2014 Hyundai Santa FE problems & reliability

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

Most reported problems

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 62,643 miles (middle 50% between 28,219 and 98,750 miles), based on 234 complaints that included mileage.

Complaints by incident year

What owners report

• “We are the original owner of a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. The vehicle is experiencing issues from internal engine oil consumption caused by a manufacturing defect in the GDI powertrain. In 2023, while driving under normal operating conditions, the vehicle began severely jerking, shuddering and hesitating during…”

  Engine · filed Jun 17, 2026

• “My car was in shop for Smog inspection and failed. Mechanic told me that the most likely reason was that the engine has issues related to failing crankshaft position sensor which triggered the check engine light. He further explained that the engine with this condition will have abnormal oil consumption. My experience…”

  Engine · filed Jun 5, 2026

• “Driving to work at 0730 on 20 may, i put my foot down to accelerate from 40mph and nothing happened, i tried again thinking foot placement and the engine died. All ligjts went out, engine turned off and i free coasted for 100 -150yards. Once stopped i mangaed to get the hazard lights on, and get out the vehicle. I was…”

  Engine · filed May 22, 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

• Engine Fires

  Engineering Analysis EA21003 · opened Dec 22, 2021 · closed Feb 5, 2024 · led to recall 23V877

• Throttle control system vulnerabilities

  Defect Petition DP21003 · opened Nov 12, 2021 · closed Jun 20, 2023

• Non-crash Vehicle Fires

  Preliminary Evaluation PE19003 · opened Mar 29, 2019 · closed Dec 22, 2021 · led to recall 21V727000

• Non-crash Vehicle Fires

  Defect Petition DP18003 · opened Aug 21, 2018 · closed May 10, 2019 · led to recall 19V204000

• Scope and Timeliness

  Recall Query RQ17004 · opened May 18, 2017 · closed Dec 22, 2021 · led to recall 19V063000

Technical service bulletins

118 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2014 Hyundai Santa FE. 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

• 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

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co.…

  DTN DL · Other · issued Apr 10, 2026

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety…

  DTN DCS · Other · issued Apr 10, 2026

• Certain Santa Fe / Santa Fe XL (NC) vehicles equipped with 3.3L Lambda II GDI engines may exhibit abnormal engine noise or damage. Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 26-EM-002H describes the procedure to inspect the…

  26-EM-002H DCS · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Feb 11, 2026

• Certain Santa Fe / Santa Fe XL (NC) vehicles equipped with 3.3L Lambda II GDI engines may exhibit abnormal engine noise or damage. This bulletin describes the procedure to inspect the engine and perform the proper…

  26-EM-002H TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Feb 11, 2026

• Certain Santa Fe / Santa Fe XL (NC) vehicles equipped with 3.3L Lambda II GDI engines may exhibit abnormal engine noise or damage. This service procedure describes to inspect the engine and perform the proper repair…

  26-EM-002H DN · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Feb 11, 2026

• In response to this trend, we engineered a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method and made it available to owners of eligible models free of charge at authorized Hyundai dealers since early 2023…

  P33 OL · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025

• Upon customer's request ONLY, the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-089H provides the service procedure for installation of a key cylinder reinforcement protector assembly and two anti-theft decals on the front…

  25-01-089H DCS · Other · issued Dec 15, 2025

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 2014 Hyundai Santa FE has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.