PlainRecordsHYUNDAI SANTA FE, TUCSON: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING: CRITICAL FASTENERS
- What can happen
- A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
- Potentially affected
- 29
Completion rate: 100.0% of the 29 vehicles potentially affected, the share the maker has reported to NHTSA as remedied, as listed in NHTSA's recalls data (updated Nov. 13, 2026). A recall protects people only when the repair is done.
Is your vehicle in this recall? It depends on the vehicle's VIN, not its make, model or year: check a VIN or use NHTSA's VIN lookup.
- Date (report received by NHTSA)
- Aug. 25, 2025
- Filed by
- Hyundai Motor America
- Vehicles
- HYUNDAI SANTA FE (2025, 2026); HYUNDAI TUCSON (2025, 2026)
- Component
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING › CRITICAL FASTENERS
- Description of the defect
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
- Potentially affected
- 29
- What can happen
- A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
- Owner notification date
- Oct. 23, 2025
- Manufacturer campaign number
- 281
- Recall type
- V (vehicle)
- Influenced by
- MFR
- Manufacturer's component
- Engine Assy-Sub · 2.5L GDI Theta 3 Engine (2WD/4WD NX4a) · 12HS12SK00; Engine Assy-Sub · 2.5T Theta 3 GDI Engine (2WD/4WD MX5a) · 24HS12SK00; Engine Assy-Sub · 2.5T Theta 3 GDI Engine (2WD/4WD MX5a) · 26HS12SK00
- Recall number
- 25V549000
How this defect works
A simplified drawing of the part, following the words of NHTSA's record. It shows how the defect is described, not an event.
What the notice says to do (the remedy, in its words)
“Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.” “A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.”HYUNDAI ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:CRITICAL FASTENERS recall, NHTSA recall record, 2025-08-25. The caption and the remedy steps are the record's own words.
A generic drawing of the kind of part, not the part itself. The failure mark follows the record's verb; the phrases on the right are the record's own words. The test dummy stands for the risk the notice names (“risk of a crash”); it is not a record of something that happened.
If the drawing and the record's words differ, the words govern. A drawing is chosen by rules and an AI reading of the record and can miss what it means; report one with the form below.
This recall among the others
- HYUNDAI: 44 other recalls or notices on this site in the three years before this one (from Aug. 26, 2022).
Counted from the agency records on this site, as on Statistics: a recall event once, by its first notice.
What should I do? Car recall: how to check your car and get it fixed · How to read this record
Source: NHTSA · Vehicle record. View the agency notice. The agency notice governs; check it and the company before acting.
Cite this record
NHTSA recall record 25V549000, Aug. 25, 2025. PlainRecords' title: "HYUNDAI SANTA FE, TUCSON: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING: CRITICAL FASTENERS." PlainRecords, https://plainrecords.com/recall/vehicle/25v549000/ (as of the day it was built).At each build a sample of records from each source is compared with the agency's published file and the page; every correction is public. Drawings are chosen by software that reads the record. Built daily. How we check · Corrections