What breaks most · 2013 to 2018 model years
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problems by year
Owners have filed 254 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport across model years 2013 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2013 for engine complaints, 2017 for engine complaints and 2014 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 2017, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2015
- Complaints on file
- 2542013 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 201385 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 416 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 40kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 22Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 1 | 6 | Engine (55) | |
| 48 | 0 | 5 | Engine (35) | |
| 22 | 0 | 3 | Engine (14) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 68 | 2 | 3 | Engine (30) | |
| 23 | 1 | 4 | Engine (9) |
What fails on the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 65% |
55 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
12 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 12% |
10 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
7 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
5 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Engine malfunctioned and seized while in motion without warning on a city street. Theta ii style engine that hyundai has determined has to be replaced. There needs to be a recall for all hyundai's and kias with this engine.
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My car only has 34,184 miles on it and while slowing down to exit a highway, the check engine light started blinking and the car went into low power mode - wouldn't go over 2000 rpm's. Had car towed to dealer and they tell me i need a new engine and it will take a month to fix!!!
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Smell mixture of gas and oil after i start the engine and run for a while and run like a diesel engine and there is no power at all , there is smoke came from the dip stick after i shut off the engine
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2013, 2017, 2014 carry the most filings on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The 2013 alone has 85 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 55 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Hyundai Santa Fe Sport complaints that include mileage is about 40,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.