2025 Hyundai Santa FE

What owners report most often

1. Electrical system28
2. Other or unspecified28
3. Power train21
4. Forward collision avoidance20
5. Tires17
6. Engine13
7. Visibility/wiper12
8. Seat belts8

Recalls and investigations

1. Seat belts, front, anchorageApr 6, 2026

   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.

   A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

   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.

   Campaign 26V218000 on NHTSA.gov

2. Air bags, side/window, curtainNov 21, 2025

   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.

   Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

   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.

   Campaign 25V809000 on NHTSA.gov

3. Back over prevention, display functionNov 21, 2025

   Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

   A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

   Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 288. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.

   Campaign 25V808000 on NHTSA.gov

4. Electrical system, starter assemblyOct 2, 2025

   Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe vehicles. The B+ positive terminal cover on the starter motor assembly may be improperly installed, which can cause an electrical short during a crash.

   An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

   Dealers will inspect and reinstall the starter motor terminal cover, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 285. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 4, 2025.

   Campaign 25V659000 on NHTSA.gov

5. Engine and engine cooling, critical fastenersAug 26, 2025

   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.

   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.

   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.

   Campaign 25V549000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints: forward collision avoidance

20 reports, newest first. Show all

1. Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Jul 17, 2026

   I am submitting a second and more urgent safety complaint regarding the Driver Monitoring and Driver Assistance systems in my vehicle. I previously reported this same core defect: the system falsely fails to recognize my face, sounds repeated warnings, and disables driving assistance while the vehicle is moving. Despite that prior complaint, the defect remains, and the seriousness of the danger has clearly not been recognized or addressed. This defect has now placed my life in immediate danger. While I was driving, the system falsely determined that it could not properly see my face. It sounded repeated warnings and then abruptly disabled driving assistance. That sudden withdrawal of assistance created a near-crash situation. I was attentive and was not experiencing a medical emergency. The danger was created by the system’s false detection and defective response. A safety system should reduce danger. This system detected a supposed problem and made the situation more dangerous by removing the assistance that was helping keep the vehicle under control. Had this occurred beside a concrete barrier, near stopped traffic, in a construction zone, on a curve, or next to a large truck, the result could have been a fatal collision. I could have been killed because of this system defect. When a driver cannot be verified, the vehicle should maintain lane control, reduce speed, activate hazard warnings, and perform a controlled safe stop. It should never abruptly withdraw assistance and create a more dangerous condition. I request that NHTSA investigate why a previously reported life-threatening defect remains unresolved and require Hyundai to correct this system logic before someone is seriously injured or killed.

2. Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 26, 2026

   I own a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe that was purchased on 08/15/2025. The first malfunction occurred on 08/25/2025, only days after purchase, and the vehicle has experienced repeated safety-related issues since then. The vehicle has repeatedly displayed false Forward Collision Warning alerts, Blind Spot Warning failures, Park/Neutral errors, and intermittent disabling of safety features. The most serious incident occurred when the vehicle unexpectedly entered “Limit 20 MPH” mode while I was pulling into active traffic with my toddler in the vehicle, limiting acceleration and creating a safety risk. I have also experienced false collision alerts while parked and after the vehicle was shut off. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership multiple times for diagnosis and repair attempts. Some issues were duplicated by dealership personnel, while other visits were documented as “could not duplicate.” A front ultrasonic sensor was replaced, but the vehicle continued experiencing safety-related concerns afterward. During the repair process, I was informed and observed that dealership personnel appeared limited in what repair actions could be taken after consulting Hyundai through their diagnostic system. I was also informed that Hyundai influenced what could be included on service reports and that dealership personnel were instructed to “print the book” rather than fully document observed concerns. I believe this may have affected repair efforts and documentation of ongoing issues. The vehicle has been out of service for extended periods and the issues continue despite repeated repair attempts. Due to the ongoing malfunctions and inconsistent operation of the safety systems, I no longer feel safe driving the vehicle because I am concerned it may not function properly during a real emergency situation. Attached are photos of various dashboard errors and warning messages that occurred during these incidents to document the alerts and malfunctions experienced.

3. Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 30, 2026

   On April 27, 2026, my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced an intermittent electrical/system malfunction affecting multiple vehicle systems at the same time. Multiple orange warning lights/messages appeared on the dash, including driver-assistance warnings and the master warning triangle. At the same time, the front turn signal stopped working, causing rapid flashing; the power locks stopped working; the windows would not roll up or down; and the rear liftgate would not open using the key fob or exterior liftgate button. The vehicle/component is available for inspection upon request. This created a safety and access issue. The malfunction affected exterior signaling, locks, windows, and rear cargo access. My dog was in a crate in the rear cargo area, and I could not open the liftgate normally to access him. The failure of locks/windows/liftgate could create a serious emergency risk if a person, pet, or cargo needed to be accessed quickly, and the turn signal failure affected my ability to safely signal to other drivers. The issue lasted approximately 30–40 minutes and did not immediately clear after turning the vehicle off and back on. It later returned to normal on its own. This has happened more than once. The vehicle was taken to a Hyundai dealership for inspection. The dealer has been working with Hyundai Techline, but as of now they have not been able to reproduce the issue or find active diagnostic codes. I provided video evidence of the dash warnings from the incident. The dealer advised that scans currently show systems operating as designed because the issue is intermittent and not occurring during inspection. There were no prior symptoms before the failure. The warning lamps and messages appeared at the time the malfunction occurred. Seek reimbursement for rental car fees and diagnostic fee.

4. Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 22, 2026

   The vehicle has two display panels, molded into a single frame. There is an infotainment panel on the right that handles music, maps, and phone interaction. There is an instrument panel on the left. The infotainment panel has not issues. The instrument panel blanks out for 3 - 5 seconds every few minutes, and then reappears. Occasionally the words "No SIgnal" in big red letters will appear. Occasionally the gear selection letter will remain on the otherwise blank screen. The screen also shudders / tears occasionally before blanking. It does this whether the vehicle is moving or parked. I purchased the vehicle used, Jan 2 2026. I noticed the problem a couple of days later. It has continued. It is not getting any worse or any better.

5. Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 19, 2026

   Since I bought the car the forward attention warning goes off constantly. I’ve taken it to the dealership multiple times. They took off my eztag, stated it was blocking my camera. This is not the issue. Now there are 56 cars ahead of mine. This will be the 3rd time for the exact same complaint. It affects everything in the car. My cruise control doesn’t work because of this issue. If you turn the toggle back on it has more warning. Just the beeping constantly is going to cause an accident. I’ve asked Hyundai to buy it back they refuse. This is a known issue.

6. Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Mar 18, 2026

   Dear NHTSA Team, My car was in a minor accident Last. After that, the repair shop replaced my bumper and front camera. Don Franklin Somerset Hyundai performed a calibration on my new radar. They calibrated it six times, but there are still many issues with the HDA driving system. 1. False Dual-Side Warning When a vehicle is present only on the right side, the vehicle camera system incorrectly detects vehicles on both the left and right sides. In reality, there is no vehicle on the left side. In this scenario, both the radar warning and the camera detection are incorrect. 2. Wrong-Side Warning In some cases, when a vehicle approaches from the left rear, no warning is issued on the left side, while a warning is incorrectly displayed on the right side. In this scenario, both the radar warning and the camera detection are incorrect. 3. False Warning During Smart Driving While driving on the highway using the smart driving function, when the vehicle is required to turn left or right, the system may generate a false dual-side warning. As a result, the vehicle aborts the intended left or right turn and continues driving in the center of the lane. In this scenario, both the radar warning and the camera detection are incorrect. 4. while driving manually (without HDA engaged) or parking, the vehicle shows left-side or right-side collision warnings without clear cause. I reported these issues to Hyundai USA approximately three weeks ago. I was instructed to bring the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. However, during my recent visit, the dealership representative only reviewed the videos I provided and concluded that no issues were present, without conducting a physical inspection or test drive of the vehicle. Given the ongoing safety concerns and lack of proper diagnosis or resolution, I am submitting this complaint for your review and assistance. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Thanks, Best Regards, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

