NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 49 owner complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe (including the hybrid).
4Safety recalls
49Owner complaints
0Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: seat belts, electrical system, air bags, and engine and cooling. Most-reported area: forward collision avoidance (9 complaints, 18%). Includes the two-row Santa Fe Sport (2016 to 2018), the three-row Santa Fe XL (2019), and the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.
4 safety recalls for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach.
Risk: A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and reinforce or replace the seat belt anchors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning May 29, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and Genesis customer service at 844-340-9741. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 298 and 032G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov April 8, 2026.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, 2023-2026 Genesis G90, 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles.
NHTSA listings: SANTA FE, SANTA FE HYBRID. Hyundai campaign 298-032G.
Electrical system
Jan 26, 2026
instrument cluster/panel
Fails federal standard 101 (controls and displays)
Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles.
NHTSA listings: SANTA FE, SANTA FE HYBRID. Hyundai campaign 293.
The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.
Risk: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles.
NHTSA listings: SANTA FE, SANTA FE HYBRID. Hyundai campaign 289 (H); 029G (G).
The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SANTA FE. Hyundai campaign 281.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 49 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Santa Fe. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Forward collision avoidance9 · 18%
Most named: adaptive cruise control (5); automatic emergency braking (4)
Electrical system6 · 12%
Seats6 · 12%
Engine5 · 10%
Lane departure systems4 · 8%
Most named: assist (4); warning (3)
Powertrain4 · 8%
Tires4 · 8%
Unknown or other13 · 27%
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 2026 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).
Owner complaints
2026: 49 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Santa Fe
Model year
Complaints
2016
305
2017
1,316
2018
429
2019
225
2020
213
2021
186
2022
263
2023
287
2024
184
2025
223
2026
49
Safety recalls
2026: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Hyundai Santa Fe
Model year
Recalls
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID SUV HEV AWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID SUV HEV FWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV N/A AWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV N/A FWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2026 Santa Fe problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: forward collision avoidance (9), electrical system (6), seats (6). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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 Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.