24 Hyundai Santa Fe Transmission issues

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fire09
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9:08a, 7/7/24
AG
Word of warning to anyone looking at these vehicles in the non-hybrid configuration. Outside of their radical style change, which I personally thought looked hideous, these are feature loaded and very reasonably priced vehicles. We picked one of the calligraphy models for my wife about 3 weeks ago.

300 miles later and we have a DCT failure, blown transmission. Hyundai without even a second of hesitation has offered to initiate a buy back in lieu of a warranty repair. Major red flag. They are having problems with catastrophic drivetrain failures and a recall is likely incoming. The dealer we purchased from had two other Santa fe's in line in front of me for a transmission, and had no clue when they were getting any more parts in.

Figured I'd spare one of my fellow texaggers the same misery as the dealerships have been very quiet about this known issue.

Back to the drawing board for a new car....done with Hyundai as it's the second power train failure we've experienced in a Hyundai in two months (24 Santa Fe replaced a 14 Santa Fe sport with a blown engine).

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Mookie
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9:57a, 7/7/24
JJWAGGIE
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1:23p, 7/7/24
AG
same thing happened with one just purchased by my mother and sister… they were so proud and happy to have that vehicle after driving two vehicles into the ground and it bricked at around 900miles. Supposedly they are putting in a new transmission middle next week… they were very first to come into their Houston area dealer with the issue. Can't seem to figure out what the problem is leaving me to wonder if it's not just going to happen again.
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dubi
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In reply to fire09 • 2:31p, 7/7/24
AG
I owned two Sante Fe's (2014/2019) and just purchased a Palisade in May; this post makes me glad i shifted to a different vehicle.
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Redstone
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5:42p, 7/7/24
AG
Brother in Law had a new Sante Fe. Not a fan of Hyundai.
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chet98
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5:46p, 7/7/24
AG
Very interesting. I was eyeing these but can't get past the ugly rear end.

When doing some youtube research I came across "Car Confections" review guys. They reviewed the new Santa Fe and initially really liked it. Later (not much later but I don't remember the mileage) their transmission gave out and I believe Hyundai replaced it. The review guys were very careful not to throw Hyundai under the bus at the time "it could have just been a one off issue with theirs" type of discussion. Sounds like maybe not so one off...

https://www.youtube.com/@CarConfections
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fire09
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In reply to JJWAGGIE • 5:53p, 7/7/24
AG
Their solution proposed (for us) was to put the exact same part type transmission into the vehicle and hand it back. If they've identified the issue, the fix hasn't snaked its way through their engineering and manufacturing implementation yet, meaning the problem could potentially repeat itself at any point. Also, they are still selling new vehicles with faulty transmissions. Being the primary mode of transport for my spouse and kid, that's not an acceptable resolution for us. The local service department has no insight to the origin of the problem. They are just parroting their marching orders from HMUSA.
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JJWAGGIE
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In reply to fire09 • 5:57p, 7/7/24
AG
That is exactly what I'm concerned about… they went from two vehicles to one single "very relable" car and that is not what it was and there is very little to no guarantee that once "fixed" it will be. How did you get them to offer the by back option?
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fire09
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In reply to chet98 • 5:57p, 7/7/24
AG
Check out their most recent video, Hyundai went ahead and bought back their vehicle after repeat failures. I think the initial failure was at ~27 miles. They had qualified for several unique clauses of 'lemon law' in their state but gave Hyundai plenty of rope to fix it. The issue is definitely being underplayed/masked at the sales desk. Just didn't want another ag to get bit in the ass with it.

Really frustrating because we test drove about 15 cars to get to purchase stage and now we have to more or less start that process over. I'm not a fan of their exterior aesthetics but man they are nice on the inside.
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fire09
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In reply to JJWAGGIE • 6:09p, 7/7/24
AG
After 2 failures (engine throwing a rod and blown transmission) in 45 days on two separate vehicles, stranding my spouse on a highway with my infant son, when I spoke with them I didn't ask. And they didn't push back. My advice is to contact their consumer affairs group as I did and be very direct with your expectations. They know they have put out a **** product. They need to make it right with you, and they seem to have been receptive to that so far, at least from what I've read online. Any social media blasting gets pretty immediate attention too.
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JJWAGGIE
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In reply to fire09 • 6:25p, 7/7/24
AG
Got it! I'll mention that to them so that they have an ideas to work with if needed. Right now they are really hoping it will be fine cause they lived the car… frustrated for them.
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TexasAggie_97
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In reply to fire09 • 8:41p, 7/7/24
AG
fire09 said:
Word of warning to anyone looking at these vehicles in the non-hybrid configuration. Outside of their radical style change, which I personally thought looked hideous, these are feature loaded and very reasonably priced vehicles. We picked one of the calligraphy models for my wife about 3 weeks ago.

300 miles later and we have a DCT failure, blown transmission. Hyundai without even a second of hesitation has offered to initiate a buy back in lieu of a warranty repair. Major red flag. They are having problems with catastrophic drivetrain failures and a recall is likely incoming. The dealer we purchased from had two other Santa fe's in line in front of me for a transmission, and had no clue when they were getting any more parts in.

Figured I'd spare one of my fellow texaggers the same misery as the dealerships have been very quiet about this known issue.

