2023 Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 57 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (30% of complaints); the 2021 and 2022 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Mar 2023
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 57 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The vehicle will not accelerate and comes to a complete stop while driving. Within days, it displayed 'Check Hybrid System. Stop safely' and lost propulsion while driving.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Dec 2025
“We were driving in Montana down [XXX] and heard a very large "pop" sound above us. Our vehicle was traveling alone in the area at the time, no other vehicles were around ours. There was no debris on the road or flying in air at the time, either. At this point the panoramic roof glass was closed but the interior cloth cover was open and there was no evidence of any damage. When we stopped for gas, the front glass panel covering behind the windshield and before the panoramic roof glass, was completely shattered. The weather was the same as it had been, 80F with minimal cloud coverage. There was no sudden change in weather/driving conditions.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2025
“Vehicle has gone into limp mode 2 times in the past week. Power when accelerating would not exceed 30 mph when pushing the gas pedal to the floor. Had to pull over as I was getting onto the highway and stop/ power down the car and restart.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2024
Show 7 more owner reports
“As my wife and I were traveling down the interstate at 45 mph, we heard a loud POP, but we were unable to figure out where it came from. Just a few seconds later, the sunroof exploded into a million tiny pieces of glass that partially rained down on our heads and shoulders. It was quite a startling sound. There was a hole about 8 inches across in the moveable sunroof and more pieces were continuing to fall out. To protect our heads, I closed the shade. There was no evidence of an object striking. Windows were all closed when the incident occurred.”Owner report · Visibility · Nov 2024
“Santa Fe will randomly experience inability to accelerate. I will hit the gas pedal, the engine will rev all the way up to power, it will slowly crawl forward and than violently accelerate. From the time I hit the gas pedal to the time it actually starts moving takes several seconds. It does this every time I come to a stop once it starts. It has done this 4 occasions now. It puts me at significant danger trying to turn across traffic. In general, it not accelerating as you would expect is a very dangerous situation. Dealer has had the car for over a month and has had the car reproduce the issue. The HEV light and check engine light had come on a couple of the occurrences.”Owner report · Power Train · Oct 2024
“The Automatic Emergency Braking System, on multiple occasions now, has slammed on its brakes at highway speed when there are no obstacles, barriers, or even vehicles in sight ahead of my wife. This happened to me the other day also when exiting the highway onto an exit ramp when it "Detected Collision" when *nothing* was around me, no vehicles or barriers within any reasonable distance. It's going to end up causing someone to rear end me or her - absolutely unsafe and 100% putting my wife and child at risk. We're taking it to the dealership on Saturday and have verbally informed them of the issue. No warnings, no messages, no nothing prior to incident - the car is practically brand new.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Oct 2024
“I have pinging sound coming from the engine when I accelerate. Transmission seems to skip during acceleration. Took it to the dealership for repair since the car is under warranty. Dealership replaced a bearing in the axle and replaced the turbo. I'm still having the same issues. Dealership had my car for 5 weeks dealing with this issue. I feel they don't know what's causing the problem.”Owner report · Engine · Oct 2024
“Driving down interstate at 70 mph and car started to brake while foot on gas pedal. Would not go...red brake alert came on. Luckily no other car in left lane and pulled off to side of road. Car would not drive. Called tow truck.”Owner report · Electrical System · Sep 2024
“One of the 2 horns has stopped working. After checking the Hyundai Forum website, I've found that one or both horns has suddenly went dead on not just Santa Fe's, but virtually all Hyundai models across the board. This seems to be a widespread defect. This is very dangerous because the cessation of operation is sudden and without warning (ie, no dashboard warning light). If there is a need for the driver to sound a horn in a time of danger there may be absolutely no way to give a warning.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2024
“I was driving 70 MPH on highway and the AEB activated despite no other vehicles in front of me. Thankfully the car behind me was far enough behind that they could swerve out of the way, or it could have been a massive collision. Additionally the person behind me could have swerved into traffic Causing a massive accident. This is happened twice the other time I was going 50 miles an hour. I am afraid to drive this car on the highway now.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Jul 2024
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
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.
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.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Santa FE Hybrid years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Santa FE Hybrid by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2023 Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid reliable?
NHTSA has 57 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2023 Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid. The most complained-about area is engine (30% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2023 Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 15,312 miles or less.
Does the 2023 Hyundai Santa FE Hybrid have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning trailer hitches. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.