2010 Hyundai Santa FE Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Santa FE years
- About as many complaints as other years 10th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 259 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Hyundai Santa FE. That ranks 10th out of 26 Santa FE model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (109 complaints, 42%), typically at around 10,500 miles. Complaints mention 8 crashes, 6 fires, 7 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 259owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 8complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2010 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 109 | 42% | 10,500 | “2nd 3rd” (8%) | — |
| Engine | 37 | 14% | 90,300 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 28 | 11% | 60,570 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 23 | 9% | 58,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 21 | 8% | 22,400 | — | — |
| Suspension | 14 | 5% | 76,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 11 | 4% | 67,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 10 | 4% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 9 | 3% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 3% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 8 | 3% | 77,348 | — | — |
| Visibility | 8 | 3% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 3% | 58,878 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 3% | 35,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 2% | 10,750 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 1% | 677 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 1% | 6,876 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 5,112 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 1% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 58,176 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 6,120 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2010 Hyundai Santa FE recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
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.
Power train:driveline:driveshaft
Problem: Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2010 santa fe 2wd vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4l engines manufactured from october 15, 2009 through march 5, 2010. The intermediate shaft may suffer from noise and excessive wear due to a misalignment of the intermediate shaft with the right side output gear. Continuing to drive the vehicle in this condition leads to the development of a whirring/whining noise and can eventually cause damage to the automatic transmission.
Risk: Damage to the transmission may cause loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the right side output gear and intermediate shaft free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during june 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of Motive Power (DP22003) — opened Sep 12, 2022, closed Dec 12, 2023.
- Throttle control system vulnerabilities (DP21003) — opened Nov 12, 2021, closed Jun 20, 2023.
- Transmission Intermediate Driveshaft (PE11010) — opened Apr 7, 2011, closed May 10, 2011, led to recall 11V258000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The Radiator fan remains on when the vehicle is turned off and requires the fan to be unplugged to disengage. If it is not unplugged it will continue to run until the battery is dead. If not caught at the time exiting the vehicle then I am left stranded until I can get the vehicle jumped but even…
The vehicleâs transmission slips while driving on the highway at approximately 65â75 mph. The slipping occurs at highway speeds and appears to affect the vehicleâs ability to maintain consistent power and acceleration. Problem The vehicleâs transmission slips while driving on the highway at…
On XXX I was waiting at a light and the check engine light was blinking. When I started up, the car was very sluggish. It continued to be sluggish on my trip home - 5 miles. I brought it to Meineke [XXX] [XXX]. They ascertained that the engine was shot. They flushed out the oil in the engine and…
Engine fire
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to immediately start, but started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who…
Other Hyundai Santa FE years
← 2009 Santa FE · 2011 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 | 259 | 2 |
| 2009 Santa FE | 358 | 2 |
| 2008 Santa FE | 541 | 4 |
| 2007 Santa FE | 684 | 7 |
| 2006 Santa FE | 106 | 1 |
| 2005 Santa FE | 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 2010 Hyundai Santa FE?
Owners most often report power train, engine, electrical system problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 109 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Hyundai Santa FE?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2010 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 2010 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.