"How reliable is the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe?"

"Based on 138 NHTSA complaints, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe has a median complaint mileage of 18000 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 138 total complaints filed."

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 138 complaints

138

Total Complaints

18,000mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

3,319 25th Percentile

18,000 Median Mileage

49,860 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Unknown Or Other

Power Train

Electrical System

Steering

Service Brakes

Air Bags

Fuel/Propulsion System

Vehicle Speed Control

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"STEERING BECOMES UNSTABLE DURING DRIVING ON WINDY DAYS. STEERING TRAYS TO OVER COMPENSATE FOR WIND AND BECOMES SCARY TO DRIVE."

"WE LEASED THIS NEW VEHICLE ON APRIL 21ST 2018. AT THE TIME, WE DID NOT KNOW IT HAD AN OPEN RECALL FOR A FAULTY AND DANGEROUS STEERING WHEEL/COLUMN CONNECTION. WE WERE FINALLY NOTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP 2 DAYS AFTER THE SALE ON APRIL 23RD, 2018. ATLANTIC HYUNDAI OF ISLIP, NY TOLD US THAT THEY THEM..."

"DRIVING @60 W/CRUSE ON GOING DOWN A HILL ENGINE RPM'S SUDDENLY JUMP FROM 2000 TO ANYWHERE FROM 3000 TO 5000 RPM'S AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP ENGINE RACING IS TO TAP THE BRAKES TO DISENGAGE CRUSE. ALSO VEHICLE WILL NOT SPEED UP WHEN TURNING A CORNER,LIKE THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T DOWN SHIFT.THESE BOTH H..."

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.

Engine 51 complaints

25th: 2,726 mi Median: 16,000 mi 75th: 31,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 12 complaints

25th: 15 mi Median: 40,507 mi 75th: 85,750 mi

Electrical System 9 complaints

Median: 22,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 13 CA: 12 PA: 11 TX: 10 NY: 9 NJ: 8 AL: 7 MI: 7 NM: 7 IL: 6

Who Files Complaints?

1.4%

Original Owners

98.6%

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
2010	330	41,000	Power Train	14
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
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