MODELYEARINDEX

Which Hyundai Santa FE years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2017 and 2013 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Hyundai Santa FE Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2017 vs model median 1.7×
Model median3× median
Engine 80
Drivetrain 71
Speed Control 35
Avoid

2013 · 2017

Best

2016 · 2018

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.89× 151 B
2011
0.91× 138 C
2012
1.51× 194 C
2013
1.70× 285 D
2014
1.10× 174 C
2015
0.42× 67 B
2016
0.30× 59 B
2017
1.69× 323 F
2018
0.39× 63 B
2019
1.09× 152 C
2020
0.78× 142 B
2021
1.16× 235 C
2022 P
1.97× 360 F
2023 P
2.31× 424 F
2024 P
1.40× 264 D
2025 P
1.79× 329 D

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2013 D 285 reports · median 15,000 mi

  1. Engine 60

    2013 hyundai santa fe. Consumer states issues with hesitation and stalling when accelerating. The dealer informed the consumer the problem was caused by electronic fuel injection, which was common among several… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Steering 51

    The contact owns a 2013 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving, she began to turn the wheel and noticed that she had to constantly straighten the wheel. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 25

    We purchased this 2013 hyundai santa fe sport in october 2012. Immediately on the drive home, I noticed that the driver's seat felt like it was loose or rocked. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

22 crash · 10 fire · 14 injuries

2017 F 323 reports · median 13,100 mi

  1. Engine 80

    Engine stalls at any speeds while driving. Tech at dealership could not find the problem. Dealership stated they never had a problem like this before. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 71

    I have a 2017 hyundai santa fe limited ultimate and like many people across the USA the car has hesitation when trying to accelerate at speeds below 20 MPH. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Speed Control 35

    While driving our 2017 hyndai santa fe on interstate 64 with the cruise control set at 65 MPH the transmission will down shift to 5th and then 4th and then 3rd gear with the RPM almost red lining. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

7 crash · 6 fire · 8 injuries

The best year for the Santa FE

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2018 is the best-scoring Santa FE model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.9 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2016 at 0.30× this model’s median, against 0.39× for 2018.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 0.39× 63 B
2016 0.30× 59 B
2015 0.42× 67 B

Recalls

33 campaigns on record, 3 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
13V113000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH 2010, 2011 1,712,336
23V651000 Park it SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2013–2015 1,649,478
23V181000 Park it TRAILER HITCHES 2019–2023 584,784
17V358000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH 2013–2017 437,400
22V056000 Park it SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2016–2018 357,348
26V218000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE 2024, 2025 294,448
24V879000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2021, 2022 226,118
25V808000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2024, 2025 143,472
25V659000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY 2024, 2025 135,386
20V746000 ENGINE 2012 128,948
22V746000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2021, 2022 56,148
24V561000 AIR BAGS 2024 49,719

+ 21 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2017 were reported at a median of 13,100 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Hyundai Santa FE years should you avoid?
2017, 2013 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Hyundai Santa FE model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Hyundai Santa FE?
2018 is the best-scoring Hyundai Santa FE model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.9 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Hyundai Santa FE have?
33 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Hyundai Santa FE model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 Santa FE
Complaints in window
323
Severity-weighted
456
Model median (weighted)
269
vs model median
1.69×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
8
Open investigations
1
Score 39.3 F