"How reliable is the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe?"

"Based on 330 NHTSA complaints, the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe has a median complaint mileage of 41000 miles. The most common issue is Power Train."

"What are common problems with the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe is Power Train, accounting for a significant portion of the 330 total complaints filed."

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 330 complaints

330

Total Complaints

41,000mi

Median Mileage

Power Train

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

6,120 25th Percentile

41,000 Median Mileage

89,897 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Power Train

Automatic Transmission

Engine

Electrical System

Unknown Or Other

Vehicle Speed Control

Suspension

Fuel/Propulsion System

Air Bags

Engine And Engine Cooling

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE V6 AWD LIMITED I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION TO START IT, AND THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES. THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK WHEN I STARTED IT. LUCKILY MY FOOT WAS NEAR THE BRAKE, SO I INSTINCTIVELY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAR IT WOULD HAVE GONE ..."

"ENGINE HESITATION AND ACCELERATION,PULLING TO THE RIGHT OF THE ROAD. WHEN BRAKING ALMOST COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. CAN HEAR WHEEL NOISE,LIKE TIRES ARE GOING TO FALL OFF. *TR"

"I HAVE A 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE AWD. WE BOUGHT THE CAR WITH 8 MILES. AFTER ONE WEEK WE STARTED TO NOTICE A BANGING SOUND WHEN THE CAR WOULD SHIFT AT LOW SPEEDS, SOMETIMES IT WAS SO SEVERE THE CAR WOULD JERK FORWARD VIOLENTLY. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE LOCAL DEALER TWICE AND THEY TELL US THERE IS NOT..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Power Train 65 complaints

25th: 11,982 mi Median: 72,000 mi 75th: 101,300 mi

Automatic Transmission 44 complaints

25th: 1,125 mi Median: 4,250 mi 75th: 6,675 mi

Engine 35 complaints

25th: 52,000 mi Median: 90,300 mi 75th: 108,550 mi

Electrical System 26 complaints

25th: 20,800 mi Median: 59,000 mi 75th: 89,453 mi

Unknown Or Other 22 complaints

25th: 33,769 mi Median: 58,000 mi 75th: 83,873 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 31 VA: 29 CA: 26 TX: 22 NY: 19 CO: 14 PA: 14 NJ: 12 AL: 11 IL: 10

Who Files Complaints?

0.3%

Original Owners

99.7%

Second+ Owners

Hyundai Santa Fe — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	293	105,000	Suspension	7
2002	219	105,000	Suspension	10
2003	390	86,000	Suspension	36
2004	386	73,768	Suspension	40
2005	300	78,250	Air Bags	27
2006	143	65,700	Air Bags	16
2007	981	75,450	Fuel/Propulsion System	42
2008	718	75,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	32
2009	501	77,900	Fuel/Propulsion System	44
2011	266	40,000	Engine	26
2012	472	56,500	Engine	41
2013	805	52,500	Engine	25
2014	675	60,000	Engine	27
2015	325	67,430	Engine	13
2016	283	60,000	Engine	7
2017	1182	16,000	Engine	20
2018	138	18,000	Engine	8
2019	253	9,612	Engine	20
2020	242	4,909	Engine	14
2021	224	17,250	Power Train	4
2022	259	10,500	Power Train	13
2023	272	2,689	Unknown Or Other	22
2024	133	9,500	Power Train	8
2025	119	7,250	Unknown Or Other	6

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28