2005 Hyundai Santa FE Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Santa FE years
- About as many complaints as other years 13th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 216 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE. That ranks 13th out of 26 Santa FE model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (74 complaints, 34%), typically at around 93,500 miles. Complaints mention 18 crashes, 14 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 216owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 18complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Hyundai Santa FE problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 74 | 34% | 93,500 | “air bag” (73%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 44 | 20% | 21,950 | — | — |
| Suspension | 21 | 10% | 85,650 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 18 | 8% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 18 | 8% | 86,250 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 14 | 6% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 13 | 6% | 35,173 | — | — |
| Engine | 11 | 5% | 107,592 | — | — |
| Power Train | 11 | 5% | 107,592 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 10 | 5% | 80,566 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 4% | 135,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 3% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 3% | 65,632 | — | — |
| Steering | 7 | 3% | 51,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 6 | 3% | 61,350 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 2% | 75,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 4 | 2% | 3,962 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 73,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 1% | 10 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 131,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 0% | 1 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 100 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 52,600 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 151,894 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Hyundai Santa FE recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:front:springs:coil springs
Problem: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model Year 2001-2006 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2000, through February 15, 2006, that are registered and operated, or which were originally sold and registered, in the following 20 Âsalt belt" states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The affected vehicles may experience front coil spring corrosion from road salt, causing the coil spring to fracture and make contact with the tire.
Risk: If the front coil spring fractures due to corrosion it could cause the coil spring to make contact with the tire, possibly puncturing the tire and increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the coil spring, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 124.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with an occupant classification system (ocs) the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify certain small children seated on the front edge of the seat as an adult.
Risk: The possibility of misclassification of certain small children as an adult may allow the right front airbag to deploy in a frontal collision crash or the side impact airbag to deploy in a side collision crash; severe injury or death could occur.
Fix: Dealers will ensure that the vehicle's ocs will properly classify certain small children when seated on the front edge of the seat and will disable the right front airbags. Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's ocs electronic control unit to provide an increased margin for recognition of certain small children. The recall began on december 6, 2005. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Air bags
Problem: On certain vehicles equipped with an occupant classification system (ocs) the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify certain small children seated on the front edge of the seat as an adult.
Risk: The possibility of misclassification of certain small children as an adult may allow the right front airbag to deploy in a frontal collision crash or the side impact airbag to deploy in a side collision crash; severe injury or death could occur.
Fix: Dealers will ensure that the vehicle's ocs will properly classify certain small children when seated on the front edge of the seat and will disable the right front airbags. Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's ocs electronic control unit to provide an increased margin for recognition of certain small children. The recall began on december 21, 2005. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
While merging onto the freeway, the accelerator pedal got stuck to the floor with the throttle wide open. The brakes and emergency brake were ineffective. Measures had to be taken to drive off of the road into ice plant, we we were able to turn off the engine. Further inspection revealed a missing…
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the tailgate failed to open while using the tailgate handle. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The…
Car all of a sudden stopped running like normal. Can't go above 20 mph without sounding like backfiring or dying
The airbag light stays on constantly - mechanic says it's the switch in the passenger seat belt and they encounter this problem with this vehicle all the time. Prevents the airbag from deploying if not repaired.
The Air Bag light stays on and from my research the air bag will not work in an accident.
Other Hyundai Santa FE years
← 2004 Santa FE · 2006 Santa FE →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Santa FE | 37 | 4 |
| 2025 Santa FE | 135 | 5 |
| 2024 Santa FE | 155 | 7 |
| 2023 Santa FE | 211 | 1 |
| 2022 Santa FE | 201 | 5 |
| 2021 Santa FE | 167 | 7 |
| 2020 Santa FE | 216 | 2 |
| 2019 Santa FE | 202 | 2 |
| 2018 Santa FE | 109 | 2 |
| 2017 Santa FE | 970 | 6 |
| 2016 Santa FE | 236 | 3 |
| 2015 Santa FE | 254 | 2 |
| 2014 Santa FE | 493 | 3 |
| 2013 Santa FE | 605 | 3 |
| 2012 Santa FE | 353 | 1 |
| 2011 Santa FE | 181 | 2 |
| 2010 Santa FE | 259 | 2 |
| 2009 Santa FE | 358 | 2 |
| 2008 Santa FE | 541 | 4 |
| 2007 Santa FE | 684 | 7 |
| 2006 Santa FE | 106 | 1 |
| 2005 | 216 | 3 |
| 2004 Santa FE | 303 | 3 |
| 2003 Santa FE | 308 | 4 |
| 2002 Santa FE | 165 | 4 |
| 2001 Santa FE | 209 | 4 |
See all Hyundai Santa FE problems by year, every Hyundai model, or the Hyundai VIN decoder.
Similar Hyundai models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE?
Owners most often report air bags, vehicle speed control, suspension problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 74 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Hyundai Santa FE a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Santa FE model years, the 2005 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.