Hyundai Santa Fe Transmission / powertrain problems
1.02 vs. all vehicles Rising
249 of the 2,092 complaints about the Hyundai Santa Fe (11.9%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's third-largest problem area. That share is 1.0× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
249Complaints · Transmission / powertrain
11.9%Share of complaints
1.02×vs. all vehicles
81Last 12 months
4.8%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
81 Transmission / powertrain complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 48 in the 12 months before — up 69%.
12 of these reports (4.8%) describe a crash or fire, with 9 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 24V529000 (2024-07-12, model year 2024).
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
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned on and shifted into park, the vehicle unexpectedly rolled away with no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then collided with a tree.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-05-06 · ODI 11736056 · Crash
On September 20, 2026, my 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy suffered sluggish acceleration while operating on a public roadway due to an internal dual-clutch transmission (DCT) failure.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770668
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
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
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, after the light turned to green, the vehicle stalled and became inoperable.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-08 · ODI 11769958
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE Campaign 24V529000 · 2024-07-12 · Model years: 2024
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024 Santa Fe vehicles. A software error in the transmission control unit may result in a vehicle roll away when the vehicle is in PARK.
Remedy: Owners are advised to use the emergency parking brake after parking their vehicles. Hyundai will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update for the transmission control unit. In addition, dealers will inspect and replace the dual clutch transmission, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning August 26, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 263.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Campaign 22V746000 · 2022-10-06 · Model years: 2021, 2022
Summary: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.
