Hyundai Santa Fe Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2017 and 2023 At least twice the 93 complaints of a typical Santa Fe year. Most described: engine failure (2017), loss of power (2023).
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2016 and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 93 complaints of a typical Santa Fe year since 2016. The 2016 has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 36 mpg combined, arrived in 2024 and has held since. Includes the two-row Santa Fe Sport (2013 to 2018), the three-row Santa Fe XL (2019), and the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

Santa Fe problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Santa Fe year drew 93 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (83). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (93), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2017 Santa Fe Avoid Most described: engine failure or replacement	260	1,332	7
2023 Santa Fe Avoid Most described: loss of power or limp mode	231	295	2
2022 Santa Fe Most described: loss of power or limp mode	156	268	8
2013 Santa Fe Most described: engine failure or replacement	154	809	7
2021 Santa Fe Most described: loss of power or limp mode	114	190	8
2012 Santa Fe Most described: stalling or shutting off	103	355	1
2010 Santa Fe Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	94	260	2
2014 Santa Fe Most described: engine failure or replacement	72	657	7
2019 Santa Fe Most described: stalling or shutting off	72	232	3
2018 Santa Fe Most described: excessive oil consumption	70	436	5
2020 Santa Fe Most described: excessive oil consumption	55	218	2
2011 Santa Fe Most described: stalling or shutting off	54	181	2
2015 Santa Fe Most described: engine failure or replacement	35	339	4
2016 Santa Fe Most described: engine failure or replacement	32	310	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Santa Fe for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	4	60
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	5	251
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	7	202
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Hybrid	2	295
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Hybrid	8	268
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Hybrid	8	190
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	218
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	3	232
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	5	436
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	7	1,332
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	3	310
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	4	339
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	7	657
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	7	809
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	1	355
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	181	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	260	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2017: 1,332 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Santa Fe
Model year	Complaints
2010	260
2011	181
2012	355
2013	809
2014	657
2015	339
2016	310
2017	1,332
2018	436
2019	232
2020	218
2021	190
2022	268
2023	295
2024	202
2025	251
2026	60

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 23 to 26 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2021. Hybrid: 34 to 36 mpg (2021 to 2026); 36 since 2024.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 24 mpg · hybrid 36 mpg

Show as a table

Hyundai Santa Fe best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	23	–
2011	23	–
2012	23	–
2013	24	–
2014	23	–
2015	23	–
2016	23	–
2017	24	–
2018	24	–
2019	25	–
2020	25	–
2021	26	34
2022	26	34
2023	26	34
2024	24	36
2025	24	36
2026	24	36

Every Santa Fe year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Kia Sorento vs Hyundai Santa FeMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Hyundai Santa Fe years should you avoid?

The 2017 and 2023 Santa Fe are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 93 owner complaints of a typical Santa Fe year in its first three years. Owners of the 2017 most often describe engine failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Hyundai Santa Fe years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2016 and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 93 complaints of a typical Santa Fe year since 2016. The 2016 has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. If you are shopping for one, check by VIN that the repair was done. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Hyundai Santa Fe years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2017 (260) drew the most, then the 2023 (231). Owners of the 2017 most often describe engine failure or replacement.

Which Hyundai Santa Fe years have the most recalls?

The 2021 and 2022 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (8 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Six recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired, covering 2013 to 2023 models. Each year's recalls page lists them first.

What are the most common Hyundai Santa Fe problems?

In the 6,395 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (1,152 complaints, most of them for the 2013, 2014, and 2017); stalling or shutting off (886 complaints); and loss of power or limp mode (732 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Hyundai Santa Fe year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 36 mpg combined, first reached by the 2024 hybrid version and matched by every year since. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 33 mpg on gas alone and 76 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.