2005 Hyundai Santa FE Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 74about this part
- Share
- 34%of 216 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 93,500miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 74 complaints about the air bags of the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE, 34% of the 216 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 93,500 miles. 7 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Air bag light came on , took car to dealer, passenger seat belt buckle was replaced at a cost of 400. Dollers. A few months later the light came on again, and is still on. I can' afford to keep paying that kind of money to get it fixed again. I understand Hyundai has big problems with their air bag systems. I also have a 2006 Hyundai accent with the same problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10592128, filed 2014-05, 80,000 miles“Seat belt light remains on, and advised by mechanic the air bag will not deploy due to a faulty connection in the seat belt buckle. Several reported issues with this, so why hasn't Hyundai recalled due to safety issue? My daughter of 21 is driving this vehicle as a second vehicle. I'm very worried about her safety.”
NHTSA complaint #10615825, filed 2014-07, 86,000 miles“The air bag light turns on an off, this is a big safety issue, I feel insecure in this vehicle, I don't think the air bags would work in the event of an accident. Need attention in the matter”
NHTSA complaint #11195974, filed 2019-04, 45 miles“Passanger air bag system never worked properly it was returned to dealer many times and we were told there was nothing they could do to correct this. To this date the system only works part time,we were told the passanger must weigh at least 125 pounds well my wife weighs 135 pounds.many timesi have to remind my wife to get up and sit down harder,one day we will be in an accident and have no air bag deployment.”
NHTSA complaint #10444619, filed 2012-01, 1,000 miles“We own a 2005 Santa Fe by Hyundai. We have been reading blogs about the air bag light being illuminated as a result of the seat belt sensor going bad on these vehicles and not deploying in the case of an accident. Ours is now demonstrating this. The red air bag light will remain illuminated and the issue after being run through a diagnostic at a local dealership was as expected tied to a seat belt sensor issue. …”
NHTSA complaint #10469434, filed 2012-08, 70,000 milesRelated recalls
- 05V527000Nov 17, 2005On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with an occupant classification system (ocs) the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify certain small…Covers: Hyundai Santa FE 2005
- 05V450000Oct 4, 2005On certain vehicles equipped with an occupant classification system (ocs) the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify certain small children seated on…Covers: Hyundai Santa FE 2005
Related service bulletins
- 11032523Apr 10, 2026The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province…
- 11032522Apr 10, 2026The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by…
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 1% |
| 2024 | 1 | 1% |
| 2023 | 2 | 1% |
| 2022 | 5 | 2% |
| 2021 | 2 | 1% |
| 2020 | 7 | 3% |
| 2019 | 7 | 3% |
| 2018 | 6 | 5% |
| 2017 | 20 | 2% |
| 2016 | 9 | 4% |
| 2015 | 9 | 4% |
| 2014 | 13 | 3% |
| 2013 | 5 | 1% |
| 2012 | 6 | 2% |
| 2011 | 7 | 4% |
| 2010 | 9 | 3% |
| 2009 | 29 | 8% |
| 2008 | 70 | 13% |
| 2007 | 102 | 15% |
| 2006 | 28 | 26% |
| 2005 | 74 | 34% |
| 2004 | 43 | 14% |
| 2003 | 42 | 14% |
| 2002 | 5 | 3% |
| 2001 | 3 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE
44 complaintsBrakes
33 complaintsFuel system
22 complaintsSuspension
21 complaintsSeat belts
18 complaintsEngine
11 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
11 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsOther or unknown
8 complaintsEngine cooling
7 complaintsSteering
7 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology