CSR

Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2012 Hyundai Equus

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

8

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 Hyundai Equus have filed 8 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2014 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 4 of them (50%). The typical failure was reported at 41,000 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

16V117000 · February 29, 2016

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2012 Genesis vehicles manufactured August 1, 2011, to April 30, 2012, and 2011-2013 Equus vehicles manufactured July 10, 2011, to June 12, 2012. The windshield wiper motor cover seal on the affected vehicles may degrade allowing corrosion on the wiper motor's circuit board. The corrosion can cause intermittent or total loss of wiper function.
The risk
Inoperative wipers during inclement weather can decrease driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiper motor cover and seal, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 140.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 18,700 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 8.

POWER TRAIN 4 50%
ENGINE 3 38%
SUSPENSION 2 25%
AIR BAGS 1 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 13%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 13%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 3.

2014 2026
2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 75,000 miles

FOLLOWING A SLIP ON THE ROAD I AM THE VICTIM OF AN ACCIDENT ON THE EDGE OF A HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CAR STRUCK THE MOUNTAIN, BUT THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO ACTIVATE IN THE ACCIDENT RESULTING IN A FRONTAL IMPACT, WHICH CAUSED ME SERIOUS INJURY. WHY THE AIRBAGS ARE NOT TRIGGERED ?? THE CAR MADE SEVERAL ROTATIONS AND SUFFERED IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE AND DESPITE EVERYTHING THE AIRBAGS WERE NOT TRIGGERED.

NHTSA complaint 11326655. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I am writing to log an immediate emergency update to my vehicle safety report regarding my 2012 Hyundai Equus Signature 5.0L. On Friday afternoon, July 10, 2026, Hyundai Motor America’s corporate office formally initiated a high-level Tier-2 supervisor review to investigate the severe powertrain safety hazard currently present on my vehicle—specifically, a catastrophic internal rupture of the transmission fluid cooler loop that has cross-contaminated and flooded my engine block infrastructure and main radiator with high-velocity metallic shrapnel. However, today, Saturday, July 11, 2026, the servicing franchise dealership, Patrick Hyundai, issued an immediate verbal denial of all goodwill

NHTSA complaint 11749721, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I am reporting a severe vehicle safety hazard involving a sudden loss of motive power and extreme thermal failure on my 2012 Hyundai Equus Signature 5.0L. In July 2022, at 88,845 miles, an authorized Hyundai dealership replaced the transmission under a factory warranty event. Rather than replacing the transmission oil cooler assembly—which was contaminated with heavy metal shrapnel from the original mechanical breakdown—the servicing dealer chose to only flush the lines, creating a latent fluid restriction. After approximately 18,000 miles of operation, this restriction completely choked the transmission fluid pressure loop. The extreme thermal stress and back-pressure caused the internal

NHTSA complaint 11749120, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I was driving on the highway and my transmission due to a failed transmission service done to my vehicle caused my vehicle’s transmission to overheat a blowout my transmission cooler and mix coolant and transmission fluid unknown to me because of a clogged transmission cooler line improperly flushed instead of replaced by the Patrick Hyundai dealership there could’ve been and electrical fire or a crash due to these things.

NHTSA complaint 11748611. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION

108,516 miles

FROM THE DESK OF LMI'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: [XXX] I PURCHASED 2012 EQUUS ON MARCH 7, 2012 WITH 108,216 MILES. THE CARS SUSPENSION STARTED GOING BAD AS OF LAST WEEK. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK ON MARCH 20, 2020 TO HAVE A MIRROR REPLACED AND TO DISCUSS THE SUSPENSION PROBLEM. IT?S BEEN OVER A WEEK AND TODAY THEM AFTER A 45 MINUTE DRIVE I WAS TOLD THEY HAD THE WRONG MIRROR...EVEN THOUGH I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE PERSON ([XXX]) AND HE ASSURED ME EVERYTHING WAS IN ORDER AND HE EVEN SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR THEM TO REPLACE THE MIRROR. WHILE I WAS THERE I SHOWED [XXX] THE SUSPENSION AND I WAS REFERRED TO THE SALES MANAGER. TALK TO THE SALES MANAGER AND HE SHOWED NO CONCERN...THE SALES MANAGER GAVE

NHTSA complaint 11318847, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

41,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI EQUUS. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE JOLTED CONTINUOUSLY AND SHIFTED INDEPENDENTLY INTO ANOTHER GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.

NHTSA complaint 10692893. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Equus

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2015 9 1
2014 36 1
2013 10 1
2011 24 2

Other 2012 Hyundai models

Every Hyundai on this site — 201 vehicles, 276 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst