Coscienzios

Model years to avoid

Hyundai Santa Fe

What it says about you

Opinion

The default family SUV for people who compared warranties. Sensible, roomy, and no drama.

Not measured, not from the data, and offered in fun. Everything below this is not.

23 model years on record, 6,691 complaints filed.

The years to look at closely: 2017 (oil consumption), 2013 (steering), 2008 (gauge), 2007 (gauge). Everything else drew a normal number of complaints for this model.

What owners report, and when

Faults that dominated the complaints of more than one model year. Not the same question as which year to avoid — a car can have an ordinary number of complaints every year and have most of them be about the same thing.

  • fuel 2007, 2008, 2009 peak 44.9% of that year's complaints
  • gauge 2008, 2009 peak 39.2% of that year's complaints
  • bag 2005, 2007 peak 31% of that year's complaints
  • tank 2008, 2009 peak 30.8% of that year's complaints
  • transmission 2010, 2024 peak 28.4% of that year's complaints
  • camera 2013, 2024 peak 20% of that year's complaints
  • unsafe 2018, 2025 peak 18.7% of that year's complaints

Every year

  1. 2027 nothing on record 0 complaints
  2. 2026 4 recalls 29 complaints
  3. 2025 5 recalls 123 complaints
  4. 2024 7 recalls 170 complaints
  5. 2023 1 recall 280 complaints
  6. 2022 5 recalls 192 complaints
  7. 2021 7 recalls 164 complaints
  8. 2020 2 recalls 202 complaints
  9. 2019 2 recalls 192 complaints
  10. 2018 2 recalls 108 complaints
  11. 2017 oil consumption 951 complaints
  12. 2016 3 recalls 235 complaints
  13. 2015 2 recalls 254 complaints
  14. 2014 3 recalls 494 complaints
  15. 2013 steering 604 complaints
  16. 2012 1 recall 352 complaints
  17. 2011 3 recalls 181 complaints
  18. 2010 3 recalls 257 complaints
  19. 2009 3 recalls 357 complaints
  20. 2008 gauge 541 complaints
  21. 2007 gauge 683 complaints
  22. 2006 1 recall 106 complaints
  23. 2005 3 recalls 216 complaints

What does a Hyundai Santa Fe say about you?

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Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints — compared against itself rather than against other cars, so popularity and age do not decide the answer.