Hyundai service campaign 9C3
What it saysCertain 2025MY Santa Cruz (NXT) and Santa Fe (MX5A) vehicles equipped with the 2.5T-GDI Theta III engine may exhibit coolant residue on the back side (exhaust side) of the engine caused by a crack in the cylinder block. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Hyundai filed this with NHTSA as a service campaign dated Oct 30, 2025, received Oct 28, 2025, about the engine — 4 documents under this number: 9C3 OL, 25-01-052H DCS, 25-01-052H TSB, 25-01-052H DN. It names 2 model years (2025). A service campaign is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Certain 2025MY Santa Cruz (NXT) and Santa Fe (MX5A) vehicles equipped with the 2.5T-GDI Theta III engine may exhibit coolant residue on the back side (exhaust side) of the engine caused by a crack in the cylinder block. The California Air Resources Board has determined that these vehicles may be releasing air pollutants which exceed Federal and California standards.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9C3 OL | Service campaign | Oct 30, 2025 | 11024690 | PDF, 229 KB |
| 25-01-052H DCS | Service campaign | Oct 21, 2025 | 11024539 | PDF, 109 KB |
| 25-01-052H TSB | Service campaign | Oct 21, 2025 | 11024509 | PDF, 990 KB |
| 25-01-052H DN | Service campaign | Oct 21, 2025 | 11024508 | PDF, 442 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “2.5T-GDI ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR COOLANT LEAK”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| 97690-34350 | O-Ring | — |
| 97690-34330 | O-Ring | — |
| 00232-19098 | gallons | — |
| 28751-3S100 | Exhaust Pipe Gasket (Front) | 1 |
| 28751-2S000 | Exhaust Pipe Gasket (Rear) | 1 |
| 56415-L1000 | Steering Joint Assembly-Bolt | 1 |
| 57799-4D200 | Lock Nut | 4 |
| 55259-2M000 | — | 2 |
| 21991-P6000 | Roll Rod Bracket Bolt | 1 |
| 49551-4T000 | Castle Nut (Front Axles) | 2 |
| 11435-10256 | — | 7 |
| 54559-1F000 | Front Stabilizer Bar Nuts | 2 |
| 51759-F6000 | Engine Support Bracket Nuts | 3 |
| 09568-2J100 | Ball Joint Separator | — |
| 09568-4R100 | Joint Separator | — |
| 09252-C1000 | Remover & Installer | — |
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 50DA04R2 | — | 7.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (10 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Hyundai’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote.
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 269 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 48 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Bought this brand new Santa Fe in July 2025 and on day 5 after purchasing this vehicle, car stopped accelerating while driving on highway, which is a serious safety concern. Took the vehicle back to the dealership and turned out the issue is with failed catalytic converter and they had to replace it.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 22, 2025 · ODI 11695081
Radiator is leaking coolant at the bottom. Upon close inspections it is noted the front grill design of the vehicle leaves the radiator super exposed to the elements and road hazards causing excessive damage to the radiator during normal everyday use.
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 13, 2026 · ODI 11770815
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group23 other manufacturer communications filed against these Hyundai models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Hyundai list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9C7 | Service campaign | Oct 9, 2026 | Certain Santa Fe Hybrid (TM HEV), Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid (TM PHEV), Tucson Hybrid (NX4 HEV), and Tucson Plug-in Hybrid (NX4 PHEV) vehicles… |
| 26-EM-017H | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Certain Palisade (LX2) and Santa Fe (NC) vehicles equipped with Lambda II 6-cylinder engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil con… |
| 26-EM-016H | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2026 | Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the… |
| 26-EM-015H | Service bulletin | Oct 7, 2026 | Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides t… |
| 9C2 | Service campaign | May 21, 2026 | Certain 2019 – 2020 model year Santa Fe, 2017 – 2018 model year Santa Fe Sport, 2015 – 2019 model year Sonata, and 2018 – 2021 model year Tu… |
| 26-EE-003H | Service bulletin | Apr 18, 2026 | Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather. This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter… |
| TXX8 | Warranty extension | Feb 11, 2026 | Certain 2013 – 2019 model year Santa Fe/Santa Fe XL vehicles equipped with 3.3L Lambda II GDI engines may experience abnormal engine noise o… |
| 26-EM-005H | Service bulletin | Feb 5, 2026 | Some Santa Fe (TMA) vehicles may have DTCs P218100, P2181F0, and/or P2181F1 (Cooling System Performance) set in the Electronic Control Unit… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Hyundai, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Hyundai 9C3 a recall?
No. A service campaign is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 9C3 repair free?
A service campaign is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does 9C3 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz, 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: Santa Fe (MX5A): built 13 Dec 2024 – 25 Jan 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.