2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 352 complaints · 1 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (192 complaints · 54.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 25
  • Fires 17
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2011 →
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 192 of 352 owner complaints (54.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 192 complaints, 54.6% of reports ENGINE 192 · 54.6% · 3 crash reports 13 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 30 complaints, 8.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 30 · 8.5% · 7 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 23 complaints, 6.5% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 · 6.5% · 2 crash reports 3 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 17 complaints, 4.8% of reports POWER TRAIN 17 · 4.8% · 1 crash reports SUSPENSION: 14 complaints, 4.0% of reports SUSPENSION 14 · 4.0% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 11 complaints, 3.1% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11 · 3.1% SERVICE BRAKES: 11 complaints, 3.1% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 11 · 3.1% · 4 crash reports STEERING: 11 complaints, 3.1% of reports STEERING 11 · 3.1% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 1.7% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 6 · 1.7% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 29 complaints, 8.2% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29 · 8.2% · 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)
ENGINE 192 54.6% 3 crashes · 13 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 30 8.5% 7 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 6.5% 2 crashes · 3 fires
POWER TRAIN 17 4.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 14 4.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 11 3.1% 4 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 11 3.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 6 1.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29 8.2% 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 Oct 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2020. 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2012-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2013-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2014-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2014-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2019-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2019-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2019-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2021-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2021-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2021-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2021-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2022-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 20V746000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V746000 Investigation RQ17004 ● Investigation RQ17004 Investigation DP18003 ● Investigation DP18003 Investigation PE19003 ● Investigation PE19003 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation EA21003 ● Investigation EA21003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 11
2012-Q4 Owner reports 10
2013-Q1 Owner reports 8
2013-Q2 Owner reports 10
2013-Q3 Owner reports 12
2013-Q4 Owner reports 4
2014-Q1 Owner reports 10
2014-Q2 Owner reports 16
2014-Q3 Owner reports 13
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 4
2015-Q2 Owner reports 5
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 5
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 11
2017-Q3 Owner reports 12
2017-Q4 Owner reports 7
2018-Q1 Owner reports 7
2018-Q2 Owner reports 8
2018-Q3 Owner reports 7
2018-Q4 Owner reports 11
2019-Q1 Owner reports 11
2019-Q2 Owner reports 10
2019-Q3 Owner reports 14
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 7
2020-Q2 Owner reports 4
2020-Q3 Owner reports 8
2020-Q4 Owner reports 13
2021-Q1 Owner reports 19
2021-Q2 Owner reports 10
2021-Q3 Owner reports 6
2021-Q4 Owner reports 8
2022-Q1 Owner reports 5
2022-Q2 Owner reports 5
2022-Q3 Owner reports 4
2023-Q1 Owner reports 5
2023-Q2 Owner reports 6
2023-Q3 Owner reports 4
2023-Q4 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 3
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 3
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 3
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 2
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 20V746000
Defect investigation 1 RQ17004
Defect investigation 1 DP18003
Defect investigation 1 PE19003
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
Defect investigation 1 EA21003
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (1)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V746000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine. If bearing damage is found, the engine will be replaced. Dealers will also install a software update containing a new Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS). Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 198.
    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 352 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