2017 Hyundai Santa FE Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 970 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Santa FE years
Far more complaints than other years 1st of 26 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 970 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Santa FE. That is the most of any Santa FE model year in the database (26 years). The most reported problem area is engine (650 complaints, 67%), typically at around 45,000 miles. Complaints mention 14 crashes, 23 fires, 18 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 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 2017 Hyundai Santa FE problems

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

Engine650 · ~45,000 mi
Power Train166 · ~5,350 mi
Unknown or Other93 · ~16,500 mi
Electrical System69 · ~17,100 mi
Fuel/propulsion System60 · ~10,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control54 · ~6,750 mi
Service Brakes34 · ~7,050 mi
Steering27 · ~15,000 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic24 · ~75,000 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling23 · ~100,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Engine problems65067%45,000“oil consumption” (16%)$8,450
Power Train problems16617%5,350“oil consumption” (6%)—
Unknown or Other9310%16,500——
Electrical System problems697%17,100——
Fuel/propulsion System problems606%10,000“oil consumption” (12%)—
Vehicle Speed Control problems546%6,750“making turn” (11%)—
Service Brakes344%7,050——
Steering273%15,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic242%75,000——
Engine and Engine Cooling232%100,000——
Air Bags202%35,000——
Suspension101%20,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)91%3,000——
Forward Collision Avoidance71%130,000——
Seat Belts71%4,500——
Structure71%37,000——
Seats61%6,500——
Exterior Lighting40%14,750——
Lane Departure40%———
Visibility40%59,636——
Visibility/wiper40%16,374——
Wheels30%20,000——
Back Over Prevention10%———
Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness10%———
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%63,000——
Firerelated10%———
Fuel System, Gasoline10%73,399——
Insert, Padding10%———
Service Brakes, Air10%———
Traction Control System10%1,100——

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2023, with 209 complaints
2016: 472016472017: 662017662018: 362018362019: 382019382020: 292020292021: 472021472022: 14820221482023: 20920232092024: 16120241612025: 972025972026: 92202692

n = 970 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2017 Hyundai Santa FE recalls (6)

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

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/modulePark outsideFeb 3, 2022 · NHTSA campaign 22V056000 · 357,348 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.

Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.

Engine and engine cooling:engineSep 20, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V578000 · 420 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.

Risk: The engine bearing wear may cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168.

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latchJun 5, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V358000 · 437,400 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Risk: If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.

Tires:pressure monitoring and regulating systemsMar 6, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V142000 · 190 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an appropriate warning in the event of an underinflated tire. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

Risk: An underinflated inflated tire can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the TPMS sensors, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for the recall is 159.

Trailer hitches; electrical system:wiringNov 21, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V842000 · 6,172 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result, in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk: If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 153.

Seat belts:front:warning light/devicesMar 10, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V145000 · 34,200 vehicles

Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front seat occupants do not fasten their seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: Without a warning to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 141.

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

  • Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires (AQ23002) — opened Nov 17, 2023, still open.
  • 3.3L Engine Loss of Motive Power (LOMP) (DP24001) — opened Feb 8, 2024, closed May 16, 2024.
  • Loss of Motive Power (DP22003) — opened Sep 12, 2022, closed Dec 12, 2023.

Recent owner reports

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

On [XXX], Laguna Niguel Hyundai performed Service Campaign 9C2 (ECU software update for Theta II emissions improvement, Hyundai TSB 26-01-013H) on my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Immediately after the update, the vehicle developed drivability problems that did not exist before: rough/harsh…

Engine · received Oct 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11771344

On XXX, [XXX] Hyundai performed Service Campaign 9C2 (ECU software update for Theta II emissions improvement, Hyundai TSB 26-01-013H) on my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Immediately after the update, the vehicle developed drivability problems that did not exist before: rough/harsh shifting…

Unknown or Other · received Oct 13, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11770978

Was driving down road car went into limp mode about caused a big wreck, check engine was flashing and heard a loud noise as I was trying to get to safety. Had the car scanned and was for code p1326 and looking at all the recalls nothing is for the 2.4l but y'all have been having a lot of issues…

Engine · received Sep 29, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11767901

Immediately following the mandatory Hyundai Servie Campaign Update 9C2-ECU THETA 11my vehicle began exhibiting severe hesitation, very rough idling, jerking at slow speeds and when gear changes, difficulty going up inclines and almost feel at times as though it is about to lose power which poses…

Engine · received Sep 27, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11767289

Component/System Failed: Engine assembly (Theta II 2.4L GDI) and Exhaust/Catalytic Converter. Description: The vehicle suffered a failure associated with the known Theta II engine defects. Engine oil consumption and internal engine wear directly led to unburned fuel and debris entering the exhaust…

Engine · received Sep 20, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11765645

Other Hyundai Santa FE years

← 2016 Santa FE · 2018 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 2017 Hyundai Santa FE?

Owners most often report engine, power train, unknown or other problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 650 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2017 Hyundai Santa FE?

Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2017 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 2017 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.