2026 Hyundai Santa Fe problems, complaints & recalls
MoreRising
NHTSA has received 54 owner complaints about the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, or 54.0 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.34, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 73 model-year 2026 vehicles we track, it ranks #65 of 73 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Hyundai models its rate is about the same; against other Midsize SUVs it is about the same.
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 2025-11-28 and 2026-10-10. Median delay from incident to filing: 3 days.
54Complaints
54.0Complaints per year on the road
1.34Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
4Recalls
0.0%Share involving a crash or fire
54Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2025) drew 129.8 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Unspecified or other (18.5% of complaints), followed by Electrical (13.0%) and Driver-assist systems (13.0%). Unspecified or other complaints are 2.1 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 0 reports (0.0%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 3 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 5 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (100% of incidents). In the last 12 months 54 complaints were filed, versus none in the 12 months before.
There is a safety risk on the 2nd row seats crushing a child. In my 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid (Calligraphy trim), I've had two incidents where a child in the 3rd row pressed the button in the trunk to close the 2nd row captain's chair seats, crushing a…
Other · 2026-09-19 · ODI 11765532
Please keep in mind that I am not a mechanic and only a consumer so my specific knowledge of vehicle systems is limited. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
Electrical · 2026-08-24 · ODI 11759180
On October 9, 2026, a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy with approximately 2,702 miles experienced abnormal braking and severe jerking/vibration while being driven at low speed in a parking lot.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-10 · ODI 11770318
Vehicle lost power and went into "limp mode" at highway speed on a busy interstate. I was able to get to the shoulder and "limp" to the next exit (would not exceed 30 mph) but I was lucky to be able to safely get there.
Engine · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770066
My digital instrument cluster is intermittently going black and displaying 'Lost Signal' while driving. I took the vehicle in a month ago and they stated they could not replicate and this was not a known problem, that I would need to record the issue in a…
Electrical · 2026-10-05 · ODI 11768959
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.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
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.
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.