7. Forward collision avoidance, Mar 3, 2026

   Forward Facing Driver Assist cabin camera will shut off the cruise while you are driving if it cannot detect your eyes. This is NOT a safety feature but rather an extremely dangerous safety hazard!!! While you are traveling at 70+ mph and put on sunglasses and all of a sudden the car starts alarming and decelerates without warning causing the driver to become EXTREMELY distracted trying to figure out what is going on is a recipe for a major incident. There is no way to shut the camera off so you are then forced to either drive with no cruise at all so you can wear sunglasses and for long trips creates added and unnecessary driver fatigue OR you forego wearing sunglasses and squinting causing unnecessary eye strain/fatigue so you can use the cruise. Please explain to me how this is a safety feature? Also the warning that 'you might need to take a break' is also NOT a safety feature and also creates driver distraction rather than safety and should just totally be removed from the vehicle software completely. We have literally driven the car over the center line on the rumble strips without a signal and then back into our lane again the warning does NOT go off, we've jerked the wheel to avoid an object in the road warning does NOT go off, BUT if you happen to drive to close to the center line but don't go over it then the warning DOES go off.....if we just left the house turned out of the driveway, the damn thing goes off. There is no making sense of when or why it goes off, it's completely random. And again, no option to turn it off. Had the dealership given COMPLETE details of these 2 specific "SAFETY" features - I use that term EXTEREMLY loosely - sharing they could NOT be turned off I never, EVER would have bought this vehicle. I am not alone in my complaints, I have seen hundreds of similar complaints on forums for Hyundai vehicles that have this feature. PLEASE PLEASE issue a directive to Hyundai that they need to push a fix allowing shut off of these 2 features

8. Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 25, 2026

   All normal sounds completely stop working, no audio or volume at all: no turn signal, no collision warning, no GPS audio, no radio; no hands-free phone volume. Hyundai Service department advised they have never heard of this type of incident. All warning systems are completely silent.

9. Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 15, 2026

   This car was in a BBB binding Arbitration and Hyundai was told to fix: speed control malfunction, speed linit not posting to hub arbitrary fan engagement. The Dealership ALM West had the car 2 weeks and the car sat on their lot. They said we are unable to duplicate the problem. Now in addition I showed them the cracked windshield and they were not responsible. I had an insurance complaint I took it to Safelite and replaced the windshield yesterday and I got it back with a new windshield and it also had a Crack in the replacement windshield. I think Hyundai knows there's a problem with the glass which is also part of the safety system of the car.

10. Forward collision avoidance, Dec 28, 2025

    I am reporting a safety hazard with the Driver Monitoring/Driver Assistance system in my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL (VIN: [XXX] ). The system frequently misinterprets my normal driving behavior as inattentiveness and triggers constant, loud beeping while I am driving. In many cases, it also disables assistance functions mid‑drive, which is dangerous and unexpected. The false alerts appear to be caused by the system misreading my eyes due to their natural shape and size. This issue does not occur with my wife, who has larger eyes, which indicates the system is biased toward certain physiologies and does not reliably detect all drivers. I have tested this repeatedly: if I strain my eyes unnaturally wide, the alerts stop, but this is extremely uncomfortable and only sustainable for a few seconds. The system is effectively pressuring the driver to adopt unsafe, unnatural behavior to avoid constant alarms. Environmental conditions such as sun glare, rain, and darkness make the false alerts even more frequent. The sudden loud beeping is startling and forces me to divert attention from the road. The unexpected loss of assistance features during driving further increases the risk of an accident. This system is not functioning as an assistive feature. Instead, it creates distraction, encourages unsafe compensatory behavior, and fails to accommodate normal variations in driver physiology. I request that NHTSA investigate whether Hyundai’s driver monitoring system meets safety and reliability standards and require corrective action if necessary. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

11. Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 18, 2025

    There have been several times that I have been driving and either turning onto a 4-lane road (2 lanes going each way) or driving on the parkway, where my car has slammed on the brakes by itself. Not only was I not prepared for this to happen, but neither were the cars behind me. I tend to drive with at least 1.5 car-length space between myself and the car in front of me. Last week, I was making a right hand turn (going north) into the right lane from a residential street. The only other car near me was the one driving in the left lane (also going north). My car drove about 100 ft and maybe realized that there was a car next to me and just slammed on the brakes. I was suddenly thrown forward. My seat belt locked and I was thrown back into my seat. I had a bruise from my seat belt and came too close to slamming my head on my steering wheel. Thankfully, the car behind wasn't tailgating. About a month ago, I was driving on the parkway going east. I was originally in the right lane. I put on my blinker and when it was clear, I changed lanes to the middle lane. After I was clear and my blinker was off, my car started screaming to tell me that there was a car in my driver's blind spot (this happens EVERY time I switch lanes). I drove for maybe 1.5 - 2 miles and then suddenly, my car slammed on the brakes. Someone must be watching over me because the Escalade behind me (definitely tailgating) was somehow able to swerve into the left lane and then swerve around me to cut me off in revenge. They were screaming and honking at me, while I was screaming and yelling at my car. They could have easily have plowed into me (we were driving at least 60mph) and could have caused a horrible accident that could have killed myself or others around me. I have notified Hyundai of this issue and have read many similar complaints online. Hyundai claims they cannot "replicate the situation" and therefore, Hyundai Corp is unable to fix the problem.

12. Forward collision avoidance, Dec 3, 2025

    The adaptive cruise control does not allow the use of sunglasses to be worn while the cruise control is engaged. The cruise control will immediately shut off when sunglasses, and some prescription glasses are worn. This is a safety issue as you are not allowed to wear sunglasses on a sunny day or when the sun is low in the sky and it is below the car's sun visor. The same camera that is looking at the drivers eyes also controls other safety features and disables them when the driver is wearing their sunglasses, and some prescription glasses as well

13. Forward collision avoidance, Nov 13, 2025

    1. [XXX] – I went to get into the Satna FE, the lights blinked and mirrors moved into the unlock position, but doors would not open. I had to use my husbands car since he was out of town to get to work. I came home at lunch after calling my husband and my salesperson , Paula and used the valet key and was able to unlock and get into the vehicle. I then started the Santa FE and this is when the safety warning message appeared. I felt unsafe and Paula had the Hyundai of Statesboro tow the vehicle from my home, retained it for approximately three days, and reported the issue resolved after clearing diagnostic messages and conducting a 50-mile road test. Vaden of Statesboro contacted me on October 17th stating it was ready for pickup and all the codes were cleared. I picked it up on October 18th. 2. [XXX] – The same issued with the doors not opening and had to use the valet key again, the safety warning reappeared around midday while driving, accompanied by a hard shift / drivetrain shock. The vehicle was returned to Hyundai of Statesboro at approximately 5 p.m. The dealer acknowledged the repeated issue and provided a rental vehicle for me ([XXX]), while repairs continue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

14. Forward collision avoidance, Nov 9, 2025

    We purchased a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Caligraphy Vin [XXX] in July 2025. During a road trip the following week when we got on the interstate and my wife turned on Cruise Control she began getting notifications on the front panel telling her to keep her eyes on the road and drive safely. These notifications were showing up during the entire trip (300 miles) every 2-5 minutes. We contacted the dealer and have had it in the shop five times now for them to trouble shoot and try to determine the issue. We also opened a case with Hyundai Corporate which they closed indicating they could not find a problem. I have spent multiple hours riding with my wife, reviewing the owners manual, and researching online in a attempt to resolve this issue. During driving test we have experienced a situation where the Message “Take Control of the car the system is shutting down. Shortly afterwards the Cruise Control shuts down and the driver briefly looses control of steering and acceleration. This is a very dangerous situation at 70 MPH. During my trouble shooting I feel I have narrowed down to issue to the Driver Assist System and the Forward Attention Warning system on our Hyundai. Online research (Reddit) indicates numerous other users are experiencing the same issue across multiple Hyundai models. It’s my opinion that this is a Safety issue since the driver can momentarily loose vehicle control. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

15. Forward collision avoidance, Oct 14, 2025

    I just purchased a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe and the Smart Cruise Control won't work with sunglasses on. There is an Infared sensor on the steering column that has to see your eyes. Sunglasses are needed for this vehicle. If you don't wear them, the sunlight blinds you. The system will beep, display a message stating full face can't be seen, and it shuts the cruise control off and the vehicle decelerates, which is unsafe.

16. Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 9, 2025

    Wearing any kind of polarized sunglasses prevents you from seeing the Heads-Up display and will abruptly disable the adaptive cruise control. The Santa Fe forum has hundreds of complaints about this, yet Hyundai has not done anything to correct the problem. I have asked three different dealers about this problem, and they just repeat the company line (you need to find sunglasses that don't cause a problem). This situation is dangerous and unacceptable.

17. Forward collision avoidance, Aug 12, 2025

    The attention detection system is the worst designed feature of any vehicle I have ever experienced. It constantly dings while looking directly at vehicles ahead. It is distracting and turns off by looking DOWN directly at the steering wheel. It is a safety hazard and Hyundai needs to push out a fix ASAP or allow the feature to be disabled entirely. You cannot use cruise control without it activated and the feature is a safety hazard that makes the car LESS safe.

18. Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 7, 2025

    The sensor always goes off stating my eyes aren't on the road to the point it trys to stop the vehicle in traffic. This prevents me from being able to use cruise control because the sensor is causing issues by not detecting my eyes

19. Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 26, 2025

    The Hyundai Bluelink system in my car, which interfaces with interfaces with almost all other computer-controlled systems on the car and through which software updates can be received and installed fails to work on an intermittent basis and the onboard system gives no warning when the Bluelink system has an outage or other malfunction. Large numbers of Hyundai vehicles suffered Bluelink outages beginning in early February 2025 so that system such as Collision-avoidance, emergency braking functions, and "SOS" crash notifications and owner assistance required functions cannot be relied upon. Some owners were notified by an email that their vehicles "may" have a problem and/or "might" need to have a Technical Service Bullitin done by a dealership. No distribution by model, year, or VIN and no mention of the problem as an "outstanding recall or campaign" on the MyHyundai website so that owners might be able to find out about this problem. I have tried to get answers on what the problem was, asked why the first repair campaign done on my car failed to work, why the system suddenly conncected on its own (no notice, no owner intervention to connect), and why did the system then fail again less than 40 days later. Hyundai corporate (case number [XXX]) and Hyundai Bluelink (case number [XXX]) have make promises, broken promises and fail to even provide answers and spend most of their time blaming each other. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20. Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 27, 2025

    The forward attention warning (FAW) on the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe calligraphy can not be deactivated. Correction, it can be turned off for normal driving. For instance, driving around the city or not using smart cruise control. As soon as you turn on the smart cruise control it's reactivated and can't be turned off. The FAW does not work when using prescription sunglasses / non prescription sunglasses or if the sun is hitting the inside of the cabin a certain way. The FAW constantly flashes warnings and beeps at you even though you are looking forward and keeping your eyes on the road. If you look far down the road you shift your eyes up some, and the system beeps and flashes warnings to keep your eyes on the road. On a recent 230 miles trip I did not wear my prescription sunglasses / non prescription sunglasses and the FAW system went off at least 50 plus times and I had my eyes on the road at all times. Very distracting, I then had to take my eyes off the road to see why it was beeping and telling me to keep my eyes on the road. The FAW system actually makes for a stressful and distracting drive. At this time the FAW is useless. I took the vehicle to the dealer and the FAW is not a system that can be turned off. Hyundai needs to allow the dealers to be able and deactivate the system.