NHTSA Complaint #11549939 — 2014 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

On 9/16/23 in Pierpont, OH, my 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's engine seized driving 55 mph. No warning as engine lost power. Drifted to side road into parking lot. Engine smelled of electric burning (diagnosed at dealer with burned out battery as well as burned out starter as well as catastrophic engine failure). I have always carried an auto fire extinguisher in this car as they have been known to catch fire when engines seized and I had researched the problems with these engines since being notified of the engineering defects they have. At the time of the engine failure, I had my husband and my dog in the car, as we were on vacation leaving us stuck on the side of a road in 80 degree heat and we were 100 miles away from home. My vehicle was towed to Victory Hyundai in Jefferson, OH, about 11 miles from where I broke down. It has been there since awaiting diagnosing as well as submission to Hyundai for engine replacement under current powertrain warranty. I promptly had all recalls & services (oil changes) done throughout my ownership of car, as part of lifetime engine warranty program due to known engine issues with Hyundai and Kia GDI Theta engines. Engine replacement was granted on 10/13/23 by Hyundai. Will be approx 3-6 months to wait for engine to be received and replacement to be installed. Prior to engine failure, engine went into limp mode in May of 2019 with P1326 code and was towed to dealership where I purchased my vehicle (Preston Hyundai in Boardman, OH). Second software update was completed and engine checked for any defects and was cleared to drive. Had no issues with engine until it seized in September.