2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 355 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: FUEL SYSTEM (113 complaints · 31.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 27
  • Fires 5
  • Injuries 26
  • Deaths 3
Compare with 2008 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution FUEL SYSTEM appears in 113 of 355 owner complaints (31.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. FUEL SYSTEM: 113 complaints, 31.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 113 · 31.8% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 42 complaints, 11.8% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 42 · 11.8% · 10 crash reports ENGINE: 36 complaints, 10.1% of reports ENGINE 36 · 10.1% · 2 crash reports 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 32 complaints, 9.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 32 · 9.0% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 23 complaints, 6.5% of reports AIR BAGS 23 · 6.5% · 5 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 19 complaints, 5.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 · 5.4% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 14 complaints, 3.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 14 · 3.9% · 2 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 9 complaints, 2.5% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 · 2.5% · 1 fire reports STEERING: 9 complaints, 2.5% of reports STEERING 9 · 2.5% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 75 complaints, 21.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 75 · 21.1% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
FUEL SYSTEM 113 31.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 42 11.8% 10 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 36 10.1% 2 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 32 9.0% 4 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 23 6.5% 5 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 5.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 14 3.9% 2 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 2.5% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 9 2.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 75 21.1% 5 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2009; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2011. 2009-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2014-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2014-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2015-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q4: 24 owner reports 24 2016-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2016-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2018-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2018-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jul 2009 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 11E040000 ◆ Recall campaign 11E040000 Recall campaign 12V354000 ◆ Recall campaign 12V354000 Recall campaign 13V113000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V113000 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003
  • Campaign 12V354000 was reported 782 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 13V113000 was reported 1,296 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2009-Q3 Owner reports 3
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 6
2010-Q2 Owner reports 5
2010-Q3 Owner reports 5
2010-Q4 Owner reports 5
2011-Q1 Owner reports 5
2011-Q2 Owner reports 6
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 7
2012-Q3 Owner reports 9
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 5
2013-Q2 Owner reports 3
2013-Q3 Owner reports 10
2013-Q4 Owner reports 5
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 14
2014-Q3 Owner reports 11
2014-Q4 Owner reports 7
2015-Q1 Owner reports 8
2015-Q2 Owner reports 8
2015-Q3 Owner reports 13
2015-Q4 Owner reports 24
2016-Q1 Owner reports 4
2016-Q2 Owner reports 11
2016-Q3 Owner reports 14
2016-Q4 Owner reports 8
2017-Q1 Owner reports 9
2017-Q2 Owner reports 12
2017-Q3 Owner reports 4
2017-Q4 Owner reports 6
2018-Q1 Owner reports 13
2018-Q2 Owner reports 8
2018-Q3 Owner reports 9
2018-Q4 Owner reports 4
2019-Q1 Owner reports 6
2019-Q2 Owner reports 5
2019-Q3 Owner reports 7
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q1 Owner reports 5
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 5
2020-Q4 Owner reports 5
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 5
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 6
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q1 Owner reports 3
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 4
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 11E040000
Recall campaign 1 12V354000
Recall campaign 1 13V113000
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 11E040000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE CIRCUIT PROTECTION, THE MODULE CAN OVERHEAT POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    CURT MANUFACTURING WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESS. THE REMEDY WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 17, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CURT MANUFACTURING AT 1-715 831-8713.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 12V354000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V113000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 355 complaints · page 1 of 15

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources