Problems · by component

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe steering problems

95 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe cite steering, 16% of all 605 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
95
16% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the steering

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“car will drift under acceleration to the left really hard then go straight when let off the accelerator scary feeling and all suspension parts look ok no one can figure it out and is scary”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 24, 2025SteeringODI 11638217
“The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at about 35 MPH, The steering wheel was seized on a winding road; the steering warning light had also appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle began to veer to the right direction as the contact forcefully steered the vehicle back to the left direction to avoid hitting a fence. The vehicle then spun into the opposite side of the road before hitting a curb. Once the vehicle hit the curb, the vehicle flipped three times before the vehicle came to a halt. All air bags deployed during the accident. A police report was filed. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent mechanic but was later towed by her insurance for an investigation. All three passengers were taken to the hospital by a family member where they were treated for various injuries. One passenger sustained temporary ringing in both ears after the accident and the other passenger suffered temporary back pain. The contact sustained a head injury and a muscle strain to both their neck and back. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 13, 2023SteeringCrash reportedODI 11559893
“The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle had lost power causing the vehicle to decrease in speed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed where it was informed that the failure was due to a faulty rod bearing. The vehicle had not been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 10, 2023Steering, EngineODI 11549213
“On February 14, 2023 while driving Steering wheel broke (steering component failed) and had to stop at nearest repair station and was told not safe to drive. It was making clicking noise when turning wheel and backing out of a parking space. Next day had it towed to Hyundai and said the steering component in dashboard fell and metal crash bar was completely broken. They suggested I go through my insurance company because they didn’t know how it happened and said it was from a road hazard or pot hole I hit, but that was not the case and the insurance investigator did not see any signs of a collision and said it was probably a faulty part. What concerns me most is that if I was driving at high speeds on a highway it could have been very dangerous to loose my steering and cause a bad accident. I’m not sure how long my steering wheel was broken because I did hear noises but just thought it was the steering adjustment bar wasn’t in the lock position. It’s very disturbing to think I could have gotten killed. Hyundai doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge that it could be a manufacturer default and a safety issue on there part because the car is out of warranty. They…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 16, 2023SteeringODI 11512248
“The car started to make a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel whether straight or turning. The wheel was shaking and there was some wiggle with steering. I was hours from home and did not feel safe driving the vehicle. Left it at a non-Hyundai repair shop. Was told the next day it was an issue with the plastic coupler in the steering column and Hyundai had a recall on it. Drove it home and brought it to my local dealer where we have all our repairs done. Was told there's no recall. After reading the exact same complaint by so many people on here and other online places I was shocked there was no recall for this issue. Others have stated Hyundai did recalls on some of their other vehicles for just this part/problem.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 22, 2022SteeringODI 11498570
“August 2020 , dealership repairs under under warranty 'Steering coupler' . Wheeling when engine on making 'Clunky' sound, and vibrations . Hyundai has current Recalls on other makes and models of their line, but not 2013's , or my year AND model This is a Safety issue. Please advise Hyundai to extend and issue a Recall The dealerships wants hundreds of dollars to repair.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 9, 2022SteeringODI 11478316

Showing 6 of 95 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.