Model year record

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe recalls & problems

The 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe has 4 safety recalls and 37 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (10 complaints).

Recalls4safety recalls

Complaints37filed by owners

Crashes · fires0 · 0reported in complaints

NHTSA overall5 ★crash-test stars

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe in an NHTSA crash test — NHTSA crash test

Safety recalls

Seat beltsApr 6, 2026

Front › Anchorage

Recall 26V218000294,448 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: 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.

Electrical systemJan 26, 2026

Instrument cluster/panel

Recall 26V04700041,651 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.

Air bagsNov 20, 2025

Side/window › Curtain

Recall 25V809000258 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Engine and engine coolingAug 25, 2025

Critical fasteners

Recall 25V54900029 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2026 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV N/A AWD

Overall★★★★★

Frontal crash	★★★★★
Side crash	★★★★★
Rollover	★★★★★
Rollover risk	17.4%

2026 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV N/A FWD

Overall★★★★★

Frontal crash	★★★★★
Side crash	★★★★★
Rollover	★★★★★
Rollover risk	18.5%

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe NHTSA side crash test — NHTSA side barrier crash test

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe NHTSA side pole crash test — NHTSA side pole crash test

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

Santa Fe FWD

24mpg combined

City / highway	20 / 29 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S8) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,800/year to fuel

Santa Fe AWD

23mpg combined

City / highway	20 / 28 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S8) · All-Wheel Drive · about $2,900/year to fuel

Santa Fe AWD XRT

21mpg combined

City / highway	19 / 25 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S8) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,200/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Unknown or other	10	0	—
Forward collision avoidanceAdaptive cruise control; Warnings	8	0	—
Electrical system	5	1	—
Seats	5	1	—
TiresSidewall	4	0	—
Vehicle speed control	3	0	—
Visibility/wiper	3	0	—
Lane departureAssist; Warning	3	0	—
Power train	3	0	—
Steering	2	0	—
Engine	2	0	—
VisibilityWindshield wiper/washer	1	0	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Electrical system
Dash went dark, and 3 separate occasions the car would not accelerate while driving.
Oct 14, 2026
Unknown or other
Rear Back Up Camera Had Moisture In The Lenses Making The Rear Back Up Assist Worthless. Nearly Caused Multiple Collisions While In Revers.
Sep 3, 2026
Tires
Size 245 / 45 R 21 It's already my second tire thta gets a bubble on the side wall without any know crash One tire blew mid driving for no apparent reason on less than 10K miles I recommend you recall all those tires they are dangerous
Sep 1, 2026
Engine
The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The failure occurred mostly while making a left turn and while accelerating from a stop and continued for 10-seconds before self-correcting. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was almost a crash during the failure. The failure was not self-corrected after one failure. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the failure was then self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failures, and there was no DTC found. The manufacturer was notified of the…
Jul 6, 2026 · 5,100 miles
Unknown or other
Oil light comes on and beeps when putting on brakes suddenly.
Aug 28, 2026
Unknown or other
TAKE A BREAK" - the feature prompts the driver to âTake a Breakâ with that text and aâCoffee Cupâ logo after a certain period of continuous driving. There are instances when turning it off is necessary and Hyundai has removed that option - high distracting false alarm rate. The alert, visual and auditory are intrusive, unnecessary, demonstrate a high false alarm rate leading to frustration and distraction. While designed as a safety feature, it has the opposite effect. The system inaccurately interprets the driverâs behavior as signs of fatigue with alerts popping up at an alarming rate. Perfectly normal and safe driving behaviors see the alert popping up again and again. Further…
Aug 7, 2026
Tires › Sidewall
FORMAL SAFETY COMPLAINT â REPEATED SIDEWALL BUBBLES IN PIRELLI SCORPION MS TIRES Vehicle: 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy Tires: Pirelli Scorpion MS Size: 255/45 R20 I am submitting this complaint because I am extremely concerned about a recurring and potentially dangerous tire problem involving my nearly new 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy. The vehicle is equipped with Pirelli Scorpion MS 255/45 R20 tires. Within only four months of ownership, the first tire developed a significant sidewall bubble on the right rear tire. The vehicle had approximately 816 miles at that time. What is particularly troubling is what the dealer told me when addressing that first tire: the first…
Aug 14, 2026
Electrical system
This vehicle constantly pops up an alert to "consider taking a break" on the dash. It mutes everything else and causes a distraction. This vehicle was operated at normal highway driving conditions. THERE IS NO WAY TO DIABLE THIS. After looking online there is a reddit post from 2 years ago where this first came into effect and people have been complaining about it constantly. This is a genuine safety concern as any unexpected change or alert causes the driver to look away from the road to see "whats wrong" and for this incident NOTHING IS WRONG. An hour long commute should not pop up 15 alerts because the road has ruts or its mildly windy or the driver is wearing sunglasses or any number of…
Aug 14, 2026

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.