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 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I keep my vehicle backed into my single car garage. I have had 3 incidents in the last couple of months Beginning of mayish to now, where I start the vehicle, put it in drive and it does not drive. Twice it started to reverse and today it acted as though it were in neutral. I've taken video of the last 2 incidents showing that drive is selected, the dashboard and the Birdseye camera. My dealership is working to resolve but has stated to plan on my vehicle being there for awhile. This seems to be quite dangerous. When I turn the vehicle off and restart it, drive works. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | Problem first started on 3/31/22, car starting showing engine light as well as forward safety system off. Car would not accelerate and was shaking spuddering when foot was off the brake. Pulled into a safe location and called Towne Hyundai Genesis of Denville (Rt. 10, NJ) to schedule a service appointment and was told that there were NO appointments or availability until May. I expressed my concern that I did not feel safe driving the vehicle and the response was that I could drop off the car for 4-6 weeks and they would look at it when they had a chance. I asked if there was a loaner car available and they said no that 100's of other people have problems. I took my car to a local shop to see if they could diagnose the issue and they ran a diagnostic test and the error P2127 (Throttle/ Pedal Position Sensor/ Switch E Circuit Low). The Hyundai BlueLink shows 2 alerts for Chassis on 3/31/22 as well. After this date I felt unsafe driving my car and have drove the vehicle a handful of times in 2 1/2 months unable to get an appointment. The alert would come on as soon as you turned the vehicle on until 6/4/22 when it occured while driving on a highway and the car stopped accelerating. I took the vehicle to Hyundai and they updated the system and stated that it was fixed. Within 15 minutes of driving it the issue came back, and I called them and they once again stated that I could leave it there for 4-6 weeks without a loaner. This car is extremely unsafe as it will just stop accelerating without any warning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The vehicle sporadically turns off its engine by itself, mostly stopped when placing the transmission in park gear. One time the engine went out in the middle of the avenue. After these events when starting the engine it makes a noise for a few seconds. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer and they say that there is no type of technical bulletin on this type of problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Most of the time, when the vehicle stops the transmission slams and pushes the vehicle forward requiring additional breaking effort. This problem started before 5 thousand miles of use. I reported it at his first oil change and I have continued to report it. The Hyundai dealer's machine shop claims to test and verify it, they claim they have no problem or technical bulletin about it. They say this is normal for this model. My concern is that this fault ends up breaking the transmission in the middle of the avenue and having a traffic accident. There is a forum of this same model owners reporting the same problem, https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/2021-santa-fe-transmission-shudder.680164/page-2 apparently they don't know this website to report these problems. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Problem #1 - At least 4 quarts of oil spewed from the oil tank and covered most of the engine for an unknown period time. There were no notifications, alerts, or any other indication concerning the oil tank having 1 or less quart of oil. Ultimately, there are at least three (3) questions that need to be addressed 1.In a 2021 Santa Fe, what would cause both the timing and valve covers to leak out at least four (4) quarts of oil out of the oil tank onto the engine. 2.Why was there no notification, alerts, or indication that the oil tank only had less than one (1) quart of oil. 3.What other damage could there have been to the engine beyond the several parts identified as needing to be replaced, that was not identified. A Chronological Order of Events is available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,500 |
| May 2022 | ENGINE | My Santa Fe has less than 14k miles. In many instances, the car has stalled when turning on. The engine would tremble and then shut the engine off while the dash lighting/symbols stay on. It will idle for a quick second and then drop to zero. Another instance is when driving into a parking spot and driveway and we applied the brakes. At that moment the engine shut off while the dash lights/radio and everything else stayed on. In all instances, if we apply the brake and then hit the start button, the car will typically turn on and act like nothing ever happened. In 2 instances, the blind side detection would turn off while driving and all the warning lights would come on the dash. After turning it off and letting it sit for a few minutes it would disappear. One time the front detection would go off and there was no car in front of me for about 8ft. The beeping continued after we drove off and it eventually reset itself and never happened again. I’ve notified the Hyundai dealer but they claim if they can’t recreate it then they can’t fix anything. My previous Santa Fe did the same thing and they had it for 2 weeks with no results. Although my blue link app showed the car was never moved from the parking spot which made me wonder if they even tried anything. I have videos of the Santa Fe stalling. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact indicated that the RPM would increase however, the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate causing a safety hazard while pulling into traffic. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50 |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated upon attempting to drive the vehicle, she shifted into drive; however, the vehicle reversed inadvertently. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park. The contact shifted from park to drive three times but the vehicle would reverse each time or would fail to move. The RPM’s revved up. The "Drive” warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle after several attempts; however, the failure reoccurred a month later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shift actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,273. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,273 |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | In July 2021 while driving from TX to WA due to a military PCS with our brand new suv a small rock or pebble hit the windshield on the passengers side. I called progressive/ safelite right away to have them fix it upon arriving in WA. It was good to go until a few days later i climb into my suv (which is sitting under a car port) and see that the chip has ran through all the way to the other side of the drivers view. From July 2021 it took till Jan 2022 to get a replacement. Had to pay the $500 deductible. However this should not happen on a brand new 2021 Santa Fe that was just manufactured in May/June 2021. More and more i am seeing reports of windshields cracking and I need to have piece of mind that our concerns are heard and fixed to our satisfaction. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while his wife was driving 60 MPH, she thought a small rock had struck the windshield and made an 8-inch horizontal crack form the driver’s to the passenger’s side windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated a month later while his wife was driving the vehicle, she heard an abnormal noise on the windshield. The driver parked the vehicle but did not notice any cracks. The contact stated later on that day, his wife noticed an 8-inch horizontal crack form the driver’s to the passenger’s side. The contact called local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 7,000 |
| Mar 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving the car in cruse control the speedometer would jump up and down rapidly making the car accelerate and break. The warning lights come on saying the forward, side back sensors are off. At times stepping on the breaks a plastic bottle crunch sound will occur but the breaks were fine. I scheduled a repair but was still driving the car. Then I approached an intersection and the light was turning green to yellow so I stepped on the breaks only to have the pedal go to the floor without resistance and no breaks at all. I had to drive through a red light endangering myself and others at that intersection. I pulled into a parking lot and the breaks were working again. Car has been towed to the West Herr Hyundai Dealer on Transit Rd Williamsville, NY for repairs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Car had a dead battery called road service they tested the battery said it had a bad cell they jumped it and I took it to the dealership they tested it by Hyundai protocol charged it for 60 minutes then load tested said it passed didn’t find anything wrong with it sent me on my way couple days later dead battery brought it back to dealer charged it tested it said nothing wrong sent me on my way. Have to jump car every couple of days | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while her vehicle was parked in her driveway, the rear windshield shattered without incident. The contact also mentioned that repairmen who happened to be on her property at the time of the failure had witnessed the failure occur without incident. The dealer was notified of the failure and the windshield glass was repaired under car's manufacture warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving in the fast lane on the freeway at speed limit the car suddenly began to slow/stop, after which a warning flashed on the display that said Danger, collision imminent, or something like that. There was no one close in front of me when that happened. This exact scenario has happened three times now in this car, in the same way! I felt my life was endangered every time by the sudden and unnecessary braking of my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | POWER TRAIN | 10/22/21, Mileage ~720, while driving on the highway I had two incidents when the car did not respond to throttle application. In the first instance while attempting to accelerate mildly on a level road the rpm went to 3500 with no acceleration. I backed off the throttle and the car