Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 215 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports7 fire reports11 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

215 reports

Clear category filter

Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2024

Fuel/propulsion System

Large leak detected P0455

NHTSA ODI #11573375

Mileage unknown · Nov 7, 2022

Fuel/propulsion System

Read full complaint

The fuel tank level sensor failed and yes can be inspected. Check engine light goes on and fuel says empty with little yellow light .My mechanic checked my car and told me it was the fuel tank level sensor. Check engine light goes on and the fuel needle goes up and down to empty. When I fill the tank, the check engine light goes off and the needle rises to full. When the gas reaches a certain level the check engine light goes on and fuel needle drops to empty . It will go up and down. This first occurred October 2022.

NHTSA ODI #11492623

110,000 miles · May 14, 2021

Fuel/propulsion System

THE FUEL GAGE KEEPS MARKING THE WRONG LEVEL OF GAS. FIRST IT WENT CRAZY GOING UP AND DOWN. AFTER SENSORS WERE CHANGED, IT STAYED AT HALF OF TANK EVEN WHEN FULL. NOW THE FUEL SYSTEM WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN BECAUSE WHEN IT REACHES A CERTAIN GAS LEVEL, THE CHECK ENGINE SHOWS UP. ITS RANDOM ISSUES AND ALL HAVE TO DO WITH THE …

Read full complaint

NHTSA ODI #11416636

120,000 miles · Apr 16, 2021

Fuel/propulsion System

FUEL GAGE DOES NOT WORK. FILL UP CAR WITH GAS AND THE TANK SHOWS EMPTY FOR DAYS AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. GETTING NEW SYSTEM DOES NOT FIX THIS ISSUE. EACH DAY YOU GET IN THE CAR IT WILL SHOW A DIFFERENT AND INACCURATE READYING. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER ONLINE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS.

NHTSA ODI #11408357

89,230 miles · Jan 2, 2021

Fuel/propulsion System

Read full complaint

FUEL GAUGE FAILED. THE FUEL TANK WOULD BE FULL BUT THE GAUGE READ 1/4 TANK, (RAN OUT OF GAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE) CONTACTED HYUNDAI, THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT OFFERED NO SOLUTION AS FAR AS RECALL, THEY STATED THE FIX WOULD COST APPROX. $600.00 WITH PARTS AND LABOR. I CHECKED THIS ISSUE ON LINE AND THIS DEFECT IN THE "FUEL SENSORS" HAS BEEN GOING ON FROM APPROX. 2007 TO 2015 EFFECTING THOUSANDS OF HYUNDAI SANTA FE'S. MY QUESTION IS, WHY HASN'T "THE HYUNDAI MOTOR CO." CORRECTED THIS SAFETY PROBLEM OR ISSUED A RECALL? THEY EXPECT CUSTOMER LOYALTY BUT IT APPEARS THE LOYALTY GOES ONLY ONE WAY. I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH MY 2008 SANTA FE BUT NOW I'M WONDERING HOW MANY OTHER SAFETY ISSUES ARE BEING COVERED UP. I WAS AT MY HYUNDAI DEALER JUST PRIOR TO THE FUEL SENSOR ISSUE LOOKING AT THE NEW PALISADE LIMITED" BUT NOW I'LL LOOK ELSEWHERE [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11386168

110,000 miles · Nov 20, 2020

Fuel/propulsion System

TAKE TO MUCH FUEL

NHTSA ODI #11375571

131,009 miles · Oct 9, 2020

Electronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel/propulsion System

THE FUEL SENSOR STOPPED WORKING. PAY TO FIX IT BUT ONLY LASTED 1 MONTH AND THAN STOP WORKING AGAIN. ELECTRICAL. WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY HEARD A WHINING NOISE AND THEN THE CAR STARTING STALLING. WON'T TURN ON

