2025 Hyundai Santa Fe problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (15) · Visibility/Wiper (12) · Tires (11)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Santa Fe model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Seat Belts:front:anchorage 2026-04-06 · campaign 26V218000 · 294,448 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, 2023-2026 Genesis G90, 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach.
Risk: A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Back Over Prevention:display Function 2025-11-20 · campaign 25V808000 · 143,472 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain 2025-11-20 · campaign 25V809000 · 258 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.
Risk: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:starter Assembly 2025-10-02 · campaign 25V659000 · 135,386 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe vehicles. The B+ positive terminal cover on the starter motor assembly may be improperly installed, which can cause an electrical short during a crash.
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Engine And Engine Cooling:critical Fasteners 2025-08-25 · campaign 25V549000 · 29 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (42)
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 2026-08-22 · 26-BE-026H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some santa fe (mx5a) and santa fe hybrid (mx5a hev) vehicles may exhibit a 12-volt battery drain due to the passive entry feature of the digital key 2 premium causing repeated wakeup of the vehicle. this bulletin provides instructions to perform software updates for the ultra-wide band (uwb) and bod
Seats 2026-08-18 · 26-BD-008H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some santa fe (mx5a) and santa fe hybrid (mx5a hev) vehicles equipped with natural leather or nappa leather seating surfaces may exhibit wrinkling on the first or second row seat cushions or seat backs, or tearing along the perforation holes due to the stiffness of the leather material. this bulleti
Showing the 6 most recent of 42 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Unknown Or Other“2025 hyundai santa fe - the sound for the blinkers, rear-view camera alerts, and radio sounds has gone out 2 times, once in xxx and then on xxx. this is a safety issue. i have had issues with an electrical battery drain with the key fob antenna being one of issues draining the battery and replaced in xxx. after the sound went out on xxx, i did not …”
2026-10-28 · Electrical System“with not warming the vehicle would not start using the standard fob. it would not be recognized. fortunately, we had an alternative digital card (which is not standard equipment) that allowed us to start and drive the vehicle. upon calling hyundai support we were instructed to take the vehicle to the nearest hyundai dealership for diagnosis. th…”
2026-10-14 · Unknown Or Other“the ongoing safety defect affecting my leased 2025 hyundai santa fe. this summarizes the facts as discussed, the danger this defect presents, and the urgent need for resolution. summary of the defect since leasing the vehicle, it has intermittently and without warning decelerated to a complete stop (0 mph) while driving, regardless of the speed at…”
2026-09-26 · Unknown Or Other“ fighting with hyundai for a year over the vibration in the front, steering and seat seats. first, they said tires. hyundai case mgmt #xxx. the tires were replaced by mfr warranty, vibration never stopped. @18253miles. 3 times they assessed problem but not recorded.xxx i told tech to record on invoice. xxx they kept the car for several days, broug…”
2026-09-23 · Tires“these tires will blow prior to 10,000 miles. they peel, fall apart and are very expensive to replace. these tires are not safe. the hyundai santa 2026 are not safe cars…”
2026-09-19 · Unknown Or Other“nhtsa vehicle safety complaint my 2025 hyundai santa fe has a recurring problem when starting the vehicle. when i start the vehicle, the engine jumps abnormally. i have taken the vehicle to a hyundai dealership multiple times specifically because of this problem. the condition continues to occur, but i have repeatedly been told that the dealership …”
2026-09-14 · Tires“pirelli scorpion 255/45 r20 i am filing this complaint regarding a serious and unacceptable defect with my pirelli tires. to date, two of the four tires have proven to be defective. in both instances, the defect was not readily apparent while the tires were mounted on the vehicle. the problem was discovered only when a qualified tire technician at…”
2026-09-14 · Power Train“on 3 separate occasions the vehicle has suddenly quit going.twice going through an intersection after taking off. the third time going up hill near my house. the car would only go 10 mph. a message would come up on the dash that reads " transmission system error, check transmission oil immediately. that was not the problem. the hyundai dealership …”
2026-09-08 · Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness“while driving, the chest clip fell apart into multiple little pieces. i was not aware until we were parked at our destination and i went to remove my child from the seat. i am unaware how long he did not have a chest clip for during the duration of the ride. it also broke apart into pieces small enough for my child to choke on. i have reached o…”
2026-09-01 · Visibility/Wiper“i am reporting a potential safety defect involving repeated windshield chipping and cracking on my 2025 hyundai santa fe. the vehicle was purchased new. the first incident occurred on april 15, 2025, approximately three months after i purchased the vehicle. while driving approximately 60 mph on a highway in clear, dry conditions with no gravel or u…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.