OVER THE LAST 4 WEEKS (NOTICED APRIL 15 AROUND 6PM GOING TO CHURCH) THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR OPENS AUTOMATIOCALLY WITHOUT ANYONE OPENING IT. THE DOOR IS LITTERALLY LOCKED AND SFERT DRIVEING THE DOOR JUST OPENS. FROM 4/15/26 UNITL 5/7/2026 THIS HAS HAPPENDED 5 TIMES.
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 212.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Santa Fe years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 44 of 209 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 76 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Structure complaints
8 reports2020 Hyundai Santa Fe quartz white pearl paint and the paint is blowing off as I drive in multiple places. I took it to the dealer because when I called they said there's a Z05 recall on white Hyundai paint and it would be covered. When I take it in, they say 2020's weren't covered because the paint issue was corrected in 2020…
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2020 Hyundai Santa Fe quartz white pearl paint and the paint is blowing off as I drive in multiple places. I took it to the dealer because when I called they said there's a Z05 recall on white Hyundai paint and it would be covered. When I take it in, they say 2020's weren't covered because the paint issue was corrected in 2020, when clearly it wasn't. In any case Hyundai agreed to pay 65% of the cost, nothing more. THEY NEED to include all years that present this issue. Unfortunately I've now picked my car up and the paint in the areas that were painted are a different color white. I'm not happy with this remedy and I'm not happy that Hyundai refuses to take ownership with ALL vehicles painted in white. This recall should be revised to include all vehicles from 2016 forward instead of skipping one year which just happens to be 2020. Any help is greatly appreciated. The paint is already starting to show signs of coming off in other areas but those won't be considered until it's obvious paint peeling larger than a certain size.
The roof of my car between the sunroof and the windshield (called panoramic sunroof) shattered as I was driving down the highway. It was about 10:00 pm on a weeknight and there were no cars within sight distance in front of me. When it happened it sounded like a gun shot going off at point blank range and I immediately pulled ov…
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The roof of my car between the sunroof and the windshield (called panoramic sunroof) shattered as I was driving down the highway. It was about 10:00 pm on a weeknight and there were no cars within sight distance in front of me. When it happened it sounded like a gun shot going off at point blank range and I immediately pulled over and checked for bullet holes. Since it was dark I could not see any damage. Today I took the car and had a small chip fixed in my windshield down by the windshield wipers and the service tech pointed out to me that the roof was shattered. He told me that this happens a lot with this vehicle. So I got online and searched and found a lot of vehicles have reported the exact problem. Down to the sounds of gunshots. So I stopped at my local Hyundai dealership and recorded the conversation. He told me that theres no recalls on this car and It probably shattered by a rock or debris. I told him that when this happened it was late night and no cars within sight in front of me. He didn’t even come out and look at the damage. He said to call my insurance company and I said that is a manufacturer defect and I shouldn’t have to pay for their mistake. When I searched for this on the internet people stated that the dealerships will deny this manufacturer defect and that’s exactly what they said to me. My main concern is that this defect is documented by many vehicle owners from their 2020 vehicles and their Is a recall out for this problem but it stops at 2016 models. In this recall the shattered piece is replaced and there is actually compensation given for people getting scared or dealing with stress dealing with thinking they are getting shot at. I don’t care about any of that. I just want the issue fixed because I did not cause the issue, the manufacturer did. Reason being is that the exact thing is happening to numerous people across the Country. Thank you for your time.
I have a Hyundai Santa Fe 2020 had it only a year my sunroof is a panoramic and it busted out of nowhere. Nothing hit it just shattered on its own when I was going down the road. I know nothing hit it because nobody was on the road near me and I looked around and saw nothing. I was told to report it here so that’s what I’m doing…
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I have a Hyundai Santa Fe 2020 had it only a year my sunroof is a panoramic and it busted out of nowhere. Nothing hit it just shattered on its own when I was going down the road. I know nothing hit it because nobody was on the road near me and I looked around and saw nothing. I was told to report it here so that’s what I’m doing.
I was driving and heard a sound like an explosion. When I was able to safely pull over, I examined my 2020 Sante Fe and noticed the panel of glass right before sunroof exploded. No rock hit it, just exploded.
Large sections of paint peeling from vehicle. Paint starts to bubble and then crack in large pieces. One section has peeled and flew onto the windshield while driving. Hyundai has recently had issues with this white color paint and it is continuing to be a problem. Report has been made to Hyundai with no resolution.
