Home · 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Hev · Complaints

What 352 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Hev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (352)Crash / fire / injury (41)Engine (228)Electrical system (43)Speed control (40)Brakes (28)Transmission & drivetrain (24)Steering (16)Suspension (14)Fuel system (12)Lights (12)Body & structure (7)

7 of 352 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 30, 2019SteeringBrakesEngineCrash

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.

NHTSA ODI 11173180

Sep 7, 2016Speed controlBrakesCrash

AS EARLY AS LAST SUMMER, MY 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE STARTED TO (INTERMITTENTLY) ACCELERATE WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. FRANKLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS RELATED TO THE SANDALS I WAS WEARING. I THOUGHT I WAS OCCASIONALLY STEPPING ON THE GAS AND THE BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME (I HAVE VERY BIG FEET -- SIZE FIFTEEN). THE PROBLEM STOPPED WHEN I SWITCHED SHOES (WHICH ALSO CORRESPONDED TO THE END OF SUMMER). THE PROBLEM CAME BACK INTERMITTENTLY THIS SUMMER AND IS NOW REPEATABLE. WHEN I AM GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL AT SPEEDS OVER ABOUT 20 MPH, THE ENGINE RPM'S INCREASE WHEN I STEP ON THE BRAKE. IT DOES THAT WHILE IN GEAR AND WHILE IN NEUTRAL. OBVIOUSLY, IF THE DRIVE TRAIN IS IN GEAR, THE ENGINE "FIGHTS AGAINST" THE BRAKE; IF THE DRIVE TRAIN IS IN NEUTRAL, THE ENGINE REVS. IF THE ENGINE IS IN NEUTRAL OR IS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AFTER THE ACCELERATION STARTS, THE ENGINE RACES UNTIL I LET OFF THE BRAKE. IT HAS GONE AS HIGH AS 4-5 K RPM BEFORE I LET OFF THE BRAKE. ALL THAT'S REQUIRED TO GET THE CAR TO RETURN TO NORMAL IDLE IS THAT I PUMP THE BRAKE (LET OFF THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY -- I CAN IMMEDIATELY RE-APPLY THE BRAKE AND THE PROBLEM WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN). I HAVE IDENTIFIED A STRETCH OF ROAD NEAR MY HOUSE WHERE THE PROBLEM ALWAYS OCCURS. DRIVING EAST AT THE END OF WALNUT STREET AT THE INTERSECTION OF WALNUT AND BOSTON HILL CIRCLE, NEAR SOUTH STREET IN SHREWSBURY, MA 01545, IT PROBLEMS ALWAYS REPLICATES. IT ALSO ALWAYS HAPPENS AT THE BEND IN THE ROAD WHILE GOING DOWN HILL ON BOSTON HILL CIRCLE... UPDATED10/13/16 *BF ...VIDEO AVAILABLE *TR

NHTSA ODI 10904321

Apr 28, 2015Speed controlBrakesCrash

TODAY APRIL 28, 2015, MY MOTHER, DAUGHTER AND I WERE COMING HOME FROM RUNNING AN ERRAND, WHEN WE CAME TO ARE HOUSE WE PULLED UP AND WENT IN REVERSE TO PULL INTO THE DRIVE WAY LIKE NORMAL SO WE CAN PARK THE CAR IN THE GARAGE. WHEN WE PULLED IN WE WERE GOING JUST 5MPH. THEN SUDDENLY WHEN MY MOM WAS PUSHING THE BRAKE THE STOP AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. THE CAR OUT OF NO WHERE LURCHED AND CRASHED INTO ARE WASHER, WATER HEATER , AND CAUSED THE BACK WINDSHIELD TO SHATTER. AN WE HAVE HAD THIS CAR FOR 3 YEARS AND ITS ALWAYS THE SAME ROUTINE, SO WERE VERY SHOOK UP ON HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN. EVEN THOUGH THIS HAPPENED AT A RESIDENT IM FILING THIS SINCE IT COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE TO ANOTHER CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10713354

Jun 1, 2014Speed controlBrakesCrash

I WAS TURNING RIGHT INTO A PARKING SPACE, APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE SURGED/ACCELERATED. IT WENT OVER A CURB AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHEN IT STOPPED I LOOKED DOWN AND MY FOOT WAS INDEED ON THE BRAKES, TO THE FLOOR. A SIMILAR THING HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE. I WAS TURNING ONTO ANOTHER STREET AND THE CAR FELT LIKE IT SURGED. FORTUNATELY BOTH TIMES THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE OTHER LANE OR IN FRONT OF ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10595387

Mar 19, 2014BrakesCrash

WHILE TRAVELING ON STATE PARK ROAD GREENVILLE SC, A MAIL TRUCK WAS STOPPED IN ROAD. AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I SWERVED OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING THE TRUCK. I SIDE SWIPED SEVERAL TREES CAUSING APPROX. $5000.00 WORTH OF DAMAGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10573478

Feb 10, 2014AirbagsBrakesCrash

TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND COMING UPON A RED LIGHT, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT WHILE PRESSING THE BREAK PEDAL THE VEHICLE INITIALLY SLOWED DOWN BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF A SECOND VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE CONTACT ALSO INDICATED THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. JFT

NHTSA ODI 10563756

Nov 26, 2012BrakesCrash

I WAS STOPPED IN A LEFT TURN LANE AND I BELIEVE I WAS THE 8TH OR 9TH VEHICLE IN LINE. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR! I TURNED MY STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT AS FAR AS I COULD, BUT I TAPPED THE BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND VERY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, AND VERY MINOR DAMAGE TO MY FRONT BUMPER. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED. I CALLED THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM THAT MY BRAKES HAD FAILED AND HAD CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS PROBABLY NOT THE BRAKES, BUT THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP (CARL GREGORY HYUNDAI, AT NORTHLAKE, COLUMBUS, GA) THIS MORNING I CALLED TO CHECK ON THE STATUS OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE FOR 200 MILES AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. I HAD ALREADY TOLD THEM THAT I WAS STOPPED IN A TURN LANE WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED!! I WAS TOLD THAT THE HYUNDAI REPRESENTATIVE TOLD THEM TO REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10486024

Working with the data? Download all 352 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Hev verdict →