Fifth generation (MX5) · first-year watch
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, day 308
- 36complaints since Nov 28, 2025
- 4recalls
- 0involved a crash
- 5,100median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 13, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Changed since August
- 3 new complaints in September, mostly about engine, transmission and drivetrain and tires.
- Nothing filed yet on sticky steering, transmission failure, engine failure or fire.
- 17th most complaints of the 79 2026 models on this site.
What's been reported
NHTSA's own component codes. One report can cite several.
- Other9
- Collision avoidance8
- Seats5
- Electrical4
- Tires4
- Windshield and wipers3
- Lane keeping3
- Transmission and drivetrain3
Problems so far
- Seat belt or seat problems 6 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 6 reports
Recent reports
“Rear Back Up Camera Had Moisture In The Lenses Making The Rear Back Up Assist Worthless. Nearly Caused Multiple Collisions While In Revers.”
Filed Sep 13, 2026
“Size 245 / 45 R 21 It's already my second tire thta gets a bubble on the side wall without any know crash One tire blew mid driving for no apparent reason on less than 10K miles I recommend you recall all those tires they are dangerous”
Filed Sep 6, 2026
“Over the past month, on two occasions my vehicle has emitted gasoline fumes filling my garage, and today my interior cabin smelled like gasoline. Additionally, after warming up, my vehicle experiences acceleration drop/stuttering when accelerating after idling. This happens every day. I took the car to two dealerships (San Tan Hyundai and Chapman Hyundai Scottsdale) and they werenât able to diagnose the issue.”
Filed Aug 3, 2026
“Driving down the road and the sunroof just exploded. No rock, no nearby cars that could have kicked something up. Just crumbled in.”
Filed Jun 12, 2026
At a glance
- Next to the 2024
- The 2026 is too new for a fair per-year comparison. It has 36 complaints so far; the 2024, on sale longer, has 151.
- Top problem
- Two problems run close. Seat belt has 6 complaints and wheels has 6, out of 36 in all. Too few of the seat belt reports give a mileage to say when it starts.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- Only 1 of the 36 complaints (3%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, well under the 6% typical of vehicles on this site.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- 4 recalls are on file, but no problem here has enough reports to set against them.
- When owners filed
- Every complaint so far came in during 2025. So far in 2026, 34 more have come in.
Service bulletins for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai filed 9 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. 3 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Seat belt or seat problems 3 bulletins · 6 complaints
Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles equipped with power seats with or without Integrated Memory System (IMS) may produce buzz, squeak, rattle noises when the driver’s front seat is adjusted forward or backwards due to friction within ...
Certain Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles may experience battery drain and inoperative heated seat capacitive touch buttons due to incorrect ECU logic for the Seat Heater Unit – Front (SHU_FRT).
1 more on this problem
Certain Santa Fe (MX5A) vehicles may experience battery drain and inoperative heated seat capacitive touch buttons due to incorrect ECU logic for the Seat Heater Unit – Front (SHU_FRT).
Recalls
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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.
Risk and remedy
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.
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."
Risk and remedy
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.
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.
Risk and remedy
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.
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.
Risk and remedy
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.
All 4 recalls on the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Seeing this on your own car? How to file a complaint with NHTSA
The log
Complaints by the month NHTSA received them, newest first. Blue bars mark a month with a recall or an investigation.
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe?
Seat belt, with 6 of the 36 complaints.
At what mileage do 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe problems start?
Of the 7 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 2,000 miles and half by about 5,000.
How many 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
1 of them (3%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for seat belt on the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe?
Yes, NHTSA lists a recall on the same system: 26V-218. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.