2015 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems

“While driving home at approximately 60 mph in our 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe, the engine suddenly shut off without warning. We were able to carefully maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road, but the vehicle would not turn over or restart. We were traveling with our young children at the time, and this sudden engine failure created an extremely dangerous situation that could have resulted in a serious accident. The engine failure occurred while the vehicle was in motion, leaving us in a potentially life-threatening situation on a busy roadway. We had the vehicle towed to a Hyundai dealership for diagnosis and assistance. We waited over a month without receiving an update. When we went to the dealership in person, we learned that they had been contacting the previous owner rather than us. After providing our correct contact information even though they were given this information upon vehicle arrival, we were told that the dealership would work on getting the issue resolved and would contact us with an update. We were subsequently informed that Hyundai would not replace the engine, allegedly due to severe negligence and a lack of maintenance service receipts. We…”

“Driving on highway no warning lights appeared the car made a loud pop noise and heavy smoke appeared from under the hood. Immediately pulled over and noticed all of the oil poured out and was nasty looking. The car was up to date on oil change. My car was towed home and bone dry no oil and no coolant the engine now had loud knocking and needs to be replaced for failure. The car was looked at by independent mechanic. Miles on the car are 152010. I had no warnings and up until the issues the car was serviced and cared for.”

“I was driving down the road ( a busy Farm to market road) and my car lost power and died. Luckily i got off of the road. I tried to start the car again, but it kept dying. I had my son in law come help me move the car to a friends house so that I could get it to the dealership. It was after hours. I regularly get my oil changed and when my SIL checked the oil there was none on the dipstick. My SIL put oil in the car. My car was coming up on being due for a oil change. I am a single woman close to 50 yrs old and take my car in for maintenance. I then had my car towed to the local dealership to have an assessment done to find out what the issues is. The dealership reported that the timing was off and that bank 1 and 2 of the camshaft needs replaced. There is a known issue with the engine of this car doing the exact same thing my car did. There were no warning lights on to indicate a problem with the car. I inherited the car for my Mother In Law that passed away. She bought the car brand new and had it serviced regularly.”

“The engine failed due to complete and sudden oil loss. The vehicle is currently at Fremont Hyundai and available for inspection. Safety risk: the engine failed while driving on the highway with children in the vehicle. A check engine light appeared with no prior warning, the vehicle immediately lost power and stalled, requiring an emergency exit and tow. This is a direct collision risk at highway speed. The failure was confirmed by an independent mechanic who found zero oil in the engine and identified it as a known Hyundai defect. The vehicle was then towed to Fremont Hyundai, which is currently conducting diagnostics. The vehicle has been inspected by an independent mechanic and by Fremont Hyundai [XXX] ). No police or insurance involvement. There were NO warning lights, oil pressure alerts, or symptoms of any kind prior to failure. I purchased the vehicle in 2024 and maintained regular oil changes and checkups with receipts. The last oil change was performed a few months before the failure. No mechanic ever flagged low oil. The only warning was a check engine light that appeared seconds before the engine stalled. I have incurred $900 in towing costs as a…”

“2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited, 3.3L Lambda II GDI V6, ~102,000 miles. In December 2022, an authorized Hyundai dealer replaced three specific parts under a Hyundai recall/campaign (records requested). On Sunday [DATE] at approximately [TIME] PM, I was driving on [FREEWAY], [STATE], at 55–70 mph at night. With NO prior warning — no warning lights, no chimes, no loss of power buildup, no knocking, no engine protection mode — the engine suddenly and completely died. The failure was instantaneous. There was no limp-home mode and no opportunity to reach the shoulder under engine power. The vehicle lost forward momentum and rolled backward in a live highway travel lane, where it remained stranded until a tow truck recovered it. No injuries. The 12V battery and electrical system remained fully active throughout. The instrument cluster was operational and capable of displaying warnings before the failure. None were displayed. Dashboard warning lights illuminated only seconds AFTER the engine had already died — a post-failure consequence of engine shutdown, not a pre-failure warning. An independent mechanic diagnosed a seized engine due to loss of oil flow. No oil…”

“Vehicle engine started knocking heavily while driving down the road. Had vehicle inspected for issue and was told vehicle had burned all the oil down to one quart and the engine was destroyed. Vehicle recently serviced with oil change within roughly 3,000 miles.”