2021 Hyundai Santa Fe problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (44) · Engine (16) · Visibility/Wiper (7)
🧭 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
32 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (7)
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2024-11-21 · campaign 24V879000 · 226,118 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Trailer Hitches 2023-03-17 · campaign 23V181000 · 584,784 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2022-10-06 · campaign 22V746000 · 56,148 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.
Visibility:windshield 2021-12-28 · campaign 21V00M000 · 26,413 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Risk: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2021-07-09 · campaign 21V524000 · 15,752 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 207.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2021-05-03 · campaign 21V308000 · 2 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 2.5-litre Turbo engines. The fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly.
Risk: An insufficiently tightened fuel pipe may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection, free of charge. The affected vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 206.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2021-03-17 · campaign 21V185000 · 10 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles. The Occupant Detection System (ODS) module may not deactivate the air bag upon detection of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ODS module, free of charge. All affected vehicles have been remedied as of May 12, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 202.
Service bulletins (104)
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.
Electrical System 2026-10-27 · 26-GI-003H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 2nd navigation map and software update. the changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system. refer to the 2026 2nd navigation map and software update key improv
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-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some vehicles equipped with internal combustion 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 some engine oil during normal operatio
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 2026-09-26 · 26-BE-001H-2 DCS · Warranty Program/Extension
some vehicles may have an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the horn replacement under this condition to 10 years or 120,000 miles from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use (
Electrical System 2026-09-26 · 26-BE-001H-2 TSB · Warranty Program/Extension
some vehicles may have an inoperable horn that may be caused by foreign substances causing internal parts to oxidize. hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the horn replacement under this condition to 10 years or 120,000 miles from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use (
Showing the 6 most recent of 104 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-26 · Back Over Prevention · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that while in reverse(r), the rear-view camera displayed a distorted pixelated image on the screen. the dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and stated that there were no recalls associated with the vin. upon investigation, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign number:…”
2026-10-12 · Power Train“on september 20, 2026, my 2021 hyundai santa fe calligraphy suffered sluggish acceleration while operating on a public roadway due to an internal dual-clutch transmission (dct) failure. the malfunction indicator light illuminated, and a diagnostic scan revealed stored history code p1c2d03, indicating a total breakdown of the high-pressure electric …”
2026-09-09 · Engine · 58,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2021 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly caught on fire. the contact's wife became aware that the radio was inoperable before the failure. additionally, the contact’s wife’s eyes were irritated, and there was a hot, harsh odor which grew stronger very quickly. the…”
2026-08-27 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the door to the gas tank is a push door which is temperamental. i can be at the pump and push the door to pop it open and it won't. i'm at the point where i have to pop my gas tank open before i even get to the gas station because to pull up to the pump and not be able to put gas in the tank is a waste of time. there is no lever to flip along side …”
2026-08-12 · Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking“my rear back up camera intermitting stops working. i can shift into reverse sometimes and the camera does not come on at all, other times the screen blinks and other times the screen has green lines and glitchy lines. the camera will also come on while i'm driving forward…”
2026-07-21 · Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking“when i select (r) reverse my camera does not come on. it started as just a flashing screen, but does not come on. it has come on momentarily while i am (d)driving. it has flashed a green screen before. …”
2026-07-07 · Visibility/Wiper“the windshield wipers intermittently stop working. this has been occurring for 2 years and the 5dealership cannot find an issue because they always work when the car is in for service. they also now want to charge a diagnostic fee each time it's in since the car is no longer under warranty…”
2026-07-07 · Unknown Or Other“fuel door mechanism stops working leaving you unable to add fuel. is a constant complaint in 2021 hyundai santa fe vehicles. my vehicle's door mechanism as stopped working 53,000 miles as well. …”
2026-06-29 · Power Train · 78,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5-30 mph, the transmission failed to shift properly, and the vehicle lost motive power. the engine warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa camp…”
2026-06-24 · Vehicle Speed Control“my check engine light came on, and my car was also feeling "sluggish" and slow to accelerate. i scheduled a service appointment at my local dealer 4 days later. at the appointment, the technician stated everything checked out okay and the check engine light was likely an "anomaly" or "outlier" but otherwise nothing to be concerned about since every…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.