2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
AvoidComplaint Index
93/100
#2 most-complained of 16 Santa Fe years
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe has a Complaint Index of 93, ranking it 2nd worst out of 16 model years, with 133 complaints, 5 recalls, and a verdict of Avoid relative to other Santa Fe years.
- Complaints
- 133
- Recalls
- 5
- Crashes / fires
- 5 / 0
- Injuries / deaths
- 4 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- 4 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 23
- 20 city / 28 hwy
Top 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Other29 (22%)
- Electrical System28 (21%)
- Collision Avoidance & Cameras21 (16%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires21 (16%)
- Transmission & Powertrain21 (16%)
- Engine20 (15%)
- Visibility & Wipers13 (10%)
- Structure & Body9 (7%)
- Seat Belts8 (6%)
- Lane Departure6 (5%)
What owners report
- Seat belt anchors detached or became inoperable after low-speed rear-end collisions, in some cases around 5,000 to 8,500 miles.
- Airbags failed to deploy during a crash involving a deer strike at 10,024 miles, and the vehicle was later condemned.
- Rearview camera images went blank or froze due to a wiring harness issue tied to a recall, contributing to a minor collision.
- Driver attention monitoring falsely flags drivers as distracted when wearing sunglasses, disabling smart cruise control and braking the vehicle unexpectedly.
- Shift-to-Park warning system misreads gear position, showing conflicting dashboard messages about Auto Stop and gear selection.
- Forward attention warning system cannot be turned off once smart cruise control is engaged, even during normal driving.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe recalls
5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 26V218000Apr 6, 2026Seat Belts294,448 vehicles
Seat belts:front:anchorage
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: 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 25V809000Nov 20, 2025Airbags258 vehicles
Air bags:side/window:curtain
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: 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 25V808000Nov 20, 2025Collision Avoidance & Cameras143,472 vehicles
Back over prevention:display function
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."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 288. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 20 MPG
- Highway
- 28 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.
2025 compared with other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
- Based on NHTSA data, the 2025 Santa Fe has a Complaint Index of 93, the second-highest among the 16 Santa Fe model years tracked, earning an Avoid verdict relative to other years.
- What year Hyundai Santa Fe should I avoid?
- Among tracked years, 2017 has the highest Complaint Index at 100, followed by 2025 at 93 and 2013 at 87, all rated Avoid relative to other Santa Fe years.
- Does the 2025 Santa Fe have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2025 Santa Fe, covering seat belt anchors, airbags, the rearview camera wiring harness, the starter motor terminal cover, and engine connecting rod bolts.
- What is the most common problem area on the 2025 Santa Fe?
- Electrical System complaints lead with 28 complaints, 21% of the total, with a median mileage at failure of 3,350 miles.
- How many complaints does NHTSA have for the 2025 Santa Fe?
- NHTSA lists 133 complaints for the 2025 Santa Fe, including 5 crashes and 4 injuries, with no fires or deaths reported.