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2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 212.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

65 reports with mileage · 132 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports12 fire reports10 injury reports

What owners actually said

197 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 7, 2021
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

The dome lighting, lights do not go off when the doors are closed. I check repeatedly to make sure that all doors are closed. The dome gets extremely extremely hot. I believe this could very easily be a fire hazard. This has happened 3 times this year 2021.

NHTSA ODI #11439605

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2021
Unknown Or Other

This is the 2019 Santa Fe that this has occurred on (formally owned) as well as two 2020 Santa Fe that we now own within the last 2 years. The windshield does not take rock hits well. On all three vehicles a rock strike on the windshield not only left a large star impact, but the crack from the impact reaches all the way to the …

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This is the 2019 Santa Fe that this has occurred on (formally owned) as well as two 2020 Santa Fe that we now own within the last 2 years. The windshield does not take rock hits well. On all three vehicles a rock strike on the windshield not only left a large star impact, but the crack from the impact reaches all the way to the roof pillar. The crack is long. I believe the windshield glass is substandard and needs to be looked into closer as being a possible safety risk. Replacing the windshield and camera recalibration is expensive.

NHTSA ODI #11435777

Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2021
Engine

The engine stalled while driving on highway at 65 miles per hour. When I tried to push the gas the vehicle was resisting to speed. When I took a nearest exit, the car suddenly jerked and slowed on its own without me pressing any brakes. Somehow I managed to drive to a nearest parking area and called for assistance. When it jerk…

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The engine stalled while driving on highway at 65 miles per hour. When I tried to push the gas the vehicle was resisting to speed. When I took a nearest exit, the car suddenly jerked and slowed on its own without me pressing any brakes. Somehow I managed to drive to a nearest parking area and called for assistance. When it jerked and slowed suddenly the person behind me honked so hard. May be the person barely missed hitting my back of the car. It was a scary experience.

NHTSA ODI #11432573

Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2021
Engine

The car engine completely shuts off while driving multiple times. While driving on highway and the streets the car just stops almost causing an accident. In order to get the car off the road we had to move it physically off the road.

NHTSA ODI #11430773

Mileage unknown · Jun 16, 2021
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash

While pulling into a parking space at an extremely low speed, foot tapping the brake, the car excelerated (uncommanded) at what appeared to be full throttle. Depressing the brake had little to no effect and the vehicle stopped after hitting a metal pole. The vehicle sustained severe damage and was determined to be a total loss. …

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While pulling into a parking space at an extremely low speed, foot tapping the brake, the car excelerated (uncommanded) at what appeared to be full throttle. Depressing the brake had little to no effect and the vehicle stopped after hitting a metal pole. The vehicle sustained severe damage and was determined to be a total loss. The airbags did not deploy.

NHTSA ODI #11421119

Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2021
Engine

Stop / Start does not engage at stop light. Dealer finally replace battery and battery cable. This did fix problem. I understand this could be a starter problem and or software problem. The battery does not charge above the 70% required to engage stop /start.

NHTSA ODI #11420743

5 miles · Apr 30, 2021
EngineUnknown Or OtherWheels

YA HE LLEVADO 4 O 5 VECES MI CARRO AL DEALER,EL LADO DE DRIVING CUANDO YO ENTRO A CIERTO DRIVE WAY HACE UN SONIDO EXTRAO AL IGUAL SI ME PARKEO EN RIVERSA Y TENGO QUE MOVER EL QUIA PARA LA DERECHA TAMBIEN, 4/21/2021 ME HICIERON UN TRABAJO Y DESDE ESA FECHA EL MOTOR ESTA TENIENDO UN SONIDO EXTRAO Y LA REBOLUCIONES .

NHTSA ODI #11414600

32,000 miles · Apr 28, 2021
Engine

THE IDLE DOWN FEATURE STOPPED WORKING SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. NO CHANGE IN HOW THE ENGINE RUNS WHEN WE GET TO A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHEN WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP MAYBE IN FEBRUARY, THEY SAID THEY HADN'T SEEN THE PROBLEM YET. MY WIFE FOUND AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND IT SAID THAT SEVERAL CARS HAD CAUGHT FIRE OR STALLED …

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THE IDLE DOWN FEATURE STOPPED WORKING SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. NO CHANGE IN HOW THE ENGINE RUNS WHEN WE GET TO A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHEN WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP MAYBE IN FEBRUARY, THEY SAID THEY HADN'T SEEN THE PROBLEM YET. MY WIFE FOUND AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND IT SAID THAT SEVERAL CARS HAD CAUGHT FIRE OR STALLED IN TRAFFIC. TAKING IT TO THE DEALER ON 5/4/2021. THE REAR POWER GATE ALSO HAS STARTED MALFUNCTIONING. NOT SURE IF THEY ARE RELATED AS OF YET.

NHTSA ODI #11414241

11,200 miles · Mar 23, 2021
Unknown Or Other

MY SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. NO CARS WERE ANYWHERE AROUND US, WE WERE NOT NEAR ANY OVERPASSES, THERE WAS NO ROAD DEBRIS & NOTHING HIT OUR CAR. THERE WAS ONE LOUD BANG LIKE THE SOUND OF A RIFLE SHOT.

NHTSA ODI #11404418

35,000 miles · Mar 3, 2021
Unknown Or Other

I ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT DIRECTLY STRAIGHT, IT WAS SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. IF IAM PARKING UP OR DOWN HILL I MUST TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TOWARDS THE CURB. IF I CONTINUE TO DO THIS, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK UP, AND THE KEY WILL NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION.

NHTSA ODI #11398962

Official recalls

2

23V181000 · Trailer Hitches

Mar 17, 2023

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.

18V715000 · Air Bags:side/window

Oct 11, 2018

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. The Side Curtain Air Bag (SCAB) mounting bolts may interfere with and damage the air bags during deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags become damaged during deployment they may not inflate properly, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the SCAB installation bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 177.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

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. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing.  There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.