2026 Hyundai Santa Fe drops troublesome transmission
The US market's petrol-powered Santa Fe previously employed an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) made by the Korean automaker's affiliate, Hyundai Transys, which has been the subject of multiple recalls in North America.
The most recent US recall impacted more than 12,000 vehicles with an estimated defect rate of 100 per cent. Affected Santa Fe vehicles could unexpectedly shift themselves from Park to Neutral and roll away.
This followed a previous October 2022 recall and stop-sale in the US, impacting 61,861 vehicles including the 2021-2022 Santa Fe.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
For the 2026 model year, Hyundai Motor America has replaced the DCT in 2.5-litre petrol Santa Fe with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic.
There's no change for the Santa Fe Hybrid also offered in US showrooms, which continues to use a six-speed torque-converter automatic.
The news doesn't impact the Santa Fe sold in Australia, which is manufactured in South Korea. The US-market version is produced in the US state of Alabama.
The Santa Fe has had only one transmission-related recall in Australia, where owners were warned of a potential loss of power while driving. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
An Australian recall issued in January 2023 impacted 4469 Hyundai vehicles fitted with the eight-speed DCT, including the previous-generation Santa Fe as well as the Kona small SUV, Sonata N Line sedan, and the hot i30 N hatch and sedan.
Hyundai Australia confirmed to CarExpert it has no plans to replace the eight-speed DCT that has been in the current-generation Santa Fe since it was released here in 2024.
Transmissions for Hyundai and Kia, which is also part of the broader Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), are made in the US as well as South Korea, China, and the Czech Republic.
The Kia Sorento sold in the US also uses the same eight-speed DCT, which is codenamed D8LF1, and was included in the latest US recall due to the same issues. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
Despite this, the US arm of the automaker told Car and Driver it won't follow Hyundai in switching to a conventional automatic for the Sorento.
Dual-clutch transmissions are designed to reduce fuel consumption and improve responsiveness by pre-selecting the next ratio and producing faster, smoother gear shifts when operating correctly.
Several manufacturers have faced challenges after faulty DCTs in their vehicles resulted in jerkiness and even total transmission failure.
The most prominent were from the Volkswagen Group, including its Audi brand, and Ford Australia – which is facing an ongoing class-action law suit following a record $10 million fine from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2018 for its mishandling of the customer complaints about its 'Powershift' DCTs.
Hyundai first offered a dual-clutch transmission in its Veloster sports hatch in Australia in 2012.
MORE: Everything Hyundai
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
Suzuki Jimny deliveries halted in Australia
Suzuki Australia has issued a stop-delivery order for the Suzuki Jimny five-door with immediate effect, with dealers across the country instructed by the automaker to cease all deliveries of the iconic compact off-roader until further advice from the automaker's head office in Japan. Attracting a cult-like following, the Jimny is Suzuki Australia's best-selling model, more than doubling the sales of the Swift hatch, the Japanese small-car brand's next most popular model so far this year. It's also one of the more popular entrants in the light SUV segment, in which it competes with the Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross and Hyundai Venue. In a dealer bulletin issued on Friday (July 25) and seen by CarExpert, Suzuki retailers were instructed to stop all deliveries of the Indian-built Jimny XL five-door – not the Japanese-made Jimny three-door – including showroom stock and warehoused vehicles, with no specific reason issued. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'We haven't told any customers to get off the road, so it's not a safety concern,' Suzuki Australia managing director Michael Pachota confirmed to CarExpert. Speaking at the launch of the Suzuki Fronx, Mr Pachota said the stop-delivery order will continue for the foreseeable future and played down the impact it may have on dealers and customers. 'We were informed by Suzuki Motor Corporation, as we have been informed in the past about other products as well, that they constantly review quality control everywhere in every plant,' he said. 'Based on an operational error, they've decided to do a hold on sales, just to review that, investigate that. They're going to let us know when we can switch back on.' Supplied Credit: CarExpert The specific reason for the stop-delivery order was not disclosed, but Mr Pachota suggesting several possibilities for it. 'We've done this from time to time with different products,' he said. 'It could be as simple as someone, you know, finding a nut on the floor in the factory and going, oh, what's this from?' The current Jimny attracted significant waiting lists – as long as 18 months – when the fourth-generation was launched in Australia in 2019. Year-to-date, local sales of the Jimny – three-door versions of which are set to bring a safety upgrade to match the five-door in early 2026 – are down 7.3 per cent, and the cessation of deliveries should see that figure grow. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Among other models in its lineup, Suzuki Australia confirmed in February 2025 that the three-door Jimny didn't meet newly introduced Australian Design Rules (ADR) outlining specific technical requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems. At the time, it said investigations were underway into making the popular off-roader compliant and that its 'position on this product' had 'yet to be confirmed'. Sales of the Jimny, along with other Suzuki models that fell afoul of the new ADR, have continued as the automaker secured sufficient stock complied before March 1, 2025, when ADR 98/00 came into effect. The Jimny XL is understood to be unaffected by the new ADR because it features a stereo camera instead of a forward-facing monocular camera, allowing it to offer both adaptive cruise control and night-time pedestrian detection. MORE: Everything Suzuki Jimny
7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Suzuki Jimny deliveries halted in Australia
Suzuki Australia has issued a stop-delivery order for the Suzuki Jimny five-door with immediate effect, with dealers across the country instructed by the automaker to cease all deliveries of the iconic compact off-roader until further advice from the automaker's head office in Japan. Attracting a cult-like following, the Jimny is Suzuki Australia's best-selling model, more than doubling the sales of the Swift hatch, the Japanese small-car brand's next most popular model so far this year. It's also one of the more popular entrants in the light SUV segment, in which it competes with the Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross and Hyundai Venue. In a dealer bulletin issued on Friday (July 25) and seen by CarExpert, Suzuki retailers were instructed to stop all deliveries of the Indian-built Jimny XL five-door – not the Japanese-made Jimny three-door – including showroom stock and warehoused vehicles, with no specific reason issued. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. 'We haven't told any customers to get off the road, so it's not a safety concern,' Suzuki Australia managing director Michael Pachota confirmed to CarExpert. Speaking at the launch of the Suzuki Fronx, Mr Pachota said the stop-delivery order will continue for the foreseeable future and played down the impact it may have on dealers and customers. 'We were informed by Suzuki Motor Corporation, as we have been informed in the past about other products as well, that they constantly review quality control everywhere in every plant,' he said. 'Based on an operational error, they've decided to do a hold on sales, just to review that, investigate that. They're going to let us know when we can switch back on.' The specific reason for the stop-delivery order was not disclosed, but Mr Pachota suggesting several possibilities for it. 'We've done this from time to time with different products,' he said. 'It could be as simple as someone, you know, finding a nut on the floor in the factory and going, oh, what's this from?' The current Jimny attracted significant waiting lists – as long as 18 months – when the fourth-generation was launched in Australia in 2019. Year-to-date, local sales of the Jimny – three-door versions of which are set to bring a safety upgrade to match the five-door in early 2026 – are down 7.3 per cent, and the cessation of deliveries should see that figure grow. Among other models in its lineup, Suzuki Australia confirmed in February 2025 that the three-door Jimny didn't meet newly introduced Australian Design Rules (ADR) outlining specific technical requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems. At the time, it said investigations were underway into making the popular off-roader compliant and that its 'position on this product' had 'yet to be confirmed'. Sales of the Jimny, along with other Suzuki models that fell afoul of the new ADR, have continued as the automaker secured sufficient stock complied before March 1, 2025, when ADR 98/00 came into effect. The Jimny XL is understood to be unaffected by the new ADR because it features a stereo camera instead of a forward-facing monocular camera, allowing it to offer both adaptive cruise control and night-time pedestrian detection.
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Aussie drivers vote emphatically to change speed limits up to 130km/h, but here's why it won't be happening
Aussies feel the need … the need for speed. That's according to a number of recent online surveys that put the question to the country's motorists: Should the maximum speed limit be raised? Facebook page Australian put out its survey pondering whether the speed limit in Australia should increase to 130km/h, before car website Drive did the same, not too long after. Of the 21,200 votes on Facebook, more than 19,000 voted in favour of the move. That's 90 per cent. While Drive found just under 2000 of its 2,355 voters felt the same, comparing the higher speed limits present in European countries. Apple wallet replaces car keysHyundai's Ioniq 9 allows owners to replace traditional car keys with the wallet app in their iPhone, as David McCowen reports. 'Do it like Europe, variable speed limits. No reason not to go 130 in the middle of the night on the M1. The old argument of wildlife. The last time I saw a kangaroo between Brisbane and Sydney on the M1 must have been a decade ago. More deer, etc., on European or American roads,' one user said. 'If you have answered no to this, you should proceed to your local VICRoads, etc and hand in your driver's licence. Because you can't drive,' another said emphatically. The overwhelmingly resounding yes however was a bit more spread in the comments section, with many voicing some concerns. 'No. Because half of the drivers can't handle a car at 60km/h,' one said. 'Hit a kangaroo doing 130 and it wouldn't turn out too good for you,' another said. However many believe the move would never happen due Aussies lack of driver education. 'I'm all for higher limits on outback highway, as this would help with fatigue-related accidents,' one response said. The overwhelmingly resounding yes, however, was a bit more spread in the comments section, with many voicing some concerns. 'No. Because half of the drivers can't handle a car at 60km/h,' one said. 'Hit a kangaroo doing 130 and it wouldn't turn out too good for you,' another said. However, many believe the move would never happen due to Aussies' lack of driver education. 'I'm all for higher limits on outback highway, as this would help with fatigue-related accidents,' one response said. The idea has often been a topic of hot discussion; however, it has never received any real political push for action on the matter. In the five decades since the 110km/h speed limit was introduced, only a select few zones in the Northern Territory have been expanded to allow drivers to go 130km/h. Another factor is the rise in road fatalities. Despite safer cars, around 30 per cent of crashes across the country in the past year have occurred at speeds over 100km/h, another deterrent for any real change.
