Most common 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe problems
Share of the 135 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Hyundai Santa Fe complaints by model year
Best Santa Fe years: 2018, 2011. Years to avoid: 2017, 2025, 2023, 2013, 2024. Compare all years →
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe recalls (5)
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, 2023-2026 Genesis G90, 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinforce or replace the seat belt anchors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning May 29, 2026.
Air bags › Side/window › Curtain
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.
Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Back over prevention › Display function
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Electrical system › Starter assembly
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe vehicles. The B+ positive terminal cover on the starter motor assembly may be improperly installed, which can cause an electrical short during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the starter motor terminal cover, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 22, 2025.
Engine and engine cooling › Critical fasteners
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
What 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe owners say
Electrical system all 28 →
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and taking her eyes off the road ahead, there was a warning chime and a red warning light illuminated, advising the driver to "Consider taking a Break". The contact stated that the safety feature is the Driver Monitoring: Camera/Sensor and the safety feature was activating while turning her head or moving her eyes from looking ahead. The contact stated that the chime was loud and was distracting while driving. The contact stated that the failure was almost constant. The contact called a local dealer and was advised that the system could not be deactivated. The dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the issue. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 700.
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa FE. The contact stated that while parked and seated in the vehicle, the instrument panel was blinking on and off several times before going dark. The contact stated that the infotainment system also displayed a blank screen. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a recall repair, and the contact was informed that there was no failure with the instrument panel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.
Driver assistance all 24 →
The forward attention warning (FAW) on the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe calligraphy can not be deactivated. Correction, it can be turned off for normal driving. For instance, driving around the city or not using smart cruise control. As soon as you turn on the smart cruise control it's reactivated and can't be turned off. The FAW does not work when using prescription sunglasses / non prescription sunglasses or if the sun is hitting the inside of the cabin a certain way. The FAW constantly flashes warnings and beeps at you even though you are looking forward and keeping your eyes on the road. If you look far down the road you shift your eyes up some, and the system beeps and flashes warnings to keep your eyes on the road. …
The Hyundai Bluelink system in my car, which interfaces with interfaces with almost all other computer-controlled systems on the car and through which software updates can be received and installed fails to work on an intermittent basis and the onboard system gives no warning when the Bluelink system has an outage or other malfunction. Large numbers of Hyundai vehicles suffered Bluelink outages beginning in early February 2025 so that system such as Collision-avoidance, emergency braking functions, and "SOS" crash notifications and owner assistance required functions cannot be relied upon. Some owners were notified by an email that their vehicles "may" have a problem and/or "might" need to have a Technical Service Bullitin done by a dealership. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 22 →
I have had issues with my dual-clutch transmission slipping gears in multiple ways while driving; most commonly while in drive and going downhill the tachometer will aggressively rev when just idling and without pressing the accelerator. Also, when trying to reverse out of a parking space on an incline or decline multiple times I have rolled forward as if in neutral and receiving no power to back the vehicle in reverse. Previously owned a 2023 sonata with similar transmission issues and blew a cylinder on the highway within a year of ownership(engine knocked out while driving about 65 and just lost power and had to pull over on side of highway. Went to dealership yesterday for regular maintenance and told them about transmission issues. They checked vehicle for any tcu updates and there were none. Test drove it and said it was driving normal. I know it's not driving normally/safely. …
Vehicle experienced sudden loss of power while driving. Transmission warning and ABS warning lights appeared at the same time. The vehicle would not shift properly and began skipping and dropping gears. Smoke was visibly coming from the center underside of the vehicle near the transmission area. There was a strong burning oil or rubber smell inside and outside the vehicle. This created a serious safety risk due to loss of acceleration and potential fire hazard from smoke and burning odor. The issue has been intermittent since early ownership, including jerky shifting and hard engagement. The dealer documented dual clutch transmission communication faults and ABS faults but returned the vehicle the same day stating it was a loose ground. The problem has continued after repair. Vehicle is available for inspection. The defect involves the powertrain and related electrical systems.
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4-cyl turbo hybrid | 6-speed dual-clutch | FWD | 36 / 35 / 36 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl turbo hybrid | 6-speed dual-clutch | AWD | 35 / 34 / 34 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed dual-clutch | FWD | 20 / 29 / 24 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed dual-clutch | AWD | 20 / 28 / 23 |
EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe a good car?
Based on 135 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2025 Santa Fe rates avoid: 2.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the Santa Fe at the same age. It is one of the Santa Fe years we suggest avoiding. 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 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe?
The electrical system — 28 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year, most often about adas › driver monitoring › camera/sensor. Next are the driver assistance (24) and transmission & drivetrain (22).
How many recalls does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe, the most recent from April 6, 2026 (anchorage). 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?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2018 and 2011. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2017, 2025, 2023, 2013 and 2024. See the full Hyundai Santa Fe years comparison.
At what mileage do 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 10,000 miles; 100% 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.