Reliable Auto DB

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 966 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe over 10 years — 62 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Santa Fe years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Brake control module, Engine, and Latch.

2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

966

Per year

62

Recalls

6

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (647 of 966), then Powertrain (163) and Electrical system (67). Those filings include 14 that report a crash, 23 that report a fire, and 11 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Santa Fe has 236 complaints, 9 per year, and the 2018 has 109 complaints, 10 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall Brake control module 2022-02-03 · NHTSA campaign 22V056000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
Remedy Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
Recall Engine 2017-09-20 · NHTSA campaign 17V578000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.
Remedy Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2017-06-05 · NHTSA campaign 17V358000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.
Recall tires, tire pressure monitoring 2017-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 17V142000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an appropriate warning in the event of an underinflated tire. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the TPMS sensors, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for the recall is 159.
Recall electrical system, wiring 2016-11-21 · NHTSA campaign 16V842000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result, in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 153.
Recall seat belts, front, warning light 2016-03-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V145000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front seat occupants do not fasten their seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 141.

Complaints by component (966 total)

Engine
647
Powertrain
163
Electrical system
67
Fuel and propulsion system
60
Speed control
54
Service brakes
34
Steering
27
Hydraulic brakes
24
Engine and engine cooling
23
Air bags
20
Suspension
10
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
Forward collision avoidance
7
Seat belts
7
Structure
7
Seats
6
Exterior lighting
4
Lane departure
4
Visibility
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Wheels
3
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Air brakes
1
Back-over prevention
1
Chest clip, buckle, and harness
1
Fire-related
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Insert and padding
1
Traction control
1
Show 21 more Show less
Crash-flagged

14

Fire-flagged

23

Injury reports

11

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

472016662017362018382019292020472021148202220920231612024972025882026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Component/System Failed: Engine assembly (Theta II 2.4L GDI) and Exhaust/Catalytic Converter. Description: The vehicle suffered a failure associated with the known Theta II engine defects. Engine oil consumption and…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-09-20
  • "My son was driving the vehicle normally. There were no issues, warning lights, abnormal feel to the drive, and no odd noises. Suddenly, all of the warning lights on the dashboard lit up, acceleration dropped and he…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-19
  • "Hyundai performed recall #9C2, on 7/2/26. Since that time, the engine has a full time miss. When it is cold, it will hesitate, kick and buck. Hyundai is aware of this. Their solution is to warm the car for 3 to 5…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-19
  • "Service update 9C2. Car hesitates or slightly bucks on a cold start. No remedy to fix yet."
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-09-19
  • "Vehicle was brought to an authorized dealership for service, and while there Campaign 9C2 (ECU Software Update for Theta II Emissions Improvement) was performed. Immediately following this software update, the vehicle…"
    Powertrain, Speed control, Engine · filed 2026-09-09

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Santa Fe all-wheel drive 3.3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 24 20 MPG $3250
Santa Fe front-wheel drive 3.3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100
Santa Fe Sport all-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $2950
Santa Fe Sport all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $2950
Santa Fe Sport front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800
Santa Fe Sport front-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 27 24 MPG $2700
Santa Fe Sport Ultimate all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 19 24 21 MPG $3100
Santa Fe Sport Ultimate front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Santa Fe Ultimate all-wheel drive 3.3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 17 22 19 MPG $3400
Santa Fe Ultimate front-wheel drive 3.3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 23 20 MPG $3250

Specs and fitment

3rd generation (DM), 2012–2018
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-20 or 5W-30 (2.4L and 3.3L V6 per manual) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 235/60R18 to 235/55R19 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 17V358000. Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Next year 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe See every Hyundai Santa Fe model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?

Owners have filed 966 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe over 10 years — 62 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Santa Fe years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Brake control module, Engine, and Latch.

What are common problems with a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (647 of 966), then Powertrain (163) and Electrical system (67). Those filings include 14 that report a crash, 23 that report a fire, and 11 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Santa Fe has 236 complaints, 9 per year, and the 2018 has 109 complaints, 10 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe been recalled?

The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Owners have filed 966 complaints about the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe is 21.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Santa Fe take?

5W-20 or 5W-30 (2.4L and 3.3L V6 per manual)

What does NHTSA recall 17V-358 cover on the Hyundai Santa Fe?

NHTSA campaign 17V358000.

What generation is the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe?

3rd generation (DM) (2012-2018).