2007 Hyundai Santa FE Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 6, 2026 · 684 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Santa FE years
Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 26 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 684 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE. That ranks 2nd out of 26 Santa FE model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is fuel/propulsion system (121 complaints, 18%), typically at around 90,000 miles. Complaints mention 30 crashes, 8 fires, 32 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Hyundai Santa FE
2024_Hyundai_Santa_Fe_(MX5) in Böblingen. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2007 Hyundai Santa FE problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Fuel/propulsion System121 · ~90,000 mi
Air Bags102 · ~45,500 mi
Electrical System97 · ~82,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)68 · ~84,200 mi
Vehicle Speed Control58 · ~66,654 mi
Engine54 · ~93,132 mi
Service Brakes44 · ~81,300 mi
Unknown or Other44 · ~97,000 mi
Visibility44 · ~60,560 mi
Exterior Lighting43 · ~80,150 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Fuel/propulsion System problems12118%90,000“fuel gauge” (33%)$910
Air Bags problems10215%45,500“air bag” (66%)—
Electrical System problems9714%82,000“valve cover gasket” (13%)—
Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems6810%84,200“esc off” (32%)—
Vehicle Speed Control problems588%66,654“cruise control” (21%)—
Engine problems548%93,132“valve cover” (39%)—
Service Brakes446%81,300——
Unknown or Other446%97,000——
Visibility446%60,560——
Exterior Lighting436%80,150——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic406%32,950——
Steering386%74,500——
Visibility/wiper355%80,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline335%80,000——
Power Train315%80,000——
Suspension304%78,838——
Engine and Engine Cooling193%37,000——
Structure183%86,750——
Tires183%26,000——
Wheels101%95,000——
Seat Belts71%41,105——
Equipment61%55,400——
Seats41%62,500——
Fuel System, Other30%74,000——
Interior Lighting30%26——
Parking Brake20%105——
Service Brakes, Electric20%30,500——
Trailer Hitches20%57,389——
Latches/locks/linkages10%97,000——
Traction Control System10%58,900——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2014, with 83 complaints
2006: 420062007: 182008: 3820082009: 262010: 4820102011: 552012: 6720122013: 752014: 832014832015: 762016: 5120162017: 372018: 2620182019: 252020: 1420202021: 92022: 820222023: 92024: 720242025: 32026: 52026

n = 684 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2007 Hyundai Santa FE recalls (7)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/moduleFeb 4, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V061000 · 476,111 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.

Risk: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.

Exterior lighting:brake lights:switchApr 1, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V113000 · 1,712,336 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveJul 25, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V354000 · 199,118 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2009 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from April 19, 2006, through July 7, 2008. The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults.

Risk: Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Air bags:frontalSep 9, 2011 · NHTSA campaign 11V472000 · 205,233 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 hyundai veracruz vehicles manufactured from december 26, 2006, through march 21, 2008, and model year 2007-2008 hyundai santa fe vehicles manufactured from april 19, 2006 through march 20, 2008. The clock spring contact assembly for the driver's air bag supplemental restraint system (srs) may become damaged through usage over time. The driver's air bag electrical circuit will experience a high resistance condition, potentially causing the driver's air bag to not deploy.

Risk: If the clock spring develops high resistance, in the event of a crash, the drivers air bag will not deploy and will not be able to properly protect the driver, increasing the risk of injuries.

Fix: Hyundai dealers will replace the vehicle's driver's air bag clock spring contact assembly free of charge. The safety recall began in november 2011. Owners may contact hyundai customer connect center at 1-800-633-5151.

Exterior lighting:brake lights:switchApr 15, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V122000 · 532,633 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai is recalling 532,633 my 2006-2007 accent, entourage, sonata, my 2007 azera, elantra and santa fe, my 2005-2007 tucson and my 2007-2008 veracruz vehicles. The stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A stop lamp switch malfunction may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission shifter would not be able to be shifted out of the park position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (esc) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.

Risk: Any of these malfunctions, alone or in combination, may lead to a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on june 29, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

Equipment:other:labelsJun 19, 2008 · NHTSA campaign 08V272000 · 88,943 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai is recalling 88,943 my 2007-2008 hyundai santa fe vehicles equipped with p235/60r18 tires. These vehicles fail to comply with the labeling requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110 "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles." the black certification label affixed to the driver's side center pillar, incorrectly lists the gross axle weight ratings (gawr).

Risk: Overloading your vehicle may adversely affect handling and braking and may cause tire damage, resulting in tire failure and a crash without warning.

Fix: Hyundai will mail corrected certification labels along with the instructions to the affected owners. The customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The recall began on august 5, 2008. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Fuel system, gasoline:storageAug 31, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V317000 · 139 vehicles

Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, the wall thickness of the right forward baffle of the fuel tank may be below specifications.

Risk: Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the fuel tanks and, if necessary, replace them. All vehicles are either still at the manufacturing plant or in dealerships. No vehicles have been sold to consumers.

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.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Throttle control system vulnerabilities (DP21003) — opened Nov 12, 2021, closed Jun 20, 2023.
  • Stop lamp switch failure (PE09003) — opened Jan 14, 2009, closed Apr 24, 2009, led to recall 09V122000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Valve cover leaking oil onto my alternator causing my original and one I bought to replace to both stop working

Engine · received Oct 6, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11769458

The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal odor coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and discovered that there was oil leaking from the valve cover onto the alternator…

Engine and Engine Cooling · received Aug 12, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11756531

Break pedal switch getting hot and disables the gear shifter

Service Brakes · received Jul 26, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11752902

Engine valve cover gaskets leaking oil, causing oil drip on pavement. Could cause fire and alternator failure. My mechanic pin-pointed the leak location. The google search indicated that other Hundai vehicle owners also had this problem. Mechanic estimated cost to repair the problem was quoted at…

Engine · received Feb 17, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11718459

I am writing to formally report an incident involving the service department at Lakeland Hyundai (1500 W Memorial Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33815). My 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe was brought in on 12/31/25 for an active engine recall involving the Cylinder Head Cover Oil Leak Repair (Recall Code 976 / Campaign…

Engine · received Jan 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11711184

Other Hyundai Santa FE years

← 2006 Santa FE · 2008 Santa FE →

See all Hyundai Santa FE problems by year, every Hyundai model, or the Hyundai VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE?

Owners most often report fuel/propulsion system, air bags, electrical system problems. The top one, fuel/propulsion system, accounts for 121 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE?

Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2007 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 2007 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.