The Used Car Index

2019 Hyundai Santa FE problems

NHTSA lists 201 complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Santa FE, 16 of them mention a crash and 13 mention a fire. 10 complaints mention an injury, with 10 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-10.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as HYUNDAI SANTA FE.

At a glance

Complaints
201
With crash
16
With fire
13
With injury (complaints)
10
Injuries
10
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
584,784
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
182

Complaints per 100k sold: 157.804. Units sold: 127,373; sales year: 2019; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE7336.3%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4723.4%
POWER TRAIN3517.4%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2713.4%
STRUCTURE147.0%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE136.5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM126.0%
STEERING126.0%
SERVICE BRAKES115.5%
AIR BAGS73.5%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY14
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL2
LANE DEPARTUREASSIST2
LANE DEPARTUREBLIND SPOT DETECTION2
VISIBILITYDEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM2
VISIBILITYSUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINTERIOR LAMPS/BULBS1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
loss of control5527.4%0.83
mechanical failure3919.4%0.77
electrical electronic3818.9%0.77
structural or corrosion168.0%0.76
fire or overheating147.0%0.92
fluid or fuel leak126.0%0.71
restraint or airbag115.5%0.96
visibility or lighting73.5%0.91
noise or comfort63.0%0.73
unclear31.5%0.75
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate11959.2%0.84
low4823.9%0.75
high3115.4%0.88
critical21.0%0.89
none10.5%0.52

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 201 tagged complaints of 201 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

2 recalls.

23V181000

Date: 2023-03-17. Systems: TRAILER HITCHES.

Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, (excerpt)

Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previou (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.

18V715000

Date: 2018-10-11. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. The Side Curtain Air Bag (SCAB) mounting bolts may interfere with and damage the air bags during deployment.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags become damaged during deployment they may not inflate properly, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the SCAB installation bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 177.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

DP22003

Opened: 2022-09-12. Closed: 2023-12-12.

Loss of Motive Power

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i

Systems: ENGINE.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

182 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM62
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING39
EQUIPMENT39
ENGINE29
POWER TRAIN22
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY19
STEERING10
UNKNOWN OR OTHER6

11033679

Date: 2026-05-23. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Certain 2012 a 2017 model year Accent, 2012 a 2017 model year Azera, 2013 a 2018 model year Santa Fe Sport, 2013 a 2019 model year Santa Fe, and 2012 a 2017 model year Veloster vehicles may exhibit an intermittent airbag warning light and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may be set. At Hyun

11033699

Date: 2026-05-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. This bulletin provides instructions for updating the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address this condition.

11033700

Date: 2026-05-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. The California Air Resources Board has determined that these vehicles may be releasing air pollutants which exceed Federal and California stan

11033701

Date: 2026-05-19. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (Theta II Emissions Improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. If present, this condition is expected to occur only within approximately the first 1-3 minutes after engine start,

11033705

Date: 2026-05-19. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (Theta II Emissions Improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. If present, this condition is expected to occur only within approximately the first 1-3 minutes after engine start,

11032528

Date: 2026-04-28. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Some Hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. The paint warranty coverage for affected vehicles has been extended to 10 years/unlimited miles from the date of original retail

11032529

Date: 2026-04-28. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Certain Hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. The paint warranty coverage for affected vehicles has been extended to 10 years/unlimited miles from the date of original ret

11031416

Date: 2026-04-14. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ENGINE.

Certain 2019 a 2020 model year Santa Fe, 2017 a 2018 model year Santa Fe Sport, 2015 a 2019 model year Sonata, and 2018 a 2021 model year Tucson vehicles may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. Hyundai is conducting a service campaign to update the Engine Control Module (ECM) Software for

11032522

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit drivera side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prio

11032523

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous drivera s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the ve

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
SANTA FE201

Same model, other years

All model years | All Hyundai models

Other Hyundai models, 2019

Sources

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