2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Review: Comfortable & Upscale Midsize SUV With Some Minor Problems

Karyn on December 14, 2023

My engine is officially blown. Paid $3000 for a head gasket and a little over a month later the engine has seized. I still owe 8k and no one is able to help unless I put another 10k into it. Even if that's the case whose to say it won't happen again. Im so tired of this car can anyone give me advice?

Becka on July 18, 2023

I bought my Santa Fe in 2021 with 87,000 miles. I absolutely loved it! Gas mileage was fair and it was great for our family with 4 kids. I had the oil changed on time and checked it between changes and had no knowledge of the issues with Hyundai and Kia engines. I had never even seen a warning light on. In May 2023,with 108,000 miles, I was on a highway going about 60 mph with one of my children when I realized something was wrong. I looked down and every light was lit on the dash and the car had completely shut off! I was in the fast lane so I put on my signal to try and get off the road. I had no power steering and just a little regular steering but I was able to get over and then realized I had no brakes! Thank God, I was near a business and was able to drift into a parking lot until I stopped. That was it! DONE! I had it towed to a dealer but within an hour on Google, I knew my engine had blown, with NO warning, just like millions of other Kias and Hyundais! Unfortunately, I had the 3.3l V6 engine which has yet to be recalled, and because I wasn't the original owner, the warranty was only until 60,000 miles. It will be $10,000 to repair and 99% of the engines that are used to replace the blown ones, fail too, some with only a few miles on them. They never corrected the problem with all of their engines and are still making them the same way. I'm a 62 year old widow raising 4 of my grandchildren and it's going to ruin me financially. It's sad because it seems to be women with children who are the victims of these companies.

Loretta on May 16, 2022

We bought our 2016 Santa Fe sport in 2019, and since the day we took it for a test drive, we should have left it there and walked away. The day we went to take for a test drive, the salesman had to get it boosted. Then once it was boosted, we took it for a test drive, half the dash lights didn't work, the side mirrors would go up and down for no reason. The salesman was good, he convinced us to buy it and promised to change the battery and when they did it seemed to work better, so we bought it. Shortly after getting it home, the hatchback would randomly open whether you hit the button or not or even in the car or not. The heated drivers side seat stopped working, as soon as you turned it on, a few seconds later it start blinking and shut off. Then after a couple more weeks, the SUV would continuously turn over, but after a few mins or a few tries it would eventually start. And that took them pretty close to a year to figure out what was wrong. Then after they fixed all those problems, the car finally as it should until my heated seat stopped working again this past winter, and the mirrors still move up to the sky and then point to the ground when your trying to back up, very annoying. Then on May 4th my car once again left me stranded on the side of the road with the engine light blinking and no power to drive. So I once again called Hyundai dealership and told them what had happened. They told me to call RSA (road side assistance) and have it towed to the dealership. Which we did and has been there since then, and have left a few messages for the mechanic to call me back so I know what is going on. I have yet to hear from her, but my husband literally stopped in to the dealership and they said that the engine is gone and they will put in a new one, but that's the part is in Toronto and should be here on the Island on Friday past and should be ready by Monday (today) at the latest and am still waiting for a call back to see what is going on. But the part that annoys me the most, is that they will not give me a courtesy car to get back and forth to work, because they say they have none available…. So needless to say I have missed a week and some off work because I have no vehicle….. my husband works on the road, all over the Island, and is gone most days very early and not home till late… FEELING VERY FRUSTRATED!!!

Jenny Showes on March 16, 2022

Thought I had a wonderful car until the engine died with no warning lights at all. Told by dealership that 112,000 mile 2016 3.3L V6 engine is damaged and needs to be replaced but is not one of the 7+ million on recall. Same "knock of death" issue as engines on recall although car was well maintained at dealership. Still no warning lights on car and they want over $9,000 to put a new engine in. Hyundai/Kia seems to be hiding a bigger issue as many different engines are all having the same exact issue with rod bearings breaking.

Gary J on June 16, 2021

Engine se up was Seized up was replaced by manufacture 10000 miles put on replacement an now going through problem and catching xxxx fro m them to fix the problem.

SantaFeMAGA on March 24, 2021

Agree with the other reviewers. Great car all around. Best bang for your buck. Until my wife's car I was not familiar with Hyundai. She has a 2015 sonata sport and it was so dependable and nicely equipped that I was sold on the brand when my wife's car hit 130k and she never did anything to it except brakes, new tires, and oil changes.. not to mention that one is still going strong today as well. So anyway... Bought the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe limited ultimate awd used a year ago with 50k miles on it for similar reasons others seem to have bought one. Dependability, comparable or better features than competitors in its class, not bad on gas mpg, tons of cargo space, great tow capacity, pano sunroof, heated and cooling seats, standard plug in trunk, second row captains seats that recline and move forward and back oh not to mention are heated, heated steering wheel, great v6 power house, privacy shades in second row, nice touch screen, awesome 10 speaker audio system with subwoofer, high intensity headlights, oh and a limited slip rear locking differential that is on vehicles like the new genesis suv or my ram 1500, both are around $50kish new with those options. The only thing I wish it had which my one year older 2015 ram 1500 Laramie longhorn has is front sensors for parking and led lit side door storage areas but that truck was $10-15k more brand new than the Santa Fe was new... So moral of the story, pretty impressive Hyundai.

Ed on February 12, 2021

Have had this Santa Fe ultra limited for 2 years it has all the options available in 2016. This SUV has been on several trips gas mileage is about what EPA quotes we love this rig

James on January 15, 2021

It is a great vehicle. It's spacious, comfortable and fun to drive. It is easy to park and has a great navigation system. I highly recommend it.

JamesF on June 11, 2020

It has all the bells and whistles we wanted and more! Its sporty and rides and handles great. The gas mileage is as advertised. We're very pleased with it.

53 WILLYS on March 17, 2020

I own 2 Santa Fe sports both have Continental tires and they are the worst tire I have ever used. Other then that it's a great car.