Problems · by component
2012 Hyundai Santa Fe service brakes problems
26 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe cite service brakes, 7% of all 355 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
26
7% of all complaints
Crashes
7
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“THIS CAR IS MADE TO HAVE WATER GO INTO THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS,THEN KEEPS SHORTING OUT MY BRAKE LIGHTS. I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH 0 BRAKE LIGHTS, EXCEPT FOR THE TOP BAR ONE. WHEN I REPLACED THEM, IT SHORTED THEM OUT AGAIN AND HAS BEEN THIS WAY THE ENTIRE TIME I HAVE HAD THIS CAR. THE CAR SHOULD NOT BE MADE TO HAVE WATER GO DIRECTLY INTO THE TAIL LIGHT WHEN THE TRUNK DOOR IS LIFTED, YOU CAN SEE IT AND GOES INTO THE RIGHT REAR TAILLIGHT BUT THEN SHORTED BOTH OF THEM OUT. I CANNOT KEEP REPLACING MY TAIL LIGHTS NOR SHOULD I HAVE TO! IT IS DANGEROUS FOR ME TO HAVE TO DRIVE WITH 0 BRAKE/TAIL LIGHTS. THIS CAR WAS MADE INCORRECTLY AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE I GET REARENDED AND HURT! DRILLING HOLES IN BOTTOM OF TAIL LIGHTS DID NOT WORK OR SOLVE ISSUE EITHER.”
“ALL THREE LIGHTS ABS, ESC, AND DBC ON DASH CAME ON SAME TIME AFTER REPLACING DRIVERS SIDE HEAD LIGHT BULB. WHEEL SPEED SENSOR AND TRACTION CONTROL IMPACTING THE DRIVEABILITY.”
“MY ESC, DBC, AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS ALL ILLUMINATED AT THE SAME TIME THIS MORNING. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS HAPPENING ON NUMEROUS HYUNDAI FORMS. FOLKS HAVE BEEN TOLD TO REPLACE HUBS, SENSORS AND ASSORTED OTHER PIECES. MOST DO NOT WORK COSTING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE HAD THE LIGHTS COME ON MAYBE 6 OR 8 MONTHS AGO. GO OFF AND COME ON AGAIN AND OFF AGAIN. I'VE IGNORED THEM NOT NOTICING ANY DRIVING IMPACT. BUT THE CAR IS WARNING ME THAT IT ISN'T SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR. THIS IS NOT A ONE OF OR TWO OR THREE ISSUE. THIS FROM ANOTHER OWNER;ALL THREE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON MY 2011 SANTA FE SO I CHANGED MY FRONT RIGHT ABS SPEED SENSOR WHICH WAS THE CAUSE OF THE LIGHTS, BUT THE DASH LIGHTS ARE STILL ILLUMINATED. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THERE IS A SHORT IN THE ABS SYSTEM WIRING HARNESS. WHAT'S THE COST TO FIX? $4500.00 REALLY! I THINK A RECALL IS DUE FOR THIS PROBLEM.”
“WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY STREET, I SLOWLY TURNED A CORNER AND SUDDENLY LOST MY POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND THE ENGINE STALLED OUT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, SAT BRIEFLY BLOCKING THE HEAVY TRAFFIC, AFTER BEING SLIGHTLY SHAKEN IN THE INCIDENT, STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND PROCEEDED TO PARK AND GET LUNCH. AFTER LUNCH, THE CAR STARTED UP OK, I GOT ON THE ROAD AND SHORTLY AFTER, I NOTICED THE ENGINE LIGHT COME ON SO I IMMEDIATELY LIMPED INTO A NEARBY CAR REPAIR PLACE . THEY DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS VERY HEAVY SLUDGE CLOGGING THE OIL FILTER, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE AND NEVER HAD ANY ENGINE INDICATORS EVER COME ON BEFORE. THEY CLEANED OUT THE SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE AND REPLACED THE FILTER AND PUMP. NOW THAT I AM READING ABOUT EVERYONE'S ENGINE PROBLEMS WITH OIL NOT GETTING INTO THE ENGINE, AND AFTER HEARING ON TV ABOUT HYUNDAI REFUSING TO RECALL MY PARTICULAR CAR, I AM VERY AFRAID TO CONTINUE DRIVING IT, SINCE RECENTLY I HAVE EXPERIENCED TWICE A CERTAIN SLUGGISHNESS/DRAGGING WITH A SLIGHT KNOCKING FEELING IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I NOTICED THIS EFFECT TWICE AFTER HAVING DRIVEN THE CAR AT SPEEDS OF 60-70 MPH FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.…”
“WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE WOULD DECELERATOR THEN CUT OUT. I CAN BE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING SPEED LIMITS OF 70 OR ON A SIDE STREET GOING 30 OR UNDER. IT EVEN HAPPENED WHEN I PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY AND DROVE DOWN MY STREET (4 HOUSES DOWN) AND GOT TO MY CUL-DE-SAC AND ALL POWER SHUT DOWN. NEIGHBOR HAD TO STOP TO AVOID HITTING ME BECAUSE I WAS ROLLING AND COULD NOT STOP. ALL POWER TO STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES WOULD BE NON OPERATIONAL. I HAVE TO MANUALLY PULL THE WHEEL TO ONE SIDE TO AVOID TRAFFIC, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT, OR FROM BEING HIT BY HEAD ON TRAFFIC. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN FEBRUARY OF 2017 AND THE MOST RECENT WAS JANUARY 18TH ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. IT HAS HAPPENED TO US OVER A DOZEN TIMES AND FOUND BLOGS THAT STATE THAT HYUNDAI DENIES THAT THIS IS HAPPENING.”
“MY ABS LIGHTS ARE ON AND WON'T GO OFF. I HAD IT CHECKED FOR 80$ TO GET TOLD IT IS A SENSOR IN THE REAR HUB OF TIRE THAT IS NOT READING THE TIRE SPEED. THEY WANT 500$ TO REPAIR IT.”
Showing 6 of 26 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.