Model year 2026 · Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD, Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings
EPA rates the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe at 21–36 mpg combined across 5 versions. NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 58 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Safety recalls
4
EPA combined mpg
21–36
NHTSA overall rating
5/5
Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT
NHTSA lists this vehicle as SANTA FE HYBRID.
Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Hyundai dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe recalls
NHTSA's recall file lists 4 safety recalls for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, newest first.
Seat belts: Front: Anchorage
NHTSA 26V218000Reported Apr 6, 2026
Filed by
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 298-032G)
Units affected
294,448 (estimate)
Problem
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.
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 293)
Units affected
41,651 (estimate)
Problem
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 289 (H); 029G (G))
Units affected
258 (estimate)
Problem
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.
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 281)
Units affected
29 (estimate)
Problem
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.
Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.
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2026 Hyundai Santa Fe fuel economy by version
EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination. Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.
Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.
EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Rollover risk
Forward collision warning
2026 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID SUV HEV AWD
5 stars
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
17.4%
No
2026 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID SUV HEV FWD
5 stars
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
18.5%
No
2026 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV N/A AWD
5 stars
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
17.4%
No
2026 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUV N/A FWD
5 stars
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
18.5%
No
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.
Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.
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2026 Hyundai Santa Fe owner complaints
Owners have filed 58 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, most recently on Oct 22, 2026. 0 mention a crash, 0 a fire, 3 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.
Most-cited components in 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe complaints
Component named in complaints
Mentions
Unknown or other
14
Electrical system
11
Engine
7
Seats
6
Forward collision avoidance: Adaptive cruise control
