Complaint volume
158 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
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Complaints
158 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, grouped by component category.
158 Total complaints
4 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
2 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 power train, unknown or other, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 4 crash reports, 1 fire report, 2 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 29 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 27,196 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, unknown or other, engine?
- 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 2021 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.
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe complaints?
4 Crash
1 Fire
2 Injury
0 Fatality
6 Towed
1 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 31
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23
ENGINE 12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 6
VISIBILITY 6
VISIBILITY/WIPER 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3
158 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,TRAILER HITCHES | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle turned off and on intermittently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the key out of the ignition to completely turn off the vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to her destination. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V181000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact associated the failure with the recall. The local dealer was not contacted regarding the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| May 2023 | STRUCTURE | The Brow Glass between the top of the windshield and the sun roof, alligator cracked following by a complete crack and breakage along the full width of the glass. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Horn stopped working | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My transmission keeps slipping. I was on freeway this time and it slipped out of gear but it was like I pushed all the way down on pedal the RPM went way up so I had to wait until it slipped back into gear to be able to continue on down the freeway. I backed up traffic for a minute because I can't put on gas until it goes back in gear. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Front sunroof shattered on the interstate at 80 mph. There were no other vehicles near me and it was an unobstructed road (no bridges crossing the road) temperature was 40 degrees and sunny. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | There were 2 instances where my vehicle stopped. Once I was driving 15mph and it said “Put car in Park”. The 2nd, I was driving 45mph and the vehicle said “Step on the Brake to start car”. I have also had 2 instances where my odometer just keeps going up and down. He 2nd instance, the car was making a ticking noise and hazard along with other lights were flashing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was not able to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred two weeks later. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a computer mapping failure which was resolved by the replacement of an unknown part. The contact stated that the dealer informed her that they could not provide a detailed repair bill without contacting the manufacturer for permission to provide it to the owner. The manufacturer was notified, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 37,500. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 37,500 |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | After jacking up the car to do a tire swap from winter tires and wheels to the OEM tires and wheels on the front passenger side using the factory supplied scissors jack the vehicle rocked slightly, causing the jack to fall over and the vehicle to drop. I had already completed the tire and wheel swap on the driver side of the vehicle without incident. At this point the lug nuts were loose but had not yet been removed, so no damage to the vehicle occurred. This event happened in my garage that has a flat concrete floor with an epoxy coating. I was not touching the vehicle at the time. The vehicle was in park but the electronic parking brake was not manually set (not sure if that can be done). I believe the transmission (8 speed DCT) allows too much movement fore and aft before engaging the parking pawl that locks the front axles and prevents movement. Also, due to the height of the vehicle, the scissors jack must be extended near the very top of the maximum lifting height to raise the tires about 1/2" above the ground level, where the jack is naturally the least stable. I used wheel chocks on the opposite diagonal corner for the remaining wheels. The jack sustained a bent threaded shaft but otherwise appeared to be ok and the support arms did not seem to be bent. I will be replacing this jack with a sturdier unit soon and will not use this one again, however I will keep it in case in its needed for examination. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Unknown vigorous shaking in rear of vehicle check engine light on. Stopped after turning car off and restarting. Hyundai found no causes and no codes when inspected for issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, she had to depress the brake pedal to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: 21-01-181H. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 58,800 |
| Mar 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | When driving on the highway the suv would not change gears. It felt like it was stuck in 1st gear, reving very high. Was unable to move the suv to the side of the road. Came to a stop with heavy traffic blowing there horns. Put the suv into park, switched it over to sport mode and was able to get going. This is the third time the suv has lost power. Also have noticed the transmission has been taking to long to change gears. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was stalling with the transmission, check engine, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer on two occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting parts for the repair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,483. | Crash: No Fire: No | 13,483 |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | On January 26th, 2023 at 9:57am the vehicle was unable to shift into reverse, drive, or neutral. The vehicle's system sent automatic messages indicating to have the transmission control system checked. We had the vehicle towed to a Hyundai dealer to be serviced. The dealership advised they performed a software update and that nothing else needed to be done. Then on January 30th, 2023 at 7:44pm the vehicle's check engine light came on and the vehicles system sent us another notification to our phone and email that there was a transmission control system issue. The vehicle shakes abruptly when accelerating after a stop. I have photos of the warning messages as well as video of the car shaking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN | This happened on 18th January 2023, a day after I received a transmission related recall notice (Recall 236) from Hyundai. My car did not move when I put the transmission in "Drive". I restarted the car and then drove the car a short distance when the car stopped moving again. Then, there was a few seconds of mobility in which I managed to park the car in a parking spot. By this time, the "check engine" light switched on. I had the car towed to the dealership. The tow truck driver also tried to drive the vehicle, but at this point in time, the car just did not move in "Drive". The dealership inspected the car the next day and informed me that the transmission would need to be replaced and they had placed an order for the same, but the part won't come in before February. My car is currently parked at the dealership parking lot, and we are waiting on the replacement transmission to arrive from Hyundai. The transmission on this vehicle has always been jerky from the beginning, especially at lower gears. The car shudders when the transmission is shifted from Park to Drive. I read in online forums that this was because of the design of the transmission, so did not report. But this sudden breakdown of the transmission has gotten me worried. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ENGINE | Recall 236 -transmission problem. Manufacturer has not resolved this issue to date putting lives in danger of injury or death | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH with the Adaptive Cruise Control mode activated, the contact heard three beeping sounds, and the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that the vehicle made the beeping sound again while driving 50-55 MPH however, the vehicle had not lost motive power. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive because there was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued driving. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission was flushed; however, the failure reoccurred 2 weeks later while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the transmission fluid was refilled; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) for which the VIN was included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 21,000 |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN | On October 10, 2022, while driving home from the hospital, my car unexpectedly entered limited driving mode (max 15 mph) for 10-15 seconds in the middle of the road and then died totally. Later, I discovered that it was due to a recall that was initiated on October 6th, Manufacturer Recall Number 236 & NHTSA Recall Number 22V746000, for which Hyundai did not give me a notice letter until December 8th, 2022. My automobile has been parked at the dealership since October 10, 2022, with no indication of when the transmission will be available to repair it. The Hyundai dealership diagnosed my car with the P1C2D03 diagnostic code and ordered a new transmission to replace it on or around 10/13/2022, but they haven't received it from Hyundai yet. I've followed up with both the dealership and the Hyundai incident case manager numerous times, but nothing has changed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) 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. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT ISSUED A REMEDY FOR THIS RECALL #22V746000 SINCE THE INITIAL FILING OF THE RECALL ON 10/6022. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Vehicle warning alarm activated, car went into limp mode for about 20 seconds, and then lost all drive. Warning message for Transmission Control Unit problem. Several previous temporary failures with no stored codes over past two or three months, one previously reported to NHTSA. Drive would not engage even after multiple restart attempts. The short amount of time and reduced speed could cause a serious accident. Very fortunate that I knew what I was happening and reacted quickly to get vehicle to side of highway. Dealer service has confirmed problem. Awaiting new transmission. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to coast off the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 13,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 13,000 |