2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 804 owner complaints for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Recalled components: brakes, engine, latches, locks and linkages, engine and cooling, and 1 more. Most-described problem: engine failure or replacement (156 complaints, 19%). Most-reported area: engine (382 complaints, 48%; median mileage when it happened: 89,200).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoid

Includes the two-row Santa Fe Sport.

7 safety recalls for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 4 investigations that name the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, not counting audit queries; all 4 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 804 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Santa Fe. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Engine failure or replacement156 · 19%
  Median 92,000 miles at failure, from 90 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off126 · 16%
  Median 96,000 miles at failure, from 87 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell75 · 9%
  Median 83,000 miles at failure, from 46 reports with mileage
• Check engine light73 · 9%
  Median 83,100 miles at failure, from 40 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode65 · 8%
  Median 80,500 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Excessive oil consumption42 · 5%
• Won't start42 · 5%
  Median 72,500 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration41 · 5%
  Median 69,500 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine382 · 48%
  Median 89,200 miles at failure, from 216 reports with mileage
• Brakes102 · 13%
  Median 86,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Steering99 · 12%
  Median 11,000 miles at failure, from 83 reports with mileage
• Electrical system68 · 8%
  Median 68,400 miles at failure, from 42 reports with mileage
• Powertrain63 · 8%
  Median 61,000 miles at failure, from 40 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system41 · 5%
  Median 60,000 miles at failure, from 27 reports with mileage
• Body structure27 · 3%
  Most named: body (23)
• Unknown or other78 · 10%
  Median 68,500 miles at failure, from 30 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Hyundai Santa Fe recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2013 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2017 Santa Fe drew the most (260) and the 2013 drew 154.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2013 Santa Fe MPG

Questions