Problems · by component
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe engine problems
81 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe cite engine, 37% of all 218 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
81
37% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Hyundai Dealership, Pedder Hyundai of Poway, applied recall 9C2 to 2020 Santa Fe on 10/20/2026. Vehicle idle is now rough at startup and gas pedal angle no longer is reliable for controlling vehicle speed. Engine surges and jerks during initial operation on residential street due to software change. The vehicle did not operate in this manner for the last six years. I never felt like I had erratic engine control due to gas pedal response. I would like this recall removed and the original software re-applied, or my car bought back by Hyundai.”
“The vehicle is experience severe, progressive engine oil consumption, completely depleting its engine oil below the safe operating limit ("Low" mark on the dipstick) every 500 miles. This creates an imminent risk of sudden engine seizure, catastrophic mechanical failure, and sudden stalling at highway speeds. The authorized dealers (Safford Hyundai Manassas) and corporate case management (Case #43193472) have failed to fix the issue after multiple visits. Furthermore, dealership service staff explicitly instructed me that I must continue operating the vehicle for an additional 1000 miles even if the oil falls below the safe "Low" limit to satisfy corporate test parameters. Forcing a consumer to drive a vehicle with depleted engine oil is a severe safety hazard to myself and other drivers on the road. The manufacturer is also underreporting oil consumption volumes on service invoices to avoid warranty repairs.”
“I do not know what caused this. Here is what happened. While parking the car suddenly accelerated, over the curb, on the sidewalk narrowly missing the building because I turned hard right to avoid the building and I was able to brake to a stop glancing off a concrete pillar. We could have been hurt crashing into the wall/windows, anyone on the walk would have been hurt & anyone in the store could have been hurt. The car was towed to Hatchette Hyundai-East waiting to be looked at. There is no police report because it was private property and no damages except to my car. No warning lamps or messages. I remember 2 previous incidents that happened recently. While driving in normal city traffic, my passenger asked if I had speeded up? It was morning traffic, so I didn’t really think about it. Later that day while returning home there was a weird thing that happened. Again, in traffic, the car engine did something weird, but I thought it was the car reacting to the car beside me being too close. It was like it downshifted, slowed down and then resumed normally. The only other time I had any problem was on May 9th near Lawrence, Ks. The car began vibrating and felt…”
“At times the engine will freeze up, stall the car while driving, or the car will altogether turn off when at a stop sign or light, while the car is still on. I've had the oil changed before the mileage indicated expired because the engine light came on and I was told the car had no oil at all when I know the oil was just changed within a 3 months time frame.”
“Codes P0172 and P016B. Oil has fuel in it due to high pressure fuel pump leaking. Possible premature engine failure or fire. This is a 2020 santa fe limited 2.0T.”
“At approximately 122,000 miles, my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced a serious engine malfunction while I was driving on the highway. The check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle began thrusting/jerking forward unexpectedly. We immediately took action to exit the highway and were able to get off the highway, but the engine died before we could fully stop the vehicle. This created a serious safety risk because the unexpected jerking and subsequent loss of engine power occurred while traveling at highway speeds and could have resulted in loss of control or a collision. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic. After inspecting it, the mechanic stated that the engine needed to be replaced and recommended taking it to a Hyundai dealership because of the continuing issues associated with the Theta II engine. The vehicle was then towed to the Hyundai dealership. The Hyundai dealership inspected the vehicle and determined that cylinders 2 and 4 were not firing and recommended replacing the valve shaft. We requested a complete engine replacement. Hyundai initially offered a 50/50 split of the repair cost, but after we requested an engine…”
Showing 6 of 81 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.