2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 180 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (55 complaints · 30.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 12
  • Fires 8
  • Injuries 9
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2010 →
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 ENGINE appears in 55 of 180 owner complaints (30.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 55 complaints, 30.6% of reports ENGINE 55 · 30.6% · 6 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 16 complaints, 8.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 · 8.9% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 14 complaints, 7.8% of reports STEERING 14 · 7.8% · 2 crash reports 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 13 complaints, 7.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 13 · 7.2% · 1 crash reports SUSPENSION: 13 complaints, 7.2% of reports SUSPENSION 13 · 7.2% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 13 complaints, 7.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 · 7.2% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 12 complaints, 6.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 12 · 6.7% · 2 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 10 complaints, 5.6% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 · 5.6% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 7 complaints, 3.9% of reports STRUCTURE 7 · 3.9% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 25 complaints, 13.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 25 · 13.9% · 3 crash 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)
ENGINE 55 30.6% 0 crashes · 6 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 8.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 14 7.8% 2 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 13 7.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 13 7.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 7.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 12 6.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 5.6% 1 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 7 3.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 25 13.9% 3 crashes · 0 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 Jan 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2010. 2011-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2013-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2014-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Dec 2010 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 10V613000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V613000 Recall campaign 11E040000 ◆ Recall campaign 11E040000 Recall campaign 13V113000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V113000 Investigation PE12029 ● Investigation PE12029 Investigation DP18003 ● Investigation DP18003 Investigation PE19003 ● Investigation PE19003 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q1 Owner reports 4
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 5
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 5
2012-Q4 Owner reports 6
2013-Q1 Owner reports 5
2013-Q2 Owner reports 11
2013-Q3 Owner reports 6
2013-Q4 Owner reports 6
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 8
2014-Q3 Owner reports 4
2014-Q4 Owner reports 5
2015-Q1 Owner reports 8
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2015-Q4 Owner reports 5
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 4
2017-Q1 Owner reports 5
2017-Q2 Owner reports 5
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 4
2019-Q1 Owner reports 3
2019-Q2 Owner reports 5
2019-Q3 Owner reports 7
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 5
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 10V613000
Recall campaign 1 11E040000
Recall campaign 1 13V113000
Defect investigation 1 PE12029
Defect investigation 1 DP18003
Defect investigation 1 PE19003
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 10V613000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    AS A RESULT, BRAKE FLUID WILL LEAK, FOLLOWED BY ILLUMINATION OF THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT INDICATING THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL IS LOW AND SHOULD BE CHECKED, THEN A SOFT OR SPONGY BRAKE PEDAL FEEL, AND IF NOT SERVICED, REDUCED BRAKING POWER WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR CALIPERS AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 17, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AT 1-800-243-7766.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. 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 →

  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 180 complaints · page 1 of 8

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