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

Tires complaints

2 reports

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29,000 miles · Jun 10, 2011

Tires

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I AM IN THE PROCESS OF FINANCING A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE THAT HAS BRIDGESTONE DUELER HT TIRES ON IT. THIS CAR HAS 29176 MILES ON IT. I TOOK IT TO A WELL KNOWN PLACE TO HAVE MY OIL CHANGED AND TIRES ROTATED. THEY CHANGED THE OIL BUT INFORMED ME THAT NONE OF THE TIRES WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE ROTATED BECAUSE OF UNEVEN TREAD WEAR AND THE EXISTING TIRE TREAD IS LESS THAN 2/32NDS OF AN INCH ON EACH TIRE. I PURCHASED THIS CAR WITH ONLY 7 MILES ON IT AND HAVE ONLY HAD IT FOR 1 1/2 YEARS SO THE TIRES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO HAVE AN ALIGNMENT ON THIS CAR AND HAVE HAD THE TIRES ROTATED REGULARLY SO UNEVEN TREAD WEAR SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE AT THIS POINT. I HAVE ALSO READ REVIEWS ON THIS TIRE ONLINE AND ALL OF THE REVIEWS SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT THE UNEVEN TREAD WEAR, SOME EVEN SAY THAT THE TIRES HAVE EXPLODED. SUCH A COSTLY TIRE OF THIS CALIBER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT SUCH FREQUENT INTERVALS. I WAS READING MY OWNER'S MANUAL AND IT RECOMMENDS THAT TIRES BE REPLACED EVERY 6 YEARS DEPENDING ON DRIVING HABITS. THESE TIRES SHOULD BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY AND REPLACED AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. THEY ARE PUTTING INNOCENT PEOPLE IN DANGER EVERYDAY. (TREAD WEAR AS LISTED ON MY RECEIPT: DRIVER FRONT-2/32, DRIVER REAR 5/32, PASSENGER FRONT 3/32 AND PASSENGER REAR 5/32). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10405925

300 miles · Nov 19, 2009

EquipmentTires

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A FACTORY DECAL INDICATING THAT THE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY WAS REDUCED. HE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT PUT THE DECALS ON THE VEHICLE AND HAD NO KNOWLEDGE HOW TO UPDATE THEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO UNABLE TO ASSIST THE CONTACT ON HOW TO CORRECT THE DECAL. THE VEHICLE ALSO HYDROPLANED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN THE RAIN WHICH CAUSED HIM TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIRES. THE TIRES WERE BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T TIRES SIZE P235/60/R18. THE DOT CODE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,400. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 300.

NHTSA ODI #10292873

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.