2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 190 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (28 complaints · 14.7%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 8
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2024 →
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 FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE appears in 28 of 190 owner complaints (14.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 28 complaints, 14.7% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 28 · 14.7% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 22 complaints, 11.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 · 11.6% POWER TRAIN: 18 complaints, 9.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 18 · 9.5% VISIBILITY: 13 complaints, 6.8% of reports VISIBILITY 13 · 6.8% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 5.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 11 · 5.8% ENGINE: 10 complaints, 5.3% of reports ENGINE 10 · 5.3% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 10 complaints, 5.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 · 5.3% LANE DEPARTURE: 8 complaints, 4.2% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 8 · 4.2% SEAT BELTS: 6 complaints, 3.2% of reports SEAT BELTS 6 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 86 complaints, 45.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 86 · 45.3% · 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)
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 28 14.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 11.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 18 9.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 13 6.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 11 5.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 10 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 8 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 6 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 86 45.3% 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 Oct 2024; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 2025. 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2025-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q3: 24 owner reports 24 2025-Q4: 35 owner reports 35 2026-Q1: 42 owner reports 42 2026-Q2: 46 owner reports 46 2026-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 Owner reports Oct 2024 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 25V549000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V549000 Recall campaign 25V659000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V659000 Recall campaign 25V808000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V808000 Recall campaign 25V809000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V809000 Recall campaign 26V218000 ◆ Recall campaign 26V218000
  • Campaign 25V549000 was reported 279 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 25V659000 was reported 240 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 25V808000 was reported 268 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 25V809000 was reported 38 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 26V218000 was reported 168 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 14
2025-Q2 Owner reports 7
2025-Q3 Owner reports 24
2025-Q4 Owner reports 35
2026-Q1 Owner reports 42
2026-Q2 Owner reports 46
2026-Q3 Owner reports 19
Recall campaign 1 25V549000
Recall campaign 1 25V659000
Recall campaign 1 25V808000
Recall campaign 1 25V809000
Recall campaign 1 26V218000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V549000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V659000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and reinstall the starter motor terminal cover, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 285. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 4, 2025.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V808000

    Report date
    Component:
    BACK OVER PREVENTION
    Consequence:
    A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 288. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V809000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 26V218000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and reinforce or replace the seat belt anchors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning May 29, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and Genesis customer service at 844-340-9741. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 298 and 032G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov April 8, 2026.
    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 190 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