20 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
The seat belt anchors for the driver and front passenger may come loose from the vehicle. If an anchor detaches, the seat belt will not properly hold the occupant in place during a crash, which raises the risk of injury. Dealers will inspect the anchors and reinforce or replace them as needed, free of charge.
Hyundai is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, and 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles because the side curtain air bags may not have been installed correctly. This can cause the air bags not to deploy the way they are supposed to in a crash. Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags correctly, at no cost to owners.
Hyundai is recalling certain Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed correctly. A camera fitted the wrong way can damage the wiring that connects it, and the camera image may then fail to appear on the screen. Because of this, these vehicles do not meet the federal safety standard for rear visibility. Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness.
Hyundai is recalling certain Santa Fe vehicles because the cover over the starter motor's positive battery terminal may not have been installed correctly at the factory. If the vehicle is ever involved in a crash, this improperly installed cover could allow an electrical short to occur in the wiring near the starter motor, which raises the chances of a vehicle fire starting after that kind of impact.
On certain Tucson and Santa Fe models, the bolts holding the engine's connecting rods together may not have been tightened correctly. Hyundai says this can cause the engine to lose drive power and become damaged, and in some cases the engine may begin leaking oil as a result.
Certain Hyundai vehicles have a damaged printed circuit board in the rearview camera. Because of this, the rearview camera image may fail to display. This means the vehicle does not meet a federal safety standard for rear visibility.
Hyundai is recalling certain Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles because the switch knob for the rear overhead sunshade may not sit fully recessed as it should. Because the knob isn't fully recessed, it can be bumped in a way that closes the sunshade when nobody meant for it to close.
Hyundai is recalling certain Santa Fe and Santa Fe HEV vehicles because a wiring harness under the floor may rub against the second-row bench seat and become damaged. This damage could cause the airbags to go off when they are not supposed to, or it could prevent the airbags from deploying in a crash.
A software error in the transmission control unit may cause the vehicle to roll away even when it has been shifted into Park.
Hyundai is recalling certain 2024 Santa Fe vehicles because a trailer parking assist message can appear on the rearview camera screen and block part of the image. This means the driver may not be able to see the full view behind the vehicle while backing up, reducing rearward visibility. As a result, these vehicles do not meet federal requirements for rear visibility.
Certain Hyundai Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid, and Santa Cruz vehicles equipped with a tow hitch wiring harness, either installed at the factory or added later through a Hyundai dealership, may allow water to build up on a circuit board inside the harness module. This buildup can cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
⚠ NHTSA advises: park outside and away from structures (fire risk).
These vehicles have a backup driving mode meant to keep the car moving if the transmission's oil pump fails. That backup mode may not work properly, and this can lead to a complete loss of drive power. Losing drive power while driving increases the risk of a crash. Dealers will inspect the transmission and replace it if needed, and will also update the transmission's computer software, all free of charge.
The pipe that supplies oil to the turbocharger may develop a crack over time. If the pipe cracks, oil can leak out into the engine compartment. Because the engine compartment contains hot parts such as the engine itself and the exhaust system, a leaking oil in that area near those hot components can increase the chance of a fire starting.
Hyundai is recalling certain Santa Fe, Santa Fe Sport, and Santa Fe XL vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System module in these vehicles could malfunction and cause an electrical short. This electrical short could result in a fire in the engine compartment, whether the vehicle is parked or being driven, which can increase the risk of injury.
⚠ NHTSA advises: park outside and away from structures (fire risk).
Some Hyundai Elantra, Santa Fe, and Sonata vehicles may have a windshield that was not properly bonded to the vehicle during manufacturing. If the vehicle is in a crash, the windshield could detach. A windshield that comes loose during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Hyundai is recalling certain Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5-liter turbocharged engines. The notice says fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and the fuel rail. A fuel leak like this increases the risk of a fire.
On certain Santa Fe vehicles with the 2.5-litre Turbo engine, the fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly at the factory. A loose fuel pipe can leak fuel, which raises the risk of a fire. Dealers have already inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection on affected vehicles at no cost, so most owners will not receive a separate notification letter.
On certain 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles, a system that detects whether a child restraint is in the front passenger seat may fail to work correctly. This system is supposed to turn off the front passenger airbag when it senses a child seat is installed there, but on affected vehicles it may not switch the airbag off the way it's supposed to.
Certain 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles have side curtain airbags mounted with bolts that may interfere with the airbag as it inflates during a crash. Instead of deploying cleanly, the bolts can rub against or damage the airbag as it opens. A damaged airbag may not inflate the way it's supposed to, which affects how well it can protect an occupant in a crash.
The steering wheel assembly on some Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles may break. If it breaks, the steering wheel could separate from the steering column while you are driving. Losing the steering wheel while driving would mean losing control of the vehicle, which increases the risk of a crash. This is a serious mechanical failure that affects your ability to steer safely.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 108 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 197 | 16 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 209 | 13 | 9 | 15 |
| 2021 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 166 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 198 | 8 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 216 | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 2024 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 165 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| 2025 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 139 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
NHTSA lists 20 safety recalls covering the 2018–2025 Hyundai Santa FE. 17 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Genesis and Hyundai Seat Belt Anchors May Detach" (NHTSA campaign 26V218000), reported Apr 6, 2026.
The 2021 Hyundai Santa FE has the most, with 7 recalls. The 2023 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
Yes. 2 Hyundai Santa FE recalls carry a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA: Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Cruz Tow Hitch Fire Risk (23V181000); Hyundai Santa Fe: ABS Module Engine Fire Risk (22V056000). These apply only to the affected vehicles, so check your VIN.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Hyundai dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: