2007 Hyundai Santa FE Engine Problems
Owners have filed 54 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE, 8% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 93,132 miles. The words owners use most often: “valve cover” (39% of reports).
- 54engine complaints
- 93,132median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 42%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Valve cover: mentioned in 21 of 54 complaints (39%)
- Onto alternator: mentioned in 11 of 54 complaints (20%)
- Oil leak: mentioned in 9 of 54 complaints (17%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 38 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 54 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury.
Hyundai Santa FE engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Santa FE | 2 | 5% | 5,100 |
| 2025 Santa FE | 14 | 10% | — |
| 2024 Santa FE | 13 | 8% | — |
| 2023 Santa FE | 35 | 17% | 1,108 |
| 2022 Santa FE | 54 | 27% | 13,750 |
| 2021 Santa FE | 37 | 22% | 28,000 |
| 2020 Santa FE | 80 | 37% | 19,000 |
| 2019 Santa FE | 73 | 36% | 16,000 |
| 2018 Santa FE | 54 | 50% | 16,000 |
| 2017 Santa FE | 650 | 67% | 45,000 |
| 2016 Santa FE | 151 | 64% | 84,500 |
| 2015 Santa FE | 160 | 63% | 88,000 |
| 2014 Santa FE | 274 | 56% | 85,000 |
| 2013 Santa FE | 273 | 45% | 89,163 |
| 2012 Santa FE | 228 | 65% | 89,662 |
| 2011 Santa FE | 64 | 35% | 47,506 |
| 2010 Santa FE | 37 | 14% | 90,300 |
| 2009 Santa FE | 60 | 17% | 89,780 |
| 2008 Santa FE | 60 | 11% | 88,000 |
| 2007 Santa FE | 54 | 8% | 93,132 |
| 2006 Santa FE | 3 | 3% | 126,000 |
| 2005 Santa FE | 11 | 5% | 107,592 |
| 2004 Santa FE | 16 | 5% | 100,000 |
| 2003 Santa FE | 8 | 3% | 89,000 |
| 2002 Santa FE | 10 | 6% | 114,000 |
| 2001 Santa FE | 7 | 3% | 113,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Valve cover leaking oil onto my alternator causing my original and one I bought to replace to both stop working
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…
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2007 Hyundai Santa FEs have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 54 owner complaints about engine for the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE (8% of the 684 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 93,132 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2007 Hyundai Santa FE?
The most frequent phrase is “valve cover”, in 21 of 54 complaints, followed by “onto alternator” (11).
Other 2007 Hyundai Santa FE problems
See all 2007 Hyundai Santa FE problems or engine problems across all Santa FE years.