2019 Hyundai Santa FE Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2019 Santa Fe most often describe engine stalling and restart problems, along with transmission hesitation and rough shifting, frequently at low mileage. Many complaints center on the idle stop-and-go system and on driver-assist features such as lane keeping and forward collision avoidance engaging or deactivating unexpectedly, sometimes reported as unintended braking or steering inputs.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or fails to restart at stops

   • 57 complaints (28%)
   • median 10,456 mi at 1.0 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe the engine shutting off at traffic lights and stop signs, or failing to restart after the idle stop-and-go feature stops it. Several report needing multiple push-start attempts, all warning lights coming on, or having to turn the vehicle off and open the door to reset it before it would start. Dealers often said they could not duplicate the problem or found no stored codes, and some vehicles were not repaired. Reported from very low mileage up to roughly 40,000-90,000 miles, often in stop-and-go traffic or at idle.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the idle stop-and-go system at several stops and confirm the engine restarts promptly, and ask whether any software update or starter repair has been done. Check for stored codes and any record of repeat stalling visits.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On march 5, this vehicle stopped while driving in the middle of a street. I was unable to start the vehicle and me and my passenger could have been seriously injured or killed. Car was towed to dealership and has 2600 miles on it. I have found that Hyundai is doing a recall to replace starter and a software update. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11187081, filed 2019-03, 2,650 miles

   “On a brand new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe, the engine stalled twice while driving the vehicle at low speeds into/out of a parallel parking space on a village street. I had to restart the engine in order to continue maneuvering the vehicle. This was very dangerous as I could have been hit by oncoming traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #11246589, filed 2019-08, 110 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hesitation, jerking and rough shifting when accelerating

   • 48 complaints (24%)
   • median 10,650 mi at 1.9 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe a delay or flat spot when accelerating from a stop, jerking or lunging forward, and rough or harsh shifting, sometimes around 2,000 rpm or on inclines. Owners report having to press the pedal far down to keep up with traffic. Dealers frequently said no fault code was found; some vehicles had transmission parts or the turbo replaced, with the symptom returning in a few cases. Mostly reported between roughly 100 and 40,000 miles, typically from a stop or at low speeds.

   What to check: Accelerate from a stop and on a slight incline during the test drive, listening for jerks, delays or harsh shifts. Ask whether transmission or turbo repairs have been recorded.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ya he llevado 4 o 5 veces mi carro al dealer,el lado de driving cuando yo entro a cierto drive way hace un sonido extrao al igual si me parkeo en riversa y tengo que mover el quia para la derecha tambien, 4/21/2021 me hicieron un trabajo y desde esa fecha el motor esta teniendo un sonido extrao y la reboluciones .”

   NHTSA complaint #11414600, filed 2021-04, 5 miles

   “I am not sure what category this should be in but my 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe hesitates when I try to accelerate. This happens mostly when I am accelerating from a complete stop but also happens occasionally when I am going around a corner. This is a dangerous problem that has nearly caused an accident when turning on to a busy street or merging onto the expressway. After some online research, I see this is a widespread issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11301779, filed 2020-01, 150 miles
3. 3
   Other or unknown

   Driver-assist features brake or steer unexpectedly

   • 26 complaints (13%)
   • median 7,600 mi at 1.0 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report automatic braking with nothing in the path, brief hard braking and veering, and lane keeping pulling the steering wheel or pushing the vehicle toward another lane. Others describe forward collision avoidance, lane assist or blind spot warnings cutting out entirely, sometimes with a warning light. Dealers often could not replicate the events or said no codes were stored; one complaint notes a windshield sensor was diagnosed as faulty. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 70,000 miles, mostly at highway speeds or while changing lanes.

   What to check: During a highway test drive, watch whether lane keeping or collision warnings intervene unexpectedly, and check for any stored fault codes or calibration records for the windshield camera and sensors.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “A car veered off in my lane and the lane keeping assist feature veered me off in another lane and crashed into another car. I had to file a claim with my insurance company and had to get the vehicle fixed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11351283, filed 2020-08, 15,000 miles

   “My vehicle applies the brakes while driving on busy roads when nothing is in my path. I've almost been rear ended a few times because of it and Hyundai has no resolution. Then also my vehicle has lane assist and the computer fought me steering the wheel while driving down the highway. Hyundai replaced steering components in the vehicle but don't know why it happened so they never diagnosed the problem. We have tried to go to Hyundai about the issue but basically they only care about our money we pay and not our safety.”

   NHTSA complaint #11310137, filed 2020-02, 13,600 miles
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Sudden engine revving and unintended acceleration

   • 16 complaints (8%)
   • median 9,612 mi at 1.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Several owners describe the engine revving and the vehicle accelerating on its own while parking or maneuvering slowly, with the brake pedal reportedly not stopping it, leading to impacts with barriers, fences or parked vehicles. Some accounts tie the event to the idle stop-and-go system engaging. Dealers in these complaints generally could not duplicate the condition. Reported at low speeds, typically while parking or turning into a space, at mileages from under 2,000 to about 14,000.

   What to check: Practice low-speed parking maneuvers in an open lot during the test drive and note whether engine speed or pedal response feels inconsistent. Ask if the vehicle has been inspected for idle stop-and-go or throttle-related complaints.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife was dropping off a friend at his house using the brakes to come to a stop. The vehicle suddenly accelerated into the garage damaging the right front of the vehicle and the garage. I can only include the vehicle photo due to photo size limitations. Her friend was a witness to the accident I estimate total damage to garage and vehicle to be $10000. Hyundai said to call back tomorrow.”

   NHTSA complaint #11397983, filed 2021-02, 14,000 miles

   “I had rented a Hyundai sante fe in september 2019. I had the vehicle for a few weeks with no issues until I drove over the mountains. I had pulled into a parking lot and was looking to park, coasting through the parking lot, I then backed up and found a parking spot. I was turning right in at a very slow speed, a virtual crawl into a parking space when I pressed the brakes to stop the vehicle when it suddenly revs its engine and began accelerating out of control jumping over the front parking curb and slamming into a chain link fence. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11302893, filed 2020-01, 9,612 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Panoramic sunroof shattering

   • 7 complaints (3%)
   • median 6,350 mi at 1.7 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2023

   Owners report the panoramic sunroof glass breaking suddenly while driving, with a loud bang and glass falling into the cabin, in some cases with no object seen or recovered. One complaint describes reaching the dealer and being told to contact their insurance. Reports describe the roof as unusable until replaced. Usually reported at very low mileage, often within the first few thousand miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the sunroof glass and surrounding roof panel for chips, stress marks or prior replacement, and ask whether any glass or paint warranty work has been done on the roof.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased a brand new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe on february 20, 2019. On sunday, february 24 while driving on a back country road going no more than 35 MPH, there was a loud noise on the roof of the car. I opened the electric cloth cover and the sunroof was shattered and glass started falling in the car. Contacted the dealer the next day and was told to contact my insurance. The dealer or Hyundai should cover the cost as I only had the car for 4 days.”

   NHTSA complaint #11182491, filed 2019-02, 116 miles

   “My sunroof exploded while driving down the interstate. No cars were anywhere around us, we were not near any overpasses, there was no road debris & nothing hit our car. There was one loud bang like the sound of a rifle shot.”

   NHTSA complaint #11404418, filed 2021-03, 11,200 miles

Buying note. A 2019 Santa Fe deserves a thorough test drive focused on stop-start behavior, acceleration from a stop, and the driver-assist features, since many owners report these symptoms and dealers often could not reproduce them. Ask for service records covering stalling, transmission and sunroof repairs, and confirm any open recall work such as the tow hitch harness campaign was completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.