FaultScore

Hyundai Santa FE electrical problems

849 of the 10,385 complaints filed about the Hyundai Santa FE are about the electrical system — 8% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2007.

849

Complaints

8%

Share of all complaints

24

Crashes

61

Fires

Electrical System complaints by model year

2001 Santa FE 41 4.8%

Median failure at 54,676 miles

2002 Santa FE 11 1.3%

Median failure at 74,500 miles

2003 Santa FE 28 3.3%

Median failure at 83,000 miles

2004 Santa FE 18 2.1%

Median failure at 60,000 miles

2005 Santa FE 10 1.2%

Median failure at 80,565 miles

2006 Santa FE 10 1.2%

Median failure at 52,312 miles

2007 Santa FE 97 11.4%

Median failure at 82,000 miles

2008 Santa FE 75 8.8%

Median failure at 83,000 miles

2009 Santa FE 51 6.0%

Median failure at 80,000 miles

2010 Santa FE 28 3.3%

Median failure at 60,570 miles

2011 Santa FE 26 3.1%

Median failure at 80,000 miles

2012 Santa FE 43 5.1%

Median failure at 55,500 miles

2013 Santa FE 53 6.2%

Median failure at 59,733 miles

2014 Santa FE 49 5.8%

Median failure at 59,500 miles

2015 Santa FE 20 2.4%

Median failure at 73,000 miles

2016 Santa FE 11 1.3%

Median failure at 60,000 miles

2017 Santa FE 65 7.7%

Median failure at 17,100 miles

2018 Santa FE 9 1.1%

Median failure at 22,000 miles

2019 Santa FE 26 3.1%

Median failure at 5,007 miles

2020 Santa FE 26 3.1%

Median failure at 3,020 miles

2021 Santa FE 29 3.4%

Median failure at 37,500 miles

2022 Santa FE 31 3.7%

Median failure at 3,000 miles

2023 Santa FE 34 4.0%

Median failure at 19,300 miles

2024 Santa FE 27 3.2%

Median failure at 9,500 miles

2025 Santa FE 27 3.2%

Median failure at 3,350 miles

2026 Santa FE 4 0.5%

What owners said

2024 Hyundai Santa FE Lithia, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA complaint #11758334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2026 Hyundai Santa FE Wasilla, AK

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This vehicle constantly pops up an alert to "consider taking a break" on the dash. It mutes everything else and causes a distraction. This vehicle was operated at normal highway driving conditions. THERE IS NO WAY TO DIABLE THIS. After looking online there is a reddit post from 2 years ago where this first came into effect and people have been complaining about it constantly. This is a genuine safety concern as any unexpected change or alert causes the driver to look away from the road to see "whats wrong" and for this incident NOTHING IS WRONG. An hour long commute should not pop up 15 alerts because the road has ruts or its mildly windy or the driver is wearing sunglasses or any number of minor things the vehicle doesnt like.

NHTSA complaint #11757081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Hyundai Santa FE College Station, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 operated, requiring repeated attempts to activate it. College Station Hyundai inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the multifunction switch as the failed component requiring replacement. The replacement component has been identified as Hyundai part number 93400-S1750. I consider this a significant safety concern because the failure prevents me from reliably signaling my intention to turn or change lanes to other motorists. The malfunction occurs during normal operation of the vehicle and creates the risk that surrounding drivers will not know that I intend to turn or change lanes. The vehicle currently has approximately 86,611 miles. I reported the issue to Hyundai Motor America and requested assistance because this is a safety-critical component. Hyundai declined my request because the vehicle is outside the warranty period. I am submitting this complaint because I believe the premature failure of a component necessary for the reliable operation of the vehicle's turn signals may constitute a safety-related defect, and I am requesting that NHTSA document and evaluate this failure.

NHTSA complaint #11756946 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Hyundai Santa FE Smock, PA Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I went to the store, came home , parked and turned off the car. Went to go outside about 10 minutes ,maybe. Black smoke coming from right front. By the time i grabbed the keys and fire extinguisher there were flames coming from the engine compartment

NHTSA complaint #11756416 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Hyundai Santa FE Sulphur, LA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The horn has now stopped working in my vehicle twice. It was replaced 01/27/2023, and is now non-functional again. I believe this to be a safety issue as I have no way to warn other drivers or pedestrians of my presence, if necessary. One example of this, was that a vehicle was proceeding into my lane on the interstate yesterday afternoon and I had to avoid them hitting my vehicle by driving onto the shoulder of the road, as I could not use my horn to let them know they were coming into my lane while I was on the side of them.

