Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
22–25 mpgcombined; city 20–22, highway 26–29; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$12,990–$14,760U.S. average; Ohio $11,610–$13,190 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2020 Santa Fe. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 216 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Santa Fe. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
80
2
4
2
Unknown or other
42
2
6
2
Power train
26
0
0
0
Electrical system
25
1
2
1
Forward collision avoidance
14
1
0
2
Fuel/propulsion system
14
3
0
1
Visibility
14
0
0
0
Service brakes
9
4
0
3
Lane departure
8
0
0
0
Structure
8
0
0
0
Air bags
7
4
0
7
Engine and engine cooling
7
0
0
0
14 more parts
Steering
6
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
5
2
0
0
Visibility/wiper
5
0
0
0
Tires
4
0
0
0
Wheels
4
0
0
1
Exterior lighting
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
3
0
0
0
Seat belts
3
1
0
1
Back over prevention
2
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
2
1
0
0
Trailer hitches
2
0
1
1
Chest clip, buckle, harness
1
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Suspension
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2020 Santa Fe over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 112 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2020 Santa Fe, the latest on Oct 8, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (42), equipment (23), engine (21), engine and engine cooling (15), power train (13).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22003 Loss of Motive Power · covers 3 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2020 Santa Fe.
See used 2020 Hyundai Santa Fes for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Santa Fe Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
22 / 29 / 25
Santa Fe All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 27 / 24
Santa Fe Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 27 / 23
Santa Fe All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 26 / 22
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data