resumed normal operation. In the second instance while attempting to accelerate mildly on a level road the rpm showed about 1500 with no acceleration. I backed off the throttle and the car resumed normal operation. I had no further incidents and returned home safely. There were no warning lights, messages. This is the first problem I have experienced. I think this may be a transmission problem. Similar incidents have been reported online by Hyundai owners with the wet DCT that my car has. I have not yet contacted my dealer about this problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Smart Cruise Control relies on the inconsistent and consequently unreliable performance of the of the front-mounted radar. Otherwise-reasonable operation of the Cruise Control would abruptly terminate 1/3 to 1/2 of the intended use-time, illuminating the master warning light (the amber triangle with internal ‘!’) that was accompanied by either a ‘1’ or ‘2’ encircled by red and may or may not have included the Collision-Avoidance warning light. Subsequent examination of the rectangular shield in the center of the grill very rarely revealed more than 2 bug remnants. When the Smart Cruise Control was in operation it would abruptly apply the brakes when approaching or passing a truck in the lane to taffiche right. There appeared to be no similar conditions to the size or shape of the truck or trailer when these events would occur. None of these events applied to congested tr conditions, just otherwise open road. The ’21 Hyundai Santa Fe does not appear to accommodate any mechanism to revert to conventional cruise control, omitting the influence of the erratic front radar system. Trips to two dealerships have yielded no redress to this malfunction. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Car would not start; battery was too low to activate lights or locks, let alone starter. An attempted jumper cable connection to an older car was insufficient to make the motor turn, even after just running the assist car while connected for 20+ minutes. A subsequent jump from the AAA 2000 Ah jump pack did work although their ‘test’ indicated battery state-of-charge and state-of-health to be less than 30%. Their obvious recommendation was battery replacement and, with the vehicle now running, a drive to the dealership was attempted. At the first intersection a full vehicle stop engaged the engine Stop-Start function, but without sufficient battery for the ‘Start’ part. Not only would the vehicle not restart but there was insufficient battery power to put the transmission into PARK nor engage the emergency brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling into busy cross-traffic; only the service brake worked. Fortunately, a nearby motorist recognized the emergency and placed rocks under the tires to prevent the vehicle from rolling forward. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the battery was replaced without significant comment on the total failure of nearly all systems in the event of battery failure. The outcome of this major battery failure could have been catastrophic as the ONLY system even marginally functional was the non-power-assisted service brake. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V524000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available and would not be available for another three months. 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 |
| Sep 2021 | POWER TRAIN | I bought a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL in January 2021. The vehicle occasionally will not shift out of first gear unless you slow down to almost a stop and then accelerate again. It began within the first month or two of owning. Hyundai has had it in the shop three times. Two times they said they couldn't duplicate. One time they said they showed it went to 4000 RPM's without shifting on the diagnostics before it was slowed down as I told them. They did an update on the TCU and reset the transmission on May 10, 2021. On August 4, 2021 the transmission stuck again. (It went to 5000 RPM's without shifting before I slowed it to almost a stop) This problem has happened about eight times since it began. The GM at the dealership I bought it from said Corporate wouldn't buy it back or get involved without them duplicating the problem. I emailed Hyundai consumer complaints on August 17, 2021 and on August 18 received an email stating I had a case # and would be contacted shortly. On August 24 I called Hyundai customer complaint and was told I had a case manager assigned and they had until August 31 to reply. They did not reply and on September 1, 2021 I called Hyundai complaints again and they said I did NOT have a case manager and that they had not sent it to corporate yet but someone would call me at some point. I feel Hyundai is not concerned about this dangerous problem with their vehicle or my safety. I am beyond frustrated. Jeremy Kimrey | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This vehicle is the first Santa Fe that only comes with adaptive cruise control and there is no way to disable it and set regular cruise control. Here are just a few examples of the safety risk. We were on State Highway 29 which is a rural 4 lane highway. There were 4 cars near us. Our cruise was set for 70mph. A vehicle came in front of us to pass