Independent · Not affiliated with NHTSA or any automaker MethodologyData sourcesData refreshed Oct 6, 2026

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe: Problems, Recalls and MPG

What this means

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, most recently filed April 2026. Owners have filed 36 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the unknown or other. In NHTSA crash tests it earned 5 stars overall.

Data summary generated from official records. Methodology Data: NHTSA, DOT, EPA · Refreshed Oct 6, 2026
Caution Fewer than 50 complaints filed. With this few reports, patterns may not be meaningful.
Compare

Recalls (4)

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗

Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.

Check on NHTSA ↗
Listed for 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 26V218000 Filed Apr 6, 2026

Seat Belt Anchors May Detach

Seat belts · front · anchorage
Official NHTSA text
Summary
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.
Consequence
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.
38% repairedof 294,448 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V218000
Listed for 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 26V047000 Filed Jan 26, 2026

Instrument Panel Display Failure/FMVSS 101

Electrical system · instrument cluster/panel
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Consequence
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
92.5% repairedof 41,651 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 26V047000
Listed for 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 25V809000 Filed Nov 20, 2025

Side Curtain Air Bags May Not Deploy Properly

Air bags · side/window · curtain
Official NHTSA text
Summary
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.
Consequence
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.
64.7% repairedof 258 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 25V809000
Listed for 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 25V549000 Filed Aug 25, 2025

Loss of Drive Power from Loose Engine Bolts

Engine and engine cooling · critical fasteners
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Consequence
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
100% repairedof 29 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 25V549000

PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.

Owner complaints (36)

36 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The unknown or other is mentioned most often.

0involved a crash
0involved a fire
1injuries reported
0deaths reported

As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.

Most-reported components

Complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, by component (top 10). One complaint can list several components, so these add up to more than 36.Source: NHTSA ODI owner complaints · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · Report a data error

How 2026 compares with other Santa Fe years

Best and worst Santa Fe years →
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
This year (2026)Other yearsStill collecting reports

Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Crash tests: 5 stars overall

Overall★★★★★
Frontal crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side pole★★★★★
RolloverRollover risk 18.5%★★★★☆
Front seat of a modern car with the seat belt buckled across the passenger seat
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe suv fwd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Fuel economy: up to 24 mpg combined

24
mpg combined
20
city
29
highway
EPA annual fuel cost
$2,800
CO₂ tailpipe
374 g/mi
EPA class
Small Sport Utility Vehicle

What it costs you to run

$2,721per year
$227per month
625gallons a year

Miles ÷ 24 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.

EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.

Specs by configuration

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe configurations with EPA data
Engine · transmissionDriveCity / Hwy / CombEPA $/yrCO₂ g/mi
2.5 L 4-cyl · 8-speed automaticFront-Wheel Drive20 / 29 / 24$2,800374
2.5 L 4-cyl · 8-speed automaticAll-Wheel Drive20 / 28 / 23$2,900389
2.5 L 4-cyl · 8-speed automaticAll-Wheel Drive19 / 25 / 21$3,200421

Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.

Used blue SUV on a sunny dealer lot with its hood open and a clipboard on the fender

Looking at a 2026 Santa Fe for sale?

Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.

All Santa Fe years

Where to next

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe FAQ

How many recalls does the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns: 26V218000 (seat belt), 26V047000 (electrical), 25V809000 (air bag), 25V549000 (engine). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.

What are the most common 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?

Owners filed 36 complaints with NHTSA. Unknown or other (9), Forward collision avoidance (5), Seats (5) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.

What mpg does the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

EPA rates the 2.5 L 4-cyl · 8-speed automatic version at 20 city, 29 highway and 24 combined mpg. Other configurations are listed in the fuel economy section.

What safety rating did the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

NHTSA rated the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe suv fwd 5 stars overall, with 5 stars frontal, 5 stars side and 4 stars rollover (18.5% rollover risk).

How does the 2026 Santa Fe compare with other years?

Among the 2017–2021 Hyundai Santa Fe model years at least five years old, the 2018 drew the fewest complaints (109) and the 2017 the most (968). The 2026 drew 36. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.

How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes

Processing

  • Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
  • Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.

Limitations

  • Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
  • Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
  • Recent model years are still collecting reports.

Review

Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.

Changelog

  • 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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