2020 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 213 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 13 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 15 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Trailer hitchesPark outsideMar 17, 2023
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.
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 23V181000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, windshieldDec 28, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
Campaign 21V00M000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: forward collision avoidance
14 reports, newest first. Show all
Wheels, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 13, 2026
I am reporting severe safety risks and inspection fraud on my AWD 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX]) caused by Universal Hyundai in Orlando. Inspection Fraud: The dealer falsified safety metrics, marking my brakes as a failing 4mm to push a $659.90 repair (RO# XXX), then passed those exact brakes at 5mm eleven days later (RO# XXX). Tire Malpractice: Mechanics over-inflated my tires to a dangerous 39 PSI and botched the alignment. This caused structural tire belt separation and severe sidewall bulges. The rear tire has suffered rapid, catastrophic deflation, dropping flat to 14.5 PSI and down to an empty 5.5 PSI. Crash & Drivetrain Risk: Operating an All-Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicle with a rapidly collapsing tire and asymmetric alignment forces the wheels to spin at mismatched speeds, creating severe friction that is destroying the internal powertrain transfer case and causing an immediate highway blowout crash risk. The service manager admitted "human error" and issued a full refund but banned my vehicle to avoid an audit. Hyundai Corporate has been notified under Case #XXX but has delayed resolution. Active consumer fraud file logged with the State of Florida under Case XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 25, 2026
Just read possible recalls on Hyundai Santa Fe's 2025 and 2026's. Just spent $1727.68 at the Hyundai dealership in Gilbert, AZ to replace the front camera do to the faults showing up on the dash. By reading that article it made aware of what may have occurred had we not taken it in for service. This vehicle is a 2020 Sante Fe. You may want to check into it. Oh, I want a refund.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 16, 2026, crash
I was at a standstill waiting for oncoming traffic to pass with my foot on the brake and all of a sudden the car accelerated and the forward collision warning fail to come on and I hit a trailer because of it
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-75 MPH, the Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged erroneously, almost causing a crash. The contacted stated that the failure mostly occurred while driving at highway speeds with no other vehicle nearby. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 28, 2025
*Problem Parts:I only could check 1 box- should be Brakes and Steering too *ADAS: Lane Keeping Assistance too Over the course of two days, my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced a serious electrical and safety system failure. It started with the blind spot monitoring lights flickering in the side mirrors and warnings for Forward Collision Avoidance (disabled), ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Downhill Brake Control, Parking Brake & Brake Fluid (blinking red). The rearview camera failed and the screen remained on the radio display when in reverse. The Lane Keeping Assist Indicator shifted from white/green to orange. The next morning, I had trouble opening the vehicle with the key fob. Auto Hold, Master Warning, Forward Collision, ESC, and Downhill Brake Control lights were now steadily on. The MPH numbers on the dash were blurred, and a message appeared saying “Put in P” even though the vehicle was already parked. The accessories light came on, but the engine would not start. Interior lights continued to work. I had to manually open the car and start it by pressing the fob to the button. While trying to exit a parking garage (where a tow truck couldn’t reach me), more warnings appeared: AWD, Low Tire Pressure, Malfunction Indicator (not engine), and Power Steering. I felt tightness in the wheel and had to pull over. The temp and gas gauges dropped to zero along with the RPMs. I have a newer car battery and recently replaced fob batteries, so this was not a simple battery failure. I’ve reported the issue to Hyundai Consumer Affairs. No recall appears under my VIN, despite similar failures being widely reported in this model. I’m a single parent who typically drives with two young children, including one with serious medical needs. I rely heavily on this vehicle for medical travel. The vehicle has since been towed to a Hyundai dealership for diagnostics. This is a serious safety concern and could have led to a loss of control or failure in an emergency situation
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, May 28, 2025
Frequent intermittent dash warning lights, no speed indicated, no tach indicated, cycles through warnings of safety systems malfunctioning. No lane departure, no adaptive cruise, no cruise, no forward collision warning, no blind spot warning. The disabling of these systems puts all drivers at risk. Dealership replaced front camera and windshield to fix this issue. Not fixed, continues to alarm at random times while driving.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 19, 2024
I was driving on the highway going about 75 to 80. My vehicle will start warning me that a car was in front of me when the cars was about 3 to 4 car links ahead of me. The emergency brake will start for at least a mile down the road. Then shut off. It will happen at least 5 times on a 4 hour trip. This really need to be fix before someone get rear end.