While driving on the highway, the front pane of the panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered. No contact from a foreign object was observed or heard prior to the breakage. The roof was closed, thus our family avoided any glass showering down into our cabin, but this would have been catastrophic had it happened with the roof ope…
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While driving on the highway, the front pane of the panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered. No contact from a foreign object was observed or heard prior to the breakage. The roof was closed, thus our family avoided any glass showering down into our cabin, but this would have been catastrophic had it happened with the roof open. This problem has happened to prior year models of the Santa Fe. Hyundai dealership has agreed to repair the broken sunroof at no cost, however, does not admit fault with the manufacture of the glass.
MY CAR IS SITING IN PARK, RUNNING WITH THE DRIVER'S DOOR OPEN IN MY TOWN HOUSE PARKING LOT. I GET OUT OF MY CAR TO OPEN THE PASSENGER'S BACK DOOR AS WELL AS MY TRUNK FOR HER. I THEN GET BACK INTO THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I AM WAITING ON MY FRIEND TO LOAD HER ITEMS INTO MY NEW SANTA FE FOR AN OUT OF TOWN RETREAT. SHE FINISHES LOADING I…
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MY CAR IS SITING IN PARK, RUNNING WITH THE DRIVER'S DOOR OPEN IN MY TOWN HOUSE PARKING LOT. I GET OUT OF MY CAR TO OPEN THE PASSENGER'S BACK DOOR AS WELL AS MY TRUNK FOR HER. I THEN GET BACK INTO THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I AM WAITING ON MY FRIEND TO LOAD HER ITEMS INTO MY NEW SANTA FE FOR AN OUT OF TOWN RETREAT. SHE FINISHES LOADING ITEMS AND PROCEEDS TO GET INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT. AS SHE IS GETTING INTO THE CAR, "SHE SAYS SHE NEEDS TO GO TO THE BATHROOM". I TELL HER LET'S GO NOW BEFORE WE GET STARTED ON OUR TRIP. WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE MEETING ABOUT 10 COLLEGE STUDENTS. SO I GET OUT OF MY CAR SINCE I HAVE THE HOUSE KEYS. MY CAR IS STILL IN PARK AND RUNNING. I DO LEAVE MY DRIVER'S DOOR OPEN ABOUT A 20-25 DEGREE ANGLE. MY FRIEND WALKS AROUND THE BACK OF THE CAR. AS WE ARE WALKING TOWARD MY TOWNHOUSE, I TURN AROUND BECAUSE I HEAR A NOISE. I IMMEDIATELY SEE MY CAR NOT ROLLING BUT BACKING UP ON A SMALL INCLINE UPWARD ACROSS MY PARKING LOT. IT SEEMS TO HAVE PICKED UP SPEED AND THEN HITS THE BACK OF A PARKED CAR IN THE PARKING LOT. MY CAR HITS THE PARKED GRAY CAMRY WITH SO MUCH MOMENTUM THAT IT BUTTERFLIES MY DRIVER'S DOOR COMPLETELY OPEN AND THE CAR NEVER SLOWS DOWN. THE CAR CONTINUES MOVING WHILE THE INSIDE OF MY DRIVER'S DOOR SCRUBS THE PARKED CAMRY. AFTER MY CAR MOVES PAST THE CAMRY IT IS STILL MOVING AT AN ACCELERATED RATE. I AM YELLING AND RUNNING TO MY CAR WITH MY KEYFOB TRYING TO PUSH BUTTONS TO GET IT TO STOP. MY FRIEND IS RUNNING AND CHASING MY CAR. SHE IS ABLE TO GET TO MY CAR AND JUMP IN WHERE SHE PUSHES ON THE BRAKES VERY HARD TO MAKE THE CAR STOP. IF SHE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT MY CAR WOULD HAVE HIT A PARKED BLACK TRUCK OR WOULD HAVE JUMPED THE SIDEWALK AND RAN INTO A TOWNHOUSE BEFORE IT STOPPED. ONCE MY FRIEND GOT THE CAR TO STOP. SHE LOOKED DOWN AND IT WAS STILL IN PARK AND WAS NOT MAKING THE DINGING NOISE IT USUALLY DOES WHEN IT IS IN REVERSE.
Official recalls
223V181000 · Trailer Hitches
Mar 17, 2023
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. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
21V00M000 · Visibility:windshield
Dec 28, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
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
1DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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