Home · 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Hev · Complaints

What 253 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 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 (253)Crash / fire / injury (22)Engine (159)Brakes (29)Transmission & drivetrain (22)Electrical system (20)Fuel system (13)Airbags (9)Body & structure (9)Lights (9)Speed control (7)Steering (6)

7 of 253 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters

Nov 21, 2024Speed control

I was driving on the highway when, out of nowhere, my car started shaking whenever I went over 40 miles per hour. It was quite alarming and honestly a bit scary. So, I would like to request a recall on it. A week after I took it to Hyundai, they informed me that they sent it to you to see if it would be approved to cover the motor. I’ve had this car for just 2 years, and it's frustrating to deal with issues like this. I truly appreciate your attention to this matter, as I hope we can resolve it soon. Thank you for your understanding!

NHTSA ODI 11626687

Feb 12, 2024Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

Recent cold weather starts in the morning (40-50 degrees fahrenheit) have caused my car to have poor or stalled acceleration. It will occasionally not go past 20 or 40 mph while the RPMs rev high. The DTC error code would read P2565 as a pending code. An independent mechanic changed out my transmission fluid and switched out my boost pressure sensor but the problem is still there. Hyundai says that they need to replicate the problem but it does not occur when I take it to them so it's very hard to have this intermittent issue diagnosed by them. This is a very dangerous issue in my opinion if your cars engine revs high without accelerating and can potentially cause serious accidents and injury. I know I'm not the only person experiencing this issue as I've read on online forums of other car owners describing the same issue. Please issue a safety recall before someone is seriously injured or dies as a result of this intermittent issue.

NHTSA ODI 11571466

Sep 1, 2023Electrical systemSpeed controlEngine

Vehicle has been consuming oil between oil changes. Recently the ABS, Down hill assist, and traction control lights came on. We took it to the dealer and were advised it was a wheel speed sensor in the passenger rear, but they wanted over $600 so we did not repair. Two days later all the lights went off and we had no issues. A month later I drove to Florida, checked and filled the oil with a little over one quart. On my way back the RPM shot up to close to 6K, the engine light started flashing, oil and battery light came on, and the car lost all power qnd started shuttering. There was a strong burning smell when we pulled over, that may it hard to breathe. As of writing this we were told it sounds like the engine has seized, but they are 5 months out on looking into it.

NHTSA ODI 11542203

Jul 9, 2023Electrical systemSpeed controlEngine

Engine suddenly went into limp mode and jerked steering while on the highway (engine light happened AFTER). We started about 60mph, then vehicle slowed to about 30mph in a few seconds. Almost crashed into a semi-truck trying to get my car under control, then almost caused a pileup collision behind a slow-moving traffic control vehicle. Limped into town. Engine was rattling. Found the engine to be very hot under the hood. Found oil dripping underneath (research says certain Hyundai Santa Fe were recalled for this issue). Oil was low, even though I had it topped off less than a week before. It seems this may be related to large oil use resulting in engine overheat. Mechanic later disclosed to me there was oil buildup underneath and in the engine. Towed into another city to get available mechanic. Found error code P1326. Mechanic took a couple days to determine it was NOT caused by faulty sensor. (attached invoice) Towed to another city where I could have it taken into the lot (there is a long backload of cases at Hyundai). I saw about a dozen of the exact same model as my car in the service lot waiting repair (and many similar models). Told by dealership it would take 2 months to repair and there would be a diagnosis fee. This shouldn't have happened to my car. It was relatively new and low miles for an engine failure. The result was an expensive series of expenses and extremely dangerous series of near-collisions. It has been difficult to contact and navigate Hyundai corporate for help with this. They seem to have a lot of backlogs of these problems related to my model. I get put on hold for long periods. I was assigned case number and case manager who hasn't contacted me yet. I am still without a car as of today.

NHTSA ODI 11531213

Apr 8, 2022Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlWheels

It appears to be a problem with all the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. It has abs, downhill, stability control lights on at the same time. It appears to be wheel speed sensor but they do not know which one. The service manager had said it happens to be a lot of the time the rear sensor that goes out. The service manager made it seem like it happens frequently. When I check online a lot of owners appear to be having the same issue. THREE LIGHTS, ESC, DBC, and ABS warning lights turn on. I am in fear for my life, due the safety on the road if the tires would lose control!

NHTSA ODI 11460210

Apr 11, 2019Transmission & drivetrainSpeed control

CAR STARTED SURGING FORWARD WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL, IT LUNGES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS WELL. I

NHTSA ODI 11195615

Sep 2, 2018Speed controlEngineFuel system

TWICE ENGINE QUIT WHILE OPERATING WITH NO WARNING. ONCE AT 60MPH AND THE OTHER AT SLOW SPEED WHILE TURNING AROUND. RESTARTED BY PLACING IN NEUTRAL AND PUSH START BUTTON WHILE STILL MOVING. 21000+ MILES. DEALER OFFERS NO EXPLANATION. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITH HYUNDAI VEHICLES. NO FIXES I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND AND LITTLE SATISFACTION FROM THE MFR.

NHTSA ODI 11124003

Working with the data? Download all 253 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 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 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Hev verdict →