Hyundai Santa FE Sport Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,197 consumer complaints across the 6 model years of the Hyundai Santa FE Sport (2013–2018) that have at least 5 complaints. 2017 has the most, with 356. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (692 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Santa FE Sport years →
All Santa FE Sport model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 323 | 60,000 | 4 | 175 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2017 | 356 | 37,000 | 3 | 197 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2016 | 70 | 81,500 | 1 | 132 | 42 · Typical | Rising |
| 2015 | 84 | 71,000 | 3 | 139 | 57 · Typical | Stable |
| 2014 | 164 | 70,000 | 5 | 135 | 30 · Fewer | Stable |
| 2013 | 200 | 85,060 | 6 | 132 | 29 · Fewer | Rising |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine692 49%
- Brakes204 14%
- Other or unknown137 9.7%
- Transmission and drivetrain94 6.6%
- Fuel system90 6.4%
- Electrical system90 6.4%
- Engine cooling58 4.1%
- Vehicle speed control49 3.5%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2017: “My car has started jerking when up shifting and seems to only be happening when the car has not warmed up. Then today while driving on the interstate at 78mph my car lost power. Not completely. Almost like something gave out and I lost the forward force I was going. It also became louder, almost like a lid hum. When you accelerate the vehicle does not want to go”
NHTSA complaint #11397054, filed 2021-02, 133,000 miles2018: “I have been stopped at a single light (on a state highway) and waiting to turn left but when I accelerated the vehicle did not go. But in a second it took off but I braked because by now it was not safe/clear to go. Also, when I use cruse it goes down hill while raising the rpms (always), this is my third Hyundai vehicle therefore I have never had this happen before.”
NHTSA complaint #11362263, filed 2020-10, 300 miles2014: “The vehicle lost power when accelerating to go on interstate, it just had new software put in.I went to the dealer right away. They said that they could not work on it till the next day. I called hyundia and they know about it. Ido not think this vehicle should be on the street. They should fix the problem with the connecting rod, not software.”
NHTSA complaint #11190368, filed 2019-03, 15,000 milesOther Hyundai models
16,108 complaintsHyundai Elantra
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7,683 complaintsHyundai Tucson
6,323 complaintsHyundai Palisade
2,491 complaintsHyundai Accent
2,030 complaintsHyundai Ioniq 5
1,348 complaintsHyundai Veloster
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology