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2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

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2021 Hyundai Santa Fe — Safety Summary

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has 7 NHTSA safety recalls and 162 owner complaints on record. Transport Canada separately lists 10 Canadian recalls for this model. The most frequently reported complaint area is power train. It earned an NHTSA overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. Based on this public data we rate its risk profile as high. Enter your VIN above to confirm which of these apply to your exact vehicle, then get the Smart Buyer Report for AI analysis of this model's reliability, common issues by mileage, and a pre-purchase inspection checklist.

7
NHTSA Recalls
162
Owner Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
High
Risk Level

NHTSA Safety Ratings

Government crash test results

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Front Crash
★★★★★
Side Crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

NHTSA Recalls

7 recall(s) for this year/model

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

09/07/2021

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.

Remedy: 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 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 207.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

28/12/2021

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.

Remedy: 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's number for this recall is 216.

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

17/03/2021

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 comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Remedy: 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 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 202.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

03/05/2021

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.

Remedy: 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 customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 206.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

06/10/2022

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 malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.

Remedy: 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 letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.

TRAILER HITCHES

17/03/2023

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 through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Remedy: 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 notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

21/11/2024

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 vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy: 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 for this recall is 271.

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Transport Canada Recalls

10 Canadian recall(s) from the official Transport Canada database

Fuel System

2021-02-15

Issue: On certain hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), the fuel tank mounting bracket could deform during a side-impact crash. This could cause damage to the fuel tank and create a fuel leak. Safety Risk: A fuel leak can create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners by mail. The corrective actions for this recall are under development.

🍁 Transport Canada #2021065· 991.00 units affected

Fuel System

2021-07-09

Issue: On certain vehicles, the connection between the high-pressure fuel pipe and fuel pump may not be properly sealed. As a result, a fuel leak could occur. Safety Risk: A fuel leak can create the risk of a fire. Corrective Action: Hyundai will notify owners by mail and instruct you to bring your vehicle to a dealer to inspect and replace the high-pressure fuel pipe, as required.

🍁 Transport Canada #2021426· 2,285.00 units affected

Structure

2021-12-27

Issue: On certain vehicles, the windshield may not be properly attached. As a result, the glass can become loose and could separate from the vehicle in a crash. Safety Risk: A windshield that detaches in a crash could create an increased risk of injury. Corrective Action: Hyundai will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to remove and reinstall the windshield.

🍁 Transport Canada #2021791· 1,893.00 units affected

Powertrain

2022-10-06

Issue: On certain vehicles, a fault in the transmission oil pump can cause the vehicle to enter "fail-safe mode". When this happens, a programming error can cause a sudden loss of power to the wheels after 20-30 seconds. Note: This recall only affects certain vehicles equipped with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Safety Risk: A sudden loss of power to the wheels could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmission. The dealer will also update the transmission control unit software.

🍁 Transport Canada #2022568· 9,427.00 units affected

Seats And Restraints

2022-10-31

Issue: On certain vehicles, there may be a problem with the driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners. As a result, the seat belt pretensioners could explode in a crash. If this happens, small pieces of metal could hit people in the vehicle. Note: This recall only affects Santa Fe Hybrid (HEV) and Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) models. Safety Risk: A seat belt pretensioner that explodes could create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners by mail and instruct you to bring your vehicle to a dealership to install protective caps over the driver and front passenger's seat belt pretensioners.

🍁 Transport Canada #2022623· 4,787.00 units affected

Electrical

2022-12-16

Issue: Certain vehicles may have a programming error. As a result, the vehicles don't meet some of the anti-theft requirements in Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: A vehicle theft could create a safety risk. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the vehicle software.

🍁 Transport Canada #2022727· 3,705.00 units affected

Electrical

2023-03-17

Issue: Certain vehicles may be equipped with a 4-pin accessory trailer wiring harness kit that could fail. Over time, this could result in a short circuit that can cause the control module to overheat. Note: This recall only affects Hyundai Genuine 4-pin tow hitch wiring harness kits with the part number S2F67-AC401. These kits may have been ordered at the time of a vehicle purchase or purchased separately from a dealer as an aftermarket accessory. Safety Risk: A short circuit can create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners by mail and instruct you to bring your vehicle to a dealership to inspect the vehicle for a trailer wiring harness kit. If necessary, the dealer will install a 15A fuse and a wire extension kit. Hyundai advises that if your vehicle has a tow hitch harness installed, you should park it outdoors, and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.

🍁 Transport Canada #2023147· 1,897.00 units affected

Label

2024-09-23

Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: These small errors do not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.

🍁 Transport Canada #2024552· 824,695.00 units affected

Visual System

2024-11-20

Issue: On certain vehicles, the rearview camera may not have been manufactured properly. Over time, the camera could fail and cause the rearview camera image not to display. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when the vehicle is reversing. Note: For the Santa Fe model, this recall affects both Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid models. For the Elantra model, this recall affects both Elantra and Elantra Hybrid models. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that doesn't display could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Hyundai will notify owners in writing and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the rearview camera.

🍁 Transport Canada #2024709· 48,509.00 units affected

Other

2025-11-17

Issue : Hyundai Auto Canada is conducting an extended warranty campaign for certain vehicles as water could enter the horn assembly and cause the horn's electrical contacts to corrode. As a result, the horn may not work properly or at all. Safety risk: A horn that doesn't work properly could prevent a driver from warning others of a danger and create an unsafe situation. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, Hyundai advises you to test the horn regularly. Hyundai will notify owners in writing and advise you to contact a dealership if your horn doesn't work properly. Hyundai will provide an extended warranty of 10 years/200 000 km to replace the horn for free if it fails.

🍁 Transport Canada #2025636· 332,486.00 units affected

Contains information sourced from Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database, licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Data is provided "as is" from Transport Canada's monthly release and may not reflect real-time updates. Transport Canada does not endorse this service. Always confirm open recalls with the manufacturer or Transport Canada before purchase.

Owner Complaints

162 complaint(s) filed with NHTSA

Top complaint categories:

POWER TRAIN32 (20%)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER24 (15%)
ENGINE12 (7%)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM8 (5%)
VISIBILITY/WIPER7 (4%)

Want the full picture?

The free data above comes from public NHTSA records. The Smart Buyer Report adds AI-powered analysis for this exact model — reliability score, common problems by mileage, real maintenance costs in CAD, a pre-purchase inspection checklist, a market value estimate, and Canadian notes on rust, winter, and fuel.

Data disclaimer:Vehicle history information on CarHistoryReport.ca is compiled from publicly available government sources, primarily the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Reports may not include all incidents, recalls, or issues related to a specific vehicle. Data is provided "as-is" without warranty of completeness or accuracy. Always obtain a professional pre-purchase inspection before buying any used vehicle. CarHistoryReport.ca is not liable for purchasing decisions made based on report contents.