2026 Hyundai SANTA FE: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
35 owner complaints analyzed
4 distinct recall campaigns
5,100 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2026 model year. Data snapshot: . 3 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Unknown Or Other is the most frequently named component, appearing in 8 of 35 complaints (22.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 4 | 11.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 2 | 5.7% |
| Steering behavior | 2 | 5.7% |
| Engine operation | 1 | 2.9% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 2.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | 8 |
| Seats | 5 |
| Electrical System | 4 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | 4 |
| Power Train | 3 |
| Visibility/Wiper | 3 |
| Engine | 2 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 2 |
Unknown Or Other: 8; Seats: 5; Electrical System: 4; Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control: 4; Power Train: 3; Visibility/Wiper: 3; Engine: 2; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 2
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 3 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 3; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (3). 32 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 | 33 |
2025: 2; 2026: 33
Pattern summary
Unknown Or Other leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 4 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 2 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11701846 · 2025-11-28 (November 28, 2025)
The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while attempting to clean the front windshield, the contact noticed that the windshield washer fluid only sprayed approximately 2-3 inches from the lower section of the front windshield, which prevented the contact from cleaning the windshield adequately and created a visibility hazard for the driver. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that it was a known issue but no adjustments to the washer fluid sprayer could be made and there was no defect in the system.…
Owner-reported narrative. 12,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11701846 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11708117 · 2025-12-31 (December 31, 2025)
I engaged the adaptive cruise control at 50 MPH. This enabled the driver attention system which I had turned off at the start of my drive. The driver attention system is unable to see my eyes through my prescription corrective lenses. This caused the Hyundai to throw multiple 'failure to control vehicle/failure to watch road' warnings over the course of a few seconds; culminating with the system trying to stop the car in heavy traffic.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11708117 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11710107 · 2026-01-10 (January 10, 2026)
The car was brought to the dealership where it was purchased. The right rear passenger window exploded while on the highway; the pieces then shattered and fell into the child safety seat installed. There were no other vehicles around as I was driving and the temperature inside the car and outside were about the same. There were no warnings and there was no abnormal noises or flexing prior to the window completely shattering.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11710107 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11711757 · 2026-01-18 (January 18, 2026)
It was snowing lightly/moderately, and prior to driving, the windshield was cleared with snow and the wipers set to Low. Once driving began, the wipers stopped working on multiple occasions for a brief period each time, before resuming on their own. During the period that the wipers stopped, the snow accumulation on the windshield caused poor visibility and potential danger to our car as well as others on the road. There were no prior indications on the dashboard or otherwise that anything was wrong with the wipers prior to, during or after the…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11711757 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11716425 · 2026-02-07 (February 7, 2026)
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe - Front windshield had spontaneous horizontal crack about 8" on driver side WHILE PARKED WITH NO IMPACT. Car is new with NO ROCK CHIPS. Our winter nights were about 15-25 degrees and the crack would spread WHILE PARKED overnight. Within a week it spread to 24" while trying to get the dealer to agree that this is a warranty issue with no luck. Was told it is NOT a warranty issue. Upon purchasing this new car, I had purchased the "Windshield Protection" package for $595. with the impression it would cover things like this, …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11716425 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11718776 · 2026-02-18 (February 18, 2026)
The vehicle has a feature that puts a message on the dashboard that reads “Consider taking a break “ that is not able to be adjusted by the consumer or the dealer. This message can come up repeatedly and has an audio portion that overrides the audio in the vehicle. Weather conditions, back roads, and unmarked lanes of traffic will trigger this message and without the ability to adjust the sensitivity or the ability to turn it off, it is a very dangerous situation. I have had it go off multiple times in a drive when there is a strong side wi…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11718776 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11719196 · 2026-02-19 (February 19, 2026)
A brand new Santa Fe Hybrid AWD SEL(less than 2500 miles) makes squeaky noises when rotating the steering wheel to the counter clock wise. It is very annoying and frustrating. Due to the noise I can't fully concentrate to driving the car. Brought the vehicle to a local dealer and they would not do anything about it.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11719196 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11719714 · 2026-02-22 (February 22, 2026)
After turning off the radio with the push button control the instrument cluster and navigation display panel went completely dead black. After pushing multiple buttons several times the panel came back to life. This has not yet been reported to the dealer. On 12/12/2025 this same vehicle also experienced faulty engine / power train components which required replacement @1199 miles. Throttle body assembly and torque converter assembly which caused loss of power when accelerating onto a high speed parkway attempting to reach @55mph along with …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11719714 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
4 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
25V549000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:Critical Fasteners
Reported: 2025-08-25 (August 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗25V809000 · Air Bags:Side/Window:Curtain
Reported: 2025-11-20 (November 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗26V047000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel
Reported: 2026-01-26 (January 26, 2026)
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Consequence: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
NHTSA campaign record ↗26V218000 · Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage
Reported: 2026-04-06 (April 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: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