Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

27 crash reports5 fire reports15 injury reports

Suspension complaints

7 reports

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Mileage unknown · Jan 12, 2024

Suspension

I bought my 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe brand new and have been the sole owner. It has been garaged the entire time. It has 145,000 miles and I have kept it washed and maintained regularly. The last couple of times I have taken it in for repairs, the mechanic has told me that the frame is rusting badly to the point that it is a saf…

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NHTSA ODI #11565167

Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2023

SteeringSuspension

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While I was driving home, I went to make a turn and I heard a cracking noise and it felt like the steering wheel went one way and the frame was going the opposite way. I drove very slowly to a service station and when they looked at it they said they couldn't believe I drove the car without getting into an accident, they said the car was undrivable because the frame broke, They went on to say it was due to rust. I'm a 2nd owner and when I called the Hyundai corporate Headquarters they informed me there was a recall #947 Santa Fe underbody corrosion. I was told I should've received the recall when I received the new registration, I never received the recall, where do I stand with getting my car repaired, is Hyundai responsible to do the repair, I left a message with the service group at the dealership and haven't received a response yet.

NHTSA ODI #11510054

Mileage unknown · Nov 1, 2021

Suspension

Hi, so my mechanic checked my vehicle and my the subframe is Rusting and it’s unsafe to drive the vehicle. The vehicle only have 93k miles. I have pictures and proof about the rusted subframe. Hope to hear from you back because I really need vehicle to go to my job and now this is unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ODI #11438931

117,000 miles · May 29, 2019

EnginePower TrainSuspension

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FINALLY GOT HYUNDAI TO REPLACE MY RUSTED SUBFRAME ENGINE CRADLE (TOOK ALMOST 8 MONTHS TO GET PARTS) AND AFTER THEY HAD THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS, I WENT AND PICKED IT UP. EVERYTHING SEAMED OKAY, BUT APON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND SHIFTING OUT OF PARK INTO DRIVE, THERE IS A LOUD CLUNK WHEN LETTING OFF THE BRAKE TO START MOVING. ALSO WHEN BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVE, GOING FROM PARK TO REVERSE THE SAME SOUND HAPPENS. THE SOUND ALSO EMITS WHEN GOING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND VISE VERSA.

NHTSA ODI #11210634

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2018

Suspension

MY CONTROL ARM AND AXLE BROKE AFTER THE JUNE 2017 UNDERCARRIAGE VEHICLE RECALL REPAIR WAS COMPLETED BECAUSE A HOLE WAS DISCOVERED BECAUSE OF CORROSION. MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THE AXLE BROKE APART FROM THE BALL JOINT

NHTSA ODI #11074897

88,703 miles · Oct 17, 2017

Electronic Stability Control (esc)SuspensionUnknown Or Other

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TAKATA RECALL: ON JUNE 2 2017 I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO HAPPY HYUNDAI OF OAK LAWN FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THEY DETERMINED THERE WAS A RECALL BECAUSE OF RUSTING OF MY CARS UNDERCARRIAGE. THEY KEPT MY VEHICLE UNTIL AUGUST 17,2017. ON OCTOBER 5TH, I WAS BACKING IN A PARKING SPOT, WHAT I KNOW NOW AS MY CONTROL ARM, LEFT AXLE AND LEFT BALL JOINT BROKE. HAD IT TOWED HOME, CALLED HAPPY HYUNDAI, HAS IT TOWED THERE. AFTER INSPECTIONING MY VEHICLE THEY DETERMINED THE CONTROL ARM & AXLE WERE A PART OF THE CAMPAIGN RECALL BUT THEY ARE REFUSING TO FIX MY VEHICLE. REUBEN TOLD ME ON JUNE 2, THEY WERE CONFISCATING IT BECAUSE I COULD BE DRIVING AND THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE COULD FALL OFF. THANKFULLY I WASN'T DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. HYUNDAI RETURNSES AN UNSAFE VEHICLE TO ME AND ARE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY IN REPAIRING MY VEHICLE WHEN THEY SHOULD AT LEAST REPAIR THEY RECALL SINCE THE CONTROL ARM & AXLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I THINK AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE OPENED REGARDING THIS RECALL TO ENSURE HYUNDAI IS REPAIRING VEHICLES UP TO SAFETY STANDARDS. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A STATUS UPDATE. UPDATED 12/07/2017*JS

NHTSA ODI #11033969

70,333 miles · Aug 18, 2015

StructureSuspensionUnknown Or OtherCrashInjury

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AT AROUND 4:50 PM ON AUGUST 11, 2015, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED 2WD 4 DOOR WAGON NORTH-BOUND ON SECOND AVENUE, THROUGH THE INTERSECTION OF SECOND AVENUE AND FOOTHILL BOULEVARD IN UPLAND, CALIFORNIA. WHILE CROSSING THE INTERSECTION THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE WAS STRUCK BY A CAR ENTERING THE INTERSECTION FROM THE WEST. THE IMPACT TO THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE BY THE OTHER CAR WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. ADDITIONALLY, MY WIFE SUFFERED SOFT TISSUE INJURIES TO HER HIP, SHOULDER, BACK AND RIGHT TEMPLE (HEAD). WHILE THE IMPACT TO THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE WAGON WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO BE A TOTAL LOSS AND CAUSE INJURIES TO MY WIFE, NONE OF THE FRONT OR SIDE IMPACT AIR-BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CAR IS NOW IN THE POSSESSION OF THE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (CLAIM NUMBER 012002790. I TOOK SOME PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLES, WHICH I CAN PROVIDE IF REQU

NHTSA ODI #10749621

Official recalls

13V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Apr 1, 2013

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

12V354000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Jul 25, 2012

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2009 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from April 19, 2006, through July 7, 2008. The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities

Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.