Back to the drawing board for a new car....done with Hyundai as it's the second power train failure we've experienced in a Hyundai in two months (24 Santa Fe replaced a 14 Santa Fe sport with a blown engine).

Ha my wife's 2013 Santa Fe also blew the engine and it did it while I was driving up to trade it in.
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Silvy
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10:56p, 7/7/24
AG
Utilizing a DCT in the Santa Fe is an interesting move
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Dill-Ag13
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6:23a, 7/8/24
AG
Honestly the easiest fix for any and all of these issues is to not buy a brand new vehicle from a brand new generation, particularly new engines/transmissions. Wait a year or two
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fire09
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In reply to Dill-Ag13 • 5:50p, 7/8/24
AG
Good point, this specific engine/transmission combination has been around in Hyundai/Kia since 2021. I'm not sure what, if anything, was changed before dropping into the 24 SF.
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JJWAGGIE
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In reply to fire09 • 6:50p, 7/8/24
AG
This is the part I don't get…

these things are rolling computers now, wonder if there is any chance someone blew the programming.
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neutics
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9:59p, 7/9/24
AG
I've got 4k on my '24 XRT with no issues yet but this makes me not want to keep it past the warranty (which is 100k I think for powertrain). That said my uncle with a top of the line Calligraphy is hearing low-speed ticking.

Love everything about it though probably better to get the hybrid for the tried and true 6 speed + better MPG
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fire09
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5:55a, 8/15/24
AG
Update on this for any other 24 Santa Fe drivers. A recall has been issued for faulty programming that is causing the parking gear 'lock' to engage while the vehicle is in motion. Depending on what speed this happens, the locking mechanism will most likely break off and destroy the gearing in the transmission (apologies for the laymen terms). Recall is to flash updated software for those that haven't been affected by a blown transmission yet. For those like me who already suffered catastrophic failure, the fix is to replace the transmission and the controller/computer associated with it. Hyundai has advised that parts will begin to be available in mid-september.

As previously noted, we are working through the buyback process, which is a 3-4 week ordeal. There is there still is no definite timeline as to when it will be repaired. The dealership we purchased at has 11 currently in queue for a new transmission.
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Troy91
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7:21a, 8/15/24
AG
That's quite the mistake in programming.

Taking a transmission in motion to full stop has to create catastrophic damage. Wow.
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austinag1997
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In reply to Troy91 • 7:52a, 8/15/24
AG
Troy91 said:
That's quite the mistake in programming.

Taking a transmission in motion to full stop has to create catastrophic damage. Wow.


Ya think... imagine what the gears in the transmission look like when they open it up. Seems like a easy program fix if that is truly the issue.
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10andBOUNCE
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9:48a, 8/15/24
AG
Not a car guy but enjoy lurking here. Are troublesome drivetrains becoming more of a widespread problem in the industry as all of these car manufacturers are modifying their equipment, etc.?
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austinag1997
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In reply to 10andBOUNCE • 9:54a, 8/15/24
AG
10andBOUNCE said:
Not a car guy but enjoy lurking here. Are troublesome drivetrains becoming more of a widespread problem in the industry as all of these car manufacturers are modifying their equipment, etc.?


If I had to guess it may be more attributable to post-Covid inferior products being manufactured by non-traditional entities.
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Dill-Ag13
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In reply to fire09 • 5:25a, 8/17/24
AG
fire09 said:
Update on this for any other 24 Santa Fe drivers. A recall has been issued for faulty programming that is causing the parking gear 'lock' to engage while the vehicle is in motion. Depending on what speed this happens, the locking mechanism will most likely break off and destroy the gearing in the transmission (apologies for the laymen terms). Recall is to flash updated software for those that haven't been affected by a blown transmission yet. For those like me who already suffered catastrophic failure, the fix is to replace the transmission and the controller/computer associated with it. Hyundai has advised that parts will begin to be available in mid-september.


Dang. Well that answers the question about how a 3 year old transmission in a new vehicle generation can suddenly develop problems - programming. What a time to be alive
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dubi
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9:01a, 8/18/24
AG
Crazy it was bad software that caused such catastrophic failures.

How did they miss this in road testing?t
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fire09
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8:20a, 12/11/24
AG
A final bow on this thread, tomorrow is the official surrender date of our Santa Fe, being returned to the dealership along with the rental car we've been driving. For those counting, approximately a 5 month process from date of failure, and 4 month process from Hyundai Consumer Affairs formal agreement to buyback.

Of note, there were two separate attempts to surrender the vehicle prior, but paperwork mistakes on Hyundai's end did not allow them to be completed, resulting in two wasted trips to the dealership, and hours of phone time getting those mistakes corrected. This was very disappointing and frustrating, however in the end, they did give us exactly what we wanted for the buyback and a free rental for the duration.

Ironically, the car was repaired with the new transmission two weeks ago, and we got a call from the service department to pick up our car the same day they called and scheduled the final surrender date.

TLDR: they made it right, but the giant bureaucracy made the process slow and painstaking.
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Ag for Life
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6:22a, 12/13/24
AG
What vehicles are you looking at now that this nightmare is over?
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fire09
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In reply to Ag for Life • 11:11a, 12/13/24
AG
Explorer and Traverse are on the radar for the moment. We didn't test these the first time around when we bought the Santa Fe. The runner up in the first round was the loaded Telluride. We are going to hit the auto show in Houston in Jan and get it sorted.

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