Forward collision avoidance, May 2, 2024
On Interstate 95 in Virginia, multiple times, going ~68-70 MPH the vehicle automatically applied the brakes causing an unsafe situation with a momentary loss of control. Multiple times this has happened with no other vehicle or obstacle in front of, or beside me. It has happened now for no reason causing the loss of control of the vehicle. We have reported this to Hyundai and they cannot find any fault code, or record of the incident. Our understanding is that this is a widespread problem with this vehicle and system, but also includes other vehicles with the same technology. We are afraid this may end up causing serious damage, injuries or fatality(ies). We have asked Hyundai to turn the system off, and they have refused. They have no solution, and we have spent time and money on this.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 18, 2023
Numerous different occasions since I bought the vehicle this year in March 2023 when on highway, side streets and even in parking lots with nothing, no cars no objects or humans in front or behind the vehicle my forward collision warning and rear end collision warning has came on which caused the car to break on its own and it is a safety concern. I have been to the dealer numerous times since I’ve bought the vehicle and currently have reached out to Hyundai Motors of America and pretty much got told to suck it up nothing they can do for me as the computer isn’t showing any codes or issues my car has now been at dealership where I bought it for 2 weeks now and no resolution besides come get the car and figure it out on my own and as a single mother with a child with disabilies I don’t know what else to do.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 19, 2023
I was pulling out of a sidestreet and realized a car was coming and used the brake. The Automatic Braking system activated and VIOLENTLY stopped the car. I was only going about 5 miles an hour but the tremendous force from the Braking system caused my rotator cuff and my bicep to tear. It cost me thousands to pay for surgery and physical therapy. I am very worried about all the injuries that this system causes. I have since had the dealership turn it off. I can not risk being injured like that because the car thinks that there will be a collision when I know that my manual braking was sufficient. There was no chance of any accident. I had Hyundai (case # 20962390) inspect the car & they claim (after 4 different inspections) that there is no issue with the system. They also claimed that it wouldn't activate at 5mph but I know that is not true. So if it works correctly, how many people are injured? Before you mandate that the car stop at 65mph, you need to gather more info on how many injuries have occurred.
Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 24, 2023
I was driving on an interstate highway at approximately 75 mph. I had cruise control activated. Suddenly the car dramatically slowed down, accompanied by rapid beeping noise. Luckily, there was no one close behind me.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 1, 2023
This vehicle has the Accident Avoidance system which is great until it snows or there's a heavy rain then you get lights on the dash and the Accident Avoidance system and cruise control turn off because the sensor gets covered with snow or heavy rain. I spoke with a service technician who said it's a know issue but there are no fixes at this time. What the sense in having a safety system that shuts off when you need it the most in bad weather. Once you clean the snow or ice off the sensor area the lights go out. It happens any speed.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 19, 2022
The adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision avoidance systems in my SUV have been defective since purchase in June 2019. Hyundai has replaced the radar sensor but the dealer is waiting on a part to calibrate it which has been on indefinite backorder. I have waited over a year to have this issue fixed. I am paying a car payment which includes these features as the total cost and would like reimbursement for the cost difference, for the issue to get escalated and fixed, or the dealer to offer a vehicle buyback so that I may purchase a vehicle with no defects.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 8, 2021
THE 2020 HYUNDAI SANTA FE FOWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSISTANCE SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. WE HAVE CONTACTED HYUNDAI ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WITHOUT RESPONSE. THE SYSTEM IS BRAKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT AND CAUSE. NO CARS ARE IN ANY PROXIMITY AND THE CAR BRAKES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE WITHOUT WARNING IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. DEALERSHIP HAS NO ANSWER WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR IN. HYUNDAI CONSUMER LINE DOES NOT RETURN CALLS. IT IS AN EXTREME DANGER WITH OUR SON DRIVING CAR. REAR END COLLISON WILL HAPPPEN IF THIS CONTINUES.