2018 Hyundai Santa Fe: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 108 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
108
Complaints
2
Recalls
6
Crash reports
4
Fire reports
6
Injuries
88.9
Severity index
Severity index 88.9 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 121 2018 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe ranks 27 of 121 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 78% of its model-year peers. See the full 2018 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 53 | 49.1% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 19 | 17.6% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 12 | 11.1% |
| HYDRAULIC | 12 | 11.1% |
| POWER TRAIN | 10 | 9.3% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 9 | 8.3% |
| STEERING | 8 | 7.4% |
| AIR BAGS | 6 | 5.6% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 53 of 108 complaints (49.1%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 13 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 19 |
| 2023 | 13 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 5 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.7x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18V118000 | 17/02/2018 | STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The steering wheel assembly may break, possibly resulting in the steering wheel separating from the steering column while driving. |
| 22V056000 | 03/02/2022 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | Hyundai 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.