What breaks most · 2013 to 2018 model years
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problems by year
Owners have filed 1,171 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport across model years 2013 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2017 for engine complaints, 2018 for engine complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2014.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2018, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2014
- Complaints on file
- 11712013 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 2017346 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1860 fires · 18 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 197 | 1 | 6 | Engine (108) | |
| 160 | 0 | 5 | Engine (92) | |
| 82 | 1 | 3 | Engine (41) | |
| 67 | 4 | 1 | Engine (41) | |
| 346 | 5 | 3 | Engine (198) | |
| 319 | 7 | 4 | Engine (195) |
What fails on the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 57% |
198 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 12% |
41 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
39 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 10% |
35 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
26 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
25 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
16 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
14 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2017 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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In June 2026 I took my vehicle to Hyundai for a recall to the ECM module. After that my vehicle would lose power and hesitate to shift gears, and overall does not feel safe. Took vehicle back to dealer and they have told me that I have to wait for them to issue a recall fix for this now .
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The engine valves and cylinders keep failing every 6 months. I have to spend another $1,800 to get it fixed. I doe this TWO TIMES last year. My car has the Theta 2 engine
-
Engine seizure. Driving 80mph on i90, pop sound from under the hood happens & check engine light came on; immediately pulled over & the oil and battery light came on; turned car off & it would not start again. Smoke then came from engine while trying to restart. Code 1326
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 6, 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, 2017, 2018, 2013 carry the most filings on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The 2017 alone has 346 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 198 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 70,000 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.