The 2020 drew 55 owner complaints in its first three years, against 93 for a typical Santa Fe year. It is not picked as a best year: its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.
Years to avoid: 2017 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership.
During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Risk: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SANTA FE. Hyundai campaign 216.
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's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe.
What owners report
Owners have filed 218 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Santa Fe. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Most named: warnings (9); automatic emergency braking (6)
Fuel and propulsion system14 · 6%
Visibility14 · 6%
Most named: sun/moon roof assembly (9)
Brakes11 · 5%
Unknown or other42 · 19%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Hyundai Santa Fe recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2020 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 2020 drew 55.
Owner complaints
2020: 218 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2020: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Hyundai Santa Fe
Model year
Recalls
2010
2
2011
2
2012
1
2013
7
2014
7
2015
4
2016
3
2017
7
2018
5
2019
3
2020
2
2021
8
2022
8
2023
2
2024
7
2025
5
2026
4
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.
In the 218 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, the problems described most are excessive oil consumption (22), the check engine light coming on (20), and engine failure or replacement (19). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe.
How do I check if my Santa Fe has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SANTA FE.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.