SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 36 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, most frequently naming the driver assistance, interior & seats and tires & wheels categories. 4 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 9 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | 1 | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | 4 | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | 5 | 13 |
| Apr 2026 | 3 | 16 |
| May 2026 | 7 | 23 |
| Jun 2026 | 4 | 27 |
| Jul 2026 | 1 | 28 |
| Aug 2026 | 5 | 33 |
| Sep 2026 | 3 | 36 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Driver assistance821.1%
- Interior & seats513.2%
- Tires & wheels410.5%
- Electrical410.5%
- Visibility410.5%
- Powertrain (other)37.9%
- Other / unspecified25.3%
- Engine25.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
4 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
Rear Back Up Camera Had Moisture In The Lenses Making The Rear Back Up Assist Worthless. Nearly Caused Multiple Collisions While In Revers.
- NHTSA ID
- 11763931
- Incident
- Sep 3, 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
- NHTSA ID
- 11762478
- Incident
- Sep 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The failure occurred mostly while making a left turn and while accelerating from a stop and continued for 10-seconds before self-correcting. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was almost a crash during the failure. The failure was not self-corrected after one failure. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the failure was then self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failures, and there was no DTC found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 5,100.
- NHTSA ID
- 11761943
- Incident
- Jul 6, 2026
- Mileage
- 5,100 mi
Oil light comes on and beeps when putting on brakes suddenly.
- NHTSA ID
- 11760551
- Incident
- Aug 28, 2026
TAKE A BREAK" - the feature prompts the driver to “Take a Break” with that text and a‘Coffee Cup” logo after a certain period of continuous driving. There are instances when turning it off is necessary and Hyundai has removed that option - high distracting false alarm rate. The alert, visual and auditory are intrusive, unnecessary, demonstrate a high false alarm rate leading to frustration and distraction. While designed as a safety feature, it has the opposite effect. The system inaccurately interprets the driver’s behavior as signs of fatigue with alerts popping up at an alarming rate. Perfectly normal and safe driving behaviors see the alert popping up again and again. Further there are environmental interferences - bright sunlight, reflections off glasses, bumpy roads requiring frequent corrections - system interprets these as driver inattention and cannot tell the difference between drowsy driving and navigating a poorly maintained highway. New Hyundai models do not allow the driver to disable the Take a Break alert. “You’re cruising down the highway, minding your own business, alert and focused, when your Hyundai flashes a coffee cup icon and tells you to take a break. Again - this for the third or fourth time in 20 minutes. You’re not tired, not swerving, and frankly, you’re getting annoyed”. The system is disruptive and unsafe as it disrupts the driver activating when the system detects inattentive driving, suggesting breaks even if the driver does not feel fatigued. The alert can illuminate even during short drives of less than 30 minutes. The alert can occur extremely frequently, especially during long drives, which is extremely annoying. The warning can appear shortly after starting a trip and may repeat every few minutes, which is extremely frustrating. It is far more disruptive than safe and helpful.
- NHTSA ID
- 11758055
- Incident
- Aug 7, 2026
FORMAL SAFETY COMPLAINT – REPEATED SIDEWALL BUBBLES IN PIRELLI SCORPION MS TIRES Vehicle: 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy Tires: Pirelli Scorpion MS Size: 255/45 R20 I am submitting this complaint because I am extremely concerned about a recurring and potentially dangerous tire problem involving my nearly new 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy. The vehicle is equipped with Pirelli Scorpion MS 255/45 R20 tires. Within only four months of ownership, the first tire developed a significant sidewall bubble on the right rear tire. The vehicle had approximately 816 miles at that time. What is particularly troubling is what the dealer told me when addressing that first tire: the first replacement tire they received also had a sidewall bubble, and the dealer had to obtain another tire. In other words, a replacement tire supplied for my vehicle reportedly arrived with the same type of defect before it could even be installed. At approximately 10 months and 7,425 miles, another tire — the left rear tire — developed a sidewall bubble the same as the prior tire In total, two tires have developed sidewall bubbles during the first ten months of ownership of this car plus the ‘replacement’ tire. There have been no known impacts, pothole strikes, collisions, or other events that would explain these repeated sidewall failures. There have been no blowouts, and fortunately no one has been injured and the vehicle has sustained no damage. However, I consider myself fortunate that these problems have been discovered before a catastrophic failure occurred. The most recent tire was replaced by Oxendale Hyundai in Flagstaff. The dealer submitted the tire to Pirelli for warranty consideration and mentioned the bubbles in the other tires. Pirelli’s response was simply: “REJECTED.” There was no explanation, no apparent investigation, no request for additional information, and no discussion of the fact that multiple tires on the same nearly new vehicle
- NHTSA ID
- 11757804
- Incident
- Aug 14, 2026
This vehicle constantly pops up an alert to "consider taking a break" on the dash. It mutes everything else and causes a distraction. This vehicle was operated at normal highway driving conditions. THERE IS NO WAY TO DIABLE THIS. After looking online there is a reddit post from 2 years ago where this first came into effect and people have been complaining about it constantly. This is a genuine safety concern as any unexpected change or alert causes the driver to look away from the road to see "whats wrong" and for this incident NOTHING IS WRONG. An hour long commute should not pop up 15 alerts because the road has ruts or its mildly windy or the driver is wearing sunglasses or any number of minor things the vehicle doesnt like.
