2021 Hyundai Santa FE
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 166 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 21st highest complaint count among 25 Santa FE model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 4 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 2 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraNov 21, 2024
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."
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 24V879000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Power train, automatic transmissionOct 6, 2022
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.
Campaign 22V746000 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
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsJul 9, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 207.
Campaign 21V524000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsMay 3, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 2.5-litre Turbo engines. The fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly.
An insufficiently tightened fuel pipe may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Dealers inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection, free of charge. The affected vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 206.
Campaign 21V308000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, air bag/restraint control moduleMar 17, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles. The Occupant Detection System (ODS) module may not deactivate the air bag upon detection of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ODS module, free of charge. All affected vehicles have been remedied as of May 12, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 202.
Campaign 21V185000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
166 reports, newest first.
Other or unspecified, Aug 23, 2023
The panoramic sunroof which is made of tempered glass is a large piece above the back passenger. There is also a small piece above the windshield. The sunroof sits in between these two pieces (not made of tempered glass). I noticed a crackling sound driving my daughter to day care on Friday August 11. I couldn’t figure out what it was. The next day I was on the highway, my husband driving our car and my toddler in the back when there was a loud pop like a gunshot. We pulled over assessed the car and realized the panoramic roof was shattering. We drove it home and realized the front piece above the windshield was also shattering and there was no impact. I googled this and apparently it’s happening to a lot of people and the dealerships aren’t helping saying it’s not a manufacture defect when in fact it is. There was no impact that caused this. Anyone else would have lost control of the car and crashed hearing that loud pop or if the shade was open we could have had glass showering down on us. This is unacceptable if anyone would have mentioned this would happen I would have never bought this vehicle. I filed a claim and State Farm paid the claim to have it replaced but this car is only 2 years old and it should be under warranty and this is a definite defect. Please google panoramic roof shattering and see what comes up. I don’t think enough people have reported this although some people have commented that they have so I’m not sure if this is currently under investigation. If not please help
Engine, Aug 22, 2023
I have been having problems with the vehicle. Apparently it has problems with the start-stop system ; the car turns off even while driving , sometimes it turns on and off by itself while driving . Took it to the dealer and unfortunately this continues to happen. It worries me because while driving on the expressway it turned off and then on by itself leaving me without control of the vehicle for a few seconds . Another incident was in a drive thru, it turned off completely ; i hit the breaks but everything got locked / hard making me hit the yellow pole of the drive thru . Very upset with this vehicle another issue is the Ac stopped working only with 26k Miles. Still waiting for the appointment it’s been 2 weeks and no one solves this issue. My lease is also over but i want to let everyone know this is not vehicle for you. I do not recommend.
Power train, Aug 16, 2023
Once again on 7/18/2023 (P1C2D03) and 8/15/2023 (P1C2E92) DTC for TCU issues VERY DANGEROUS condition, fails to accelerate from stops at signs and traffic lights, then nearly stalls in traffic lane bogging down, and cuts out decelerating when accelerator pushed to floor, risking being rear-ended by following cars. By the time car is ready to take to dealer for analysis the fault has corrected and there is no active code for diagnosis – been repaired twice but continuing TCU codes. SEEMS to be same issue as Recall 236, don't believe the fix is effective
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Aug 3, 2023
Hyundai filed Recall Campaign 236 for the vehicle entering an unsafe state. On July 10th I took in our 2021 Santa Fe Limited with just over 15,000 miles, which had been operating normally with the serious safety defect and received the Remediation for this recall filed under NHTSA Recall Campaign 236. I took possession back of the vehicle and within a few miles of driving had the exact issues the recall remediation was supposed to fix, occur. I lost the ability to safely control the vehicle followed by multiple warning lights displaying and then experienced full loss of power. I could not signal or use emergency blinkers while going at speed on I-405 between mile marker 5 and mile marker 6, this placed everyone around me on the highway at risk. I am deeply concerned that the Recall Remediation for Campaign 236 may not work.
Vehicle speed control, Jul 24, 2023
The vehicle will accelerate unexpectedly without using the accelarator. Usually this occurs when releasing the brakes and on a slight incline.. To date no injuries or damage has occurred due to this. My dealer has not reproduced this defect as far as I know. This vehicle has nor been inspected by the daeler or insurance reps to my knowlwdge. There is no prior indication that an acceleration will occur-no lights or any warnings. This issues has occurred several time within the last year.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 15, 2023
The automatic emergency braking has engaged 6 times while backing up and there has never been anything behind the vehicle.
Visibility, Structure, Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while self-inspecting the vehicle, the glass located above the windshield and sunroof showed cracks. Additionally, parts of the glass had detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact to contact the insurance provider. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
Power train, Jun 7, 2023
24 Jan 2023 I had this Santa Fe repaired at the dealership for Recall #236, oil pump transmission code DTC P1C2E92. They claimed the software update fixed the issue. On 27 May 2023 the same code was transmitted and the vehicle entered a safety mode preventing driving it. Hyundai towed the vehicle to a Dealership in Florida (Hampton Hyundai, Fort Walton Beach). They did the same corrective action - the transmission "relearned" the software. Hyundai USA claims it "could" be for a different issue. I sounds to me like their recall repair did not correct the issue. Having a vehicle shut down with 20 seconds to pull over every 4 months does not seem like an effective recall correction.
