Hyundai Santa Fe Years to Avoid · Best Years · Problems · Recalls

Hyundai Santa Fe warranty extensions

We list six Hyundai warranty extensions on the Santa Fe model years, and each card says whether it still applies. Eligibility depends on the VIN, so ask a Hyundai dealer to check the car before you buy it.

• Engine connecting rod bearing wear Open for newer years

  15 years or 150,000 miles

  Years

  2010–2012 with the 2.4L

  Source

  22-EM-006H-2

  Hyundai covers original and later owners, and each car runs 15 years from its own delivery.

• Engine (3.3L Lambda II) Open

  15 years or 150,000 miles

  Years

  2013–2019 Santa Fe and Santa Fe XL with the 3.3L

  Source

  24-EM-007H, 25-EM-008H and 26-EM-002H

  One program (TXX8) under three bulletins. Hyundai covers original and later owners for 15 years or 150,000 miles from the date of original retail delivery or first use.

• Panoramic sunroof moving glass Open for newer years

  10 years or 120,000 miles

  Years

  2013–2016

  Source

  19-BD-007H

• Engine long block (connecting rod bearing damage) Open

  10 years or 120,000 miles

  Years

  2019 with the 2.0 Turbo and 2.4L

  Source

  22-EM-002H-1

• White paint peeling or bubbling Open

  10 years, unlimited miles

  Years

  2019 in certain white colors

  Source

  Z05

  Hyundai raised the paint term from 3 years and 36,000 miles to 10 years with unlimited miles.

• Horn Open

  10 years or 120,000 miles

  Years

  2021–2023

  Source

  26-BE-001H-1

  Hyundai covers original and later owners.

Each car’s term runs from its own in-service date.

Sources: Hyundai warranty extension 22-EM-006H-2, November 3, 2022. Hyundai warranty extension 24-EM-007H, August 5, 2024. Hyundai warranty extension 19-BD-007H, October 2019. Hyundai warranty extension 22-EM-002H-1, April 15, 2022. Hyundai warranty extension Z05 (26-BD-002H), April 28, 2026. Hyundai warranty extension 26-BE-001H-1, February 18, 2026.

Hyundai Santa Fe crash tests and investigations

NHTSA gives the Hyundai Santa Fe an overall 5 of 5 for the 2018–2023 model years, an overall 4 of 5 for the 2024–2025 model years and an overall 3 of 5 for the 2012 model year. The frontal score is 5 for the 2021–2023, and 4 for the 2012, 2018–2020 and 2024–2025. The 2011 and 2013–2017 have no overall rating. NHTSA started its current 5-star test system with the 2011 model year, so older ratings are not comparable and we do not show them.

Separately, NHTSA’s defect office has had 9 probes on Santa Fe model years, and none of them is still open. NHTSA also handled petitions about non-crash vehicle fires (DP18003, closed Dec 22, 2021), throttle control system vulnerabilities (DP21003, closed Jun 20, 2023), loss of motive power (DP22003, closed Dec 12, 2023), and 3.3L engine loss of motive power (LOMP) (DP24001, closed May 16, 2024).

Crash test ratings

NHTSA defect investigations

Source: NHTSA safety ratings, read Oct 31, 2026, and the NHTSA defect investigations file of Oct 30, 2026

Hyundai Santa Fe model years compared

Each score from 1 to 5 compares one Hyundai Santa Fe model year with the other Hyundai Santa Fe model years only. It is not a reliability rating, and it says nothing about how the Hyundai Santa Fe compares with another car. A 5 means that year scores highest among the Hyundai Santa Fe model years, a 1 means it scores lowest. The 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 are too new to judge and carry no score.

Best counts model years from 2011 on, so an older year can score 5 here and still not be listed in the Best years.

How the score is built: each year is compared with the typical Hyundai Santa Fe year over its first five years on the road, using complaints (40%), serious complaints that report a crash, fire, injury or death (40%), recalls (15%) and open NHTSA probes (5%). A 4 is better than most other years and sits in a Next best tier under the Best years when fewer than five years from 2011 on score 5. A year with a recall that tells owners not to drive it scores 1.

Years under five years old get no score. Source: NHTSA owner complaints, federal file of Aug 25, 2026, and NHTSA recall campaigns, read Oct 31, 2026. The open probes come from the NHTSA defect investigations file of Oct 30, 2026. The counts in the “Model years compared” table are for those first five years. The complaint and recall totals on each year card cover all years on file, so they are larger.

Hyundai Santa Fe recalls by year

The 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe leads with 9 recall campaigns, equally often for the airbag system, exterior lighting and the trailer hitch, and the 2021 and 2024 follow with 7 each. Every other year has 1–6, most often for hydraulic braking (8 of the 22 other years with a recall).

By federal law a carmaker must repair a recalled car for free unless it was first bought more than 15 calendar years before the maker sent the recall notice or NHTSA ordered the recall, whichever came first. Many makers fix older cars anyway, so ask a Hyundai dealer with your VIN. Your VIN shows which campaigns are still open on a car.

Look up your own car by VIN before anything else on this page.

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns by model year, read Oct 31, 2026

Hyundai Santa Fe complaints by year

The table lists every Santa Fe model year in NHTSA’s file, 2001–2025, with its complaint count and the system owners named most. The 2017 leads with 955 complaints, most about the engine, and the 2007 follows with 683, most about fuel and power delivery. The verdict for each year uses the same scores as the cards at the top of the page. This table counts every complaint on file for each year, while the Model years compared table scores each year on its first five years only.

One complaint can name more than one problem, so the counts can add up to more than the year’s total. Entries NHTSA marks as unknown or other are left out.