- NHTSA ID
- 11757081
- Incident
- Aug 14, 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 weren’t able to diagnose the issue.
- NHTSA ID
- 11754586
- Incident
- Aug 3, 2026
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV) vehicles may exhibit a 12-volt battery drain due to the passive entry feature of the Digital Key 2 premium causing repeated wakeup of the vehicle. This bulletin provides instructions to perform software updates for the Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) and Body Domain Control (BDC) modules.
SEATS
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 the motor’s tube. This bulletin provides instructions to remove the motor tube.
POWER TRAIN
Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit a low idle or excessive vibration while in Drive or Reverse, or DTC P050600 (Idle Air Control System – RPM Lower than Expected) caused by the one-way clutch sprags being misaligned. This bulletin provides instructions to remove the automatic transmission and replace the torque converter.
AIR BAGS
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may rupture during deployment, and have caused serious injuries and fatalities. Please see attached announcement, provided by NHTSA, for more details.
AIR BAGS
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and underwent airbag replacement using non-genuine parts. These dangerous inflators have ruptured during deployment, posing a serious risk of injury or death due to metal fragments entering the vehicle cabin. To date, Hyundai is aware of three people who have died while driving a Hyundai vehicle with one of these substandard replacement airbag inflators that deployed in what likely would have been a survivable crash. NHTSA has issued a public advisory urging vehicle owners and service professionals to have vehicles inspected if there is reason to believe that a non-genuine replacement airbag may have been installed. Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, prior airbag deployments, or unknown repair histories may present a higher risk. NHTSA strongly cautions against self-inspection by vehicle owners and recommends inspection by trained technicians.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to verify Bluelink Data Communication Unit (DCU) network connection and if needed, reset the DCU in Dealer Mode to resolve the connection.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Viewing | 36 | 4 | 0 | 54.1 |
| 2025 | 133 | 5 | 0 | 58.3 |
| 2024 | 150 | 7 | 0 | 62.6 |
| 2023 | 210 | 1 | 0 | 50.0 |
| 2022 | 199 | 5 | 0 | 57.0 |
| 2021 | 166 | 7 | 1 | 60.2 |
| 2020 | 213 | 2 | 1 | 67.5 |
| 2019 | 200 | 2 | 1 | 64.4 |
| 2018 | 109 | 2 | 2 | 60.0 |
| 2017 | 966 | 6 | 3 | 66.8 |
| 2016 | 236 | 3 | 3 | 58.4 |
| 2015 | 254 | 2 | 3 | 59.6 |
| 2014 | 493 | 3 | 7 | 62.6 |
| 2013 | 605 | 3 | 8 | 61.4 |
| 2012 | 353 | 1 | 6 | 56.4 |
| 2011 | 181 | 3 | 5 | 61.4 |
| 2010 | 258 | 3 | 3 | 57.8 |
| 2009 | 358 | 3 | 1 | 55.9 |
| 2008 | 541 | 6 | 1 | 54.4 |
| 2007 | 683 | 9 | 2 | 56.9 |
| 2006 | 106 | 1 | 0 | 42.8 |
| 2005 | 216 | 3 | 0 | 50.2 |
| 2004 | 303 | 3 | 0 | 53.3 |
| 2003 | 308 | 4 | 1 | 56.3 |
| 2002 | 165 | 4 | 1 | 54.2 |
| 2001 | 209 | 4 | 3 | 54.8 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.