2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems, Recalls & Reliability
240 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 13/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 18,500 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2021 sits among all Santa Fe years
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Santa Fe
“My horn stopped working. Not under warranty but I believe it is a safety issue. A replacement horn is not available and not under warranty. Online search revealed this is a common issue”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Santa Fe
“I took my car to the dealer because it hesitates when accelerating. I was told since no lights are on there's nothing they can do. This can be very dangerous as it jerks when accelerating”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Santa Fe
“The horn has failed and been replaced 2 times after purchasing from brand-new. It has failed again but the vehicle is now out of warranty.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Santa Fe
“When i select (R) reverse my camera does not come on. It started as just a flashing screen, but does not come on. It has come on momentarily while I am (D)driving. It has flashed a green screen before.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Santa Fe
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 39 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 18,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 13,000 and 41,122 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these…
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory…
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner…
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 2.5-litre Turbo engines. The fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly.
Fix: Dealers inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection, free of charge. The affected vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles. The Occupant Detection System (ODS) module may not deactivate the air bag upon detection of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ODS module, free of charge. All affected vehicles have been remedied as of May 12, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
98 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2021 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 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe drew 240 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 13/100, scored against the model's worst year (2017).
What are the most common 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?
The top reported problems for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe are transmission & drivetrain (50 complaints), other (42), and engine (36).
At what mileage do 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe problems show up?
Owners most often report 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe problems around 18,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 13,000 and 41,122 miles.
Does the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2021 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.