Research · Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD

2025 Hyundai Santa FeRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 137 owner complaints for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. Most complaints involve electrical system (30) and power train (22). The EPA rates it 22–24 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 4 stars overall.

Combined MPG
22–24mpg
EPA · 3 versions
NHTSA overall
4of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
5campaigns
Latest Apr 2026
Owner complaints
137
Top: electrical system
Fuel cost / yr
$2,700est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

5 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Seat belts: anchorage

Free remedy

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.

Seat beltsReported Apr 7, 2026NHTSA 26V218000

Back over prevention: display function

Free remedy

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."

Back over preventionReported Nov 21, 2025NHTSA 25V808000

Air bags: side

Free remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Nov 21, 2025NHTSA 25V809000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

137 complaints filed with NHTSA · Dec 2024 – Oct 2026
  1. Electrical system30
  2. Power train22
  3. Forward collision avoidance20
  4. Tires17
  5. Engine14
  6. Visibility/wiper12
  7. Vehicle speed control8
  8. Seat belts8
  9. Seats6

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

By model year

Complaints for each Santa Fe model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2001209
2002171
2003308
2004303
2005216
2006106
2007684
2008541
2009359
2010260
2011181
2012355
2013605
2014494
2015255
2016236
2017972
2018110
2019203
2020218
2021168
2022202
2023214
2024156
2025137
202637
Crashes reported
5
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
4
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Electrical system

30 reports
“2025 Hyundai Santa Fe - The sound for the blinkers, rear-view camera alerts, and radio sounds has gone out 2 times, once in XXX and then on XXX. This is a safety issue. I have had issues with an electrical battery drain with the key fob antenna being one of issues draining the battery and replaced in XXX. After the sound went out on XXX, I did not drive the vehicle for 1 day, then went to get into the vehicle on Wednesday, XXX and the vehicle was dead. No lights were on, it would not unlock. I missed the scheduled service appointment I had on the XXX due to the dead battery. The car had sat unused for less than 24 hours. I had to call Hyundai roadside assistance for them to jump the car off and tow it to the dealership yesterday afternoon. The battery drain started happening at 700 miles on the car, where I jumped it off myself, and continued to happen every month or two. I kept jumping it off and taking it to the dealership to let them know what was going on. Sometimes, they would investigate it, and sometimes nothing would get done about it. I have had to jump this vehicle off myself at least 6 times since XXX. Yesterday, I just called roadside assistance.…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 29, 2026Electrical system, Unknown or other, Back over preventionODI 11774538

Power train

22 reports
“the ongoing safety defect affecting my leased 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. This summarizes the facts as discussed, the danger this defect presents, and the urgent need for resolution. Summary of the Defect Since leasing the vehicle, it has intermittently and without warning decelerated to a complete stop (0 MPH) while driving, regardless of the speed at which I am traveling — including at approximately 30 MPH on local roads and at approximately 65 MPH on I-95. The specific facts of this defect are as follows: The vehicle decelerates to a full stop within approximately 5-10 seconds of the malfunction beginning, with no advance warning. After the vehicle stops, attempting to accelerate again takes approximately 30-45 seconds before the vehicle begins to move, and it does so only slowly. When this occurs, the vehicle beeps and a flashing green “OFF LIMITS” light appears. No check engine light or other diagnostic warning is triggered at any point. This has occurred approximately 25 times since I leased the vehicle. On the last three occasions I reported this, Hyundai/dealership personnel drove the vehicle and were unable to duplicate the problem. As I have repeatedly…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 14, 2026Power train, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11771150

Forward collision avoidance

20 reports
“I am submitting a second and more urgent safety complaint regarding the Driver Monitoring and Driver Assistance systems in my vehicle. I previously reported this same core defect: the system falsely fails to recognize my face, sounds repeated warnings, and disables driving assistance while the vehicle is moving. Despite that prior complaint, the defect remains, and the seriousness of the danger has clearly not been recognized or addressed. This defect has now placed my life in immediate danger. While I was driving, the system falsely determined that it could not properly see my face. It sounded repeated warnings and then abruptly disabled driving assistance. That sudden withdrawal of assistance created a near-crash situation. I was attentive and was not experiencing a medical emergency. The danger was created by the system’s false detection and defective response. A safety system should reduce danger. This system detected a supposed problem and made the situation more dangerous by removing the assistance that was helping keep the vehicle under control. Had this occurred beside a concrete barrier, near stopped traffic, in a construction zone, on a curve, or next…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 17, 2026Forward collision avoidance, Lane departureODI 11751090
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

3 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD, Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Engines
2.5L 4-cyl turbo
Transmissions
Automatic (AM-S8)
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 3, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Santa Fe FWD
Auto (AM-S8), 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Turbo · Front-Wheel Drive
202924$2,700376
Santa Fe AWD
Auto (AM-S8), 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Turbo · All-Wheel Drive
202823$2,800390
Santa Fe AWD XRT
Auto (AM-S8), 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Turbo · All-Wheel Drive
192622$2,900409
  • Santa Fe FWD
    Auto (AM-S8), 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Turbo
    20 city · 29 hwy · $2,700/yr
    24
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe AWD
    Auto (AM-S8), 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Turbo
    20 city · 28 hwy · $2,800/yr
    23
    mpg comb.
  • Santa Fe AWD XRT
    Auto (AM-S8), 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Turbo
    19 city · 26 hwy · $2,900/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 3, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
Overall rating
4/ 5
4 of 5
HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV AWD
Frontal crash
4 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
17.4%
Overall
4 / 5
HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV FWD
Frontal crash
4 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
18.5%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 3, 2026Vehicle 20570Vehicle 20569
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2025 Santa Fe questions

How many recalls does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

5 safety recalls as of Nov 3, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?

Owners filed 137 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are electrical system (30), power train (22), forward collision avoidance (20). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

The EPA rates the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe at 22–24 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (3 versions rated).

How safe is the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe 4 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 3, 2026