HYUNDAI SANTA FE · model year

2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

99 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

4 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2025HYUNDAISANTA FE carries 99 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2025 SANTA FE is unknown or other with 19 filings, followed by electrical system (11) and power train (10). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 6 investigation files overlapping the 2025 SANTA FE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

99
Complaints
5
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths
2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. Overall composite: 4.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 4.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 4.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

99 filings

Crashes Reported

5 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 4/5 — Strong NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER19
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM11
POWER TRAIN10
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL9
VISIBILITY/WIPER9
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6
ENGINE6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING3
SERVICE BRAKES3
STEERING3
SUSPENSION2
SEAT BELTS2
TIRES2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING1

Recalls (4)

25V54900026/08/2025

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.

25V80800021/11/2025

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. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requ

25V80900021/11/2025

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.

25V65900002/10/2025

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.

Recent Complaints

20260218VISIBILITY/WIPER

Side view camera that displays blind spot area in dash screen cluster, screen intermittently shows just a green screen and not the blind spot.

20260218LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Side view camera that displays blind spot area in dash screen cluster, screen intermittently shows just a green screen and not the blind spot.

20260214UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving on a 5 Lane Highway when suddenly what sounded like a gunshot or grenade going off in my right ear turned out to be my sunroof shattering. I thought someone shot at me since there were traffic on my right, but when I looked to my right I saw no evidence until I looked up, then immediately felt glass particles falling in all around.

20260211UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Three separate original equipment Pirelli Scorpion MS tires experienced sidewall structural failures on my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy within the first 8,000 miles. One tire suffered a sudden blowout at approximately 3,000 miles. Two additional tires developed visible sidewall bubbles at approximately 6,000–8,000 miles. These failures occurred without impact damage or misuse and represent a serious safety risk. The dealership acknowledged observing one sidewall bubble during service but failed to inform me. Due to repeated structural failures, I was forced to replace all four original equipment tires at my own expense to ensure vehicle safety. I am concerned this may represent a pattern defect involving the factory-installed Pirelli Scorpion MS tires on 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy models. Happy to provide my receipts and documentation, and my out of pocket expense was $1,396.17. The first failure was in August, 2025 (car purchased in July) on country road setting, the

20260210VISIBILITY/WIPER

In this car when you are driving and it is raining hard and you are on a big highway at night with cars coming towards you, the windshield does not clear and it streaks really bad so you cannot see. I have sent pictures to the dealership as well as Hyundai of what it looks like just when you clean off the windshield of snow that it streaks really bad then too and the streaks stay on there, so if you clean your window the day before and get up the next day the halo streaks are still on there. I can somewhat handle that part but when you are driving in rain and you cannot see it is very dangerous . This is a brand new car and this is the 4th time I have had it in the shop for this and they keep saying they cannot duplicate it, but they have not had it when it is raining at night. I do not even want to drive this car at night if I think it may rain because it is so bad. The manufacturer has not inspected it, only the dealership. I am driving a 2026 loaner right now because it is sti

20260210POWER TRAIN

After making right turn after being stopped at traffic light, when I attempted to accelerate the vehicle would not shift from low gear to higher gear(s). This caused very high engine RPMs for the time it took to pull the vehicle off to the side of the road and stop and turn of the vehicle . I looked at dash board for any indicator lights but didn’t see any. Restarted the vehicle accelerated back on to the road and the vehicle did change gears ok. Again looking for any dashboard indicator to be on but didn’t see any. The date of this incident was [XXX]. Made appointment on 2/10/26 for service to diagnose why this incident happened on 2/17/26 and to provide any necessary repairs at Columbia Hyundai, Cincinnati, Ohio. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20260206TIRES

I am reporting premature tire wear on OEM Goodyear Assurance 235/60R18 tires installed on my AWD 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL (VIN: [XXX] ). Component/System: OEM tires; documented and can be inspected at the dealership, which serves as a neutral, third-party verifier, or via submitted records. Safety risk: AWD vehicles require uniform tires; uneven tread risks drivetrain damage and unsafe handling, endangering myself and others. Confirmation: PA state inspection (11/17/2025) at 6,172 miles: Rear 3/32”, Front 5/32”. Dealer Delaney Hyundai (RO# 494892) documented the issue. Current mileage 7,074; tread wear ~1/32” per 881 miles, estimated current depth Rear 2/32”, Front 4/32”. Inspection: Documented by dealer and PA inspection; no manufacturer inspection yet. Warning symptoms: None beyond premature tread wear. Phone attempts to manufacturer: [XXX] (10:54, 7 min, snarky, refused escalation), 11:02 – 15-min hold no answer (son’s phone 8 min hold); [XXX] (11:17, 35 min

20260204CrashVISIBILITY/WIPER

My name is [XXX] I live at [XXX] my phone number is [XXX] my social security is [XXX] . I own a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe that is subject to Safety Recall 25V-808 involving the rearview camera system. On [XXX] at 12:30pm while operating my vehicle, the rearview camera malfunctioned (the image was [blank / inoperative]). Due to the loss of rear visibility, I was involved in a minor accident while backing up. At the time of the incident, I had not yet received the recall repair. The malfunction experienced is consistent with the defect described in the recall notice regarding the rearview camera harness. This incident caused [minor vehicle damage / property damage. I am reporting this to document a safety-related incident connected to an acknowledged manufacturing defect.I am requesting that this incident be reviewed as a recall-related accident and that Hyundai advise on reimbursement or compensation options. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5

20260202ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I tried to drive my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid; the vehicle displayed a gear selection error message stating something like "gear already selected". The vehicle would not shift properly and would not power off or restart. I attempted multiple shutdown and restart attempts using the Start/Stop button with no success. The vehicle remained in this condition for about 30 minutes and would not allow normal operation or shutdown. Due to safety concerns, Hyundai roadside assistance was contacted and a tow truck was dispatched. Before the tow arrived, the vehicle spontaneously allowed shutdown without any intervention. This was a safety related failure involving the shift-by-wire system and vehicle power-down logic. The issue occurred without warning and left the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle had app 7150 miles at the time of the incident.

