What 604 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Hev

My car engine compartment fire while parked in front of my condo

NHTSA ODI 11551311

We pulled off the highway to get gas and noticed smoke coming from the hood. We immediately parked at the gas station and my husband, our dog and I got out of the car and within minutes the entire front of the car was in flames. Several passersby stopped and sprayed the fire with their fire extinguishers. We called 911 and the fire department quickly arrived and put out the fire, but the entire front of the car was destroyed. The front of the car melted along with the windshield from the intense heat. The police inspector came and inspected the car and took photos. The car was then towed and our insurance company took possession of the car. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure. The only thing we noticed was a slight hesitation in power as we climbed a hill several times in the half hour preceding the failure. My husband, my dog and I would have been in mortal danger from the fire if we had not stopped immediately and gotten out of the car. The safety of other people nearby had also been at risk if the fire department had not arrived so quickly to put out the fire as the smoke began as we were entering the gas station and parked about 50 feet from the gas pumps to escape the vehicle. We have no idea what caused the fire. The engine had been replaced by Hyundai due to a defect that had caused it to fail about 2 years prior to the current failure.

NHTSA ODI 11420699

TL* THE CONTACTS OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH THE VEHICLE LOSS POWER THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, THE VEHICLE ROLLED TO RIGHT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CONTACT PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO PARKED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. . THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART, HOWEVER IT LOST POWER AGAIN AND SMOKE APPEARED COMING FROM THE HOOD AND INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. AND SMELT BURN WIRED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO RESIDENCE BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

NHTSA ODI 11386671

DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR WEATHER AND DRY ROADS WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 4, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS TRAFFIC TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AND ALL THE INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON BUT THE CAR DIDN'T START. EXITED THE VEHICLE AND WALKED TOWARDS THE FRONT TO SEE SMOKE, AT FIRST, THEN SAW FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. TRIED TO DIAL 911, BUT HAD WEAK CELL SIGNAL. APPARENTLY 911 WAS NOTIFIED. HIGHWAY PATROL ARRIVED, THE FLAMES WERE SPREADING AND GETTING LARGER. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES, WHICH REACHED ALMOST 10 FEET HIGH. THE FIRE FIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN THE FIRE BEFORE IT REACHED THE FUEL TANK, BUT THE VEHICLE AND ITS CONTENTS WERE TOTALLY BURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS A SHELL OF METAL AND ASH WHEN IT WAS TOWED AWAY.

NHTSA ODI 11377033

THE CAR WENT OF FIRE ON HIGHWAY

NHTSA ODI 11318025

THE ENTIRE INSIDE OF MY SANTA FE IS DAMAGED DUE TO A FIRE IN THE SEAT. MY CAR WAS LOCKED OVERNIGHT AND PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. THE DOORS WERE LOCKED AND THERE IS NO SIGN OF FORCED ENTRY. THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE SEAT IS TOTALLY BURNED OUT AND DAMAGE TO THE DRIVERS DOOR IS MELTED. THERE IS SMOKE DAMAGE IN THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR OVER 12 HOURS AND NOT DRIVEN. WE HAVE CALLED THE POLICE AND THY SAY THAT NO CRIME OCCURRED AND THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE SEAT. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND IT MUST BE RELATED TO THE HEATED SEAT FUNCTION IN THIS CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10905594

WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SHUT OFF, SMELLED AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE VENTS. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND OPENED HOOD TO CHECK ENGINE AND FLAMES SHOT OUT, CLOSED HOOD AND TRUCKERS RAN OVER WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT. WITHIN 5 MINUTES VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED AND FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD ARRIVED AND COULD ONLY PREVENT FLAMES FROM SPREADING TO SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY CONSUMED BY THIS CATASTROPHIC FIRE. CALLED HYUNDAI CORPORATE OFFICES IN CALIFORNIA TO REPORT IT AS THE VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS ASKED 'WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO?'. RECEIVED THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS.

NHTSA ODI 10748982

PASSED OUT WHILE DRIVING. STRUCK THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER CAR WITH THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE OF SANTA FE. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SANTA FE WAS TOTALED. I SUFFERED A BROKEN NECK IN TWO PLACES AND DISLODGED TWO CERVICAL DISC. NOW HAVING TO GO FOR SURGERY TO REPAIR DISC DAMAGE. HOPEFULLY I WILL REGAIN USE OF LEFT HAND DO TO NERVE DAMAGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10596823