Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 37 safety complaints
about the 2022 Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 13 complaints, 35% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers February 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
37 complaints on file
37
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 13 · 35%
13 35%
POWER TRAIN 13 · 35%
13 35%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 22%
8 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 16%
6 16%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 14%
5 14%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 · 14%
5 14%
SEAT BELTS 3 · 8%
3 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 8%
3 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 5%
2 5%
STRUCTURE 2 · 5%
2 5%
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 3%
1 3%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 3%
1 3%
0815
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 37.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2024 at 14.
16 12 8 4
222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2022 Hyundai SANTA FE HYBRID, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
14.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Hyundai Motor America · up to 226,118 vehicles across all model years covered
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
The risk
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.
Hyundai Motor America · up to 584,784 vehicles across all model years covered
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023 Genesis G80 Electric, 2021-2022 Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
The risk
An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
The remedy
Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioners with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 14, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 238/011G. This recall is an expansion of recall numbers 22V-354 and 22V-458.
Hyundai Motor America · up to 14,933 vehicles across all model years covered
Defect investigations
1 on file
An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A
preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering
analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.
Pedestrian alert sounds
DP22005
Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
the electrical system
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
crash · towed · 50,100 miles
The contact owned a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid. The contact stated while coming out of a parking space and driving approximately 5 MPH, he got distracted and crashed into a parking lot light pole. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance sensors failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was towed and was deemed totaled. No injuries were reported. The contact also stated that the vehicle started leaking from the radiator after the impact. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,100.
NHTSA complaint 11605260. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
the weather was 20 degrees, sensor on the front did not work causing a Collison , dealer said they dont work it the cold i want this repair under warranty, dealer never stated they dont work in the cold
NHTSA complaint 11456541. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Occasionally the cruise control will go off. Sometimes it will reset itself & other times, the driver has to initiate. I reported to the Hyundai Manuf. last yr. & also had 2 separate dealers take a look & problem has not been resolved.
NHTSA complaint 11761327. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SEAT BELTS
The driver-side seat belt buckle on my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe will not latch. This is a safety-critical failure under FMVSS 209/210. The vehicle has not been in a collision. The dealership and Hyundai Consumer Affairs bot stated that the seat belts are only covered under te 5 yr/60K warranty and refused to treat this as a safety defect. The buckle failure prevents proper restraint and poses a serious safety risk.
NHTSA complaint 11759869. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
The vehicle has suffered a catastrophic structural manufacturing defect involving a transmission case half seal failure. The transmission is actively seeping/leaking fluid directly from the factory-mated case assembly line seal. This presents a severe, progressive safety hazard. Transmission fluid leaking from the case half migrates along the underbody of the vehicle and directly coats hot exhaust and powertrain components during highway operation. This creates an immediate risk of under-hood smoke, thermal degradation, component stalling, or a potential vehicle fire at high speeds. Certified diagnostic inspection confirms this is a factory assembly defect (defective RTV sealant application …
NHTSA complaint 11753084, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While accelerating at a light, the accelerator became unresponsive, only propelling the vehicle a couple miles per hour. I was not able to pull over, as I was in the left lane of a very busy road. After about 15 seconds of lack of acceleration, the accelerator responded enough for me to pull over. I’m glad this incident did not occur on a highway, during a turn, or other hazardous situations. Dash displayed, “Check hybrid system. Pull over safely”. There was no indication or issue with the vehicle prior to this. I haven’t had any issues since I bought it several months ago. I’ve read reports of this same issue happening with this same model. I have a scheduled date for inspection.
NHTSA complaint 11708867. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Oil leaking from engine dripping down to floor.
NHTSA complaint 11657968. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Ever since new this suv will periodically hesitate when trying to accelerate. I have almost been rearended numerous times over the last few years do to this issue. I have had the SUV into the dealer and complained about this issue every time and they cannot seem to do anything about the issue. The have update software (or at least said they have) and done other things and it has made NO difference. This issue almost caused a serious accident just this week when I was trying to merge into traffic on I5.
NHTSA complaint 11656192. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed November 21, 2024.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst