2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

What owners reported to NHTSA, ranked by how often and how seriously.

This is complaint data, not a random sample.

It only includes owners who chose to file a federal complaint, so it over-represents dramatic and safety-related problems and under-represents minor issues an owner just had fixed without reporting. Read this as what NHTSA complainants report most, not as this vehicle's true failure rate. Full methodology.

Component ranking

  1. #1

    horn

    16 unsafe, 2 broken, 7 annoyance

    25
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The lower horn sound had dissipated. Then shortly after the higher horn stopped working. There was no sound when the horn pad was depressed. There were no warning lights…"~72,000 mi, complaint #2022613
  2. #2

    transmission automatic

    1 stranded, 20 unsafe

    21
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the message "Shifter System Malfunction - Service Immediately" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into the park or reverse. The contact activated…"~18,192 mi, complaint #2053722
    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. T…"~55,917 mi, complaint #2073333
  3. #3

    adas collision warning

    20 unsafe

    20
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated, causing the braking system to activate and the vehicle to veer to the left. The contact stated that the…"~1,000 mi, complaint #1946370
  4. #4

    glass and windshield

    15 unsafe

    15
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the panoramic sunroof exploded. The panoramic sunroof glass and the shades were closed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was no…"~9,100 mi, complaint #1972782
  5. #5

    engine stall or no start

    1 stranded, 12 unsafe

    13
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=6)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled and decelerated to 25 MPH as several warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. After multiple attempts, the contact managed to restart the vehi…"~2,689 mi, complaint #1909908
  6. #6

    acceleration loss or hesitation

    11 unsafe

    11
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Car was purchased January 21st had 3000 mile on it when service was needed for these issues. On march 23rd as I started driving my car wouldn't go above 30 mph, when pressing on the gas pedal the car wouldn't accelerate, the rpm gage would go to 4 but engine w…"complaint #1893725
    • "I purchased a new 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe and on multiple occasions when trying to accelerate the vehicle has failed to go above 30 mph. I have put on about 6,000 miles. When I pull over and restart the car. The issue seems to resolve. This is quite dangerous…"complaint #1920554
    • "This same scenario has happened 3 times since I purchased this vehicle - first event at mileage of 6273, 2nd event @ 7586 miles, and 3rd event @ 12,506 miles. All events were the same - while driving, dash board light start to flash and the vehicle looses all…"complaint #1951526
    • "Throttle randomly cuts off or hesitates. It has done it about 15 times Dealer says no problem found. There is a lot of reports on the internet of the same problem."complaint #1954355
    • "While merging into the highway at approximately 49 to 52 mph, acceleration was applied to merge into the highway between moving vehicles. The vehicle responded by greatly increasing the rpm but not applying the power to the wheels. The engine revved up with ve…"complaint #1964016
  7. #7

    sunroof

    9 unsafe

    9
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I bought a brand new 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. Not even one month later the panoramic sunroof exploded while I was driving on the interstate at 75 mph. There were no warning lamps, messages or other signs that this would/could happen prior to the incident. I was…"complaint #1888763
    • "While driving on [XXX] at 65 MPH, without warning the sunroof spontaneously exploded and shattered. It produced an extremely loud bang, like a gunshot, startling me to where I almost lost control of the vehicle. There were no vehicles in front of us, no vehicl…"complaint #1978014
    • "WHEN I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THE MORNING OF 5/20/2024, MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED OUT OF NOWHERE. PART OF THE GLASS FELL ON MY HEAD RESULTING IN A CONCUSSION."complaint #1993423
    • "Driving down the interstate yesterday & heard a very loud ‘POP!’ Looked when I got home to find that the sunroof glass had shattered (as has, apparently, happened to more than a few vehicles by Hyundai, as well as other manufacturers), & fell onto the fabric…"complaint #1993652
    • "I was driving down the expressway and my sunroof exploded. It scared me so bad that I swerved and almost lost control of the car. I thought something hit me."complaint #2009391
  8. #8

    brake pads and rotors

    8 unsafe

    8
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 65 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to slow for a vehicle that had passed and switched into the lane she was driving, the vehicle was shuddering. Th…"~18,756 mi, complaint #2035270
  9. #9

    abs module

    5 unsafe

    5
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the downhill assist, traction control, auto stop, blind spot, and ABS warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and called the local deale…"~2,000 mi, complaint #1913514
  10. #10

    fuel injector

    5 unsafe

    5
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving and decelerating to approximately 10 MPH onto an exit ramp, the vehicle suddenly stalled and failed to restart. The contact noticed that there was blue smoke coming from the exhaus…"~35,652 mi, complaint #2213990
  11. #11

    engine cooling

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that upon noticing that coolant was leaking onto the ground, he opened the hood and discovered that coolant was leakin…"~11,591 mi, complaint #1989657
  12. #12

    other

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Hello, I would like to point out a safety issue many new car manufacturers have actually implemented. I've witnessed this safety issue at two accident myself. Most automakers today lock your car doors automatically unnoticed by most drivers . The door locks a…"complaint #1902618
    • "2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE- Consumer states: I saw the notice on TV regarding a recall on my specific vehicle for the trailer hitch issue. I immediately contacted my local Hyundai dealership and scheduled an appointment. The Service Department concluded that my veh…"complaint #1904810
    • "The harness does not stay tight on the child’s chest. The harness was adjusted to the correct fit, when pulled to check the tightness the harness does not stay taught. It releases without pushing the release button"complaint #1979362
    • "1. The factory-supplied scissor-type jack that came with my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe failed. While changing a flat tire on the side of the road, the jack collapsed three times and could not hold the vehicle. Yes, the jack is still available for inspection. I have…"complaint #2177332
  13. #13

    transmission cvt

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Vehicle has just over 4k Miles on it. Several times I tried to accelerate and while the engine RPMs would increase, the vehicle would not accelerate. Very dangerous when turning right on a red light and when merging into traffic. I came close to getting T-B…"complaint #1932536
    • "My 2023 Santa Fe Limited has 3,000 mils on it. At least four times it had low speed hesitation (lags then revs up for a few seconds). It’s a problem with the DCT (Dual Clutch Tranny) Hesitation pulling onto a highway poses a significant risk of a faster car…"complaint #2134840
    • "The vehicle cannot pick up speed, and it is displaying the DTC- P1C2D03. This is similar to the issues that led to "Safety Recall 236 to repair a condition involving the 8-Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) system" in earlier model years (till 2022) for cert…"complaint #2155992
    • " Subject: Formal Dispute: Warranty Breach and Failure to Repair – 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Timeline & Facts:11/2/25 (~52,000 miles): I officially reported an intermittent loss of power and severe engine revving (up to 7,000 RPM). This created a severe safety haz…"complaint #2234960
  14. #14

    hv system fault reduced power

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Driving at a low speed and blind spot warning light comes on, then all warnings light up and car loses all power and goes into limp mode. Engine light stays on, but will start back up after it is shut off, open and shut car door and restart. Engine light stays…"complaint #2022175
    • "On two separate occasions, I was a stop light in high traffic. I was unable to drive my vehicle when the light turn green because of  no power. A message display prompting me to "shift to P or N to start engine." Unfortunately, that didn't work. I had to sit t…"complaint #2086697
    • "First Failure occurred 7 months after purchase at 5,270 miles on August 1, 2024. The vehicle suddenly went into "Limp Mode" abruptly decelerating to 25 mph with a non-responsive gas pedal. A code reader displayed PO653 Sensor Reference: "Voltage B Circuit Hi…"complaint #2220266
  15. #15

    seatbelt and pretensioner

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "The seat belt in the middle seat of the second row did not work. And it was not fastened. So when braking, my child was thrown toward the center console. I think it's a big safety issue if the seat belt doesn't work."complaint #2038107
    • "Driver and passenger seatbelts not always latching or becoming unlached while driving"complaint #2134153
    • "I was in a car accident on September 30, 2025. I was hit from behind by a dump truck and was pushed into the car in front of me. My seat belt in my Santa Fe did not tighten, and my head hit the steering wheel. There is something wrong with the seat belts.…"complaint #2140272
  16. #16

    throttle and pedal

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "While parking my 2023 Hyundai Sante Fe, I hard pressed the break and pushed the Park button. The engine revved up and the vehicle took off instead of going into park; smashing into a building. The parking block was 6ft from the building. The engine accelerated…"complaint #1964852
    • "The accelerator stuck and the vehicle crashed. The vehicle is totaled. It happened [XXX]. No one has yet inspected the vehicle. I notified Hyundai about 5 days ago. The phone number of the towing company is [REDACTED PHONE]. The following link is a YouTube vid…"complaint #2068521
    • "Component/System Failure: The electronic throttle control system malfunctioned. The vehicle is reporting powertrain diagnostic trouble codes P2118 and P2101 through the Hyundai manufacturer mobile application (Bluelink), indicating an electronic throttle actua…"complaint #2170357
  17. #17

    unintended acceleration

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "On May 15th, I was involved in a serious accident caused by a malfunction in a rental vehicle provided by Enterprise a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. After reversing into a parking spot, I placed the vehicle in “Park” and exited the car to retrieve belongings from the…"complaint #2095749
    • "My wife was parking the car at carport, all of sudden unintended acceleration happened and hit through the wall. The damage on the car was $12478.57 and damaged the wall and storage on both sides of carport. My wife is scared to drive this car."complaint #2099671
    • "We were at full stop with Auto Hold feature enabled. Car lurched / jumped forward with no depression of the gas pedal. This caused us to strike the car in front of us. "complaint #2215123
  18. #18

    adas blind spot

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "when driving in the rain, the driver side (left) blind spot is not functional. When the right turn signal is used, the camera shows the right side of the car and the triangle on the right mirror lights up if there is vehicle in the blind spot. In the rain, the…"complaint #1912306
    • "Vehicle does not detect motorcycles in the blind spot. I did not look over my shoulder and began moving left with a turn signal when I glimpsed a motorcycle next to my vehicle. The motorcycle quickly swerved to the left and I returned to the right lane."complaint #1964014
  19. #19

    adas lane keeping

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I've been driving in Arizona on southbound [XXX] just south of [XXX] and noticed an issue that is very odd. I have a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe that has Highway Driving Assist that does both speed control and distance from the vehicle ahead of me and Lane Keeping…"complaint #1988909
    • "Currently have 518 Diagnostic History Codes (DTC)in memory. Additionally, I have 3 Active DTC’s. The codes are: DTC C160C87 DTC System CHASSIS DTC Sub System LKAS, and DTC C160C87 DTC System CHASSIS DTC Sub System SCC, and DTC C163881 DTC system CHASSIS DTC…"complaint #2035073
  20. #20

    brake hydraulics

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "While parking, the brakes failed. Although the brake pedal was correctly and completely depressed the car failed to stop until it hit the building causing damage to structure and injuries occurred to passengers. The brake pedal pulsated but the car did not s…"complaint #1950777
    • "I was travelling at 50mph a car pulled in front of me and stopped unexpetedly. I braked hard. My car began to slow, but the brake pedal went to the floor and did not slow, AFter a few seconds, the brake pedal came up from the floor and braking was resumed. I h…"complaint #2126121
  21. #21

    lighting exterior

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at night with the low beam headlights illuminated, there was a dark shadow present in the top section of the illuminated light field causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The…"complaint #1943878
    • "Incident: I have been almost rear ended numerous, numerous times despite having my turn signal on an appropriate distance from my turning point. Safety Issue: The rear signal lights are small and are only located on the bumper. The location of these signal li…"complaint #1968077
  22. #22

    tire failure

    1 stranded, 1 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I was driving at around [REDACTED ADDRESS] at about 30 miles per hour when front passenger tire suddenly popped and car began to swerve almost colliding with vehicle in adjacent lane. The TPMS alert showed up on dashboard after the tire popped. There were no p…"complaint #1994156
    • "Tire inside sidewall blew out on rear right tire. No curb, no pothole. 40mph speed"complaint #2000888
  23. #23

    transmission manual clutch

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "While running errands around town, I noticed my 2023 Sante Fe 2.5T was sluggish shifting out of first gear into second. The RPMS revved to about 3K before the transmission shifted into 2nd. I didn't notice any problem shifting into 3rd and above. I drove to a…"complaint #2210786
    • "COMPONENT/SYSTEM: The powertrain launch control system — the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) and 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission paired with the 2.5T engine — fails to deliver engine power in response to full accelerator input from a stop. The engine does…"complaint #2224888
  24. #24

    wiper and washer

    1 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while there was snow on the roof of the vehicle, the windshield wipers failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer because there was space between the hood and the windshi…"~35,000 mi, complaint #2170253
  25. #25

    wiring harness

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "On [XXX] in Rehoboth, DE, my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced a sudden and complete power failure while reversing out of a parking spot. All electrical systems shut down—including propulsion, dashboard lights, and emergency brake—causing the vehicle to roll b…"complaint #2129812
    • "What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Horn How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My horn stopped working - cannot use it when driving to warn other drivers - safety issue Has the p…"complaint #2172923
  26. #26

    ac compressor and refrigerant

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "AC evaporator drain design problem June, 2024 approx. 3500 miles under warranty, AC evaporator drain line backed up into the passenger front right. Brought it to service - they unclogged and drained the line at no charge. June 2025 approx. 12,K miles un…"complaint #2123139
  27. #27

    airbag system

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I was recently involved in a front side swipe accident where a person ran a red light and hit me while I was passing through an intersection. The impact was all in the front of the vehicle where the air bag had deployed. The air bag caught on fire within secon…"complaint #1908007
  28. #28

    backup camera

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "My back up camera is not working properly. The picture at times is scrambled and starts floating around on the screen. This was not the first time this has happened. I reported it to the dealership service department when I first noticed, about a year ago or…"complaint #2159958
  29. #29

    battery and charging

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "The car loses power. The battery and key ignition light keep coming on. A message displays auto engine off. Please shift to n or p and start engine manually. After communicating and showing video proof of the incident, the dealership replaced the alternator an…"complaint #2086511
  30. #30

    brake booster

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "This hard brake peddle pressure issue started out immediately on an occasional basis but now occurs almost every morning on first start of the day. Press on the brake pedal - it's very hard to deflect - and if you don't overpower it to deflect the pedal enough…"complaint #1950872
  31. #31

    control module

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "2023 Hyundia Santa Fe bought brand new from the dealership. During the course of the last month and a half the vehicle has done things with unknown origin. The panic alarm will randomly go off when the vehicle is turned off, no one is in it, or even near it. B…"complaint #1890410
  32. #32

    cruise control conventional

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Occasionally the cruise control when accelerating will exceed the set speed and continue to climb and I will be going 20 miles faster than the set speed and climbing. The only way to sop this is to turn cruise off, slow down and restart. My thought is it happ…"complaint #1929842
  33. #33

    engine internal

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated. The check engine warning light illuminated, and a message displayed on the infotainment screen indicatin…"~1,108 mi, complaint #1935912
  34. #34

    engine oil consumption

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "The purchase price was $35,800. As of today, I have paid a total of $24,590. The vehicle has a manufacturing defect that has significantly impacted its performance. The engine has been problematic, as it appears to be consuming oil, and it often fails to star…"complaint #2076474
  35. #35

    ev charging system

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Vehicles' charging side deck will heat up any phone we put in to charge inside that slot. We brought this to the dealers attention a couple times but they stated I needed to pay a service fee to have it looked at. It began happening a few weeks after we purcha…"complaint #2138631
  36. #36

    key fob and immobilizer

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I have taken my vehicle back into the dealership because my car will sometimes unlock itself, I am constantly having to check the doors to make sure they are still locked and most of the time it has unlocked itself. Most of the time I hear it unlocking as I am…"complaint #1974588
  37. #37

    power windows and locks

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I stopped to fill the gas on my road trip and the gas panel would not open. As a single women driving alone this is not ideal. It took 45 min of continuous unlocking/locking with pushing to get it to pop open. There needs to be an alternative/emergency handle…"complaint #2162679
  38. #38

    software or update

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "The vehicle's software update initiates upon start-up without the option to delay to a different time. The three updates I've received this year have taken 20-30 minutes each to complete, while I'm traveling. These updates disable hands-free calling, all medi…"complaint #2027436
  39. #39

    steering column

    1 broken

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "May 5th 2023 my car was broken in to.The back passenger window was broken out and the steering column was tour out .The car was undrivable. The car was towed May 18th to Nalley Hyundai.I just got my car back today Aug 11. I understand Hyundai is suing TikTok I…"complaint #1918282
  40. #40

    unknown

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I have attached a photo since I couldn’t save it"complaint #2183074
  41. #41

    wheel or rim

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I have been fighting this issue now for 2 years, vibration while driving interstate speeds, especially right rear seat. I have had tires replaced twice trying to fix balance issue only to find out that one rim will not road force balance correctly, even with t…"complaint #2188222

Search NHTSA's own recall and complaint database for HYUNDAI SANTA FE directly.