NHTSA complaint #11756159 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Hyundai Santa FE Farmers Branch, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid 2025 has a bad factory seal on the high voltage harness - hybrid battery connector that causes water to intrude the connector under normal conditions which can short the battery and pose a major safety issue. Hyundai is refusing warranty coverage of my shorted hybrid battery on my brand new 2025 Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid stating “Flood” with no evidence of flood damage. My car experienced multiple P engine hybrid system faults on XXX and would not drive. I had it towed the Van Hyundai Carrollton on that date. They did not look at the car for over a week and it sat on their lot the entire time. On XXX they finally inspected it and claimed the car had been “flooded” and shorted the hybrid battery. The only evidence they provided was moisture in the high voltage harness. There were no water/silt lines, any other damage to any other components, and no evidence of any water anywhere else on the vehicle. The video they showed of the undercarriage only showed normal splash marks from driving. The car was never flooded/submerged. Any water/moisture found in the harness would have been due to a faulty/defective factory seal that should be impervious to water under normal operating conditions. No water/flooding/submersion damage would have been obvious of this. The dealership refused to provide any evidence and had no follow-up. One key aspect they refused to acknowledge was there was a massive rainstorm in [XXX] onXXX which was also the only rainstorm in the area in the previous 1-2 months. This happened while the car was on the dealer’s lot. The car had no issues with any water prior to being at Van Hyundai. A case was opened with Hyundai Corporate and the Dealship also lied stating the car wasn’t in their system until XXX, which is false as I have phone records, tow records, and appointments showing the 7/10 date, so corporate overlooked that. I disagreed with the dealerships diagnosis as it was a scapegoat finding putting all blame o INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA complaint #11755330 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Hyundai Santa FE Willowick, OH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle suffers from an intermittent, total engine stalling and propulsion failure. Without warning, the engine completely shuts down while driving and automatically drops the vehicle into "Accessory (ACC) Mode". The vehicle is fully intact, operational when it restarts, and is available for immediate inspection upon request How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This issue has occurred five total times in live traffic, severely risking the safety of the vehicle's occupants and surrounding drivers. The most recent and dangerous incident occurred on the freeway in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. A sudden, complete loss of power on a high-speed freeway leaves the vehicle entirely vulnerable to rear-end collisions, as it leaves no room or momentum to safely coast to the shoulder. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The vehicle has been brought to an authorized Hyundai dealership five separate times specifically to diagnose this exact stalling issue. Because the failure is intermittent, dealership service technicians have been unable to replicate the problem during their test drives or resolve the root cause. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected five separate times by authorized Hyundai dealership technicians during the service appointments mentioned above. No police, insurance, or independent manufacturer representatives have inspected the vehicle yet, as the stalling has not yet resulted in a physical crash. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?There are absolutely no dashboard warning lights, check engine indicators, error messages, or mechanical symptoms prior to the failures. The engine shuts down instant

NHTSA complaint #11755009 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Hyundai Santa FE Boca Raton, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

With my 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL, at Cold start the coolant gage on the digital cluster always shows 2-3 bars on the gauge and once the vehicle is put into drive (at least 30-45 seconds start up), the coolant gauze immediately increases in temperature reading without full drive (15 feet after gear placed in Drive). This may be improperly reading the coolant temperature and the OEM thermostat may be defective from manufacturer build. This can cause improper cooling and increase engine failure due to overheating.

NHTSA complaint #11752272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Hyundai Santa FE Greenfield, IN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving on the on ramp to [XXX] the car completely stopped and all systems shut off. There were two dash lights that flashed quickly with one being the check engine light but I did not see the other long enough to identify it. The dealership could not reproduce the issue but has the car now and is doing a more thorough evaluation. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine stopped. Yes it is available How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Extremely dangerous as it came to a stop in the middle of the road. It was late at night so at that moment no one was behind me. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no, the warning lights flashed on as the car died but disappeared once off. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11749471 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Hyundai Santa FE Valencia, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I did a navigation update as requested by the infotainment system on the Hyundai. After the update, the air conditioner would not turn on when the ac button was depressed . I took the vehicle to my local Hyundai dealer and they found the ac blower and ac button working intermittently. After further inspection, the mechanic found the multi fuses that sit on the PCB bloc had one burnt fuse that did not blow and was still hot and the PCB block had melted around where the fuse connected to it. ( Hyundai stated that they required the damaged PCB fuse, the PCB block and the harness). I'm concerned that the electrical short discovered by the Hyundai mechanic could have progress and burnt my car or my house since I keep my car in the garage. The Mechanic working for the Hyundai dealer found the burnt fuses and PCB block and kept them after replacing them with new parts. The ac was working fine until I did the navigation update and there were no warnings whatsoever.

