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KLUNK
KLUNK

2013 Hyundai Santa fe

The Verdict

20 Check Engine

The 2013 Hyundai Santa fe has 601 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (299 complaints) and body (190 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 20/100, it earns a "Check Engine" rating. If you're shopping for a Hyundai Santa fe, consider the 2006 model year which has 82% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2006 has 82% fewer complaints

View the 2006 Hyundai Santa fe dashboard →

20

Klunk Score: Check Engine

More complaints than most vehicles. Known issues exist — budget for potential repairs.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 2

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

17V358000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causin...

Risk

If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a ve...

Remedy

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059....

Reported May 6, 2017

13V355000 POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2013 front wheel drive Santa Fe Sport vehicles manufactured July 13, 2012, through March 12, 2013; and equipped with 2.4 liter engines. Due to a manufacturi...

Risk

A fractured front axle may result in a loss of power to the wheels. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked without the parking brake applied, it may roll away. Either condition increases the risk...

Remedy

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front axle shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Custom Care Center at 1-800-6...

Reported Dec 8, 2013

Get notified if a recall hits this car.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
20011047275022
20029417163113
200313441554434
200412239487618
2005702975366
2006281739175
20072117415421721
200888219332314
200971395417716
20105972859103
2011501729778
201252163723610
2013190493629927
201410148382949
20153921251626
201638141515810
2017108474166574
2018201611564
2019789197014
202075425828
2021585233937
2022574186742
20238220254329
20245810191331
202576219129

By Category

Engine
299
Body
190
Brakes
49
Electrical
36
Transmission
27

By Severity

1
284
2
258
3
4
4
55

Worst Problems

Complaints

Engine 2

Burning oil fast has been confirmed. I always go get frequently oil changes and top off Because it burns a lot. I never get a warning lamp When I go toc get my oil service representative tells me my oil is completely gone.

11mo ago
Engine 1

While I acknowledge that my vehicle is no longer under warranty, I remain extremely concerned about the excessive oil consumption issue. My vehicle is equipped with the Theta II engine, which has been the subject of multiple class action lawsuits and recalls due to serious engine defects, including excessive oil consumption and internal engine failure. To be clear, I have already had the vehicle inspected by a non-Hyundai dealership, which confirmed there are no external oil leaks. This indicates the issue is likely internal and consistent with the known defects associated with the Theta II engine. Given Hyundai’s awareness of these problems — as reflected in class action settlements and technical service bulletins — I believe it is reasonable to expect Hyundai to cover the cost of diagnostic inspection and consider goodwill assistance if a defect is confirmed. Hyundai got back to me but and said We have reviewed your vehicle information and have determined your vehicle is affected by Campaign TXX8. However it’s over the 150000 miles

12mo ago
Engine 1

While driving to work the gas pedal suddenly would not make the vehicle Excellerate and i was barely able to get the car on the side of the road, when i stopped and turned it off it would not start again. I had it towed to the mechanic and they have let us know it was total engine failure, and they would be attempting to get ahold of the manufacture.

13mo ago
Engine 1

2013 Santa Fe burning oil, current with regular maintenance and oil changes. At times will have to top off weekly. Between full oil changes. Doesn’t seem like I should have to do that. My engine could blow if I don’t keep oil in it. Cost me tons of money Have documented all of my oil changes, from a professional business Thank you.

13mo ago
Engine 1

The engine completely failed while I was driving. This is the second engine failure I’ve experienced with this vehicle. My first engine blew at 100,000 miles, and despite having a warranty, Hyundai refused to cover it. In a panic, I had to deplete my savings to buy a replacement engine, which only lasted six months before failing again. Hyundai still refuses to cover the second failure. The failed engine may still be available for inspection if needed. I was driving on the highway with both of my children when the engine completely shut off in the middle of the road. This left us stranded in a dangerous situation with speeding cars all around us. A sudden engine failure at high speeds could have caused a major accident, risking my life, my children’s lives, and other drivers' safety. The failure was confirmed by a service center, but Hyundai refuses to take responsibility for the defect or provide coverage under my warranty. The vehicle has been inspected by a service center, but Hyundai has refused to inspect or assist in any way. There were no warning lamps or messages before the engine shut down. The failure was sudden and unexpected, leaving me in a life-threatening situation on the highway.

