2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Problems & Complaints

Average1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Santa Fe Sport at the same age

Owners have filed 164 complaints about the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is about average for the Santa Fe Sport at the same age. The most reported problem area is the engine & cooling (104 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles). 5 recalls cover this model year, including 2 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning.

164complaints
5recalls
0crashes
16fires
0injuries
0deaths

Most common 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problems

  • Engine & cooling~76,000 miles
    10463%
  • Brakes~50,000 miles
    3018%
  • Electrical system~50,000 miles
    2213%
  • Other / not specified~44,000 miles
    1610%
  • Transmission & drivetrain~52,000 miles
    138%
  • Fuel & propulsion system~109,000 miles
    106%
  • Body & structure~73,000 miles
    85%
  • Speed control & acceleration~52,000 miles
    74%
  • Stability & traction control~44,000 miles
    53%
  • Steering~51,000 miles
    53%
  • Driver assistance~38,000 miles
    32%
  • Air bags~35,000 miles
    21%
  • Suspension~59,000 miles
    21%
  • Seat belts~85,000 miles
    21%
  • Lights
    11%
  • Wheels & tires~66,000 miles
    11%

Share of the 164 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

Hyundai Santa Fe Sport complaints by model year

2013201420152016201720182001648470356323
Owner complaints per model year, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best Santa Fe Sport years: 2016, 2015. Years to avoid: 2017, 2018. Compare all years →

2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport recalls (5)

Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module

NHTSA recall 21V-303 · Apr 28, 2021 · 151,205 vehiclesPark outside

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) module, possibly resulting in an electrical short.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, and inspect and replace the ABS module, as necessary, free of…

Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module

NHTSA recall 20V-520 · Aug 27, 2020 · 151,205 vehiclesPark outside

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Brake fluid may leak inside the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) module, possibly resulting in an electrical short.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ABS module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside as a precaution until the recall repair is complete.

Engine

NHTSA recall 18V-934 · Dec 28, 2018 · 150,730 vehicles

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles previously repaired under recall numbers 15V-568 and 17V-226. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during the engine replacement…

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.

Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch

NHTSA recall 17V-358 · Jun 5, 2017 · 437,400 vehicles

Hyundai 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 closed.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059.

Engine and engine cooling › Engine

NHTSA recall 17V-226 · Mar 31, 2017 · 572,000 vehicles

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine, replacing the engine short block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport:

Non-crash Vehicle Fires

NHTSA investigation PE19003 · opened Mar 29, 2019 · closed Dec 22, 2021 · led to recall 20V-061

During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles equipped with Theta II and Lambda II engines (approximately 1.3 million vehicles).

Engine Fires

NHTSA investigation EA21003 · opened Dec 22, 2021 · closed Feb 5, 2024 · led to recall 23V-877

On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.

Loss of Motive Power

NHTSA investigation DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021.

Non-crash Vehicle Fires

NHTSA investigation DP18003 · opened Aug 21, 2018 · closed May 10, 2019 · led to recall 18V-907

In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition.

Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires

NHTSA investigation AQ23002 · opened Nov 17, 2023 · open

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando.

What 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport owners say

Engine & cooling all 104 →

The contact owned a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle decelerated and stalled independently. The vehicle was restarted and while the contact continued to drive, the contact noticed that there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was pulled to the side of the roadway and the fire was intense under the hood. The contact jumped out of the vehicle and the vehicle exploded. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The contact was unaware of what started the fire. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

69,000 miles · Jun 2021 · fire

The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and blinked intermittently. The contact stopped at a gas station. The contact filled up the fuel tank and checked the coolant reservoir. When the contact restarted the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH without shaking or vibrating. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The engine coils or the starter sensor and the O2 sensors were replaced before the independent mechanic informed the contact that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. …

167,000 miles · Dec 2025

Brakes all 30 →

The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while the vehicle was powered off, the vehicle had burst into flames. The fire marshals were called and the fire was extinguished. No one was injured and the vehicle was towed to an insurance lot where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that their vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

72,000 miles · Aug 2017 · fire

The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that she noticed a trail of fluid leak on the driveway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. However, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the traction control, the hill start assists, and the ABS warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact smelled an abnormal burning odor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear wheel speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Hyundai Technical Service Bulletin Number: 17-01-009-2. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,703.

Antilock › ABS warning light · 22,000 miles · Feb 2021

Electrical system all 22 →

There was a low noise when I got in the vehicle in the morning. I looked at the engine and it was coming from the abs system. I took it to the mechanic shop and the noise was even louder, the abs part on the passenger side of the firewall in the engine blew up and catch fire. Luckily they were able to put the fire down right away. I'm glad that didn't happen while driving or while in the driveway of our house were there's more vehicles parked. There was an Abs light on the dashboard due to an abs sensor for the rear right wheel.

Oct 2026 · fire

The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, several warning lights randomly illuminated. The ABS and check engine warning were among the lights that were illuminated. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions for the same failure but no cause for the failure was found. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000.

21,000 miles · Oct 2015

2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
2.4L 4-cyl6-speed automaticFWD20 / 27 / 23
2.0L 4-cyl turbo6-speed automaticFWD19 / 26 / 22
2.4L 4-cyl6-speed automatic4WD19 / 25 / 21
2.0L 4-cyl turbo6-speed automatic4WD18 / 24 / 21

EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport a good car?

Based on 164 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2014 Santa Fe Sport rates average: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Santa Fe Sport at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.

What is the most common problem with the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?

The engine & cooling — 104 complaints, 63% of all complaints for this model year, most often about exhaust system › emission control › crankcase (pcv). Next are the brakes (30) and electrical system (22).

How many recalls does the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport have?

There are 5 recalls for the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, the most recent from April 28, 2021 (control unit/module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.

What are the best and worst years of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2016 and 2015. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2017 and 2018. See the full Hyundai Santa Fe Sport years comparison.

At what mileage do 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 70,000 miles; 28% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.