Electrical system, Trailer hitches, Jun 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle turned off and on intermittently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the key out of the ignition to completely turn off the vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to her destination. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V181000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact associated the failure with the recall. The local dealer was not contacted regarding the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Structure, May 25, 2023
The Brow Glass between the top of the windshield and the sun roof, alligator cracked following by a complete crack and breakage along the full width of the glass.
Electrical system, May 24, 2023
Horn stopped working
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, May 22, 2023
My transmission keeps slipping. I was on freeway this time and it slipped out of gear but it was like I pushed all the way down on pedal the RPM went way up so I had to wait until it slipped back into gear to be able to continue on down the freeway. I backed up traffic for a minute because I can't put on gas until it goes back in gear.
Other or unspecified, Apr 26, 2023
Front sunroof shattered on the interstate at 80 mph. There were no other vehicles near me and it was an unobstructed road (no bridges crossing the road) temperature was 40 degrees and sunny.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 25, 2023
There were 2 instances where my vehicle stopped. Once I was driving 15mph and it said “Put car in Park”. The 2nd, I was driving 45mph and the vehicle said “Step on the Brake to start car”. I have also had 2 instances where my odometer just keeps going up and down. He 2nd instance, the car was making a ticking noise and hazard along with other lights were flashing.
Engine, Apr 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was not able to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred two weeks later. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a computer mapping failure which was resolved by the replacement of an unknown part. The contact stated that the dealer informed her that they could not provide a detailed repair bill without contacting the manufacturer for permission to provide it to the owner. The manufacturer was notified, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 37,500.
Other or unspecified, Apr 8, 2023
After jacking up the car to do a tire swap from winter tires and wheels to the OEM tires and wheels on the front passenger side using the factory supplied scissors jack the vehicle rocked slightly, causing the jack to fall over and the vehicle to drop. I had already completed the tire and wheel swap on the driver side of the vehicle without incident. At this point the lug nuts were loose but had not yet been removed, so no damage to the vehicle occurred. This event happened in my garage that has a flat concrete floor with an epoxy coating. I was not touching the vehicle at the time. The vehicle was in park but the electronic parking brake was not manually set (not sure if that can be done). I believe the transmission (8 speed DCT) allows too much movement fore and aft before engaging the parking pawl that locks the front axles and prevents movement. Also, due to the height of the vehicle, the scissors jack must be extended near the very top of the maximum lifting height to raise the tires about 1/2" above the ground level, where the jack is naturally the least stable. I used wheel chocks on the opposite diagonal corner for the remaining wheels. The jack sustained a bent threaded shaft but otherwise appeared to be ok and the support arms did not seem to be bent. I will be replacing this jack with a sturdier unit soon and will not use this one again, however I will keep it in case in its needed for examination.
Other or unspecified, Mar 21, 2023
Unknown vigorous shaking in rear of vehicle check engine light on. Stopped after turning car off and restarting. Hyundai found no causes and no codes when inspected for issue.
Service brakes, Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, she had to depress the brake pedal to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: 21-01-181H. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,800.
Power train, Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Power train, Engine, Feb 28, 2023
When driving on the highway the suv would not change gears. It felt like it was stuck in 1st gear, reving very high. Was unable to move the suv to the side of the road. Came to a stop with heavy traffic blowing there horns. Put the suv into park, switched it over to sport mode and was able to get going. This is the third time the suv has lost power. Also have noticed the transmission has been taking to long to change gears.
Power train, Feb 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Power train, Feb 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was stalling with the transmission, check engine, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer on two occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting parts for the repair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,483.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jan 31, 2023
On January 26th, 2023 at 9:57am the vehicle was unable to shift into reverse, drive, or neutral. The vehicle's system sent automatic messages indicating to have the transmission control system checked. We had the vehicle towed to a Hyundai dealer to be serviced. The dealership advised they performed a software update and that nothing else needed to be done. Then on January 30th, 2023 at 7:44pm the vehicle's check engine light came on and the vehicles system sent us another notification to our phone and email that there was a transmission control system issue. The vehicle shakes abruptly when accelerating after a stop. I have photos of the warning messages as well as video of the car shaking.
Power train, Jan 25, 2023
This happened on 18th January 2023, a day after I received a transmission related recall notice (Recall 236) from Hyundai. My car did not move when I put the transmission in "Drive". I restarted the car and then drove the car a short distance when the car stopped moving again. Then, there was a few seconds of mobility in which I managed to park the car in a parking spot. By this time, the "check engine" light switched on. I had the car towed to the dealership. The tow truck driver also tried to drive the vehicle, but at this point in time, the car just did not move in "Drive". The dealership inspected the car the next day and informed me that the transmission would need to be replaced and they had placed an order for the same, but the part won't come in before February. My car is currently parked at the dealership parking lot, and we are waiting on the replacement transmission to arrive from Hyundai. The transmission on this vehicle has always been jerky from the beginning, especially at lower gears. The car shudders when the transmission is shifted from Park to Drive. I read in online forums that this was because of the design of the transmission, so did not report. But this sudden breakdown of the transmission has gotten me worried.
Engine, Jan 24, 2023
Recall 236 -transmission problem. Manufacturer has not resolved this issue to date putting lives in danger of injury or death