Santa Fe Jerks Left on Hard Acceleration… Normal?

Got a 2022 Santa Fe 2.5T, and I’ve noticed something odd—when I hit the gas hard, especially when the turbo kicks in, the car jerks slightly to the left.

It’s not super aggressive, but it’s noticeable enough that I’m wondering if this is normal. Any ideas on what’s causing it?

Sounds like torque steer. The 2.5T makes around 300hp, and Hyundai’s AWD system is front-wheel-drive biased, so when you floor it, the front wheels might be fighting for grip, causing the pull.

@Lyle
That makes sense. My wife hates it—she told me she’s now hesitant to punch it, even when she needs to, like merging onto the Atlanta freeway where everyone’s doing 80 mph.

Yep, totally normal—that’s just torque steer.

Colby said:
Yep, totally normal—that’s just torque steer.

This is actually the first FWD-based car we’ve ever owned. We’ve always had Infiniti RWD cars and Dodge/Ford trucks, so this is a totally new experience for us.

@Devon
Just gotta hold that wheel tight and hope there aren’t any ruts in the road. :sweat_smile:

Yep, that’s torque steer for you. Pretty common in FWD and FWD-based AWD cars.

If you think this is bad, you should have tried driving a MazdaSpeed3—that thing was straight-up suicidal when you floored it. :joy:

Definitely torque steer, but a few things you can check:

  • Tire pressure—make sure both front tires are at the same PSI.
  • Tire wear—if one tire is slightly more worn, it can cause a pull.
  • Road conditions—if the road is rutted, it can exaggerate the effect.

If it keeps bothering you, swap the front tires (driver side ↔ passenger side) and see if that changes anything.

@Pat
Just put on brand new tires about 2,500 miles ago, but I’ll definitely check the pressure!

Devon said:
@Pat
Just put on brand new tires about 2,500 miles ago, but I’ll definitely check the pressure!

Did it happen with the old tires too, or only after the new ones?

If it didn’t happen before, try swapping the two front tires. Some tires have a radial pull that can get worse with high torque.

Either way, your car shouldn’t pull that much under acceleration, so it’s worth troubleshooting.

I had the same issue during a test drive, but it turned out to be the lane departure assist messing with me.

If you haven’t already, turn off lane-keeping assist and see if the problem goes away!