16mo ago
Engine 1

O don’t appreciate someone activating my vin the same day the remedy comes out on compaign , this had been ongoing battle since 2018 when it states on the website they will replace the engine , when it had a theta engine settlement but thanks to the bearus exposures if info n loss of employee, employment data missing ti why I get denials the Chinese that infiltrated Equifax this vehicle was manufactured out of Georgia issues with dealer m notifying corporate when violation of the fair credit reporting act , off cc reports tampering with my insurance policy n these POs place there names in my policy in 2018 loss of years off n on of employment , medical n o gotta stew L pay to detain a pos car I absolutely love until they destroyed my life , nice to find a pos male in my medical records when it’s fraud , n I gotta fight every aspect of everything when I’ve been deprived hacked n comprised no data available on this vehicle hmmm , fishy to me , whew Did I spent most my time at work, home , or the dam Library this is a violation of the law privacy , national public data exposure of brokers my social , not only that my primary email was connected to blue link Hyundai n that email been hacked n comprised n I gave not been able to access shows it.connected To my old Facebook n my old cell phone orginal do not call.gov if your in violation of the Law , consumer im cheating and stealing I can’t get anywhere but why would they remove phone numbers n documents n numbers are there n etc n why would those POs put it under my alias not what’s in my drivers license now im getting identity fraud false reporting info mix n match bs tell that transgender I will hunt him down in association with this abuse I have a whole case file it will only allowed me three uploads

16mo ago
Body 1

Rear subframe is rotted out prematurely, other vins had this issue recalled but my vin was not included in the recall even though I have all the same issues as the vehicles that were recalled

16mo ago
Engine 1

Unknown car was purchased in september started having engine problem in december

17mo ago
Body 2

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

18mo ago
Engine 1

Engine has always burned oil and vehicle only has 72,000 miles on it.leaking black liquid/oil out exhaust pipe, blowing out Black clouds of smoke and have to keep adding oil. Whole rear end had to be replaced, timing chain and cover replaced, AC unit replaced, rear camera replaced, climate controls change settings by them selves, leaking gaskets, all this and more has been going on with this vehicle when it only had 35,000 Miles on it. Front suspension creaks for years. No way a vehicle should have all these issues with low mileage and has been very well cared for!

18mo ago
Engine 1

All of a sudden, while driving the car it started to shake. When I slowed down to stop it was shaking more and idling so low I thought it was going to shut off. Went to the mechanic we use, mis firing on multiple cylinders. After replacing the plugs it was still doing the same thing. The oil was checked, only 2000 miles from my last oil change, I was nearly out of oil. I was told that these cars run a lot of oil, and run hot. Basically getting that low on oil the engine burned up. I never got a low oil light. Its only been 2000 miles into my recent oil change. The mechanic said this is a common problem with these cars, people shouldn't go more than 2000 without at least checking oil level and probably will need oil added. I was told not to drive it anymore, it could potentially over heat or stall out.

19mo ago
Brakes 1

abs module making noise abs light turn on, parking brake stay on, traction light stay on, odometer does not work, speedometer does not work, steering effort decrease, car also stop all of sudden. Car need it to be tow to my house. I took it to dealership they recommended to replace abs module because of a short. I found a recall for ABS MODULE INSPECTION AND MULTI-FUSE INSTALLATION for my santa fe sport 2013 (RECALL CAMPAIGN 205) but my vin #[XXX] does not appear when enter into system to look for recalls. JUNE, 2021 SANTA FE SPORT (AN). The part number in my car is the same as the one in the recall. Module Part #58920-4Z000QQH. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

19mo ago
Engine 1

My 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is consuming a quart of oil and more within a 7-10 day time period. I took it to my local Hyundai dealership but it's not covered by a recall for this and there are No open recalls.

19mo ago
Body 4

The contact's mother owned a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact's mother received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). An unknown dealer was made aware of the issue but informed the contact's mother that the recall was not urgent and there was no fire risk. The unknown dealer-scheduled an upcoming appointment for the recall repair. The contact stated that the failure later occurred while her mother was inside the store. The vehicle caught fire while parked in the parking lot. The flames spread to a nearby pillar. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries sustained. A fire department report was filed; however, the contact didn't have any additional information. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

20mo ago
Engine 4

The engine went on fire and smoke’s up. I had to remove the battery and get out of the car before it burn. Luckily I am okay but the engine seized

20mo ago
Engine 2

The car has class action repair due to faulty engine crank shaft. The oil passages in the crankshaft causing rapid wear to the connecting rod bearings. The car stopped and broke down in the middle of the highway and engine broke down. The engine completely seized. I contacted Hyundai but they don’t wanna replace the engine. The class action lawsuit agreed to replace the engine but they don’t wanna help with my case

21mo ago
Engine 2

I purchased a used 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe from a Dealership in January and the engine locked up in July. I originally had the vehicle towed to my ASE Certified Mechanic and they advised me the engine was locked up and also that there was a RECALL on this model year's engine. I then had my Santa Fe towed to the local Hyundai dealership, King Hyundai. There is a Recall on the engine and I entered my VIN# on Hyundai's website and it said my vehicle was AFFECTED under the "Sonata and Santa Fe Sport Engine Recall". I had it towed to King Hyundai in Deerfield Beach, FL. They initially denied my claim and requested prior Maintenance Records which I did not have because I recently purchased the vehicle. They said they needed prior records, so I was able to obtain the records from CarFax and it showed my vehicle was also maintained at the same King Hyundai dealership on a regular basis. I filed a claim with Hyundai Corporate and they are giving me the run-around and denying my claim. I did not drive the car excessively as it only has a 4 cylinder motor and it was not neglected. There was a $210 Million dollar fine against Hyundai by the NHTSA in 2020 for their handling of this EXACT SAME issue: the handling of the engine recalls on this same Model year Hyundai Santa Fe and they are still doing what they were fined a $210M Civil Penalty for doing a few years ago, so obviously they did not learn their lesson. The Hyundai consent order is for three years, with an option for NHTSA to extend for an additional year. “Customer safety is our highest priority and we are taking immediate action to enhance our response to potential safety concerns,” Brian Latouf, chief safety officer, Hyundai Motor North America said in a statement. “We value a collaborative and cooperative relationship with the U.S. Department of Transportation and NHTSA, and will continue to work closely with the agency to proactively identify and address potential safety issues.” Please help! Thanks

23mo ago
Engine 1

My wife was driving the vehicle and it was operating perfectly fine. As she was making a turn and accelerating the check engine light and other lights turned on. She started to experience loss of acceleration and was fortunate to get out of traffic where she turned off the vehicle. She let it sit for a little bit and then attempted to start it. It would not start so I came to try to help and when I attempted to start it, the engine would not turn over. We had it towed to our mechanic and he indicated that the engine was seized up. This vehicle is always serviced and babied by my wife. As I mentioned there was no warning, I.e. no rough idle, no loud noises, no leaking fluids,etc.. Prior to the catastrophic failure it was a very smooth and great driving vehicle. After searching this issue it appears that the 3.3 liter V6 that was in our vehicle has several recalls and accounts of similar failures. Had this happened on the highway it could have caused a serious accident. Given the number of complaints online and allegations, it is reasonable to assume that Hyundai was aware of an issue and they either failed to investigate it, or failed to communicate it. Had there been some sort of recall to address this issue we would’ve had it resolved, but there wasn’t anything tied to our VIN despite us having one of the plagued engines. Please help ensure that they are held responsible for this known liability so that the consumers aren’t. It is not only a financial matter, it is causing risk to safety for any owners that have this engine on the road.

23mo ago
Engine 1

I was stopped at a red light and proceeded to turn right when my car shut down. I was able to pull over and turned my car off. It wouldn’t turn back on. I had it towed and they found the engine is locked up.

23mo ago
Engine 2

The engine on our 2013 Santa Fe Limited has seized. We have maintained this vehicle with regular oil changes, breaks, tires, and anything else our trusted mechanic has recommended. While driving, the car slowed down considerably and was not accelerating. No dashboard lights appeared. This was during evening rush hour and became very dangerous. I pulled over to the shoulder and called for help. Once the tow arrived, we started the car and the check engine light came on. I checked the oil, it looked good. Tow truck driver took it to the dealership. Dealership said the car had no oil and that the engine has seized. I saw that there was oil before the driver took the car. So, that's not possible. The dealership said they added oil and that we would need a new engine. After discussing with the dealership my very expensive option, I have been researching the recalls and problems others have been having with the exact same thing happening. If there was no oil, why wasn't the oil light coming on? Why am I not due for an oil change for 1000+ mile? Putting my family at risk in a well maintained car that should last 75k-100k more miles is a huge problem. I will continue to fight this until myself and others receive the proper care from Hyundai.

23mo ago

601 total

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