2015 Hyundai Santa FE Engine Problems
Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE, 63% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 88,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “oil change” (10% of reports).
- 160engine complaints
- 88,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $9,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 57%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Oil change: mentioned in 16 of 160 complaints (10%)
- Engine seized: mentioned in 15 of 160 complaints (9%)
- Tow truck: mentioned in 8 of 160 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE at $9,600, and half of them between $4,000 and $10,750.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2020–2024), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 41 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 160 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 7 a fire.
Hyundai Santa FE engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Santa FE | 2 | 5% | 5,100 |
| 2025 Santa FE | 14 | 10% | — |
| 2024 Santa FE | 13 | 8% | — |
| 2023 Santa FE | 35 | 17% | 1,108 |
| 2022 Santa FE | 54 | 27% | 13,750 |
| 2021 Santa FE | 37 | 22% | 28,000 |
| 2020 Santa FE | 80 | 37% | 19,000 |
| 2019 Santa FE | 73 | 36% | 16,000 |
| 2018 Santa FE | 54 | 50% | 16,000 |
| 2017 Santa FE | 650 | 67% | 45,000 |
| 2016 Santa FE | 151 | 64% | 84,500 |
| 2015 Santa FE | 160 | 63% | 88,000 |
| 2014 Santa FE | 274 | 56% | 85,000 |
| 2013 Santa FE | 273 | 45% | 89,163 |
| 2012 Santa FE | 228 | 65% | 89,662 |
| 2011 Santa FE | 64 | 35% | 47,506 |
| 2010 Santa FE | 37 | 14% | 90,300 |
| 2009 Santa FE | 60 | 17% | 89,780 |
| 2008 Santa FE | 60 | 11% | 88,000 |
| 2007 Santa FE | 54 | 8% | 93,132 |
| 2006 Santa FE | 3 | 3% | 126,000 |
| 2005 Santa FE | 11 | 5% | 107,592 |
| 2004 Santa FE | 16 | 5% | 100,000 |
| 2003 Santa FE | 8 | 3% | 89,000 |
| 2002 Santa FE | 10 | 6% | 114,000 |
| 2001 Santa FE | 7 | 3% | 113,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Driving on highway no warning lights appeared the car made a loud pop noise and heavy smoke appeared from under the hood. Immediately pulled over and noticed all of the oil poured out and was nasty looking. The car was up to date on oil change. My car was towed home and bone dry no oil and no…
I was driving down the road ( a busy Farm to market road) and my car lost power and died. Luckily i got off of the road. I tried to start the car again, but it kept dying. I had my son in law come help me move the car to a friends house so that I could get it to the dealership. It was after hours…
The engine failed due to complete and sudden oil loss. The vehicle is currently at Fremont Hyundai and available for inspection. Safety risk: the engine failed while driving on the highway with children in the vehicle. A check engine light appeared with no prior warning, the vehicle immediately…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2015 Hyundai Santa FEs have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 160 owner complaints about engine for the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE (63% of the 254 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 88,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE?
Owners report a typical cost of $9,600 (half paid between $4,000 and $10,750), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2015 Hyundai Santa FE?
The most frequent phrase is “oil change”, in 16 of 160 complaints, followed by “engine seized” (15).
See all 2015 Hyundai Santa FE problems or engine problems across all Santa FE years.