2021 Hyundai Santa Fe problems and complaints

Owners have filed 166 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The most-reported areas: Power Train (50), Unknown Or Other (41), Engine (37).

Key takeaways

  • 166 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 4 involve a crash, 2 a fire, 2 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Power Train5030%
Unknown Or Other4125%
Engine3722%
Electrical System2917%
Forward Collision Avoidance1811%
Fuel/Propulsion System95%
Back Over Prevention74%
Visibility/Wiper74%
Vehicle Speed Control74%
Visibility74%
Service Brakes64%
Seat Belts32%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV AWD5/55/55/54/5
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV FWD5/55/55/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Engine - filed 2026-09-09

The contact owned a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly caught on fire. The contact's wife became aware that the radio was inoperable before the failure. Additionally, the contact’s wife’s eyes were irritated, and there was a hot, harsh odor which g...

Fuel/Propulsion System - filed 2026-08-27

The door to the gas tank is a push door which is temperamental. I can be at the pump and push the door to pop it open and it won't. I'm at the point where I have to pop my gas tank open before I even get to the gas station because to pull up to the pump and not be able to put gas in the tank is a waste of time. There i...

Back Over Prevention - filed 2026-08-12

My rear back up camera intermitting stops working. I can shift into reverse sometimes and the camera does not come on at all, other times the screen blinks and other times the screen has green lines and glitchy lines. The camera will also come on while I'm DRIVING forward

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More for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.