2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems, Recalls & Reliability
333 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 22/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 15,725 miles.
Typical
Where 2010 sits among all Santa Fe years
What owners report
“Driving santa fe at 55mph and it slowed to a stop. Transmision was out of gear and would not re-engage. Can not drive vehicle now as it will not go into gear”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Santa Fe
“Engine shuts down while driving on the highway or i experience a lurching. At time it just won't accelerate. This happens on several occasion this year”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Santa Fe
“Purchased vehicle brand new, the rear brake lights failed and i was rear ended @ 65 mph. Vehicle suffered $14,000 in damage with a bent frame. The value of my vehicle is now diminished drastically and it is reported in car fax report. Approximately 2 years later vehicle was recalled for faulty…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Santa Fe
“My paint is peeling on my SUV . The hood and side by my windshield along with the top by the sun roof”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Santa Fe
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 250 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 49,473 miles. Half of those reports fall between 7,916 and 90,300 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe,…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall…
CURT MANUFACTURING IS RECALLING CERTAIN TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESSES, PART NUMBER 55538, THAT CONNECT TOW VEHICLE LIGHTING CIRCUITS TO TRAILER LIGHTING CIRCUITS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 THROUGH 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES. THE UNITS ARE NOT…
Fix: CURT MANUFACTURING WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESS. THE REMEDY WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 17, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CURT…
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 SANTA FE 2WD VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS AND 2.4L ENGINES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 15, 2009 THROUGH MARCH 5, 2010. THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT MAY SUFFER FROM NOISE AND EXCESSIVE WEAR DUE TO A…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT GEAR AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V258000.
Technical service bulletins
119 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2010 Santa Fe TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe drew 333 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 22/100, scored against the model's worst year (2017).
What are the most common 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?
The top reported problems for the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe are transmission & drivetrain (111 complaints), engine (46), and electrical (35).
At what mileage do 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe problems show up?
Owners most often report 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe problems around 49,473 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 7,916 and 90,300 miles.
Does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.