2022 Hyundai Santa Fe

On May 31, 2025, I suffered a severe facial injury causing trigeminal neuralgia and concussion when the Smart Power Liftgate on my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT failed to stop or reverse upon encountering obstruction. While unloading the trunk, I went to close the liftgate, lost my balance falling forward prior to it beginning to close. It struck my face and upper body with full mechanical force, failing to trigger the automatic safety reverse/anti-pinch strip sensors. The component suffered a total safety failure, bypassing the safety mechanisms intended to prevent bodily entrapment and crushing injuries. I was forced to seek emergency medical treatment. Official Emergency Room medical records from May 2025 explicitly document the facial injuries sustained directly from this automotive component failure. The vehicle remains dangerous as the anti-pinch sensors failed to operate as legally and mechanically mandated. There have been multiple incidents where the liftgate has failed to stop with coming into contact with pressure of even my toddler briefly or our dogs, but I was not aware this vehicle was equipped with this safety feature to begin with.

Fuel access door does not open correctly. Fuel door does not have a lock or a require pressing of a button to open; you would normally just 'push' on closed door to make it pop open. Over the past (3) months, this has not always been working. Sometimes it requires multiple high-pressure pushes (or a light bump) for door to open. On other occasions, unlocking the vehicle (all doors) and not just the driver's door that unlocks when exiting the vehicle has somehow contributed to getting the fuel door open. Multiple online Hyundai Santa Fe forums make mention of the fuel door being a widespread issue and suggest requiring replacement of an actuator in fuel door by dealership or prying the fuel door open with a screwdriver. Prying door open, in my opinion, is not an option because of potential damage to door and painted surfaces around the fuel door.

On [XXX] at [XXX], my [XXX] daughter was locked inside my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX] ) while holding the Smart Key fob in the back seat. She pressed the lock button, and the vehicle completely locked — with her and the key fob still inside. This violates the Smart Key safety feature described in Hyundai’s owner’s manual, which says the car should not lock if the key is inside. That system failed. There were no warning lights or alerts. I had no way to unlock the doors. I experienced a full panic attack. I feared my child could die from heat exposure. I was forced to break the rear window to rescue her. I was terrified the glass might injure her, but I had no choice. Since then, I have been emotionally traumatized and avoid driving out of fear it will happen again. To my knowledge, this has not yet been inspected by a dealer or Hyundai. I am reporting this because the Smart Key locking system failed in a dangerous way that put my child’s life at risk. This system should be investigated for defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On FRI 30JUN23 while driving across country in out 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe with a panoramic sun roof with our daughter, who was on her first trip after battling brain cancer, experienced the unthinkable. Wile driving down the highway states away from home we heard a deafening explosion with glass raining inside the vehicle almost causing us to veer off the road. Upon expecting the source of the glass in was discovered that the sunroof had exploded. Were lucky to have had the shade closed at the time of the incident preventing glass to fly in the face of my daughter who was sitting in the back seat. The incident left us stranded at a Hyundai dealer in Fayetteville Arkansas forcing us to rent a vehicle to complete our tip while waiting for repairs. We were informed by the dealer that this is a known issue and to keep a window cracked to prevent pressure from building up in the vehicle. This is a searious safety issue that needs to be addressed.