Hyundai Santa FE Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 174 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Santa FE across 23 model years. The 2007 model year has the most (43). The words owners use most often: “service brakes hydraulic” (13% of reports).
- 174exterior lighting complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 9mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 29%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.
- Service brakes hydraulic: mentioned in 22 of 174 complaints (13%)
- Low beam: mentioned in 20 of 174 complaints (11%)
- Brake switch: mentioned in 16 of 174 complaints (9%)
- Stop lamp: mentioned in 9 of 174 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 119 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 174 complaints, 9 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 4 an injury.
Hyundai Santa FE exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Santa FE | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Santa FE | 3 | 1% | 10 |
| 2021 Santa FE | 2 | 1% | 300 |
| 2020 Santa FE | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2019 Santa FE | 2 | 1% | 10,000 |
| 2018 Santa FE | 2 | 2% | 31,000 |
| 2017 Santa FE | 4 | 0% | 14,750 |
| 2016 Santa FE | 2 | 1% | 40,600 |
| 2015 Santa FE | 9 | 4% | 44,654 |
| 2014 Santa FE | 11 | 2% | 50,000 |
| 2013 Santa FE | 16 | 3% | 29,387 |
| 2012 Santa FE | 12 | 3% | 45,000 |
| 2011 Santa FE | 14 | 8% | 40,000 |
| 2010 Santa FE | 7 | 3% | 58,878 |
| 2009 Santa FE | 9 | 3% | 103,435 |
| 2008 Santa FE | 11 | 2% | 90,550 |
| 2007 Santa FE | 43 | 6% | 80,150 |
| 2006 Santa FE | 9 | 8% | 71,650 |
| 2005 Santa FE | 5 | 2% | 75,500 |
| 2004 Santa FE | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2003 Santa FE | 2 | 1% | 60,911 |
| 2002 Santa FE | 2 | 1% | 361,000 |
| 2001 Santa FE | 3 | 1% | 3,324 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
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.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2007
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The multifunction/turn signal switch in my Hyundai has failed and causes the left turn signal to operate intermittently. While driving, I am unable to reliably activate the left turn signal when making a left turn or changing lanes. The signal may fail to engage when the turn signal lever is…
The 2024 Caligraphy trim line, has a unique illumination for all dash controls that control; AC, seat heat, seat AC, fan AC, steering wheel heat, ect. Each of these controls are illuminated with a dull Amber color that is impossible to see in bright sunshine, and difficult in all daylight…
Engine rattles noise when starting the car after sitting for more than an hour it makes that sound another issue is that when i turn the headlights on all interior lights shuts off including the instrument cluster radio and ac climate control buttons
Auto dimming headlights. The headlights have stopped auto dimming. I feel like this is a safety issue because if you have them on you have to push the switch forward and then pull backward to change them back to dim. It is not something that happens occasionally it is every time they are on. Not…
There is a problem with the car's headlights. They are having to be replaced every couple months. I have taken it to the dealership and they told me it would be several hundreds of dollars to diagnose, but cannot tell me anything upon inspection other than needs replacement. We are having to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Hyundai Santa FEs have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 174 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the Hyundai Santa FE. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Hyundai Santa FE exterior lighting?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Santa FE?
The most frequent phrase is “service brakes hydraulic”, in 22 of 174 complaints, followed by “low beam” (20).
Other Hyundai Santa FE problems
- Engine problems (2,428)
- Power Train problems (933)
- Electrical System problems (851)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (756)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (588)
- Air Bags problems (506)
- Service Brakes problems (439)
- Suspension problems (436)
See all Hyundai Santa FE problems.