2011 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems, Recalls & Reliability
268 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 21/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 43,006 miles.
Typical
Where 2011 sits among all Santa Fe years
What owners report
“While driving home on wednesday december 12 2018 my hyundai santa fe engine caught on fire and burned up the whole front end.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Santa Fe
“Normal driving turn signal lever started ticking began smoking from the base continues to tick intermittently and smokes in motion while driving on highway”— owner report to NHTSA, 2011 Santa Fe
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 211 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 44,012 miles. Half of those reports fall between 22,000 and 96,046 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 2011 SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 28, 2010, THROUGH NOVEMBER 25, 2010. SOME OF THE REAR BRAKE CALIPERS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY MACHINED.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR CALIPERS AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 17, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AT 1-800-243-7766.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 20V061000.
Led to recall campaign 18V907000.
Technical service bulletins
109 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2011 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 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
The 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe drew 268 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 21/100, scored against the model's worst year (2017).
What are the most common 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?
The top reported problems for the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe are engine (72 complaints), electrical (40), and speed control (24).
At what mileage do 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe problems show up?
Owners most often report 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe problems around 44,012 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 22,000 and 96,046 miles.
Does the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2011 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.