NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
358 reportsMileage unknown · Aug 2, 2021
Fuel/propulsion System
2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Stalls out/DEATH TRAP, occasionally with no warning, seem to be when going up or down hills usually with quarter tank of gas approx. Possibly when decelerating. We have replaced both fuel pumps and it was ok for a while. The other day I was going down steep hill and it quit, i coasted to bottom and…
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2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Stalls out/DEATH TRAP, occasionally with no warning, seem to be when going up or down hills usually with quarter tank of gas approx. Possibly when decelerating. We have replaced both fuel pumps and it was ok for a while. The other day I was going down steep hill and it quit, i coasted to bottom and tried at least 10 times to restart. A DEATH TRAP for people, i had cars flying up on me almost rear ending me even thou I had my emergency flashers were on and my arm out the window flagging then around. I let car sit still a few minutes and it finally cracked. I started looking online for solutions but found many 2009 Santa Fe's have this problem. I called Hyundai and no Recall. I have already spend over $500 trying to repair this. I do see settlement against Hyundai for this problem on other years. They seem to know it is a problem but are not fixing unless forced. Please help.
NHTSA ODI #11427441
Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2021
Engine
While exiting highway, decelerating but still going mid-range speed (about 40 mph), car stalled and all power was lost. Could no longer control direction and almost slammed into median the first time (two days ago) and today, almost slammed into oncoming traffic.
NHTSA ODI #11423014
Mileage unknown · Jun 29, 2021
Air BagsCrash
SLOWED DOWN TO PULL INTO PARKING SPOT AND SUDDENLY CAR PICKED UP SPEED AND CRASH THROUGH A VACANT STORE FRONT. CAR STOPPED AFTER HITTING A WALL AND MOVED WHAT EVER WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DRIVER OF CAR WAS SHAKEN UP BUT NO PHYSICAL INJURIES. CAR DAMAGED TOWED TO JUNK YARD AND INSURER TOTA…
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SLOWED DOWN TO PULL INTO PARKING SPOT AND SUDDENLY CAR PICKED UP SPEED AND CRASH THROUGH A VACANT STORE FRONT. CAR STOPPED AFTER HITTING A WALL AND MOVED WHAT EVER WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DRIVER OF CAR WAS SHAKEN UP BUT NO PHYSICAL INJURIES. CAR DAMAGED TOWED TO JUNK YARD AND INSURER TOTALED VEHICLE.
NHTSA ODI #11422744
Mileage unknown · Jun 11, 2021
Unknown Or Other
This has happened on more than one occasion. My car will suddenly try to stop and then it will accelerate really fast. I am not commanding it to do so with my foot. IT is very scary. then my car will just go cold.. The dash lights will all light up, blink on and off and then it leaves me stranded. I have to turn the vehicle …
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This has happened on more than one occasion. My car will suddenly try to stop and then it will accelerate really fast. I am not commanding it to do so with my foot. IT is very scary. then my car will just go cold.. The dash lights will all light up, blink on and off and then it leaves me stranded. I have to turn the vehicle off and sit there for a little before it will ignite again. It did this in the Publix parking lot as I was pulling into a spot to park and I almost hit a person walking by. It is like somebody has control of my vehicle and is accelerating and braking. [XXX] [XXX] Thank you for your attention to this matter INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA ODI #11420526
Mileage unknown · May 19, 2021
EngineSteeringVehicle Speed Control
While driving on the interstate, I approached my exit. As I am slowing down, the engine shuts off and steering becomes very hard. I quickly shifted into neutral to restart the car to avoid a crash. There were no warning lights on the dash before shutting down. I immediately took it to a mechanic to see what the problem was. He s…
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While driving on the interstate, I approached my exit. As I am slowing down, the engine shuts off and steering becomes very hard. I quickly shifted into neutral to restart the car to avoid a crash. There were no warning lights on the dash before shutting down. I immediately took it to a mechanic to see what the problem was. He said he saw none. This has been going on since September 2020 and it is happening more than one time a day. Since then, I have taken it to 4 other mechanics who have all told me that they don't see any problems. I take chances everyday not knowing when the car will shut down on me while driving because this is my only vehicle that I just bought in April of 2020. This is a very serious problem that should've been looked into.
NHTSA ODI #11417793
98,000 miles · May 11, 2021
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemService Brakes
THE FUEL GAGE IS BROKEN, IT READS EMPTY WHEN FULL. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND TOOK IT IN TO FIX IT. $400.00 LATER IT WAS FIXED. NOW I HEAR CLINKING SOUND FROM ENGINE. I THINK THE PISTONS RINGS ARE BAD. I'VE READ OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VEHICLE. NHTSA NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE!
NHTSA ODI #11416198
75,000 miles · Mar 9, 2021
Electrical System
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE HEATER AND AIR CONDITION SPONTANEOUSLY ACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING AND FAILED TO TURN OFF. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE HEATER AND AIR CONDITION SPONTANEOUSLY ACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING AND FAILED TO TURN OFF. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.
NHTSA ODI #11399931
118,000 miles · Jan 5, 2021
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury
CONTACT OWNED 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE. AT 2PM ON JULY 7, 2017, DRIVER EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN, UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION THAT CAUSED A FATAL CRASH THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF THE DRIVER AND TWO PASSENGERS. MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE SUBJECT INCIDENT. HYUNDAI IS AWARE OF A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT N…
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CONTACT OWNED 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE. AT 2PM ON JULY 7, 2017, DRIVER EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN, UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION THAT CAUSED A FATAL CRASH THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF THE DRIVER AND TWO PASSENGERS. MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE SUBJECT INCIDENT. HYUNDAI IS AWARE OF A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATIONS WITH THIS GENERATION OF VEHICLES. OTHER PUBLIC VOQS AND PRIVATE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS SUPPORT THE CONTACTS ALLEGATIONS THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM. THE 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AVAILABLE 'SMART PEDAL' BRAKE THROTTLE OVERRIDE TECHNOLOGY. IN 2012, HYUNDAI ADMITTED THAT "WITH VIRTUALLY ALL CARS USING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL TODAY, THERE REMAINS THE REMOTE POSSIBILITY FOR AN UNFORESEEN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MALFUNCTION, CAUSING A VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE CONTRARY TO DRIVER INPUT. ALTHOUGH VERY UNLIKELY DUE TO VARIOUS BUILT-IN ELECTRONIC SAFETY PROTOCOLS, UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES COULD STILL EXIST THAT COULD CAUSE THIS TYPE OF MALFUNCTION.' HYUNDAI INTRODUCED `THIS CRITICAL SAFETY TECHNOLOGY' ON 100 PERCENT OF ITS NEW MODELS ANTICIPATING THE GOVERNMENT MIGHT MANDATE IT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE. 'WITH HYUNDAI'S BRAKE PEDAL THROTTLE OVERRIDE CAPABILITY, ANY BRAKE PEDAL INPUT BY THE DRIVER, EVEN WITH A RUNAWAY THROTTLE CONDITION, COMPLETELY OVERRIDES ANY THROTTLE MALFUNCTION,' STATED THE DIRECTOR OF CERTIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE AFFAIRS FOR HYUNDAI'S AMERICAN TECHNICAL CENTER, INC. (HATCI), SAID IN A STATEMENT. 'IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO HAVE INCREASING ENGINE POWER ONCE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED BY THE DRIVER. THIS ADDS A REASSURING, INCREMENTAL SAFEGUARD OF CONTROL FOR HYUNDAI DRIVERS.' PER CONSUMER AFFAIRS, 'LOCAL POLICE AGENCY SUGGESTS THAT HYUNDAI ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN BEFORE FATAL CRASH'. SPECIAL CRASH INVESTIGATION.
NHTSA ODI #11386678
Mileage unknown · Dec 28, 2020
Air Bags
THE AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON WHILE DRIVING. UNKNOWN CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. RECALL WAS DONE PRIOR TO BUYING THE CAR TO MY KNOWLEDGE. BUT I ASSUME THAT THE PART WENT OUT AGAIN.
NHTSA ODI #11385370
135,232 miles · Oct 27, 2020
Engine
RANDOMLY HESITATES AND THEN STALLS WHILE DRIVING.
NHTSA ODI #11366749
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.