Complaint volume
195 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints
195 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, grouped by component category.
195 Total complaints
13 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
12 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, visibility. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 13 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 12 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 43 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 28,698 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, visibility?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Hyundai Santa Fe
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe complaints?
13 Crash
7 Fire
12 Injury
0 Fatality
13 Towed
10 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe complaint categories?
ENGINE 43
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23
VISIBILITY 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 7
POWER TRAIN 7
AIR BAGS 5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4
STRUCTURE 4
195 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Car stalling and don't move when it's in a complete stop | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | TRAILER HITCHES | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:23V181000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This vehicle has the Accident Avoidance system which is great until it snows or there's a heavy rain then you get lights on the dash and the Accident Avoidance system and cruise control turn off because the sensor gets covered with snow or heavy rain. I spoke with a service technician who said it's a know issue but there are no fixes at this time. What the sense in having a safety system that shuts off when you need it the most in bad weather. Once you clean the snow or ice off the sensor area the lights go out. It happens any speed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | On Thursday, May 11, 11:45 am, I experienced a distressing incident at Moulton Elementary School in Laguna Niguel, CA, 92677. my car was parked near the school building, with the engine turned off and the gear set to park. I was there to pick up my children, and at that time, nobody was inside the vehicle. Unexpectedly, my car started moving backward as if in neutral gear, despite being in park mode. I estimate I was approximately 10 feet from the vehicle in front of the school building. The situation was alarming because numerous children were nearby, which could have resulted in a tragedy. Thankfully, no one was injured or hit by the moving vehicle. Instinctively, I attempted to stop the car by using my entire body to push against it. Unfortunately, my efforts were unsuccessful, and as a result, I sustained severe back pain. I have been on bed rest for the past five days due to the discomfort caused by the incident. Subsequently, the vehicle collided with another car, which belonged to a teacher. The incident shocked everyone, and the reason behind the car's unexpected movement remains unclear. Later, I discovered through online research that my car was actually on the recall list, but I had not been informed of this beforehand. As a result of the incident, we contacted the police, and they arrived at the scene can confirm that the car was indeed in park gear during the incident. It is vital to investigate this matter thoroughly to determine the cause of the vehicle's accidental movement and prevent future accidents. I hope that this statement provides a clear account of the accident that occurred at Moulton Elementary School. I strongly urge authorities and the involved parties to take immediate action to address the issues surrounding my car's movement and prevent any similar incidents from happening again. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | POWER TRAIN | Purchased my 2020 Santa Fe august 1st 2020. Mother’s Day of 2021 I was driving to Menards for a plant. I was going 40 mph on a street and braked too slow down to go on a ramp that was 25mph. Traffic appeared and I was stopped completely. I have the “auto” stop on and it would not start back up. I had to put my car in park, turn it off and turn it back on in the middle of traffic. So scary. And this happens monthly now, since august 2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | Driving down the road I heard a loud noise when I stopped I noticed oil under my car. When I was 0.1 mile from my house the oil light came on. I arrived home called Hyundai and they towed the vehicle and reported that the oil plug had was missing and I need to contact the place that changed my oil last. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Pantalla de instrumentos se apaga instrument display turns off | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | STRUCTURE | Large sections of paint peeling from vehicle. Paint starts to bubble and then crack in large pieces. One section has peeled and flew onto the windshield while driving. Hyundai has recently had issues with this white color paint and it is continuing to be a problem. Report has been made to Hyundai with no resolution. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | I got flashing check engine light in my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0T. My car won’t rev beyond 2000rpm when it happened. Blue link app and car’s infotainment notified of P1326 Error. It is available for inspection. I was turning left in a yield on green light, I was at risk when my car stuttered and won’t rev beyond 2000rpm. I contacted my local dealer, they said they can’t take my car even for diagnosis due to no appointment availability till June 1st week. I was able to get hold of another dealer who can take my car in this Friday itself. Hyundai Roadside assistance said they will only tow vehicle to my local dealer and I would have to pay for tow charges if I go to any other dealer. They can’t provide me loaner car at all. My insurance said they won’t provide rental car unless it is an accident. