2020 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
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 216 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Hyundai Santa FE. That ranks 13th out of 26 Santa FE model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (80 complaints, 37%), typically at around 19,000 miles. Complaints mention 14 crashes, 9 fires, 15 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 216owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 14complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2020 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 80 | 37% | 19,000 | “oil consumption” (14%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 42 | 19% | 2,959 | — | — |
| Power Train | 26 | 12% | 27,823 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 25 | 12% | 3,020 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 14 | 6% | 47,250 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 14 | 6% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 14 | 6% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 4% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 8 | 4% | 500 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 4% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 3% | 99,182 | — | — |
| Steering | 6 | 3% | 1,300 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 5 | 2% | 5,800 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 2% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 1% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 1% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 2 | 1% | 94,400 | — | — |
| Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2020 Hyundai Santa FE recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Trailer hitchesPark outside
Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.
Visibility:windshield
Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Risk: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
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.
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 vehicle is experience severe, progressive engine oil consumption, completely depleting its engine oil below the safe operating limit ("Low" mark on the dipstick) every 500 miles. This creates an imminent risk of sudden engine seizure, catastrophic mechanical failure, and sudden stalling at…
THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE ON THIS MODEL ⦠I HAVE A CLAIM INTO HYUNDAI TO ALLOW MY VEHICLE TO BE REPAIRED UNDER THE SAME RECALL. This is a very dangerously problem and wish it to be investigated for the 2.0 Turbo as well. X Hyundai issued two main fuel-related recalls for the 2021 Santa…
I do not know what caused this. Here is what happened. While parking the car suddenly accelerated, over the curb, on the sidewalk narrowly missing the building because I turned hard right to avoid the building and I was able to brake to a stop glancing off a concrete pillar. We could have been hurt…
At times the engine will freeze up, stall the car while driving, or the car will altogether turn off when at a stop sign or light, while the car is still on. I've had the oil changed before the mileage indicated expired because the engine light came on and I was told the car had no oil at all when…
Codes P0172 and P016B. Oil has fuel in it due to high pressure fuel pump leaking. Possible premature engine failure or fire. This is a 2020 santa fe limited 2.0T.
Other Hyundai Santa FE years
← 2019 Santa FE · 2021 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 | 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 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 2020 Hyundai Santa FE?
Owners most often report engine, unknown or other, power train problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 80 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2020 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 2020 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 2020 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.