2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,732 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 72,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2001–2002, 2006, 2019, 2021–2022.
Avoid
Where 2017 sits among all Santa Fe years
What owners report
“Excessive oil consumption/ burning oil; oil light came on 1,500 miles after oil change.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Santa Fe
“Catastrophic engine failure without warning. Rod bearings blew car unable to produce power.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Santa Fe
“When the car start at the traffic lights and slowly accelerates while driving, there is a sound in the car. I head a sound from the engine or muffler.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Santa Fe
“The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Santa Fe
“At low speed and pulling out to traffic, at tomes there is no power for 3 to 5 seconds, very dangerous when pulling into traffic.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Santa Fe
“I was driving on the highway, and suddenly oil and battery light came on and engine stopped and I had to pull over. The only warning was the check engine light came on when I started it 10 minutes before the engine died.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Santa Fe
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 545 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 24,300 miles. Half of those reports fall between 8,000 and 75,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in…
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.
Fix: Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059.…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the TPMS sensors, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units…
Technical service bulletins
244 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2017 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 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe drew 1,732 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2017).
What are the most common 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?
The top reported problems for the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe are engine (870 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (196), and other (145).
At what mileage do 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe problems show up?
Owners most often report 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe problems around 24,300 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 8,000 and 75,000 miles.
Does the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.