2017 Hyundai Santa Fe problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (482) · Power Train (141) · Vehicle Speed Control (51)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Santa Fe model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
269 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2022-02-03 · campaign 22V056000 · 357,348 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2017-09-20 · campaign 17V578000 · 420 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.
Risk: The engine bearing wear may cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2017-06-05 · campaign 17V358000 · 437,400 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Risk: If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.
Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 2017-03-06 · campaign 17V142000 · 190 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an appropriate warning in the event of an underinflated tire. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Risk: An underinflated inflated tire can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the TPMS sensors, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for the recall is 159.
Trailer Hitches 2016-11-21 · campaign 16V842000 · 6,172 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result, in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal
Risk: If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 153.
Seat Belts:front:warning Light/Devices 2016-03-10 · campaign 16V145000 · 34,200 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front seat occupants do not fasten their seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMV
Risk: Without a warning to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 141.
Service bulletins (143)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-017H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain palisade (lx2) and santa fe (nc) vehicles equipped with lambda ii 6-cylinder engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume s
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Electrical System 2026-05-23 · Z01 Letter · Warranty Program/Extension
certain 2012 – 2017 model year accent, 2012 – 2017 model year azera, 2013 – 2018 model year santa fe sport, 2013 – 2019 model year santa fe, and 2012 – 2017 model year veloster vehicles may exhibit an intermittent airbag warning light and diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) may be set. at hyundai, we ar
Electrical System 2026-04-25 · 26-BE-011H DN · Warranty Program/Extension
some vehicles listed below may exhibit an intermittent airbag warning light and dtc(s) b1763 (ocs ecu defect), and/or b1764 (ocs mat defect) may be stored. hyundai is extending the warranty coverage of the sensor for the occupant classification system (ocs) / occupant detection system (ods) to 18 ye
Electrical System 2026-04-25 · 26-BE-011H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension
some vehicles listed below may exhibit an intermittent airbag warning light and dtc(s) b1763 (ocs ecu defect), and/or b1764 (ocs mat defect) may be stored. hyundai is extending the warranty coverage of the sensor for the occupant classification system (ocs) / occupant detection system (ods) to 18 ye
Showing the 6 most recent of 143 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the engine light came on. upon driving it on the highway it would lost acceleration but was able to drive under 50 miles per hour about 5 miles. when opened the hood there was fluid splattered on the engine. there is a hole in the upper left quadrant beneath the engine cover.…”
2026-10-22 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 109,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2017 hyundai santa fe. it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a dealer sale. at the time of the purchase, the mileage was 45,000. however, when the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a trade-in, it was discovered via a carfax report that the mileage was over 109,000.…”
2026-10-15 · Power Train“on [xxx], laguna niguel hyundai performed service campaign 9c2 (ecu software update for theta ii emissions improvement, hyundai tsb 26-01-013h) on my 2017 hyundai santa fe sport. immediately after the update, the vehicle developed drivability problems that did not exist before: rough/harsh shifting, hesitation, and loss of power during cold-start o…”
2026-10-13 · Unknown Or Other“on xxx, [xxx] hyundai performed service campaign 9c2 (ecu software update for theta ii emissions improvement, hyundai tsb 26-01-013h) on my 2017 hyundai santa fe sport. immediately after the update, the vehicle developed drivability problems that did not exist before: rough/harsh shifting, hesitation, and loss of power during cold-start operation (…”
2026-09-29 · Power Train“was driving down road car went into limp mode about caused a big wreck, check engine was flashing and heard a loud noise as i was trying to get to safety. had the car scanned and was for code p1326 and looking at all the recalls nothing is for the 2.4l but y'all have been having a lot of issues with these theta 2 engines.…”
2026-09-27 · Power Train“immediately following the mandatory hyundai servie campaign update 9c2-ecu theta 11my vehicle began exhibiting severe hesitation, very rough idling, jerking at slow speeds and when gear changes, difficulty going up inclines and almost feel at times as though it is about to lose power which poses life threatening situations especially when turning i…”
2026-09-20 · Power Train“component/system failed: engine assembly (theta ii 2.4l gdi) and exhaust/catalytic converter. description: the vehicle suffered a failure associated with the known theta ii engine defects. engine oil consumption and internal engine wear directly led to unburned fuel and debris entering the exhaust stream, resulting in severe catalytic converter res…”
2026-09-19 · Power Train“service update 9c2. car hesitates or slightly bucks on a cold start. no remedy to fix yet.…”
2026-09-19 · Engine“my son was driving the vehicle normally. there were no issues, warning lights, abnormal feel to the drive, and no odd noises. suddenly, all of the warning lights on the dashboard lit up, acceleration dropped and he could no longer accelerate. he pulled off the main road and there was a burning smell and the vehicle was inoperable.…”
2026-09-19 · Fuel/Propulsion System“hyundai performed recall #9c2, on 7/2/26. since that time, the engine has a full time miss. when it is cold, it will hesitate, kick and buck. hyundai is aware of this. their solution is to warm the car for 3 to 5 minuets before moving. what happens if there is an emergency and you can't wait? possible accident with injuries trying to pull into,…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.