2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

Showing the 2025 Santa Fe XRT. EPA's version Santa Fe XRT shows it with a 2.5 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
22–36 mpgcombined; city 19–36, highway 26–35; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$9,020–$14,760U.S. average; Ohio $8,060–$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 overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
5over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
236filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2025 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.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 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
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system59000
Engine48101
Power train46101
Unknown or other42101
Forward collision avoidance35100
Fuel/propulsion system33000
Vehicle speed control30201
Tires19000
Visibility/wiper14100
Lane departure11000
Seat belts9202
Seats7001
10 more parts
Back over prevention6000
Service brakes6000
Steering6000
Air bags5507
Structure4102
Suspension4000
Wheels3000
Equipment2000
Chest clip, buckle, harness1000
Visibility1000

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.

  1. 2006106
  2. 2007684
  3. 2008541
  4. 2009358
  5. 2010259
  6. 2011181
  7. 2012353
  8. 2013805
  9. 2014657
  10. 2015337
  11. 2016306
  12. 20171,326
  13. 2018432
  14. 2019227
  15. 2020216
  16. 2021187
  17. 2022265
  18. 2023290
  19. 2024190
  20. 2025236
  21. 202655

Every Santa Fe year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2025 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.

Seat belts: front

NHTSA campaign 26V218000 · reported Apr 6, 2026 · 294,448 vehicles potentially affected

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, 2023-2026 Genesis G90, 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach.

Risk: A detached seat belt anchor will not adequately restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinforce or replace the seat belt anchors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning May 29, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460 and Genesis customer service at 844-340-9741. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 298 and 032G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov April 8, 2026.

NHTSA's record and documents

Back over prevention: display function

NHTSA campaign 25V808000 · reported Nov 20, 2025 · 143,472 vehicles potentially affected

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 288. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags: side/window

NHTSA campaign 25V809000 · reported Nov 20, 2025 · 258 vehicles potentially affected

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.

Risk: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.

NHTSA's record and documents

Electrical system: starter assembly

NHTSA campaign 25V659000 · reported Oct 2, 2025 · 135,386 vehicles potentially affected

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe vehicles. The B+ positive terminal cover on the starter motor assembly may be improperly installed, which can cause an electrical short during a crash.

Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reinstall the starter motor terminal cover, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 285. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 4, 2025.

NHTSA's record and documents

Engine and engine cooling: critical fasteners

NHTSA campaign 25V549000 · reported Aug 25, 2025 · 29 vehicles potentially affected

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.

Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 44 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2025 Santa Fe, the latest on Oct 8, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (18), engine (8), seats (8), power train (4), structure (3).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

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 2025 Santa Fe.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2025 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: 5–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Santa Fe
Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S8)Regular Gasoline20 / 29 / 24
Santa Fe
All-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S8)Regular Gasoline20 / 28 / 23
Santa Fe Hybrid
Front-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S6)Regular Gasoline36 / 35 / 36
Santa Fe Hybrid
All-Wheel Drive
1.6 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S6)Regular Gasoline35 / 34 / 34
Santa Fe XRT
All-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S8)Regular Gasoline19 / 26 / 22

Sources and dates

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