Problems · NHTSA complaints

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problems

Owners filed 422 complaints about the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with NHTSA between Nov 2017 and Nov 2026. The most-cited component is engine (244).

Complaints
422
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
12
Reported by owners
Fires
11
Reported by owners
Injuries
12
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine244
  2. Service brakes, hydraulic49
  3. Fuel/propulsion system38
  4. Electrical system28
  5. Power train25
  6. Service brakes19
  7. Engine and engine cooling15
  8. Vehicle speed control15
  9. Air bags12
  10. Steering10
  11. Exterior lighting9
  12. Structure6
  13. Seats4
  14. Forward collision avoidance4

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 12, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20172
201825
201929
202014
202115
202287
202368
202470
202567
202645

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine

244 reports1 crash5 fires
“This vehicle has been suffering from substantial engine oil consumption, burning oil at an alarming and unsafe rate. I have repeatedly brought the vehicle to Washington Hyundai to address this under the engine class-action lawsuit terms, but the dealership continues to run repetitive tests without a resolution. This is a critical safety issue. Excessive oil consumption poses a severe risk of sudden, catastrophic engine seizure or stalling while operating at high speeds on the highway.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 27, 2026EngineODI 11774019

Service brakes, hydraulic

49 reports1 fire2 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, several warning lights illuminated and the ABS message was displayed. The dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. The contact referenced a recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 2, 2026Service brakes, hydraulicODI 11775079

Fuel/propulsion system

38 reports1 fire
“Bought this as a used vehicle with around 77k miles. The SUV was running fine for a little while until I drove onto the highway. It eventually began to bog down and there was hesitation and jumping instead of acceleration. This continued my entire trip home with the check engine light on. The car was only driven for about 300-400 miles in the time I had it. When I brought it to have an oil change, they found metal shavings in the oil. From what I’ve been reading, this has been a common problem for this vehicle. It has been sitting in a Hyundai service center for at least a month now with no real responses from Hyundai themselves. They told me they would not fix the problem due to lack of maintenance from prior owners and that they were marking my title (doesn’t make sense since I bought this with a clean title). According to what Hyundai told me, this issue was brought up by a previous owner in January 2026 with no repairs. How can you change the status of my title while refusing to repair a problem caused by a manufacturers defect?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 26, 2026Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11759687

Electrical system

28 reports4 fires
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, the local service center discovered a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 123,546. The service center discovered that the mileage was 231,991.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 30, 2026Electrical systemODI 11774653

Power train

25 reports1 crash
“2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Purchased January 2026 took to Oxmoor Hyundai Service Center March 2026. February 2026 began using oil at a measured rate of 700 miles per tank of oil. Used 3 full tanks of oil within the month of February. Oil lights and engine lights on and off and flashing during this time. March 8, 2026, engine light flashed and then stayed on continuously. Engine shook and stuttered and made a loud noise. Engine stalled while I was driving at 35-40 miles per hour. I was able to continue driving to my home with the stuttering and stalling. The next morning I drove it to the Oxmoor Hyundai Service Center. I told relayed the timeline of all symptoms I had experienced over the 2 month lifetime of my ownership. They did not attempt to reproduce the issue. They only entered "shakes in reverse" as the customer provided issue on the intake information. Service Center performed diagnostic, found cylinder misfires on cylinder 2 and cylinder 4. Replaced spark plugs to resolve Cylinder 2. Cylinder 4 continued to misfire. Used Borescope and found broken valve. They did not address the scoring on the cylinder of the valve. Recommended engine replacement.…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 25, 2026Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11739906

Service brakes

19 reports5 crashes
“The contact owned a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact’s son stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the brake pedal depressed with no warning light illuminated. The contact’s son stated that the ABS braking system failed, and the brake pedal did not function when attempting to stop the vehicle. As a result of the failure, the contact’s son collided with the highway pavement. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was required. The contact’s son also stated that the air bags did not deploy during the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and was deemed a total loss by AAA due to severe front-end damage. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 23, 2026Air bags, Service brakesCrash reportedODI 11726456
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 12, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.