NHTSA complaint #11749431 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Hyundai Santa FE Amboy, IL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have had the vehicle in 4 times for check forward attendition warning system light keeps coming on. The first time they replaced the front camera. The situation came back after I was using the cruise control on a express way. Did not do it do it on the road but as soon as you stopped and turned the vehicle off the vehicle check forward attention warning system would come on and off and the only way to shut it off was to stop from more than 20 minutes and it would reset. Took the vehicle back 3 times and they could replicate so there was nothing they could do. The issue came back today. The check forward attention warning system light keeps going on and off. We stopped and let the vehicle sit and upon restarting the check forward attention did not reset . This time the vehicle lost all volume from the dash board. You could recieve phone but no volume. No radio volume. All the safety features that Bing are not working. Check the set up and the volume had a red 🔺️ next to the volume. 4 times into the shop for the same issur

NHTSA complaint #11748853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Hyundai Santa FE Palm Desert, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Airbag light on. La Quinta Hyundai verified light on scanned codes found active b134800 Driver airbag resistance circuit short to ground 1st stage. Testing found clock spring issue internal fault. Since this clock spring is related to driver airbag, & horn, it would seem that this would be a safety hazard that would be under warranty. The extended warranty (Z01) that I received from Hyundai doesn’t cover my problem.

NHTSA complaint #11748248 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Hyundai Santa FE Upper Marlboro, MD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On [XXX] after spending the day at Henson Creek Golf Course in Fort Washington, MD, I returned to my vehicle and discovered that it had completely lost all electrical power and would not start. The vehicle exhibited no warning signs prior to the failure. Believing the issue to be related to the battery, I contacted AAA for roadside assistance. AAA attempted to jump-start the vehicle, but the jump-start was unsuccessful. The vehicle was subsequently towed on May 18, 2026, to Pohanka Hyundai in Capitol Heights, MD for diagnosis and repair. After approximately nine days, the dealership advised that the battery terminals had been secured and that no additional problem could be identified. On [XXX], the exact same issue occurred again; however, this incident was significantly more dangerous because it occurred while the vehicle was being driven. While traveling during morning rush hour through a busy intersection in Northeast Washington, DC, the vehicle suddenly and completely lost power without warning while in traffic. The vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection, creating an extremely hazardous situation. Fortunately, motorists traveling behind me were able to stop in time, and no collision occurred. However, this incident could easily have resulted in a serious crash involving injuries or fatalities. The vehicle was towed to Ourisman Hyundai in Bowie, MD, where it is currently undergoing additional diagnosis. I am extremely concerned that this vehicle has experienced two complete electrical failures within approximately one month, including one incident that occurred while driving in heavy traffic. Because the dealership was unable to identify the root cause after the first incident, I am concerned that a serious defect may exist involving the vehicle's electrical system, battery system, wiring, power distribution system, or another component affecting vehicle operation and safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11747163 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 Hyundai Santa FE Livermore, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicle stalled while driving — unsafe loss of power. While driving at normal speed, the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning and the electrical system malfunctioned. I had to pull over and restart car. This created a dangerous situation and could have caused a collision. Prior to this incidenct, the vehicle had intermittent electrical issues during startup (flickering electronics). This is the first time the car has experienced during driving, and is now at the Hyundai dealership. The car has been reported as unsafe to drive. This appears similar to other Hyundai stalling/power loss issues and may indicate a developing safety defect. Requesting investigation.

NHTSA complaint #11746699 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Hyundai Santa FE Englewood, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V218000 (Seat Belts) and 25V659000 (Electrical System); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the recall repairs were denied due to a lack of maintenance records with an authorized Hyundai Dealer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint #11746649 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 Hyundai Santa FE Upper Marlboro, MD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On June 24, 2026, my spouse was operating our 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe when the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic, and total electrical failure while actively on the roadway. The vehicle was stopped at a traffic light when all propulsion power was instantly lost, the engine shut down, and all electronic systems—including the center infotainment screens and instrument cluster—went completely dark. Safety Hazard & Entrapment Incident: Simultaneous with the total electrical failure, the vehicle's electronic door lock system malfunctioned. The rear passenger doors and rear liftgate locked completely and could not be disengaged or opened from the inside by the passengers. Due to this total power loss and lock failure, my young daughters were trapped in the rear seats. My spouse was forced to climb over the center console from the front seat into the rear cabin to manually extract our children through the front doors. The family had to abandon the disabled vehicle in live traffic and walk down the roadway to reach a safe location. This constitutes a severe safety hazard involving both sudden loss of motive power on a public road and occupant entrapment due to safety lock/latch failure during an electrical short. The vehicle has been towed to Pohanka Hyundai of Capitol Heights for inspection.

NHTSA complaint #11746406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Hyundai Santa FE Haines City, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Recall for Rearvirw camera and been waiting for over 2 months for the part to become available. Everytime I call they say we only get 1 once in a while sorry. This is not safe if anything happens for visibility.

