2016 Hyundai Santa Fe: owner complaints and recalls

64% of everything owners report about the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe points at a single system: engine. That is 150 of 235 complaints on file.

235
Complaints
3
Recalls
6
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
6
Injuries
35.7
Severity index

Severity index 35.7 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 35.7p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe ranks 106 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 24% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.

What actually fails

EngineEngine: 150 complaints (63.8%)150 64%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 25 complaints (10.6%)25 11%Power TrainPower Train: 20 complaints (8.5%)20 9%Service BrakesService Brakes: 17 complaints (7.2%)17 7%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 11 complaints (4.7%)11 5%HydraulicHydraulic: 9 complaints (3.8%)9 4%Air BagsAir Bags: 9 complaints (3.8%)9 4%Seat BeltsSeat Belts: 8 complaints (3.4%)8 3%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE15063.8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2510.6%
POWER TRAIN208.5%
SERVICE BRAKES177.2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM114.7%
HYDRAULIC93.8%
AIR BAGS93.8%
SEAT BELTS83.4%

Complaints filed per year

028572015: 32016: 102017: 62018: 82019: 132020: 132021: 282022: 362023: 572024: 472025: 82026: 6 (partial year)15161718192021222357242526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20153
201610
20176
20188
201913
202013
202128
202236
202357
202447
20258
2026 (year to date)6
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.5x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
17V35800005/06/2017LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCHHyundai 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 when the hood is clo
16V14500010/03/2016SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WARNING LIGHT/DEVICESHyundai 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 adjuster mechanism, re
22V05600003/02/2022SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULEHyundai 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 an engine compartmen
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.