HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID · model year

2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID

108 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2023HYUNDAISANTA FE HYBRID carries 108 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2023 SANTA FE HYBRID is engine with 22 filings, followed by power train (15) and electrical system (13). 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 1 active recall campaign, 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 37 investigation files overlapping the 2023 SANTA FE HYBRID, and 1 remain open. 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.

108
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

108 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE22
POWER TRAIN15
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER10
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING10
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION4
SERVICE BRAKES3
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY2
TRAILER HITCHES1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
TIRES1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING1
STEERING1

Recalls (1)

23V18100017/03/2023

TRAILER HITCHES

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 acc

Recent Complaints

20251221ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

One two separate occasions while driving the car has lost the ability to accelerate. There is no acceleration power even when completely flooring the gas pedal. The dash displays a red circle warming that states "Check Hybrid system. Stop Safely". I have had to coast to the side of the road and then the car shuts off. It has taken several minutes before it can start again, and then displays a warning "Park with engine On to charge battery" before being able to shift the car into drive. I immediately took the vehicle to the dealership at which I had purchased the car. They have run a diagnostic on it and did not find any error codes stored in the computer. I picked up the vehicle from them and immediately upon pulling out of their lot it happened again. After losing power, coasting to the side of the road, and waiting for the engine to be able to restart I took it immediately back to the dealership. They have had my car for 5 weeks and cannot diagnose the problem or offer any recommenda

20251221ENGINE

One two separate occasions while driving the car has lost the ability to accelerate. There is no acceleration power even when completely flooring the gas pedal. The dash displays a red circle warming that states "Check Hybrid system. Stop Safely". I have had to coast to the side of the road and then the car shuts off. It has taken several minutes before it can start again, and then displays a warning "Park with engine On to charge battery" before being able to shift the car into drive. I immediately took the vehicle to the dealership at which I had purchased the car. They have run a diagnostic on it and did not find any error codes stored in the computer. I picked up the vehicle from them and immediately upon pulling out of their lot it happened again. After losing power, coasting to the side of the road, and waiting for the engine to be able to restart I took it immediately back to the dealership. They have had my car for 5 weeks and cannot diagnose the problem or offer any recommenda

20251221FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

One two separate occasions while driving the car has lost the ability to accelerate. There is no acceleration power even when completely flooring the gas pedal. The dash displays a red circle warming that states "Check Hybrid system. Stop Safely". I have had to coast to the side of the road and then the car shuts off. It has taken several minutes before it can start again, and then displays a warning "Park with engine On to charge battery" before being able to shift the car into drive. I immediately took the vehicle to the dealership at which I had purchased the car. They have run a diagnostic on it and did not find any error codes stored in the computer. I picked up the vehicle from them and immediately upon pulling out of their lot it happened again. After losing power, coasting to the side of the road, and waiting for the engine to be able to restart I took it immediately back to the dealership. They have had my car for 5 weeks and cannot diagnose the problem or offer any recommenda

20251214FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

The vehicle will not accelerate and comes to a complete stop while driving. Within days, it displayed ‘Check Hybrid System. Stop safely’ and lost propulsion while driving.

20250925ENGINE

On September 4, 2025 as I pulled on to Interstate I-70 my car suddenly lost power. Gas engine died. Loud attention sound started. Instrument cluster started flashing red with message "EV system failure, stop immediately" EV battery showed full depletion although a moment before it showed about 75% power. There was only enough propulsion to keep moving slowly. Since this was a construction zone the shoulder was blocked off and roadway was reduced to only one lane. I had no where to go. A large truck narrowly avoided rear ending me. I was scared and felt helpless. Eventually I was able to pull off and shut off the car. It was able to be re-started immediately with no warning indicators and EV battery power restored. This loss of power has happened 6 times before during the time I have owned the car. Last time was in March 2025. Each previous time it happened I was traveling at about 35 miles per hour and while annoying I did not fear for my life. On March 6, 2025 I had the dealer, McC

