2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 909,227 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

BACK OVER PREVENTION 24V879000 2024-11-21 226,118 affected
Defect

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…

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.

TRAILER HITCHES 23V181000 2023-03-17 584,784 affected
Defect

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…

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.…

POWER TRAIN 22V746000 2022-10-06 56,148 affected
Defect

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…

VISIBILITY 21V00M000 2021-12-28 26,413 affected
Defect

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.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 21V524000 2021-07-09 15,752 affected
Defect

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.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 21V308000 2021-05-03 2 affected
Defect

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.

AIR BAGS 21V185000 2021-03-17 10 affected
Defect

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…

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.

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN
50
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
40
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE
36
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
28
1crashes1fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
15
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
6
SERVICE BRAKES
6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
6
VISIBILITY/WIPER
6
Total complaints236

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“My check engine light came on, and my car was also feeling "sluggish" and slow to accelerate. I scheduled a service appointment at my local dealer 4 days later. At the appointment, the technician stated everything checked out okay and the check engine light was likely an "anomaly" or "outlier" but…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-06-20

“My check engine light came on, and my car was also feeling "sluggish" and slow to accelerate. I scheduled a service appointment at my local dealer 4 days later. At the appointment, the technician stated everything checked out okay and the check engine light was likely an "anomaly" or "outlier" but…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-06-20

“My check engine light came on, and my car was also feeling "sluggish" and slow to accelerate. I scheduled a service appointment at my local dealer 4 days later. At the appointment, the technician stated everything checked out okay and the check engine light was likely an "anomaly" or "outlier" but…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2026-06-20

“The contact owns a 2021 hyundai santa fe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5-30 mph, the transmission failed to shift properly, and the vehicle lost motive power. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-06-18

“Driving down the interstate to work at around 70 mph at approximately 6:40 am and the front sunroof exploded upwards. Nothing of impact, just a loud explosion and glass blew upwards. The broken glass is positioned upward. The cover of the sunroof was closed and it was not currently in use.…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2026-05-05

“On march 17, 2026, the sunroof of our hyundai sante fe 2021 exploded. The driver and two passengers were not hurt because the sunroof was closed and the liner in place when the explosion took place. The incident occurred on an open country highway on a sunny afternoon with no other vehicles or…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2026-03-17

“I was about to turn into a 2 lane road and a warning came on my dash, "shifter system malfunction service immediately " my vehicle was in drive I was unable to move my vehicle, unable to shift into any other gear. It was sudden with no warning or loss of power prior to the warning and loss of…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-02-26

“When I try to open the fuel cover it wont' open. I have to lock and unlock my car, sometimes up to 10 times, to get the fuel fill door to open. This eventually is going to leave me stranded somewhere stranded. Some of my same year and model are covered under recall for this issue by when I call…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-02-19

Defect investigations

Investigation DP22003 Opened 2022-09-12 · closed 2023-12-12

Loss of Motive Power

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.