NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
358 reports92,000 miles · Dec 14, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System
FUEL LEVEL STOPPED WORKING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. MECHANIC SAID THE CODE CALLED FOR REPLACEMENT OF FUEL LEVEL SENSORS. $500 REPAIR AND THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. I NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE AND I CAN NEVER PUT MORE THAN 8 GALLONS IN WHEN I FUEL UP. BUT GAS GAUGE WILL GO UP TO HAVE THEN DROP TO EMPTY THEN GO UP TO …
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FUEL LEVEL STOPPED WORKING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. MECHANIC SAID THE CODE CALLED FOR REPLACEMENT OF FUEL LEVEL SENSORS. $500 REPAIR AND THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. I NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE AND I CAN NEVER PUT MORE THAN 8 GALLONS IN WHEN I FUEL UP. BUT GAS GAUGE WILL GO UP TO HAVE THEN DROP TO EMPTY THEN GO UP TO HALF A TANK. VERY HORRIFIC. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON WHICH WILL CAUSE ME TO FAIL INSPECTION.
NHTSA ODI #10810154
87,000 miles · Dec 7, 2015
Visibility
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER WAS ACTIVATED AND THE ENTIRE REAR WINDSHIELD EXPLODED, CAUSING GLASS TO SHATTER INSIDE THE VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE REMAINED PARKED FOR THIRTY MINUTES WITH THE HEATER AND DEFROSTER ACTIVATED. THE OUTSIDE …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER WAS ACTIVATED AND THE ENTIRE REAR WINDSHIELD EXPLODED, CAUSING GLASS TO SHATTER INSIDE THE VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE REMAINED PARKED FOR THIRTY MINUTES WITH THE HEATER AND DEFROSTER ACTIVATED. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERAURE WAS 27 DEGREES. THE CONTACT SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZED IN WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000.
NHTSA ODI #10808884
104,000 miles · Dec 3, 2015
Air Bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
NHTSA ODI #10808272
Mileage unknown · Dec 1, 2015
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System
THE ENGINE LIGHTS STAYS ON WHEN YOU FILL THE GAS TANK IT STILL SAYS EMPTY WHEN DRIVING EVERYTHING WILL SHUT OFF THIS IS FOR THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN A YEAR
NHTSA ODI #10807862
88,000 miles · Nov 26, 2015
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other
ONLY 85K MILES ON THE HYUNDAI USED FOR NORMAL DRIVING. THE FUEL GAUGE/SENSORS HAVE BEGUN ACTING ERRATIC. FILLED THE GAS TANK AND GAUGE SHOWED FULL. VERY NEXT MORNING GAUGE DOWN TO A QUARTER TANK. PURCHASED GAS AND ONLY NEEDED 3 GALLONS. FUEL GAUGE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND NOT MEASURING GAS CORRECTLY. CREATES AN UNSAFE CONDIT…
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ONLY 85K MILES ON THE HYUNDAI USED FOR NORMAL DRIVING. THE FUEL GAUGE/SENSORS HAVE BEGUN ACTING ERRATIC. FILLED THE GAS TANK AND GAUGE SHOWED FULL. VERY NEXT MORNING GAUGE DOWN TO A QUARTER TANK. PURCHASED GAS AND ONLY NEEDED 3 GALLONS. FUEL GAUGE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND NOT MEASURING GAS CORRECTLY. CREATES AN UNSAFE CONDITION AS DRIVER DOES NOT RELIABLY KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL IS AVAILABLE. MANY ISSUES LIKE THIS ACCORDING TO POSTS ON INTERNET. HYUNDAI HAS A SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM AND SHOULD REPAIR FREE OF CHARGE.
NHTSA ODI #10807081
85,000 miles · Nov 25, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System
AFTER FILLING VEHICLE WITH FUEL, FUEL GAUGE SHOWED TANK EMPTY AND YELLOW LIGHT ON DASH SHOWS FUEL EMPTY. FUEL GAUGE RECOVERED TO SHOW 1/2 FULL, THEN DISPLAYS ERRATIC RESULTS. ONLINE FORUMS SHOW DEFECTIVE FUEL SENSOR WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF HYUNDAI VEHICLES. THERE SHOULD BE RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. DRIVERS MAY THINK THEY HAVE SUFFICI…
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AFTER FILLING VEHICLE WITH FUEL, FUEL GAUGE SHOWED TANK EMPTY AND YELLOW LIGHT ON DASH SHOWS FUEL EMPTY. FUEL GAUGE RECOVERED TO SHOW 1/2 FULL, THEN DISPLAYS ERRATIC RESULTS. ONLINE FORUMS SHOW DEFECTIVE FUEL SENSOR WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF HYUNDAI VEHICLES. THERE SHOULD BE RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. DRIVERS MAY THINK THEY HAVE SUFFICIENT FUEL, TO THEN HAVE VEHICLE RUN OUT OF GAS IN A DANGEROUS DRIVING ENVIRONMENT.
NHTSA ODI #10806787
80,000 miles · Nov 5, 2015
Air BagsCrashInjury
WE WERE REARENDED BY A LARGE PICKUP TRUCK THAT WAS TRAVELLING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND THE DRIVER DID NOT APPLY HIS BRAKES. WE WERE STRUCK WHILE ATTEMPTING AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, SPUN AROUND CLOCKWISE AND FLIPPED ON OUR TOP, TOTALLY DEMOLISHING OUR CAR. OUR CONCERN: THE AIRBAG SYSTEM DID NOT ENGAGE RESULTING IN INJURIES REQ…
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WE WERE REARENDED BY A LARGE PICKUP TRUCK THAT WAS TRAVELLING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND THE DRIVER DID NOT APPLY HIS BRAKES. WE WERE STRUCK WHILE ATTEMPTING AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, SPUN AROUND CLOCKWISE AND FLIPPED ON OUR TOP, TOTALLY DEMOLISHING OUR CAR. OUR CONCERN: THE AIRBAG SYSTEM DID NOT ENGAGE RESULTING IN INJURIES REQUIRING IMMEDIATE TRANSPORTATION FOR HOSPITALIZATION FOR THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON A PAVED, RURAL-TYPE STREET WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC PRESENT. THE DRIVER HAS A BROKEN NECK, MULTIPLE INJURIES INCLUDING A CLOSED HEAD CONCUSSION.
NHTSA ODI #10788665
78,000 miles · Nov 4, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System
CAR LOST POWER WHILE IN MOTION TAKING A TURN AND SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP. STARTED JULY 2015, ONCE AGAIN IN AUG. NOW SINCE OCT, HAPPENS MORE REGULARLY, SOMETIMES TWICE A DAY. DEALER LOOKED AT IT TWICE. NO CODES, CAN'T REPLICATE SO THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM. REPLACED TCS AND DID RECALL 9H292430 ALL WITH NO LUC…
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CAR LOST POWER WHILE IN MOTION TAKING A TURN AND SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP. STARTED JULY 2015, ONCE AGAIN IN AUG. NOW SINCE OCT, HAPPENS MORE REGULARLY, SOMETIMES TWICE A DAY. DEALER LOOKED AT IT TWICE. NO CODES, CAN'T REPLICATE SO THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM. REPLACED TCS AND DID RECALL 9H292430 ALL WITH NO LUCK. DEALERS NEXT BEST GUESS IS REPLACING THROTTLE BODY.
NHTSA ODI #10788268
95,000 miles · Nov 2, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WHILE NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE, I NEEDED TO PAY $1000 TO REPAIR THE SENSOR BECAUSE I NEEDED MY CAR EMISSION INSPECTED. IN THE LAST MONTH, WHILE ON A ROAD TRIP, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR JUST LOST POWER AND STALL…
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SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WHILE NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE, I NEEDED TO PAY $1000 TO REPAIR THE SENSOR BECAUSE I NEEDED MY CAR EMISSION INSPECTED. IN THE LAST MONTH, WHILE ON A ROAD TRIP, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR JUST LOST POWER AND STALLED. WHEN WE RESTARTED THE CAR, THE LIGHT WAS STILL ON BUT WENT OFF THE NEXT DAY. SINCE THEN, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON RANDOMLY AND THE FUEL GAUGE JUMPS ALL OVER THE PLACE. IT WILL INDICATE I HAVE 88 MILES TO EMPTY AND THEN JUMP BACK UP TO 130. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON ONE DAY AND BE OFF THE NEXT.
NHTSA ODI #10787704
95,500 miles · Oct 30, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System
ONCE THE GAS GAGE REACHES 1/4 FULL, IT GOES TO EMPTY. AFTER FILLING WITH GAS, IT WILL TAKE OVER 1 HOUR TO RECORD A FULL TANK. CANNOT USE THE GAGE AS WE ARE NEVER SURE HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE TANK. THE ENGINE LIGHT ALSO APPEARS AND STAYS ON UNTIL THE GAS SENSOR RECORDS FULL.
NHTSA ODI #10787175
Official recalls
2Apr 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.
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.
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
1DP21003 · 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.
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