2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport problems & reliability
344 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport vehicles were involved in 26 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 196 | 57% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 41 | 12% |
| Power Train | 39 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 35 | 10% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 25 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 25 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 16 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 13 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 13 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 10 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 45,000 miles (middle 50% between 19,000 and 94,216 miles), based on 143 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On February 24, 2026, I had the 9C2 software update. My vehicle was being checked for oil consumption. Since then I have had issues with it hard shifting when first starting to drive and sometimes after I've been driving a while. This has continued miles down the road, sometimes over thirty minutes after driving. It…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 2, 2026
“After the recent "important service campaign" involving the THETA II Emissions Logic Improvement my vehicle no longer safety shifts into the lower gears. It will not shift into gear. I am unable to safely get up to a normal speed and the engine and vehicle start shaking. This is isolated to the initial start of the…”
Engine · filed Aug 1, 2026
“Airbag light illuminates on the dash and the seatbelt light illuminates intermittently as the seat electrical harness under the seat only connects in certain positions of the seat. My issue is associated with the passenger seat. This airbag light is associated with the airbag not firing or improperly firing. To avoid…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 1, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
Audit Query AQ23002 · opened Nov 17, 2023 · open
- Loss of Motive Power
Defect Petition DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
Technical service bulletins
194 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport. The 10 most recent:
Certain 2012 – 2017 model year Accent, 2012 – 2017 model year Azera, 2013 – 2018 model year Santa Fe Sport, 2013 – 2019 model year Santa Fe, and 2012 – 2017 model year Veloster vehicles may exhibit an intermittent…
Z01 Letter · Warranty Program/Extension · issued May 23, 2026
Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. The California Air Resources Board has determined that these…
26-01-013H-2 DN · Service Campaign · issued May 21, 2026
Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. This bulletin provides instructions for updating the Engine…
26-01-013H-2 TSB · Service Campaign · issued May 21, 2026
Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (Theta II Emissions Improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. If present, this condition is…
9C2 060518 · Service Campaign · issued May 19, 2026
Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (Theta II Emissions Improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. If present, this condition is…
9C2 DCS 260518 · Service Campaign · issued May 19, 2026
Certain Hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. The paint warranty coverage for affected…
26-BD-002H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 28, 2026
Some Hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. The paint warranty coverage for affected…
26-BD-002H DN · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 28, 2026
Some vehicles listed below may exhibit an intermittent airbag warning light and DTC(s) B1763 (OCS ECU Defect), and/or B1764 (OCS Mat Defect) may be stored. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage of the sensor for…
26-BE-011H DN · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 25, 2026
Some vehicles listed below may exhibit an intermittent airbag warning light and DTC(s) B1763 (OCS ECU Defect), and/or B1764 (OCS Mat Defect) may be stored. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage of the sensor for…
26-BE-011H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 25, 2026
Certain 2019 – 2020 model year Santa Fe, 2017 – 2018 model year Santa Fe Sport, 2015 – 2019 model year Sonata, and 2018 – 2021 model year Tucson vehicles may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. Hyundai is conducting…
9C2 OL · Service Campaign · issued Apr 14, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2017 Hyundai Santa FE Sport?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 45,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.