Reliable Auto DB

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe holds 166 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 32 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Santa Fe years here — over the median of the other years, which is 29. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Camera, Trailer hitch, and Automatic transmission.

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

166

Per year

32

Recalls

7

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (50 of 166), then Engine (37) and Electrical system (29). Those filings include 4 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Santa Fe has 213 complaints, 18 per year, and the 2022 has 199 complaints, 37 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2024-11-21 · NHTSA campaign 24V879000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.
Recall trailer hitch 2023-03-17 · NHTSA campaign 23V181000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2022-10-06 · NHTSA campaign 22V746000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall visibility, windshield 2021-12-28 · NHTSA campaign 21V00M000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2021-07-09 · NHTSA campaign 21V524000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2021-05-03 · NHTSA campaign 21V308000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall air bags, air bag control module 2021-03-17 · NHTSA campaign 21V185000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (166 total)

Powertrain
50
Engine
37
Electrical system
29
Forward collision avoidance
18
Fuel and propulsion system
9
Back-over prevention
7
Speed control
7
Visibility
7
Visibility and wipers
7
Service brakes
6
Seat belts
3
Structure
3
Air bags
2
Exterior lighting
2
Seats
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Steering
1
Tires
1
Trailer hitch
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

192021432022352023172024212025312026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owned a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly caught on fire. The contact's wife became aware that the radio was inoperable before the…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-09
  • "The door to the gas tank is a push door which is temperamental. I can be at the pump and push the door to pop it open and it won't. I'm at the point where I have to pop my gas tank open before I even get to the gas…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-27
  • "My rear back up camera intermitting stops working. I can shift into reverse sometimes and the camera does not come on at all, other times the screen blinks and other times the screen has green lines and glitchy lines.…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-08-12
  • "When i select (R) reverse my camera does not come on. It started as just a flashing screen, but does not come on. It has come on momentarily while I am (D)driving. it has flashed a green screen before."
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-07-21
  • "Fuel door mechanism stops working leaving you unable to add fuel. Is a constant complaint in 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. My vehicle's door mechanism as stopped working 53,000 miles as well."
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

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 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 22 25 24 MPG $2700
Santa Fe all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $2700
Santa Fe front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 28 26 MPG $2500
Santa Fe front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Front-wheel drive 22 28 25 MPG $2600
Santa Fe hybrid 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) All-wheel drive 33 30 32 MPG $2050
Santa Fe hybrid Blue 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) All-wheel drive 36 31 34 MPG $1900

Specs and fitment

4th generation (TM), 2019–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L and turbo 2.5L where equipped) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 235/65R17 to 255/45R20 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 21V524000. 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.

Compare

Previous year 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Next year 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe See every Hyundai Santa Fe model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe holds 166 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 32 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Santa Fe years here — over the median of the other years, which is 29. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Camera, Trailer hitch, and Automatic transmission.

What are common problems with a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (50 of 166), then Engine (37) and Electrical system (29). Those filings include 4 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Santa Fe has 213 complaints, 18 per year, and the 2022 has 199 complaints, 37 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe been recalled?

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has 7 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 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Owners have filed 166 complaints about the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe is 27.5 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).