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2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

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Owner complaints by model year

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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: 11 of 131 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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports

Seat Belts complaints

8 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2026
Seat Belts

After waiting a month (called in june car went in 7/28/26)for an appointment with my dealer for 2 recalls and a broken rear seatbelt the dealership has deemed my vehicle unsafe to drive and has impounded my vehicle for almost a week. They have to replace not only 1 rear seatbelts but ALL rear seatbelts. The original recall is fo…

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After waiting a month (called in june car went in 7/28/26)for an appointment with my dealer for 2 recalls and a broken rear seatbelt the dealership has deemed my vehicle unsafe to drive and has impounded my vehicle for almost a week. They have to replace not only 1 rear seatbelts but ALL rear seatbelts. The original recall is for the front seatbelt.

NHTSA ODI #11754125

Mileage unknown · Jun 26, 2026
Electrical SystemSeat Belts

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V218000 (Seat Belts) and 25V659000 (Electrical System); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the recall repairs were denied due to a lack of maintenance …

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The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V218000 (Seat Belts) and 25V659000 (Electrical System); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the recall repairs were denied due to a lack of maintenance records with an authorized Hyundai Dealer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI #11746649

Mileage unknown · Jun 21, 2026
Seat Belts

The middle row left side seat belt does not buckle. We made sure everything is clear in it, it is not dirty. We have had issues with it clicking to lock since we purchased the car last March 2025. It does not work at all now.

NHTSA ODI #11745481

Mileage unknown · Jun 5, 2026
Back Over PreventionSeat Belts

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V808000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) and 26V218000 (SEAT BELTS). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle…

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The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V808000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) and 26V218000 (SEAT BELTS). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI #11742243

Mileage unknown · May 11, 2026
Seat Belts

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V218000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Th vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the remedy parts were not yet available…

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The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V218000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Th vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the remedy parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI #11737020

Mileage unknown · Apr 28, 2026
Seat Belts

The seatbelt buckles for the rear seats are limited to raising up beyond about a 45 degree angle. This makes safely and securly fastening a car seat that requires the seat belt essentially impossible. After the buckle is fastened and the seatbelt is somewhat tightened, the seatbelt starts to pull up at a sharp angle perpendicula…

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The seatbelt buckles for the rear seats are limited to raising up beyond about a 45 degree angle. This makes safely and securly fastening a car seat that requires the seat belt essentially impossible. After the buckle is fastened and the seatbelt is somewhat tightened, the seatbelt starts to pull up at a sharp angle perpendicular to its guide through the buckle. Rather than being pulled through flat, as all seat belts are intended to work, the belt starts pulling through as if it were trying to cut through the side of the buckle. This causes the seat belt to bunch up and stop passing through the buckle. This happens before the belt can be tightened enough to secure the car seat in place. It also places a significant amount of sideways torque on the seatbelt buckle, which is not the angle that resistance should be applied. This is a design defect existing at least in all 2024+ santa fe calligraphy trims; it may be present in more trims though. The Santa Fe subreddit has reports of multiple other owners encountering the same issue.

NHTSA ODI #11734271

8,500 miles · Oct 20, 2025
Seat BeltsCrash

The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact’s spouse stated that while at a stop, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle. The spouse reported that during the collision, the driver’s seat belt became inoperable and detached from the driver’s seat. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was required…

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The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact’s spouse stated that while at a stop, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle. The spouse reported that during the collision, the driver’s seat belt became inoperable and detached from the driver’s seat. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was required. The spouse also stated that the air bags did not deploy during the incident. A police report was filed, and a report number was provided to the contact. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was declared totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,500. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI #11694551

5,000 miles · Oct 3, 2025
Seat BeltsStructureCrashInjury

The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the driver's front door was making an abnormal creaking sound. The contact stated that while driving, but at a standstill, a 2008 Toyota Camry rear-ended the vehicle. There was significant damage on the driver's side of the vehicle. There were no warning lights i…

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The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the driver's front door was making an abnormal creaking sound. The contact stated that while driving, but at a standstill, a 2008 Toyota Camry rear-ended the vehicle. There was significant damage on the driver's side of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The alert was making the normal dinging sound for the approaching vehicle. The driver sustained a concussion. The passenger sustained injuries to her hip, back, pelvis, and orthopedic system, and medical attention was provided. The contact's daughter was occupying the passenger-side seat, and the seat belt dislodged near her waist from the outside near the door (the seat belt retractor connected to the vehicle's structure). A police report was filed. There was no fire or airbag deployment. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, as they were having mechanical issues at the time. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The Hyundai inspector was able to inspect the vehicle, but the findings were unknown. The vehicle was taken to a collision center, and the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

NHTSA ODI #11691252

Official recalls

5

26V218000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Apr 6, 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. The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: 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.

25V808000 · Back Over Prevention:display Function

Nov 20, 2025

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 288. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.

25V809000 · Air Bags:side/window:curtain

Nov 20, 2025

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: 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.

25V659000 · Electrical System:starter Assembly

Oct 2, 2025

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe vehicles. The B+ positive terminal cover on the starter motor assembly may be improperly installed, which can cause an electrical short during a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the starter motor terminal cover, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 285. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 4, 2025.

25V549000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:critical Fasteners

Aug 25, 2025

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.