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet. Based on my initial research there has been class action lawsuit against Hyundai on Theta II 2.0T engines but it only covers till 2019 model. I received flashing check engine light warning in my dashboard and app notification in Bluelink about ECM fault DTC P1326. I was driving vehicle normally without any issues on engine before this happend | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00M000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00M000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted but was unable to confirm when parts would become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The contact stated that the wiper was finally repaired by using the proper glue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | Vehicle not moving transmisión fail after u turn off the engine it will work again Oil leak by bolt in the oil pan | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ENGINE | ENGINE FAILURE THE CAR WAS CALLING FOR ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY | Moon roof suddenly shattered while on the highway, no other vehicles around, nothing was thrown or anything object found to hit the car, glass was thrown in vehicle, Had to slow down due to wind entering car, dealer was called and he declined to repair, said it was an insurance problem, adjuster will be out to inspect damage, there was no warning, only a loud boom then strong outside wind, until I slowed down and pulled over. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY | The very front glass portion of the sun roof suddenly shattered . I have years of aviation experiences involving inspecting of crash damaged parts and sudden failures. This glass shows no signs of any external damage from a strike of a foreign object. It appears to be a manufactured discrepancy or a stress issues. I have enclosed some pictures of the discrepancy glass. I reported the issue to Automation Hynduia in Corpus Christi, Texas. They said it’s a common issue that falls on the owner. The warranty does not cover this issue, I also paid several thousand dollars for a extended warranty besides my new auto insurance . This is definitely a safety issue that should be addressed by the auto manufacturer. I appreciate your help in making these people accountable for this poor design that involves safety. I taped the glass to profit from the weather. Thank You | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | As I was driving on the highway, the engine oil light came on. As I was trying to safely get off highway, the engine light came on. The engine stopped operating, but I was able to coast to a safe spot off highway. Car would not start after that. Towed to dealership. Noticeable oil was on the flat bed. Have not received update on vehicle from the dealership. Car is available for inspection. The safety of me and my family were are risk due to not being able to accelerate on the highway. Oil light came on first. 5 minutes later engine light came on. DTC P123600 appeared in my Hyundai app. Car is owned by me and my wife (Jennifer Reardon) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was locked inside the car on 22 Dec 2022 and could not get out until somebody opened a door from the outside, inspite of the fact that the inside lock buttons by the opening handles showed red on the lock buttons. When the lock buttons were pushed in, they immediately popped right back out. If held in the opening handles still remained 'limp' and moved without engaging.the unlocking mechanism. The windows also did not respond to their controls. Thee above occurred whether the ignition was on or off. The vehicle was in "Park".The electric buttons on the door console also had no effect, including the child lock button. The key pendant also got no results even though it had allowed entry and starting only minutes before. There was no pre-warning and this had never happened previously. After a (locked) door was opened from the outside, all functions returned to normal. Outside temperature was 20° F. I did not try to open the hatchback. This is a fatally dangerous situation even though the malfunction would not likely be reproducible at the dealer service department. Meanwhile I plan to purchase a glass breaking escape tool. The Hyundai dealer had no suggestion for emergency exit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ENGINE | Vehicle emitted smell of burning turned on check engine light and oil. Warranty service indicates that the fault corresponds to the oil pump, what is a safety hazard. Santa Fe 2020 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | POWER TRAIN | On 07/12/2020 My 2020 SANTA FE Slipped out of park while in garage. It rolled backward until it hit neighbor's porch damaging my tailgate and tail light. It was taken to Hyundai dealership and they said they could not replicate the problem. On about 08/28/22 The next incident was the transmission slipped down into low gear and would not go over 40 MPH. Again the dealer cannot replicate and the car is still at he dealer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision avoidance systems in my SUV have been defective since purchase in June 2019. Hyundai has replaced the radar sensor but the dealer is waiting on a part to calibrate it which has been on indefinite backorder. I have waited over a year to have this issue fixed. I am paying a car payment which includes these features as the total cost and would like reimbursement for the cost difference, for the issue to get escalated and fixed, or the dealer to offer a vehicle buyback so that I may purchase a vehicle with no defects. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | Driver’s door is not opening brought it to freeman Hyundai here in Irving and after a month I am still experiencing the same problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 19,000 |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle alarm system failed to activate during a vehicle break-in. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the failure. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the insurance company and an appointment was scheduled for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 55,000 |
| Aug 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | There are many reports of Hyundais being broken into and hot wired and stolen using a usb cable. This was remedied for the 2022 year models. My car insurance nearly doubled.The company should do a recall and fix this problem. Thank you for your help. Jim https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/investigations/class-action-lawsuits-hyundai-kia-thefts/63-3e997aa9-582b-45f4-b09b-aa37b2464de0 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The ignition systems in mainly 2015-2021 Hyundais with physical keys could be easily hacked using a screwdriver, pliers or the end of a USB cable, because the vehicles are not equipped with immobilizers that require the presence of a key fob. I want a recall so I won't have my car stolen like I hear about on the news about every week. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |