2018 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 108 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (43 complaints · 39.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 6
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 6
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2017 →
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 43 of 108 owner complaints (39.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 43 complaints, 39.8% of reports ENGINE 43 · 39.8% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 16 complaints, 14.8% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 16 · 14.8% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 7 complaints, 6.5% of reports STEERING 7 · 6.5% AIR BAGS: 5 complaints, 4.6% of reports AIR BAGS 5 · 4.6% · 3 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 5 complaints, 4.6% of reports POWER TRAIN 5 · 4.6% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 4 complaints, 3.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 3.7% · 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 4 complaints, 3.7% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 · 3.7% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 3 · 2.8% · 1 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 2 complaints, 1.9% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 1.9% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 30 complaints, 27.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 30 · 27.8% · 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)
ENGINE 43 39.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 16 14.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 7 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 5 4.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 5 4.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 3.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 3.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 3 2.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 1.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 30 27.8% 0 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 Jan 2018; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 2018. 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2022-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2024-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 Owner reports Jan 2018 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 18V118000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V118000 Recall campaign 22V056000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V056000 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003 Investigation AQ23002 ● Investigation AQ23002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 5
2019-Q1 Owner reports 5
2019-Q2 Owner reports 3
2019-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 4
2022-Q1 Owner reports 2
2022-Q2 Owner reports 9
2022-Q3 Owner reports 6
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 4
2023-Q3 Owner reports 6
2023-Q4 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 5
2024-Q2 Owner reports 7
2024-Q3 Owner reports 7
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 6
2025-Q3 Owner reports 4
2025-Q4 Owner reports 3
2026-Q1 Owner reports 2
2026-Q2 Owner reports 3
Recall campaign 1 18V118000
Recall campaign 1 22V056000
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
Defect investigation 1 AQ23002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V118000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    A steering wheel separation while driving can cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will check the production lot number of the steering wheel assembly, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 26, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 173.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V056000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
    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 108 complaints · page 1 of 5

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