Hyundai Santa Fe
Problems & Worst Years

Eleven consecutive model years give the Hyundai Santa Fe the longest complaint history in this comparison, and one year stands so far above the rest that it deserves attention on its own. The 2017 Santa Fe logged 654 complaints — more than triple any other year of this model — with 11 of its 23 distinct problems rated safety-critical. Engine seizure without warning accounts for 275 of those reports by itself, and a nearly identical complaint describing engine failure during highway driving adds another 259, both flagged for safety; together those two entries alone represent the overwhelming majority of that year's total. Two recall campaigns, 16V842 and 17V578, are tied to this generation.

The years bracketing 2017 follow a similar engine-durability theme at lower volume. The 2015 model (148 complaints, recall 23V651) centers on oil consumption leading to engine failure (20 reports) and seizure without warning (16 reports); 2016 (176 complaints) sees engine seizure and loss of power rated safety-critical at 64 reports, plus engine stalling without warning at 28; and 2018 through 2020 (58, 67, and 69 complaints respectively) continue variations on oil consumption, knocking, and stalling, with 2018 carrying recalls 18V118 and 22V056 tied partly to airbag deployment and brake hydraulics.

From 2021 onward, the complaint profile changes shape. Transmission trouble and power loss during acceleration lead 2021 and 2022 (80 and 90 complaints, recalls 21V308, 21V524, 22V197, and 22V746 spanning both years), while horn failure — an odd but recurring safety-flagged complaint — shows up in both 2021 (9 reports) and 2023 (14 reports). The two most recent years, 2024 and 2025 (51 and 60 complaints), shift again toward brake system failure at low speeds, forward collision avoidance system malfunctions, steering column noise, and electrical system failures, several of them safety-rated despite the lower overall volume; recalls 24V843 and 25V659 apply to these years.

Read as a whole, the Santa Fe's story is really two stories: an engine-seizure problem concentrated heavily in 2016 and 2017, and a more recent, more electronically-flavored set of concerns in the newest model years. Complaint counts reflect what owners chose to file, not a measured defect rate, and the newest years simply haven't accumulated as much reporting time — a pre-purchase inspection and full service history remain essential regardless of year.