Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On May 15th, I was involved in a serious accident caused by a malfunction in a rental vehicle provided by Enterprise a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. After reversing into a parking spot, I placed the vehicle in "Park" and exited the car to retrieve belongings from the trunk. My young son remained in the back seat. To my shock, the vehicle suddenly began to move on its own despite being in "Park." I immediately ran to the driver's side and jumped back into the vehicle in an attempt to stop it. I pressed the brake pedal multiple times, but the car would not respond. I also pressed the "Park" button repeatedly, yet the vehicle continued to move uncontrollably. The steering wheel was unresponsive, and I was unable to redirect the vehicle or bring it to a stop. The car ultimately crashed into two other vehicles. …
Early March 2025 the vehicle was put car in park, got out of car to close yard gate, turned around to walk back to car but car was rolling forward and hit the flat bed trailer causing approximately $5000 in damage. It was put in park before getting out but jumped gear before getting back in. Another common problem is slamming the emergency brake on when attempting to drive. Was at a red lite left turn stop sign with foot on the brake. When the light turned green took foot off brake & put foot on accelerator to go forward, the car slammed the emergency brake on. This has happened approx 6 times in the 1-1/2 years of ownership.
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated, causing the braking system to activate and the vehicle to veer to the left. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions due to the failure however, a cause for the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 1,000.
The accelerator stuck and the vehicle crashed. The vehicle is totaled. It happened [redacted]. No one has yet inspected the vehicle. I notified Hyundai about 5 days ago. The phone number of the towing company is [phone]. The following link is a YouTube video of the accident: [redacted]
I had adaptive cruise control on and debris hit my windshield and I went into the rumble strip and eventually into the guard rail where the car essentially pingponged from there until it eventually stopped when the metal hit the front. It appears the emergency brake did not activate and the lane keep did not activate. My air bags did not deploy.
Over the last Tom th, I have encountered some pretty scary issues with my brand new Santa Fe purchased in April. Last week, while driving, after I turned on adaptive cruise control, the system alerted me that "smart crusade control conditions weren't met" and kept trying to engage the front left brake - this occurred three days in a row. After turning off the smart cruise control and entering residential roads, the front left brake tried to engage in a manner that seemed consistent with ABS issue. I brought car in two days later to Dublin Hyundai and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I picked the car up yesterday morning and then last night while driving on the highway, it alerted me that I need to "check highway drive assist system" and a warning light came up. …
Currently have 518 Diagnostic History Codes (DTC)in memory. Additionally, I have 3 Active DTC's. The codes are: DTC C160C87 DTC System CHASSIS DTC Sub System LKAS, and DTC C160C87 DTC System CHASSIS DTC Sub System SCC, and DTC C163881 DTC system CHASSIS DTC Sub System SCC FIRST OCCURRENCE: during actual assembly in Montgomery, AL plant. I have asked three Hyundai Service dealers for help. All have tried. Noting noted that contributes to the issues above. At first, my dealer replaced the front camera. Was told it was a heating issue. I have contacted Hyundai BLUELINK service for help. An information report was filed, TWICE. The first report I received feedback that Hyundai's engineers had corrected the issue. On the following day, the codes returned. A second concern was filed with Hyundai BLUELINK. …
First Failure occurred 7 months after purchase at 5,270 miles on August 1, 2024. The vehicle suddenly went into "Limp Mode" abruptly decelerating to 25 mph with a non-responsive gas pedal. A code reader displayed PO653 Sensor Reference: "Voltage B Circuit High". Dealer found corroded wire to battery and cleaned it. Second Failure: Horn loss to 1 tone. Fixed at 30K mile dealer service on June 12, 2026 and found to have faulty packing resulting in corrosion. At the same standard service the Brake System was flushed. 3rd Failure was 5 days and 437 miles (30,712 miles) after the 30K dealer service. On June 17, 2026 during my early morning commute while merging onto the interstate, alarms began to blare and the gas pedal suddenly became unresponsive. The initial alarms read Blind Spot Failure. …
I have taken my vehicle back into the dealership because my car will sometimes unlock itself, I am constantly having to check the doors to make sure they are still locked and most of the time it has unlocked itself. Most of the time I hear it unlocking as I am walking away. It is very disturbing. It also beeps as if another vehicle is going to crash into me and most of the time there aren't any vehicles anywhere near me. The phone charger does not work, i have been having issues with this from the beginning. The steering wheel also says I have to put my hands on the wheel when I have them on the wheel. I have a video of the car going a lot of rpms and it barely moved, a golf cart passed me up. The car also locks up sometimes when I am backing up. I drive my parents to San Antonio for their Dr. appointments and am a little fearful of staying stranded either direction. …
The front collision warning/assistance system on this vehicle does not appear to be working. The dealer claims that it is working. It seems that the protocol for testing for proper function is flawed and no one is tacking ownership of this issue. They are saying that in order to test the system a near collision must be imminent and to simulate this puts the technician at risk of injury (understandable); Nevertheless, I have been in situations where I should have at least received a warning and there was none. On a test drive by the service manager with me in the vehicle the front collision assistance was verified on and active. The cruise control function was tested and worked to adjust the speed of the vehicle appropriately which tells me that assistance is available. …
Collision Avoidance complaints in other Santa Fe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, 19% of the model year's 211 complaints. The component named most often is automatic emergency braking (21 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA lists no driver assistance recall for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 1,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries to driver assistance problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.