20250722ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am reporting a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, purchased new in January 2024. The vehicle has suffered from over 30–40 sudden hybrid system failures, including loss of acceleration, “Stop Vehicle” warnings, and check engine lights. These incidents happen without warning, including while driving at legal speeds (40–70 mph), on residential streets and highways. Most recently, the car failed twice in two days, while my teenage son was driving within all road laws, including once with a friend in the car. The vehicle simply stopped accelerating in the middle of traffic, endangering them and everyone around them. These failures have happened at legal speeds ranging from 40–70 mph, on both residential roads and highways. There is no advance warning, just abrupt loss of power and sudden warning messages. We’ve taken the vehicle to the South Charlotte Hyundai dealership multiple times. Each time, they either reset the check engine light

20250722ENGINE

I am reporting a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, purchased new in January 2024. The vehicle has suffered from over 30–40 sudden hybrid system failures, including loss of acceleration, “Stop Vehicle” warnings, and check engine lights. These incidents happen without warning, including while driving at legal speeds (40–70 mph), on residential streets and highways. Most recently, the car failed twice in two days, while my teenage son was driving within all road laws, including once with a friend in the car. The vehicle simply stopped accelerating in the middle of traffic, endangering them and everyone around them. These failures have happened at legal speeds ranging from 40–70 mph, on both residential roads and highways. There is no advance warning, just abrupt loss of power and sudden warning messages. We’ve taken the vehicle to the South Charlotte Hyundai dealership multiple times. Each time, they either reset the check engine light

20250722FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I am reporting a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, purchased new in January 2024. The vehicle has suffered from over 30–40 sudden hybrid system failures, including loss of acceleration, “Stop Vehicle” warnings, and check engine lights. These incidents happen without warning, including while driving at legal speeds (40–70 mph), on residential streets and highways. Most recently, the car failed twice in two days, while my teenage son was driving within all road laws, including once with a friend in the car. The vehicle simply stopped accelerating in the middle of traffic, endangering them and everyone around them. These failures have happened at legal speeds ranging from 40–70 mph, on both residential roads and highways. There is no advance warning, just abrupt loss of power and sudden warning messages. We’ve taken the vehicle to the South Charlotte Hyundai dealership multiple times. Each time, they either reset the check engine light

20250706UNKNOWN OR OTHER

We were driving in Montana down [XXX] and heard a very large “pop” sound above us. Our vehicle was traveling alone in the area at the time, no other vehicles were around ours. There was no debris on the road or flying in air at the time, either. At this point the panoramic roof glass was closed but the interior cloth cover was open and there was no evidence of any damage. When we stopped for gas, the front glass panel covering behind the windshield and before the panoramic roof glass, was completely shattered. The weather was the same as it had been, 80F with minimal cloud coverage. There was no sudden change in weather/driving conditions.

20250623ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Between [XXX] am on [XXX]. I powered on my vehicle and the rear trunk door simultaneously opened. As I was driving my son to school that morning, I noticed water dripping onto my foot. I continued to drive but was distracted by beeping and warning messages but because the dashboard display was constantly switching from daytime to night lighting I could not readily see the dashboard. I tried to manually adjust the light by turning the knob off "auto" and also turning lights to "off" but it would immediately switch back. I made it to the first stop light and while stopped I was able to observe water droplets on the front panel of the interior fuse box. I pulled open the panel and water dropped out onto to floor. I replaced the panel. I continued to drive but was panicked and worried that water was in the fuse panel area. I arrived at my son's school and left the car running as he was dropped off. On the drive home, the beeping continued. This time, I saw the warning message about vehi