20260202POWER TRAIN

I tried to drive my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid; the vehicle displayed a gear selection error message stating something like "gear already selected". The vehicle would not shift properly and would not power off or restart. I attempted multiple shutdown and restart attempts using the Start/Stop button with no success. The vehicle remained in this condition for about 30 minutes and would not allow normal operation or shutdown. Due to safety concerns, Hyundai roadside assistance was contacted and a tow truck was dispatched. Before the tow arrived, the vehicle spontaneously allowed shutdown without any intervention. This was a safety related failure involving the shift-by-wire system and vehicle power-down logic. The issue occurred without warning and left the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle had app 7150 miles at the time of the incident.

20260202VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I tried to drive my 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid; the vehicle displayed a gear selection error message stating something like "gear already selected". The vehicle would not shift properly and would not power off or restart. I attempted multiple shutdown and restart attempts using the Start/Stop button with no success. The vehicle remained in this condition for about 30 minutes and would not allow normal operation or shutdown. Due to safety concerns, Hyundai roadside assistance was contacted and a tow truck was dispatched. Before the tow arrived, the vehicle spontaneously allowed shutdown without any intervention. This was a safety related failure involving the shift-by-wire system and vehicle power-down logic. The issue occurred without warning and left the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle had app 7150 miles at the time of the incident.

20260127VISIBILITY/WIPER

Front wipers of the vehicle stopped working with snow buildup. This was solved once by tightening a bolt but happened again while driving

20260127STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle new, it was discovered that all four doors had structural deformities that appeared as dents. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who indicated that the deformities were caused by improper stamping of the doors during the manufacturing process. The contact was concerned that the structural integrity of the vehicle was compromised during the manufacturing process and was concerned about the safety of the vehicle if the vehicle was in a crash. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side door failed to properly open and close due to structural deformities. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,000.

Mileage: 40,000

20260122ENGINE

Car had an unintended acceleration. I had been stopped prior to entering my garage. I had started to slowly accelerate when the car accelerated hard. It took a lot of effort to stop the car.

20260122FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Car had an unintended acceleration. I had been stopped prior to entering my garage. I had started to slowly accelerate when the car accelerated hard. It took a lot of effort to stop the car.

20260122POWER TRAIN

Car had an unintended acceleration. I had been stopped prior to entering my garage. I had started to slowly accelerate when the car accelerated hard. It took a lot of effort to stop the car.

20260121ENGINE

Immediately following routine maintenance performed at an authorized Hyundai dealership, my 2025 Hyundai Hybrid Santa Fe Calligraphy experienced a complete loss of engine oil, which resulted in the engine shutting down while driving on a highway. While traveling at highway speed with my minor daughter, the oil pressure and engine warning lights illuminated, followed by multiple error messages. The vehicle rapidly lost power, and I struggled to safely maneuver it onto the shoulder while high-speed traffic was passing. This created an immediate and life-threatening safety situation, with a real risk of being struck by other vehicles. We were stranded on the roadside for over three hours awaiting a tow, exposed to ongoing traffic danger. The dealership later advised that the incident was caused by a faulty Hyundai-supplied part, not driver error, misuse, or lack of maintenance. The vehicle had only approximately 4,000 miles at the time of failure. A sudden engine shutdown due to oil loss

20260116UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was driving at on the highway no other cars around going 80mph and the sunroof spontaneously shattered without impact. Distracting me with a loud bang and glass flying I had my wife and two kids in the car it’s a major safety issue. I’ll repeat the sunroof spontaneously shattered without impact of rock or debris. And I was traveling at a speed of 80mph on a clear highway. Distracting me with the loud bang and glass flying in and over my roof of the car

20260115FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

This car was in a BBB binding Arbitration and Hyundai was told to fix: speed control malfunction, speed linit not posting to hub arbitrary fan engagement. The Dealership ALM West had the car 2 weeks and the car sat on their lot. They said we are unable to duplicate the problem. Now in addition I showed them the cracked windshield and they were not responsible. I had an insurance complaint I took it to Safelite and replaced the windshield yesterday and I got it back with a new windshield and it also had a Crack in the replacement windshield. I think Hyundai knows there's a problem with the glass which is also part of the safety system of the car.

20260115VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

This car was in a BBB binding Arbitration and Hyundai was told to fix: speed control malfunction, speed linit not posting to hub arbitrary fan engagement. The Dealership ALM West had the car 2 weeks and the car sat on their lot. They said we are unable to duplicate the problem. Now in addition I showed them the cracked windshield and they were not responsible. I had an insurance complaint I took it to Safelite and replaced the windshield yesterday and I got it back with a new windshield and it also had a Crack in the replacement windshield. I think Hyundai knows there's a problem with the glass which is also part of the safety system of the car.

Compare 2025HYUNDAISANTA FE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE have?
The 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE has 99 NHTSA complaints, 5 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE?
The 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 4/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE?
Yes, the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:CRITICAL FASTENERS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE?
The most-complained component for the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 19 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA FE has an NHTSA safety rating of 4/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.