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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
7
on record
MPG
combined

Open recalls on record

7 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

7 recalls
163 complaints
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 7 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 4 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 163 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
7
Owner complaints
163
Complaints citing a crash
4

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

7 Recalls on Record

1 of these is high-severity. Contact a dealer to verify these have been completed.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

7 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 21V524000high

    Fuel system issue

    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail.

    Consequence

    A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 207.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V00M000high

    Visibility issue

    VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

    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.

    Consequence

    A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V185000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles. The Occupant Detection System (ODS) module may not deactivate the air bag upon detection of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Consequence

    In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.

    Remedy

    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ODS module, free of charge. All affected vehicles have been remedied as of May 12, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 202.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V308000high

    Fuel system issue

    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 2.5-litre Turbo engines. The fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly.

    Consequence

    An insufficiently tightened fuel pipe may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    Dealers inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection, free of charge. The affected vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 206.

    Full campaign record
  • 22V746000high

    Drivetrain issue

    POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

    Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.

    Consequence

    Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.

    Full campaign record
  • 23V181000high

    Trailer hitches

    TRAILER HITCHES

    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.

    Consequence

    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V879000high

    Rear-visibility system issue

    BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

    Consequence

    A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    14.7%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Standard

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 14.7% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.

The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.

Consumer complaints

163 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

163
Total
4
Crashes
1
Fires
2
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ENGINE72
  • OTHER39
  • ELECTRICAL18
  • VISIBILITY13
  • BRAKES6

Notable Issues

163 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 2 reports involve injuries. 4 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)72
miscellaneous issues39
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)18

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 24V879000

    A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.

  2. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP22003

    Loss of Motive Power

  3. Recall

    Recall 23V181000

    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

  4. Recall

    Recall 22V746000

    Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

  5. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation DP22003

    Loss of Motive Power

  6. Recall

    Recall 21V00M000

    A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

  7. Recall

    Recall 21V524000

    A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.

  8. Recall

    Recall 21V308000

    An insufficiently tightened fuel pipe may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.

  9. Recall

    Recall 21V185000

    In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Unknown
Drive type
Unknown
Engine
0L 0-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Unknown
Seats
0

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 24V879000

    A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.

  2. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP22003

    Loss of Motive Power

  3. Recall

    Recall 23V181000

    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

  4. Recall

    Recall 22V746000

    Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

  5. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation DP22003

    Loss of Motive Power