Recalled components: trailer hitch, fuel system, air bags, backover prevention and rearview camera, and 3 more. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (31 complaints, 16%). Most-reported area: powertrain (58 complaints, 31%).
More complaints than a typical Santa Fe year
The 2021 drew 114 owner complaints in its first three years, against 93 for a typical Santa Fe year.
Years to avoid: 2017 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated
Year to avoid
Includes the Santa Fe Hybrid.
8 safety recalls for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe
Parts with a do-not-drive or park-outside recall come first, then the rest, largest first. Within a part, do-not-drive and park-outside recalls come first, then the newest. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for what is wrong, the fix and the full notice.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
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.
584,784 vehicles.
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.
NHTSA listings: SANTA FE, SANTA FE HYBRID. Hyundai campaign 244.
Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 207.
15,752 vehicles.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines.
Risk: An insufficiently tightened fuel pipe may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
The fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly.
Fix: Dealers inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection, free of charge. The affected vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 206.
2 vehicles.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 2.5-litre Turbo engines.
Risk: In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
The Occupant Detection System (ODS) module may not deactivate the air bag upon detection of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ODS module, free of charge. All affected vehicles have been remedied as of May 12, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 202.
Fails federal standard 208 (occupant crash protection) · 10 vehicles.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SANTA FE. Components: Air bags: air bag/restraint control module; Air bags: sensor, occupant classification, front passenger. Hyundai campaign 202.
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Fails federal standard 111 (rear visibility) · 226,118 vehicles.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles.
NHTSA listings: SANTA FE, SANTA FE HYBRID. Hyundai campaign 271.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.
56,148 vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Fix: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 14, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 238/011G. This recall is an expansion of recall numbers 22V-354 and 22V-458.
14,933 vehicles.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023 Genesis G80 Electric, 2021-2022 Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SANTA FE HYBRID. Components: Seat belts: front; Seat belts: pretensioner. Hyundai campaign 238/011G.
Risk: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
What's wrong, the fix and the full notice
During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
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.
26,413 vehicles.
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 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe.
What owners report
Owners have filed 190 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 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: automatic emergency braking (15); warnings (7)
Fuel and propulsion system15 · 8%
Backover prevention and rearview camera9 · 5%
Most named: rearview system braking (3)
Speed control8 · 4%
Unknown or other46 · 24%
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 2021 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 2021 drew 114.
Owner complaints
2021: 190 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
2021: 8 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 190 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, the problems described most are loss of power or limp mode (31), hesitation or slow acceleration (24), and the check engine light coming on (20). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2021 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, SANTA FE HYBRID.
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.