2023 Hyundai Santa FE Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report the vehicle losing power unexpectedly while driving, reported from low miles up through the 50,000-mile range, and this is reported alongside an inoperable horn and uncommanded activation of the forward collision-avoidance system. Many complaints describe the problems as intermittent and hard to reproduce, so dealers sometimes return the vehicle without a repair and owners report repeat occurrences.

1. 1
   Engine

   Loss of power / stalling while driving

   • 37 complaints (17%)
   • median 2,689 mi at 1.0 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Complaints describe the engine dropping power or cutting out while driving, sometimes at highway speed, with the vehicle slowing abruptly and multiple warning lights coming on. Some owners say the vehicle drives normally again after restarting, while others report it would not restart and had to be towed. According to complaints, dealers replaced the throttle body assembly in some cases, diagnosed a failed fuel injector in another, and in other cases could not reproduce the problem. Reported from very low mileage up to roughly 56,000 miles, often at highway speeds and sometimes after decelerating onto an exit ramp.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the engine control software update described in the idle-stop/engine bulletin was applied, and request any stored fault codes from a diagnostic scan before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle has just over 4k Miles on it. Several times I tried to accelerate and while the engine RPMs would increase, the vehicle would not accelerate. Very dangerous when turning right on a red light and when merging into traffic. I came close to getting T-Boned on 4 occasions, and rear-ended on 3 occasions. This vehicle is not reliable and puts passenger lives in danger. Today the Shifter System Malfunction-Service Immediately warning came on and I was not able to shift into any gear and the vehicle put itself into neutral. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11547791, filed 2023-10

   “Car was purchased January 21st had 3000 mile on it when service was needed for these issues. On march 23rd as I started driving my car wouldn't go above 30 mph, when pressing on the gas pedal the car wouldn't accelerate, the rpm gage would go to 4 but engine wouldn't make noise car wouldn't speed up. I put the car in park and back in drive with no improvement. I pulled off at a gas station restarted the car and it was fine. During this time the auto on off button was orange on the cluster which I had never seen it that color before. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11521230, filed 2023-05
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Horn stops working

   • 34 complaints (16%)
   • median 31,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe the horn going silent, sometimes one tone first and then the other, with several reporting the horn failed more than once after replacement. Some complaints link the failures to rain or wet conditions. According to complaints, dealers generally replaced the horn assembly, and some owners said they paid for the repair themselves. Reported across a wide mileage span, from a few thousand miles to over 70,000, often recurring within a year of replacement.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test both horn tones before buying and ask whether the horn has been replaced under the extended warranty coverage described in the service bulletins.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “horn has stopped working. Seems to be a systemic issue when looking online in Forums etc... I have scheduled the problem to be fixed and it is not a fuse issue. It will be a month before the dealership is able to get me in to assess the problem. This is a safety related issue and this needs to be addressed with the manufacturer.”

   NHTSA complaint #11685313, filed 2025-09

   “Every time it rains, one of the dual tone horns will fail. I have had the horn replaced 2 times. I am beginning to have a problem with the horn again after this last rain. It is a matter of time before it fails completely after a rain and becomes unusable. I feel this is a significant warning feature that MUST be reliable.”

   NHTSA complaint #11642538, filed 2025-02
3. 3
   Forward collision avoidance

   Forward collision system braking with no obstacle

   • 48 complaints (22%)
   • median 9,596 mi at 1.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report the forward collision-avoidance or automatic emergency braking system activating when no obstacle is present, sometimes with a hard stop and sometimes with a brief braking event while cruise control is set. Complaints also describe warnings about adaptive cruise control shutting off when sensors are covered by snow or road debris. According to complaints, dealers often could not reproduce the condition and reported no fault found. Often reported at low mileage, and several complaints tie the behavior to highway cruise-control use or to sensor obstruction in rain, snow or salt spray.

   What to check: During a test drive, use cruise control and adaptive cruise on a highway stretch and confirm the systems engage and disengage as expected; ask whether any camera or radar module has been replaced or recalibrated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The forward collision warning system engages and slows the car, often very abruptly, when on the highway and only when cruise control is on. It happens after we have been on the highway for a few hours, thus the dealer cannot reproduce the incident. It happens a few times on every road trip and is very disturbing when there are no other vehicles or obstacles in the road or nearby. We have reported this to the dealer several times and they can find nothing wrong. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11615547, filed 2024-09

   “It is not just this vehicle; it is ALL vehicles with adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking. When sensors get snow or debris on them, they shut the vehicles down without warning. I have had 3 times this winter when the roads were fine, cruise control set, and because another vehicle was kicking up road salt, the vehicle instantly shut off the cruise control without any warning to the driver, all 3 times I had traffic behind me at 55mph or on the highway at 70mph. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11734056, filed 2026-04
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, no upshift or shifter malfunction

   • 47 complaints (22%)
   • median 18,756 mi at 2.3 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle revving without gaining speed, being stuck in a low gear, or failing to shift out of first, sometimes along with a 'Shifter System Malfunction' message that prevented shifting into park or reverse. Some owners report shuddering during take-off and acceleration. According to complaints, dealers sometimes could not duplicate the issue, and in other cases a transmission replacement was needed. Reported from around a few thousand miles into the 50,000s, often during acceleration from a stop or at low speed.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the transmission control unit software update described in the service bulletins was performed, and note any hesitation, shudder or delayed engagement during a stop-and-go test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy with 14k miles showed a check-engine light. I had noticed some strange behavior in the shifting with a loss of power while driving at low gears. I made an appointment for the dealership the next morning. Was told today that the car needs a new transmission.”

   NHTSA complaint #11549294, filed 2023-10

   “when I tried accelerate, the car jerked and then the transmission began to slip and I coasted to a stop. I cranked the car and slowly began to drive the car while it felt like the transmission was slipping. My first thought was that the transmission was low on fluid but later found that this is a sealed transmission. Luckily there was no traffic during this incident. There was no warnings lights or any warnings whatsoever.”

   NHTSA complaint #11543954, filed 2023-09
5. 5
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Panoramic sunroof glass shattering

   • 21 complaints (10%)
   • median 9,100 mi at 1.5 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe a loud bang followed by the panoramic sunroof or fixed roof glass breaking and glass falling into the cabin, usually with no reported impact from debris. Complaints note the glass was closed at the time and that no warning appeared beforehand. According to complaints, some owners contacted dealers for repair and were awaiting a response. Mostly reported on highway trips at speed, and in one complaint on a hot day.

   What to check: Inspect the roof glass for chips, stress marks or previous replacement, and ask whether the sunroof or fixed glass panel has ever been repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving to work and a loud noise (pop) was heard and then I realized the sunroof had basically exploded. Glass was all over the car and all over myself. I immediately got off the road and turned on my hazard lights to assess the situation. This could have caused an accident had I not remained calm. Contacted dealership this morning. Waiting to hear back. No prior warning to this happening.”

   NHTSA complaint #11724541, filed 2026-03

   “I was driving on the freeway when it sounded like an explosion inside the vehicle occurred. I was not sure what it was at first, and then I started to hear glass rattling in the sunroof area. I pulled over and looked on top of the vehicle and the sunroof glass has exploded. Nothing hit the vehicle, so heat must have caused the sunroof to explode. It was approximately 103 degrees outside per the vehicle's thermometer.”

   NHTSA complaint #11541161, filed 2023-08

Buying note. A pre-purchase diagnostic scan and a highway test drive that exercises cruise control, the collision-avoidance system and the transmission will surface most of what owners describe here. Ask for service records showing whether the relevant engine and transmission software updates and any horn replacement were 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.