2021 Hyundai SANTA FE

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2021 Hyundai SANTA FE has 232 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (21% of all complaints), specifically: i bought a new 2021 hyundai santa fe sel in january 2021. the vehicle occasionally will not shift out of first gear unless you slow down to almost a stop and then accelerate again. it began within the first month or two of owning. hyundai has had it in the shop three times. two times they said they. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 3 crash reports 1 injury

232

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

48 complaints

21%

• I bought a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL in January 2021. The vehicle occasionally will not shift out of first gear unless you slow down to almost a stop and then accelerate again. It began within the first month or two of owning. Hyundai has had it in the shop three times. Two times they said they
• 10/22/21, Mileage ~720, while driving on the highway I had two incidents when the car did not respond to throttle application. In the first instance while attempting to accelerate mildly on a level road the rpm went to 3500 with no acceleration. I backed off the throttle and the car resumed normal
• The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated upon attempting to drive the vehicle, she shifted into drive; however, the vehicle reversed inadvertently. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park. The contact shifted from park to drive three times but the vehicle woul

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I bought a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL in January 2021. The vehicle occasionally will not shift out of first gear unless you slow down to almost a stop and then accelerate again. It began within the first month or two of owning. Hyundai has had it in the shop three times. Two times they said they”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

41 complaints

18%

• WHILE IN DRIVE AND STATIONARY, MY VEHICLE HAS CONTINUOUSLY CAD CONNECTIONS ISSUES WITH MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME ERROR MESSAGE STATING 'PHONE NOT RESPONDING. PLEASE RECONNECT IT AND TRY AGAIN.' THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AREAS I'M UNFAMILIAR WITH AND PUT MYSELF AND OTHER
• DARK SPOT IN LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT FIELD CAUSES LOSS OF VIEW FOR DRIVER AS THE DARK SPOT PASSES FROM OBJECT TO OBJECT. PEOPLE OR ANIMALS, EVEN SIGNS LOSE ILLUMINATION AS THE DARK SPOT COVERS THEM. REFLECTIVE BARRELS IN CONSTRUCTION AREAS LOSE THEIR REFLECTIVITY AT NIGHT AS THIS SPOT COVERS THEM. THI
• Engine shut off while driving 70mph in the middle of the mountains in PA during a road trip from VA to MI, 2 adults and one child. No Warning No Check Engine lights No alarms, just shut off. I tried to press the ignition start button but it would not function until the engine was in park, gave n

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“WHILE IN DRIVE AND STATIONARY, MY VEHICLE HAS CONTINUOUSLY CAD CONNECTIONS ISSUES WITH MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME ERROR MESSAGE STATING 'PHONE NOT RESPONDING. PLEASE RECONNECT IT AND TRY AGAIN.' THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AREAS I'M UNFAMILIAR WITH AND PUT MYSELF AND OTHER”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

35 complaints

15%

• It's only been less than a month, since I bought this car and I've driven ~500 miles. Now when I was driving the car yesterday it just stopped in the middle of the road all of a sudden for no reason. After getting the car towed to the service center, they are reporting that there is an issue with th
• Car would not start; battery was too low to activate lights or locks, let alone starter. An attempted jumper cable connection to an older car was insufficient to make the motor turn, even after just running the assist car while connected for 20+ minutes. A subsequent jump from the AAA 2000 Ah jump p
• My Santa Fe has less than 14k miles. In many instances, the car has stalled when turning on. The engine would tremble and then shut the engine off while the dash lighting/symbols stay on. It will idle for a quick second and then drop to zero. Another instance is when driving into a parking spot an

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“It's only been less than a month, since I bought this car and I've driven ~500 miles. Now when I was driving the car yesterday it just stopped in the middle of the road all of a sudden for no reason. After getting the car towed to the service center, they are reporting that there is an issue with th”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

29 complaints

13%

• Car would not start; battery was too low to activate lights or locks, let alone starter. An attempted jumper cable connection to an older car was insufficient to make the motor turn, even after just running the assist car while connected for 20+ minutes. A subsequent jump from the AAA 2000 Ah jump p
• While driving in the fast lane on the freeway at speed limit the car suddenly began to slow/stop, after which a warning flashed on the display that said Danger, collision imminent, or something like that. There was no one close in front of me when that happened. This exact scenario has happened thre
• Car had a dead battery called road service they tested the battery said it had a bad cell they jumped it and I took it to the dealership they tested it by Hyundai protocol charged it for 60 minutes then load tested said it passed didn’t find anything wrong with it sent me on my way couple days later

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“Car would not start; battery was too low to activate lights or locks, let alone starter. An attempted jumper cable connection to an older car was insufficient to make the motor turn, even after just running the assist car while connected for 20+ minutes. A subsequent jump from the AAA 2000 Ah jump p”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

27 complaints

12%

• THE FORWARD COLLISION SYSTEM IS AUTOMATICALLY BEING ACTIVATED WITHOUT ANY CAR OR OBJECT NEAR THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENED 3 TIMES WHILE ON THE FREEWAY AND HIGHWAY. THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY SLAMS ON THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SWERVES A LITTLE TO LEFT AND RIGHT DUE TO THE SUDDEN APPLICATION OF
• THE FORWARD COLLISION SYSTEM IS AUTOMATICALLY BEING ACTIVATED WITHOUT ANY CAR OR OBJECT NEAR THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENED 3 TIMES WHILE ON THE FREEWAY AND HIGHWAY. THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY SLAMS ON THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SWERVES A LITTLE TO LEFT AND RIGHT DUE TO THE SUDDEN APPLICATION OF
• Message: I own a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe with the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist feature installed and activated. The Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist did not function properly to stop my car to avoid a low speed impact. I applied the brakes to stop. I could not avoid impacting another vehicle.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“THE FORWARD COLLISION SYSTEM IS AUTOMATICALLY BEING ACTIVATED WITHOUT ANY CAR OR OBJECT NEAR THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENED 3 TIMES WHILE ON THE FREEWAY AND HIGHWAY. THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY SLAMS ON THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SWERVES A LITTLE TO LEFT AND RIGHT DUE TO THE SUDDEN APPLICATION OF”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 232 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: I bought a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL in January 2021. The vehicle occasionally will not shift out of first gear unless you slow down to almost a stop and then accelerate again. It began within the first month or two of owning. Hyundai has had it in the shop three times. Two times they said they
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: WHILE IN DRIVE AND STATIONARY, MY VEHICLE HAS CONTINUOUSLY CAD CONNECTIONS ISSUES WITH MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME ERROR MESSAGE STATING 'PHONE NOT RESPONDING. PLEASE RECONNECT IT AND TRY AGAIN.' THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AREAS I'M UNFAMILIAR WITH AND PUT MYSELF AND OTHER
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: It's only been less than a month, since I bought this car and I've driven ~500 miles. Now when I was driving the car yesterday it just stopped in the middle of the road all of a sudden for no reason. After getting the car towed to the service center, they are reporting that there is an issue with th
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: Car would not start; battery was too low to activate lights or locks, let alone starter. An attempted jumper cable connection to an older car was insufficient to make the motor turn, even after just running the assist car while connected for 20+ minutes. A subsequent jump from the AAA 2000 Ah jump p
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)