and collected under the front seat, saturating the rug area, potentially causing additional mildew and respiratory causing irritation. Service required an appointment. drained it charged $88. Filed a complaint incl Hyundai Motors ; was told the $88 charge was irreversible - cause was weather. The CAR HEALTH HAZARD seems to stem from a major design flaw The air intake is in the windshield wiper cowl resulting in wet tree and leaf debris , bird droppings, etc collect even when the car is not in use. Thus, when heat or air conditioning is activated, air comes in through the air intake and then through the difficult to acces filter recessed behind the glove box , then into the passenger area When the AC drain hose is plugged, it backs up through the dirty filter and then out, to accumulate under the passenger seat allowing more mildew. Re:My 2024 mile blockage, the water was drained, but the filter was not mentioned. In 2025 with the $88 bill, the water was drained no mention the filter. Draining the water does not correct the problem. It should be required at every service the l drain hose is checked, water drained. and filter changed at no charge until a design correction to cover the cowling or an interim solution is installed We lnotice that we have sporadic respiratory problems in the first of miles of riding in all the car From Hyundai Motor America - We expect reimbursement for the $88 service charge. Warranty draining the water and new filter annually. and an NHTSB approved fix of the problem and an NHTSB approved redesign of future models

Filed Jul 29, 2025 · Visibility · AZ

The windshield wiper fluid is designed to only hit the bottom of the windshield. This does not allow for the windshield to be properly cleaned while the vehicle is in motion. Creates a safety hazard if you cannot wash debris or an excess of bugs from the field of view of the driver. There are multiple complaints regarding the spray location onto the windshield.