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What 253 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Phev

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)

1 of 253 complaints match · Lights · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 15, 2017LightsBody & structureCrash

I WAS ON GROUND FLOOR OF A PARKING GARAGE AND ALREADY IN THE PARKING SPOT---I HAD MY BRAKE ON AND WAS ACTUALLY READY TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO "PARK". THERE WAS A SUDDEN REVING OF THE ENGINE AND THE CAR BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED THROUGH A STEEL LATTICE WORK BARRIER AND THROUGH A FLOWER BED INTO AN EXTREMELY WET SURFACE. I HIT THE BRAKE AS HARD AS POSSIBLE AND BELIEVE THAT THE BRAKE FINALLY HELD. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BECAME MIRED DOWN IN APPROXIMATELY 12-14 INCHES OF MUD. I BELIEVE THE COMBINATION OF THE MUD AND THE BRAKE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ACTUALLY STOP. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DURING THIS ACCIDENT. BOTH SIDES OF THE CAR WERE DAMAGED FROM THE FRONT FENDER TO THE REAR FENDER, INCLUDING 1 HEADLIGHT UNIT, AND THE OUTSIDE MIRROR ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR (I DO NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN IF THE OTHER OUTSIDE MIRROR WAS DAMAGED). I LOOKED UP "SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" ONLINE AND IT IS LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKE THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS) MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT. I DO HAVE A POLICE REPORT AND PICTURES BUT CANNOT SCAN THEM AS I HAVE ON CAPABILITY TO DO SO. NO OTHER VEHICLE AND NO OTHER INDIVIDUALS WERE INVOLVED. WE HAD A WRECKING COMPANY COME TO PULL THE CAR OUT AND TAKE TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP FOR ESTIMATE AND POSSIBLE REPAIR. THE ESTIMATE THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE POLICE OFFICER FOR THE ACTUAL PROPERTY DAMAGES (STEEL LATTICE WORK REPLACEMENT AND LAWN REPAIR) WAS LISTED AS $5000. IT IS UNKNOWN AT THIS POINT WHETHER THERE WAS ANY DAMAGE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF GOING OVER THE LARGE CONCRETE BLOCK THAT WAS IN FRONT OF THE PARKING SPOT. I AM WAITING FOR THE ESTIMATE TO KNOW THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11015370

Working with the data? Download all 253 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 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Phev verdict →