20250623EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Between [XXX] am on [XXX]. I powered on my vehicle and the rear trunk door simultaneously opened. As I was driving my son to school that morning, I noticed water dripping onto my foot. I continued to drive but was distracted by beeping and warning messages but because the dashboard display was constantly switching from daytime to night lighting I could not readily see the dashboard. I tried to manually adjust the light by turning the knob off "auto" and also turning lights to "off" but it would immediately switch back. I made it to the first stop light and while stopped I was able to observe water droplets on the front panel of the interior fuse box. I pulled open the panel and water dropped out onto to floor. I replaced the panel. I continued to drive but was panicked and worried that water was in the fuse panel area. I arrived at my son's school and left the car running as he was dropped off. On the drive home, the beeping continued. This time, I saw the warning message about vehi

20250623LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Between [XXX] am on [XXX]. I powered on my vehicle and the rear trunk door simultaneously opened. As I was driving my son to school that morning, I noticed water dripping onto my foot. I continued to drive but was distracted by beeping and warning messages but because the dashboard display was constantly switching from daytime to night lighting I could not readily see the dashboard. I tried to manually adjust the light by turning the knob off "auto" and also turning lights to "off" but it would immediately switch back. I made it to the first stop light and while stopped I was able to observe water droplets on the front panel of the interior fuse box. I pulled open the panel and water dropped out onto to floor. I replaced the panel. I continued to drive but was panicked and worried that water was in the fuse panel area. I arrived at my son's school and left the car running as he was dropped off. On the drive home, the beeping continued. This time, I saw the warning message about vehi

20250521ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am reporting an URGENT REQUEST IMMEDIATE ACTION REGARDING A SERIOUS UNRESOLVED, RECURRING PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. IT IS POTENTIALLY THE FAULT OF ALEXANDRIA HYUNDAI'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT (in Alexandria, VA) WHO HAD JUST SERVICED MY VEHICLE FOR WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A ROUTINE SERVICING (on May 7). My car had a catastrophic and complete failure on a high speed highway (the car quickly decelerated) which represented an incredibly danger situation for myself and other drivers on the road. My car was purchased in 2023 and has 15,241 miles. It has been perfectly maintained. On [XXX], I was returning to my home in Virginia from Maryland on an 8 lane highway with a 55mph speed limit when I had a very dangerous complete failure of my car. Simultaneously, the car started bucking back, the speed was decelerating regardless of my pressing the accelerator to keep my speed the same as traffic, and I received a flashing large red message that said "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM - STOP SAFELY." For

20250521POWER TRAIN

I am reporting an URGENT REQUEST IMMEDIATE ACTION REGARDING A SERIOUS UNRESOLVED, RECURRING PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. IT IS POTENTIALLY THE FAULT OF ALEXANDRIA HYUNDAI'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT (in Alexandria, VA) WHO HAD JUST SERVICED MY VEHICLE FOR WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A ROUTINE SERVICING (on May 7). My car had a catastrophic and complete failure on a high speed highway (the car quickly decelerated) which represented an incredibly danger situation for myself and other drivers on the road. My car was purchased in 2023 and has 15,241 miles. It has been perfectly maintained. On [XXX], I was returning to my home in Virginia from Maryland on an 8 lane highway with a 55mph speed limit when I had a very dangerous complete failure of my car. Simultaneously, the car started bucking back, the speed was decelerating regardless of my pressing the accelerator to keep my speed the same as traffic, and I received a flashing large red message that said "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM - STOP SAFELY." For

20250521ENGINE

I am reporting an URGENT REQUEST IMMEDIATE ACTION REGARDING A SERIOUS UNRESOLVED, RECURRING PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. IT IS POTENTIALLY THE FAULT OF ALEXANDRIA HYUNDAI'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT (in Alexandria, VA) WHO HAD JUST SERVICED MY VEHICLE FOR WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A ROUTINE SERVICING (on May 7). My car had a catastrophic and complete failure on a high speed highway (the car quickly decelerated) which represented an incredibly danger situation for myself and other drivers on the road. My car was purchased in 2023 and has 15,241 miles. It has been perfectly maintained. On [XXX], I was returning to my home in Virginia from Maryland on an 8 lane highway with a 55mph speed limit when I had a very dangerous complete failure of my car. Simultaneously, the car started bucking back, the speed was decelerating regardless of my pressing the accelerator to keep my speed the same as traffic, and I received a flashing large red message that said "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM - STOP SAFELY." For