which it did. There was no issue. However, our vehicle saw this as a threat and our vehicle slowed from 70mph to 50mph until the other vehicle was out of the set car length distance. Meanwhile the other cars around us had no indication or warning why we would have slowed down this much and we were nearly rear ended. There was screeching of tires and brakes suddenly applied by the other vehicles. All for nothing. I am on the highway with the cruise set at 75mph when again vehicles will come in front of me and my vehicle slows from 75 mph to 54mph, causing the surrounding vehicles to not know what is going on and I hope they are paying attention because there is nothing really going on other than normal driving. It is terrifying to have your vehicle control itself and you don’t know when it will start to accelerate again so for the most part, I am shutting the cruise control off and on constantly. At our most recent Hyundai service appointment for this problem, we were told by Hyundai Care Manager that this is exactly how it’s designed and there is no problem. And we’ve been told just simply don’t use the cruise control at all. That is not a solution. We feel like all these “safety” features are creating a sense of driver coma on our roads. Instead of the left lane being used for faster cars as a passing lane, the adaptive cruises are creating a chain of vehicles that are well under the speed limit | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Unnecessary emergency brake activation has occured 3 times. Vehicle lease new 3/31/2021. 1. First incident late April, early May at approximately 1,000 miles. Cruise control was not on and car abruptly stopped when there were no other vehicles in front of mine. Traveling at about 35 miles a hour on local two lane road. (Activation setting on normal) 2. Brakes activated at highway speed of about 60 mph. Car was passing on right side. No threat in front of vehicle. Cruise control was off. (Activation setting on normal) 3. Was following well behind the car in front of me at approximately 30-35 mph. Other vehicle turned right into parking lot and was completely off the road when brake warning appeared on dash. (Activation setting on "late" warning) We are concerned we will be unnecessarily rear ended and causing a multi car accident. Vehicle was in for service 8/2-8/3/2021. Dealer did all they could including 62 mi test drive. Per Hyundai, no parts were replaced due to the inability to dupicate the problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle stalled 5 times when finally got it to restart wouldn’t accelerate more than two mph. Broke down on a busy road was finally able to get the car into a parking lot but was almost hit from behind cause the vehicle was obstructing traffic. Towed to dealership where was told it would take them a week to look at it and they won’t provide any alternative transportation for me that I would have to pay out of pocket. My car is only 2 months and 2400 miles old | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Engine shut off while driving 70mph in the middle of the mountains in PA during a road trip from VA to MI, 2 adults and one child. No Warning No Check Engine lights No alarms, just shut off. I tried to press the ignition start button but it would not function until the engine was in park, gave no warning or alarm when I pressed it, the engine start button wouldn't respond. At Shutoff, going ~70mph, I had: Zero acceleration Zero power No blinkers No Instrument Cluster (LED Cluster screen installed) The only way I could signal to merge onto the shoulder was to turn on the hazard lights and attempt to merge from the fast lane to the shoulder, completely crossing faster traffic with no blinkers to guide my merging and warn other drivers on the highway. Instrument cluster turned white as if it was being reset and music was still playing in the car Bluetooth connected to my phone. Conditions of the vehicle during shutoff: 1. Adaptive Cruise Control was on, set to 3 car lengths of distance. 2. Lane Keep Assist was on 3. Lane Departure Warning was on 4. Bluetooth was connected 5. Navigation was active and guiding Once I was able to merge to the shoulder, I shifted into park and sat there for about a minute while I tried to calm my family down from what had happened so unexpectedly. After a minute or so, I was able to start the vehicle back up and nervously proceeded back on the highway to continue on with the rest of the trip. I immediately contacted Hyundai when I returned to VA and explained the issue, they took the vehicle into the service department of the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from. Hyundai kept my vehicle for 2 days and drove it "120 miles" but were unable to recreate the problem. They stated that all the systems checked out and there was nothing more they could do. I have since created 2 cases with Hyundai Corporate office to rectify this issue to no avail. Without the issue being recreated, there is nothing they will do for my family. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | OUR WINDSHIELD STARTED CRACKING FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING. ONLY HAD THIS CAR FORV A MONTH AND LESS THAN 1000 MILES. NOTHING HIT IT. THIS IS RIDCULOUS BEING A BRAND NEW VEHICLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |