2010 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 259 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 10th highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2010 reports, 8 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 7 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Exterior lighting, brake lights, switchApr 1, 2013
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Campaign 13V113000 on NHTSA.gov
EquipmentOct 6, 2011
CURT MANUFACTURING IS RECALLING CERTAIN TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESSES, PART NUMBER 55538, THAT CONNECT TOW VEHICLE LIGHTING CIRCUITS TO TRAILER LIGHTING CIRCUITS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 THROUGH 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES. THE UNITS ARE NOT WATER-TIGHT AND MOISTURE CAN SEEP INTO THE CONVERTER MODULE AND DEFEAT THE MODULE'S INTERNAL CIRCUIT PROTECTION.
WITHOUT THE CIRCUIT PROTECTION, THE MODULE CAN OVERHEAT POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
CURT MANUFACTURING WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESS. THE REMEDY WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 17, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CURT MANUFACTURING AT 1-715 831-8713.
Campaign 11E040000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, driveline, driveshaftApr 28, 2011
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 SANTA FE 2WD VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS AND 2.4L ENGINES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 15, 2009 THROUGH MARCH 5, 2010. THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT MAY SUFFER FROM NOISE AND EXCESSIVE WEAR DUE TO A MISALIGNMENT OF THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT GEAR. CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION LEADS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WHIRRING/WHINING NOISE AND CAN EVENTUALLY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION MAY CAUSE LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT GEAR AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
Campaign 11V261000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: suspension
14 reports, newest first. Show all
Suspension, Jan 20, 2024
At any speed period, if i hit a pothole or those little ripple things on side of the country county roads, any of them causes my vehicle to jerk and makes a a sound like the entire right front end is going to fall apart at any moment and it either jerks my vehicle off the road on the right side or it either jerks the vehicle into the opposite lane towards on coming traffic. My truck has caused me to go completely off of the highway into the grass to avoid a collision...and anytime I hit the most tiniest of bumps it sounds Like the entire right side suspension is going to fall completely off and at high speeds it shakes uncontrollably...
Steering, Suspension, Power train, Nov 15, 2023
Whenever i hit a bump on the side of the road, the truck jerks really badly and if im not grasping the steering wheel with all my strength, it will jerk me off the highway from the bump making the entire car go off the road. Also, each bump i hit, i hear a very very loud metal on metal knocking sound from the right passenger side of the tire area. Not sure if it is a strut assembly or engine mount that wasn't correctly bolted down during manufacturing. Also, when i press the gas pedal, it sounds as if theres some type of cable thats being stripped or something. And whenever i am holding the steering wheel straight and firmly, the truck automatically has a mind of its on at times and will jerk the car to the right or to the left while im holding the wheel still. All mechanics have said that they don't see anything wrong with it but there's obviously something wrong with it and I am scared to drive it. It has got to be a manufacturers defect on those components of the vehicle. Please remedy this or replace my vehicle with one of the same or lesser valued cars . This truck is going to end up killing me or someone else or both ... Thanks
Steering, Suspension, Service brakes, May 14, 2023
When im driving down the road and the slightest bump is on yhe side of the road, the truck feels like its not connected to the framing or the wheels or something because when i hit the bump it jerks the wheels to the right and that's the only side it does it on and it does it so abruptly at times it almost pushes me into another car or it jerks the steering wheel out of my hands. Im not sure if theres a recall thats causing this or not but my mom has a vehicle like mine but a 2011 model and hers does the same thing on the right side.
Suspension, Wheels, Other or unspecified, Mar 27, 2019
I'VE HAD THE BRAKES REPLACED, ALIGNMENT DONE, ROTORS CHECKED, AND IT STILL SHAKES LIKE SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT, AND IT'S SCARING ME, I'M HANDICAP, AND I FEEL LIKE MY FRONT END IS GONNA COME APART OR MY CAR IS GONNA FLIP, WHEN I'M DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IT'S DOING JUST FINE BUT WHEN I GO TO PRESS ON MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN MY CAR IS SHAKING LIKE I'M GOING THROUGH AN EARTHQUAKE OR TORNADO, AND IT ALSO SEEMS TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM LIKE WHEN YOU PUSH PUSH THE GAS TO GET SPEED SO YOU COULD JUMP ON THE HIGHWAY IT LIKE JERKS A LITTLE BETTER SHE IS A LITTLE HARD TO BE ABLE TO CATCH UP AND IT'S NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE
Steering, Suspension, Dec 29, 2018
TIE ROD AND FRONT SUSPENSION. WHEN TURNING IT MAKES A CLUNKING SOUND . I'VE HAD TO GET SUSPENSION AND TOE ROAD CHANGED 3 TIMES WITHIN 6 MONTHS
Suspension, Power train, Apr 6, 2018
MY 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED AWD 3.5L, WITH APPROX. 60,000 MILES, WAS MAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT END WHEN I WENT OVER BUMPS OR ROUGH TERRAIN. A LOCAL DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE END LINKS GOING FROM THE STRUTS TO THE STABILIZING BAR. TWO SHOCKS WERE LEAKING SO I HAD THE STRUTS (FRONT) AND SHOCKS (REAR) REPLACED ALONG WITH THE END LINKS. ON A TEST DRIVE IT WAS STILL MAKING A CLUNKING NOISE SO I RESEARCH THE HYUNDAI FORUMS FOR POSSIBLE CAUSES. THERE WERE FOUR POSSIBLE CAUSES, ONE WHICH HAD BEEN CORRECTED, THE END LINKS, THE LOWER CONTROL ROD, THE CONNECTION MOUNTS BETWEEN THE FRAME AND THE BODY, AND THE FRONT AND REAR ENGINE MOUNTS. UPON INSPECTING THE ENGINE MOUNTS I FOUND THE FRONT ENGINE MOUNTS BOLT, A 12MM X 5 INCH BOLT, MISSING. APPARENTLY WHEN THE CAR WAS ENGINEERED THE BOLT WASN'T SECURED WITH A LOCKING NUT OR COTTER PIN SO WHEN THE NUT LOOSENED AND VIBRATED OFF THE BOLT, THE BOLT ALSO VIBRATED OUT OF THE MOUNT. I ACTUALLY REMEMBER WHEN THIS OCCURRED, AT AROUND 50,000 MILES. I REMEMBER A LOUD BANG UNDER THE CAR AND IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR I SAW A BOLT TUMBLING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I THOUGHT I HAD RUN OVER IT WITH A WHEEL. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AT 56,652 MILES FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND "12-POINT INSPECTION" AND "MULTI-POINT INSPECTION" AND THE MECHANIC DIDN'T DISCOVER THE MISSING FRONT ENGINE MOUNT BOLT. (I FOUND IT MYSELF WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL CAR SHOP FOR THE STRUT AND SHOCK REPLACEMENT.) I THEN WENT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AND TOLD THEM WHAT I DISCOVERED. THE PART NUMBER FOR THE BOLT IS 21920-2B000, AND THE PART NUMBER FOR THE NUT IS 13396-12007K. THERE WAS NO DESCRIPTION AS TO THE SIZE OF THE BOLT, THE THREAD OF THE BOLT AND NUT, NOR WHETHER THE NUT WAS A LOCKING NUT. I HAD THE LOCAL MECHANIC MAKE THE REPAIR WITH A 12MM X 5" GALVANIZED BOLT WITH WASHERS, LOCK WASHER AND A 12MM NYLON LOCKING NUT. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE.
Suspension, Mar 17, 2017
I WAS DRIVING OVER A SET OF WELL KEPT RAILROAD TRACKS AT A LOW SPEED WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG. I SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED MY DRIVERS FRONT SPRING BROKE. THIS ALSO DESTROYED MY TIRE FROM THE CAR BASICALLY COLLAPSING ONTO IT WHILE I DROVE TO A PLACE I COULD SAFELY PARK. HYUNDAI REFUSED TO SEE MY CAR UNTIL THE NEXT WEEK SO I HAD MY LOCAL TIRE PLACE FIX THE BROKEN SPRING ALONG WITH REPLACING THE OTHER SIDE AS I WAS NOW TERRIFIED THAT THE SAME THING WOULD HAPPEN ON THE OTHER SIDE. HYUNDAI CORPORATE REFUSED TO COVER MY EXPENSES AS THE LOCAL DEALER DID NOT DO THE WORK. THE TIRE STORE SAID THEY SEE THIS ALL TIME FROM CHEAP CHINESE STEEL USED. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHE HAD I BEEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND I BELIEVE THIS NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED AS HYUNDAI IN 2011 HAD PUT SOMETIME OF MEMBRANE ON MY SPRINGS TO PREVENT RUST PER A RECALL.
Suspension, Power train, Aug 11, 2016
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP FROM 25 MPH, A KNOCKING SOUND EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. IN ADDITION, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO GO INTO THE DRIVE AND REVERSE POSITION AND THE ENGINE FELT AS IF IT HAD DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AXLE, TRANSMISSION STRIP, POWER TRAIN, AND DRIVE SHAFT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V261000 (POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.
Suspension, Jul 26, 2016
FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING HAS BROKEN AT 60000 MILES. PRIOR SERVICE CAMPAIGN 926 - SPRING PROTECTOR INSTALLATION HAD BEEN PERFORMED AT 8600 MILES. THE BROKEN SPRING WAS FIRST NOTICED AFTER EXPERIENCING LOW FREQUENCY RATTLING NOISE WHILE GOING OVER BUMPS.
Suspension, May 20, 2015
RIGHT FRONT AXLE. .TIRE ROD BROKE AND I CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. IT'S THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE THAT IS DEFECTIVE.
Suspension, Aug 22, 2014
WHILE DRIVING HEARD A LOAD NOISE IN THE FRONT LEFT OF THE CAR, THEN A RUBBING NOISE. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT LEFT SPRING COIL HAD BROKEN. THE TIP OF THE BROKEN SPRING WAS RIGHT UP AGAINST MY TIRE. IF DRIVEN ANY FURTHER THE SPRING COULD HAVE SHREDDED THE TIRE AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR
Suspension, Apr 22, 2014
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A LOUD CLANKING NOISE FROM THE REAR END. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000.
Suspension, Apr 27, 2013
REAR TIRES EXHIBIT EXTENSIVE "CUPPING" WHICH SUGGESTS DEFECTIVE SUSPENSION PARTS AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. INFERIOR PARTS OR DESIGN ARE SUSPECTED AS THE DEFECT APPEARS BILATERALLY. *TR
Suspension, May 5, 2012
FRONT SPRING BROKE. CREATES POTENTIAL TO CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. READ MANY INSTANCES OF THIS ON HYUNDAI VEHICLES. COMPANY ONLY REPLACES BROKEN SPRING, REFUSING TO CHANGE OUT OTHER SIDE PROACTIVELY.