NHTSA ODI #11363632

Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2020

Fuel/propulsion System

Read full complaint

I HAVE A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE THAT HAS A FAULTY FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. THE GAS GAUGE DOES NOT SHOW THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF GAS IN THE TANK AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. ABOUT 95 PERCENT OF THE TIME IT SHOWS EMPTY, EVEN AFTER FILLING UP THE TANK. SOMETIMES THE GAUGE WILL MOVE JUST OVER HALF WAY, THEN IT GOES BACK TO EMPTY. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THREE DIFFERENT SHOPS TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT AND THEY ALL SAY THAT FUEL LEVEL SENSOR NOT WORKING PROPERLY. TO FIX THIS ISSUE WILL BE BETWEEN $700 - $1000. AFTER LOOKING UP THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET, THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE FOR THE EXACT MY MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR VEHICLE THAT I AM MAKING THE COMPLAINT ABOUT. THIS ISSUE IS CONSENT IF I AM MOVING OR STATIONARY. THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE I DO NOT RUN OUT OF GAS IS TO FILL UP ABOUT THE 250 MILE MARK TO MAKE SURE I DO NOT GET STRANDED. I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE INDICATOR AFTER FILLING UP THE TANK COMPLETELY. IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT [XXX]. THANKS IN ADVANCE ANY HELP IN THIS MATTER. REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *CC

NHTSA ODI #11322366

49,377 miles · Mar 1, 2020

Fuel/propulsion System

Read full complaint

WITH 49,377 MILES, I ADDED PARTIAL FUEL (6.9 GALLONS) AND THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWED ZERO WITH THE FUEL LIGHT ON. AFTER A FEW DAYS THE FUEL GAUGE READ NORMALLY. SINCE THEN I'VE ADDED FUEL FIVE MORE TIMES. EACH TIME THE GAUGE WENT TO ZERO AND THEN RAMPED UP GRADUALLY. YESTERDAY, FEBRUARY 29, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON STEADY. TODAY I HAD THE ERROR CODE READ: P0463 FUEL LEVEL SENSOR A CIRCUIT HIGH INPUT. ALTHOUGH THE PART REQUIRED LISTS FOR $79.99, IT IS APPARENTLY CHANGED IN THE FUEL TANK AND VERY EXPENSIVE TO ACCESS.

NHTSA ODI #11315420

85,000 miles · Feb 25, 2020

Fuel/propulsion System

Read full complaint

MY FUEL LEVEL GAUGE HAS BECOME ERRATIC TO NOT WORKING AT ALL CAUSING MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. I HAVE TO SPEND $1700.00 TO GET THIS REPAIR MADE SO THAT I CAN REGISTER MY VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM IS THE FUEL LEVEL SENSORS, ONE OR BOTH HAVE FAILED. I HAVE NEVER HAD THE PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE EVER. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS AND SEE THAT IT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ALSO FOR MANY OTHERS WHO OWN A 08 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. I WANTED TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT THERE THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WHICH HYUNDAI SHOULD RECALL TO FIX.

NHTSA ODI #11311382

Official recalls

13V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Apr 1, 2013

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

12V354000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Jul 25, 2012

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2009 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from April 19, 2006, through July 7, 2008. The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

11V472000 · Air Bags:frontal

Sep 9, 2011

HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM DECEMBER 26, 2006, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2008, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 19, 2006 THROUGH MARCH 20, 2008. THE CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) MAY BECOME DAMAGED THROUGH USAGE OVER TIME. THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WILL EXPERIENCE A HIGH RESISTANCE CONDITION, POTENTIALLY CAUSING THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG TO NOT DEPLOY.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THE CLOCK SPRING DEVELOPS HIGH RESISTANCE, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVERS AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT THE DRIVER, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES.

Remedy: HYUNDAI DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VEHICLE'S DRIVER'S AIR BAG CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN IN NOVEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CONNECT CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.

08V272000 · Equipment:other:labels

Jun 19, 2008

HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 88,943 MY 2007-2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH P235/60R18 TIRES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE LABELING REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110 "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES." THE BLACK CERTIFICATION LABEL AFFIXED TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE CENTER PILLAR, INCORRECTLY LISTS THE GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATINGS (GAWR).

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: OVERLOADING YOUR VEHICLE MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT HANDLING AND BRAKING AND MAY CAUSE TIRE DAMAGE, RESULTING IN TIRE FAILURE AND A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy: HYUNDAI WILL MAIL CORRECTED CERTIFICATION LABELS ALONG WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE AFFECTED OWNERS. THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 5, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities

Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.