NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 60 owner complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: seat belts, electrical system, air bags, and engine and cooling. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (5 complaints, 8%). Most-reported area: electrical system (11 complaints, 18%).
Too new to rank against other Santa Fe years
The 2026 Santa Fe has not had three full years of owner complaints yet.
Years to avoid: 2017 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
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.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe.
What owners report
Owners have filed 60 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 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: adaptive cruise control (5); automatic emergency braking (4)
Engine7 · 12%
Seats6 · 10%
Lane departure systems5 · 8%
Most named: assist (5); warning (3)
Powertrain5 · 8%
Visibility/wiper5 · 8%
Unknown or other14 · 23%
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: 60 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
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
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 60 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, the problem described most is loss of power or limp mode (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
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.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2026 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.