YearToAvoid

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Good The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe carries a complaint index of 35 and ranks 14th worst out of 21 model years, earning a 'Good' verdict compared to other Santa Fe years. NHTSA lists 258 complaints and 2 recalls, with transmission and powertrain issues making up 42% of complaints.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
35/100
#14 of 21 Santa Fe years
Verdict
Good
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
258
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
2
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
8
reported in complaints
Fires
6
Injuries
7
Top issue
Transmission & Powertrain
Best nearby year
2011
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
23
20 city / 26 hwy
Injuries / deaths
7 / 1

Top 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain109 (42%)
  2. Engine63 (24%)
  3. Electrical System32 (12%)
  4. Other24 (9%)
  5. Fuel System19 (7%)
  6. Suspension, Wheels & Tires17 (7%)
  7. Brakes14 (5%)
  8. Structure & Body14 (5%)
  9. Airbags9 (3%)
  10. Visibility & Wipers9 (3%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Steering can suddenly lock up while turning at low speed, making the vehicle very hard to control.
  • Blinker switches on the steering column have smoked or sparked, with blinkers activating on their own.
  • Rear brake lights have failed, leading to being rear-ended, and this pattern matches a later brake-light recall.
  • Engine has surged with power on its own while driving, with the gear shifter reportedly locking in drive.
  • Airbags did not deploy in a head-on crash at around 30 mph, resulting in injury.
  • Vehicle has rolled backward out of a parking space even with the emergency brake engaged and key removed.
2010 Hyundai Santa Fe complaints: complaints filed per quarter252010 Q22012 Q22014 Q32016 Q32018 Q32020 Q32022 Q42026 Q1
258 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2010 Q2 to 2026 Q3; peak 2010 Q3 (25).

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe recalls

2 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 13V113000Apr 1, 2013Electrical System1,712,336 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

    Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

    Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

  2. NHTSA 11V261000Apr 28, 2011Transmission & Powertrain5,876 vehicles

    Power train:driveline:driveshaft

    Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2010 santa fe 2wd vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4l engines manufactured from october 15, 2009 through march 5, 2010. The intermediate shaft may suffer from noise and excessive wear due to a misalignment of the intermediate shaft with the right side output gear. Continuing to drive the vehicle in this condition leads to the development of a whirring/whining noise and can eventually cause damage to the automatic transmission.

    Risk: Damage to the transmission may cause loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the right side output gear and intermediate shaft free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during june 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe fuel economy and fuel cost

City
20 MPG
Highway
26 MPG
Combined
23 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,800
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2010 compared with other Santa Fe years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2008Caution55541419.5
2009Avoid95358219.5
2010Good35258223
2011Best15181222
2012Caution50353122

All Hyundai Santa Fe years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
Compared to other Santa Fe model years, the 2010 rates 'Good' with a complaint index of 35, ranking 14th worst out of 21 years tracked. It has fewer complaints and recalls than several later Santa Fe years.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA data shows Transmission & Powertrain complaints lead at 42% of the 258 total complaints, followed by Engine issues at 24% and Electrical System issues at 12%.
Does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2010 Santa Fe: one for a stop lamp switch covering multiple Hyundai models, and one for an intermediate shaft issue in 2WD automatic-transmission Santa Fe models built October 2009 through March 2010. Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
How does the 2010 Santa Fe compare to other years?
The 2010 model year is rated 'Good' with a complaint index of 35, better than the 2007, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2023, and 2025 Santa Fes, all rated 'Avoid' with complaint indexes of 85, 95, 80, 100, 90, and 75 respectively.
What is the fuel economy of the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe?
EPA rates the 2010 Santa Fe at 23 mpg combined (20 city / 26 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,800.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.