2021 Hyundai Santa FE Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: October 1, 2025 · Filed: November 1, 2026

For approximately the past year, my 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, currently with about 23,000 miles, has experienced intermittent engine and fuel-system problems. During start-up, the vehicle sometimes makes an abnormal rattling/cranking noise, followed by noticeable engine and vehicle vibration. Warning lights may appear, and on some occasions the engine does not start successfully on the first attempt. When it does start, it may initially run rough. The vehicle has also stalled intermittently and has had repeated incidents where pressing the accelerator produced little to no engine response or acceleration. This creates a serious safety concern because the vehicle may unexpectedly stall, lose power, or fail to accelerate when needed while driving. The vehicle has been at an authorized Hyundai dealership for more than one month. The dealership has been working with Hyundai Tech Line and has replaced or evaluated the low-pressure fuel pump, high-pressure fuel injector, high-pressure fuel pump, MPI/port fuel injector, and valve cover. The latest recommendation is to drain, clean, and refill the fuel tank. Despite these repair attempts, the root cause has not been clearly identified or permanently resolved. I am concerned that the repair process has become trial and error, with additional components being replaced while the underlying safety-related issue remains unresolved. I am also being asked to pay out-of-pocket for some of these unsuccessful repair attempts. The vehicle is currently at the Hyundai dealership and is available for inspection if needed.

Incident: October 6, 2026 · Filed: November 1, 2026

My 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe SE (VIN: 5NMS64AJ0MH331625), with approximately 93,000 miles, has repeatedly experienced a dangerous loss of acceleration while driving at highway speeds of approximately 60 mph. When I press the gas pedal, the vehicle fails to accelerate, making it difficult to merge, pass, or respond safely to traffic. The vehicle does not suddenly slow down, but it will not increase speed when needed. This creates a serious safety risk to me and other motorists. The problem occurs without a check-engine light or advance warning. I have noticed abnormal behavior involving the Idle Stop & Go “A” indicator, which changes between orange and white. Coconut Creek Hyundai, an authorized Hyundai dealership, has inspected the vehicle multiple times. The dealership initially replaced the battery, then diagnosed and replaced the high-pressure fuel pump. The pump was replaced a second time due to a reported issue with the replacement. Software updates or resets were also performed. Despite these repairs, the original acceleration problem continued. The dealership has now diagnosed all four fuel injectors as severely clogged or defective and recommends replacing them. The service advisor stated in writing that the high-pressure fuel pump failure caused the injectors to fail. However, the dealership has not explained why this damage was not identified during earlier repairs or provided assurance that replacing the injectors will resolve the acceleration problem. Hyundai Motor America has been contacted regarding the repairs. The vehicle and dealership service records are available for inspection upon request. Availability of previously removed parts must be confirmed with the dealership. I request that NHTSA investigate this recurring highway acceleration failure as a potential vehicle safety defect. Multiple repair attempts have failed to resolve a condition that could result in a serious accident.

Incident: September 1, 2026 · Filed: October 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera displayed a distorted pixelated image on the screen. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and stated that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V879000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Incident: September 20, 2026 · Filed: October 12, 2026

On September 20, 2026, my 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy suffered sluggish acceleration while operating on a public roadway due to an internal dual-clutch transmission (DCT) failure. The Malfunction indicator light illuminated, and a diagnostic scan revealed stored history code P1C2D03, indicating a total breakdown of the high-pressure electric pump assembly. As of September 21, 2026 the vehicle is currently grounded at an authorized Hyundai dealership under an approved factory warranty repair Prior Authorization (PA) request. However the dealership has issued a written admission of "NO ETA" because the replacement transmission components are on an indefinite national backordered and are no longer being manufactured . Because the vehicle cannot be repaired in a reasonable timeframe due to a severe factory design defect , it remains unresolved.

Incident: September 8, 2026 · Filed: September 9, 2026

The contact owned a 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly caught on fire. The contact's wife became aware that the radio was inoperable before the failure. Additionally, the contact’s wife’s eyes were irritated, and there was a hot, harsh odor which grew stronger very quickly. The odor was inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the smoke was black, and flames started shooting out from under the hood to consume the vehicle. The vehicle was a total loss. The fire was extinguished by the Murphysboro Fire Department. The Fire Department was unable to determine where the fire had started. There was a Police report filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Incident: June 15, 2026 · Filed: August 27, 2026

The door to the gas tank is a push door which is temperamental. I can be at the pump and push the door to pop it open and it won't. I'm at the point where I have to pop my gas tank open before I even get to the gas station because to pull up to the pump and not be able to put gas in the tank is a waste of time. There is no lever to flip along side the driver seat because it is a push to open door.. it is available for inspection, however, it is temperamental. I will video it so I have proof as it works and it doesn't work. It has not been inspected by anyone only because if it is a defect in the motor for the door, I want Hyundai to recall it. I have gone on YouTube to see if there are remedies and yes, there are videos on how to open the door in case you cannot push it open. I cannot do this because I'm not ruining the back of my car as there is no compartment to open as shown in the YT video. I am not one to let my tank get down to less than 1/2 tank, especially not now. But why am I worrying about popping the door open when I'm not even at the gas station yet??

Incident: July 30, 2026 · Filed: August 12, 2026

My rear back up camera intermitting stops working. I can shift into reverse sometimes and the camera does not come on at all, other times the screen blinks and other times the screen has green lines and glitchy lines. The camera will also come on while I'm DRIVING forward

Incident: July 11, 2026 · Filed: July 21, 2026

When i select (R) reverse my camera does not come on. It started as just a flashing screen, but does not come on. It has come on momentarily while I am (D)driving. it has flashed a green screen before.

Incident: July 6, 2026 · Filed: July 7, 2026

Fuel door mechanism stops working leaving you unable to add fuel. Is a constant complaint in 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. My vehicle's door mechanism as stopped working 53,000 miles as well.

Incident: June 12, 2026 · Filed: July 7, 2026

The windshield wipers intermittently stop working. This has been occurring for 2 years and the 5dealership cannot find an issue because they always work when the car is in for service. They also now want to charge a diagnostic fee each time it's in since the car is no longer under warranty