2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 257 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (101 complaints · 39.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 8
  • Fires 6
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2009 →
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 POWER TRAIN appears in 101 of 257 owner complaints (39.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 101 complaints, 39.3% of reports POWER TRAIN 101 · 39.3% ENGINE: 36 complaints, 14.0% of reports ENGINE 36 · 14.0% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 15 complaints, 5.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 · 5.8% · 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 14 complaints, 5.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 · 5.5% SUSPENSION: 12 complaints, 4.7% of reports SUSPENSION 12 · 4.7% FUEL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 4.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 11 · 4.3% · 1 crash reports AIR BAGS: 7 complaints, 2.7% of reports AIR BAGS 7 · 2.7% · 2 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 7 complaints, 2.7% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 7 complaints, 2.7% of reports STRUCTURE 7 · 2.7% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 92 complaints, 35.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 92 · 35.8% · 1 crash reports 2 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)
POWER TRAIN 101 39.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 36 14.0% 1 crashes · 2 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 5.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 12 4.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 11 4.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 7 2.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 2.7% 1 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 7 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 92 35.8% 1 crashes · 2 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 Apr 2010; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2011. 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 25 owner reports 25 2010-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2011-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2011-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2011-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2011-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2014-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2016-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2016-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Apr 2010 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 11V261000 ◆ Recall campaign 11V261000 Recall campaign 11E040000 ◆ Recall campaign 11E040000 Recall campaign 13V113000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V113000 Investigation PE11010 ● Investigation PE11010 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003
  • Campaign 11V261000 was reported 370 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 13V113000 was reported 774 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 25
2010-Q4 Owner reports 17
2011-Q1 Owner reports 14
2011-Q2 Owner reports 8
2011-Q3 Owner reports 10
2011-Q4 Owner reports 9
2012-Q1 Owner reports 3
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 3
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 7
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 8
2014-Q3 Owner reports 6
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 7
2016-Q2 Owner reports 4
2016-Q3 Owner reports 10
2016-Q4 Owner reports 6
2017-Q1 Owner reports 4
2017-Q2 Owner reports 6
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 6
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 8
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 7
2019-Q3 Owner reports 3
2019-Q4 Owner reports 5
2020-Q1 Owner reports 3
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 4
2020-Q4 Owner reports 4
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q2 Owner reports 5
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 2
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 4
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 3
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 3
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 11V261000
Recall campaign 1 11E040000
Recall campaign 1 13V113000
Defect investigation 1 PE11010
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
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 11V261000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION MAY CAUSE LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT GEAR AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER 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 257 complaints · page 1 of 11

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