NHTSA complaint #11746181 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Hyundai Santa FE Pittsburgh, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have videos of these two incidents and others that I could not upload. While driving on the PA Turnpike at 4:25PM on 5/22/26 75 mph my accelerator pedal stopped responding, my front collision warning light, engine, EPB, and numerous other lights came on across my dashboard despite there being no contact with any object and my speed rapidly dropped. The front camera came on as if there was an object too close. I was in the middle lane. While I was trying to move to the shoulder there were tractor trailers behind me and to my right that began flashing their lights because my speed drastically dropped and was unable to safely stay with the flow of traffic in the heavy rain. While still in Drive car started changing through notices on my digital screen "Check Blind-Spot Safety system" "Check Forward Safety system" with the car crash icon, and "Check Driver Attention Warning (DAW) system." Then I began trying to press the accelerator pedal again and the car would not move at all but the tachometer was going to 2x1000rpm. When I turned the car off and turned it back on again the engine light was still on, but the accelerator pedal was responsive. About an hour later when the tow truck driver from AAA attempted to drive the car on to the flat bed the accelerator pedal was unresponsive again. This was at least the fifth time my vehicle had lost propulsion without warning. Every prior time Bowser Hyundai had different reasons for the failure, made a repair, and said it was safe to drive. Another incident occurred 4/7/2026 using cruise control at 84 mph when the car unexpectedly lost propulsion. The accelerator was again unresponsive, I was on the turnpike with two children in the vehicle. I steered towards the shoulder and the car slowed to a stop. After that incident, Bowser Hyundai replaced the transmission on the car. They notified me on June 18 that they believe they fixed the problem again but I don't feel the vehicle is safe for my family and worry it will be deadly

NHTSA complaint #11745518 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Hyundai Santa FE Mechanicsville, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicle experiences severe, intermittent, un-commanded steering inputs from the Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) system at highway speeds (55-70 MPH). The steering wheel violently jerks toward adjacent traffic lanes/shoulders without operator input, lane drift, or warning, requiring immediate high-force manual intervention to overpower mechanical torque and prevent a collision or roadway departure. Chronology of manufacturer notice: - Oct 2024: Initial consumer dispute logs flagged steering safety concerns and unresolved campaign items. - Dec 2024: Opened Corporate Case 24164934, formally alerting consumer affairs to dangerous steering wheel jerking. - Jan 2025: Presented to an authorized dealer; an OTA software update was deployed, but intermittent tracking failures persisted, including failure to recognize lanes at night. - June 2026: Under Case 42680760, the system failed acutely on the interstate, jerking the vehicle out of painted lanes. The malfunction originates in the LKA steering control module and camera hardware, which are intact and available for inspection. Dealerships have not replicated the defect during brief diagnostic windows due to its intermittent nature. The manufacturer has deflected these notifications and refused a forensic diagnostic sweep or mechanical remediation. Instead, case managers attempted to close the file by offering partial financial goodwill for an unrelated cosmetic paint delamination defect on the same vehicle. No warning lamps or error messages precede these events; the system executes aggressive mechanical intervention with zero notice. This system error bypasses driver override thresholds, conflicting with vehicle crash avoidance frameworks. Because the computer fails to log diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) during these steering drops, the manufacturer exploits this data vacuum to deny structural remediation, creating severe multi-vehicle side-impact and rollover risks.

NHTSA complaint #11743968 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Hyundai Santa FE Mebane, NC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicle: 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe | Current Mileage: 140,000 Description of Safety Defect: While operating a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe at speed, the vehicle suffered a sudden, complete, and catastrophic loss of motive power in the middle of a live, active roadway without any prior warning or dashboard indicator lights. The transmission abruptly dropped out of gear and the engine shut down entirely, trapping the driver and three young children in active traffic and creating an immediate, life-threatening highway safety hazard. The vehicle was towed to Sport Durst Hyundai in Durham, NC, where technicians confirmed a total internal transmission failure where the gears fail to engage. This exact mechanical failure mechanism directly mirrors the severe engineering defect detailed in NHTSA Campaign Number 22V746000 (Hyundai Safety Recall 236) for electric oil pump failures causing a sudden loss of drive power. Hyundai Motor America Corporate Case Management has issued a flat denial of all safety and goodwill repair coverage based strictly on the vehicle's 140,000 miles, claiming that mileage absolves them of product liability for a catastrophic drivetrain safety defect that endangered three young children. Furthermore, the franchise dealership is actively withholding the GDS diagnostic failure scan codes from the consumer, calling them "internal documents" to actively suppress federal evidence of this safety failure. Further, the authorized Hyundai dealership engaged in deceptive practices by refusing to put anything in writing, and refusing my request for any diagnostic information, including any report indicating diagnostic error codes, technician summary, etc.

NHTSA complaint #11743203 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Hyundai Santa FE problems