20250205ENGINE

I purchased a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid in November of 2023. Within a couple of months of purchase I had 2 incidents where without warning the car lost power and made a noise sounding like some sort of fan. One of the incidents was on [XXX] in Massachusetts, the heavy traffic cleared, I was in the fast lane, and the car would barely move. It was a safety issue as there was no place to go on the left side of the highway and traffic to my right had already picked up speed. After a minute or so the power again became available. This has happened to me several times but Hyundai has told me there is NO RECORD of this happening with my car model. On occasion I have my grandkids in the car and I am very concerned that Hyundai will not acknowledge this problem. By the way, it happened again this morning as I was pulling away from a Starbucks drive-up window. Can something be done about this? Hyundai should have records of my complaints as I visited the dealership where I bought the c

20250205FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I purchased a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid in November of 2023. Within a couple of months of purchase I had 2 incidents where without warning the car lost power and made a noise sounding like some sort of fan. One of the incidents was on [XXX] in Massachusetts, the heavy traffic cleared, I was in the fast lane, and the car would barely move. It was a safety issue as there was no place to go on the left side of the highway and traffic to my right had already picked up speed. After a minute or so the power again became available. This has happened to me several times but Hyundai has told me there is NO RECORD of this happening with my car model. On occasion I have my grandkids in the car and I am very concerned that Hyundai will not acknowledge this problem. By the way, it happened again this morning as I was pulling away from a Starbucks drive-up window. Can something be done about this? Hyundai should have records of my complaints as I visited the dealership where I bought the c

20250102CrashBACK OVER PREVENTION: AUTOMATIC SYSTEM BRAKING

The contact owned a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that his partner was driving at 50 MPH, a light ahead had just turned red, with two vehicles stopped just a couple of feet ahead of her, the contact stated that his partner had proceeded to frantically attempt to brake, however, the vehicle did not brake in time, and the automatic braking assist did not initiate. The complete front end of the vehicle was destroyed, as the vehicle crashed into the vehicle ahead. There was no property damage. The vehicle came to a stop after the crash. The driver's side air bags were deployed, however, the contact emphasized that it appeared the air bag had not fully deployed. The vehicle was towed to a lot. No warning lights had illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact partner was injured, and she was seated in the driver's seat, and a single civilian seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle that was hit from behind was injured. The contact stated tha

Mileage: 23,824

20241127POWER TRAIN

Santa Fe will randomly experience inability to accelerate. I will hit the gas pedal, the engine will rev all the way up to power, it will slowly crawl forward and than violently accelerate. From the time I hit the gas pedal to the time it actually starts moving takes several seconds. It does this every time I come to a stop once it starts. It has done this 4 occasions now. It puts me at significant danger trying to turn across traffic. In general, it not accelerating as you would expect is a very dangerous situation. Dealer has had the car for over a month and has had the car reproduce the issue. The HEV light and check engine light had come on a couple of the occurrences.

20241122VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

As my wife and I were traveling down the interstate at 45 mph, we heard a loud POP, but we were unable to figure out where it came from. Just a few seconds later, the sunroof exploded into a million tiny pieces of glass that partially rained down on our heads and shoulders. It was quite a startling sound. There was a hole about 8 inches across in the moveable sunroof and more pieces were continuing to fall out. To protect our heads, I closed the shade. There was no evidence of an object striking. Windows were all closed when the incident occurred.

Compare 2023HYUNDAISANTA FE HYBRID to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID have?
The 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID has 108 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID?
Yes, the 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is TRAILER HITCHES. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID?
The most-complained component for the 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID is ENGINE with 22 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. 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.