2025 Hyundai Santa Fe problems, complaints & recalls
Far moreRising
NHTSA has received 232 owner complaints about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe, or 129.8 per year on the road — far more complaints than typical (complaint index 3.22, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 86 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #78 of 86 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Hyundai models its rate is 141% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is 147% higher.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2024-11-20 and 2026-10-12. Median delay from incident to filing: 9 days.
232Complaints
129.8Complaints per year on the road
3.22Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
5Recalls
4.3%Share involving a crash or fire
173Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 68.1 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2026) drew 54.0 per year, fewer than this one.
The most common problem area is Engine (20.3% of complaints), followed by Electrical (15.9%) and Driver-assist systems (12.1%). 10 reports (4.3%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 12 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 12 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the second year (53% of incidents). In the last 12 months 173 new complaints were filed, versus 59 in the 12 months before — up 193%.
Vehicle was turned on and in park. I placed my child in the back seat, opened the driver door and was able to enter the vehicle. The car began to roll down the driveway, while in park, and ran me over.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770541 · Crash
On 08/22/26 at approximately 11:45 AM I was stopped at a traffic light and struck by a Ford Pickup truck whose approximate speed was 45 mph as described in the police officer who witness the accident totaling my Hyundai 2025 Santa Fe. No airbags were deployed.
The vehicle has a recurring intermittent failure that can leave it completely undriveable. When starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster displays “Check Hybrid System,” “Check Emergency Stopping function,” the check-engine light, and multiple warning…
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770667
Vehicle intermittently fails to accelerate, usually happens after vehicle has been sitting 10 hours or longer. Had back to dealership 4 times, 3 times dealer was unable to reproduce concern.
Engine · 2026-10-10 · ODI 11770365
Driving vehicle on surface street, engine would not accelerate past 3000 RPM. No immediate codes or warnings, backed off gas pedal and went to accelerate again. This time many warnings illuminated. Second report from myself for same issue.
Engine · 2026-10-08 · ODI 11769868
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, 2023-2026 Genesis G90, 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach.
Risk: A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinforce or replace the seat belt anchors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning May 29, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and Genesis customer service at 844-340-9741. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 298 and 032G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov April 8, 2026.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION Campaign 25V808000 · 2025-11-21
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 288. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN Campaign 25V809000 · 2025-11-21
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.
Risk: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe vehicles. The B+ positive terminal cover on the starter motor assembly may be improperly installed, which can cause an electrical short during a crash.
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the starter motor terminal cover, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 285. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 4, 2025.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:CRITICAL FASTENERS Campaign 25V549000 · 2025-08-26
Summary: 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.
Risk: 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.
