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Car · Hyundai problems

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

236 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The most reported area is engine and engine cooling (65% of them). NHTSA also lists 67 service bulletins and 3 recall campaigns.

236owner complaints
6say a crash was involved
2say a fire was involved
6injuries and deaths reported

Counts are what owners told NHTSA, as filed. NHTSA does not confirm each report, and a complaint is not proof of a cause. Injuries: 6. Deaths: 0.

Complaints by area

Each bar is the share of this model year's 236 complaints that name that area. A complaint can name more than one area, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

12 smaller areas not shown (35 complaints in total).

Do not compare models by these numbers. NHTSA has no sales count for each model, so a model with more complaints may just have sold more cars. Use them to see which areas owners write about, not to rank cars.

Service bulletins

NHTSA's database lists 67 repair bulletins from Hyundai for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. A bulletin is a repair instruction sent to dealers. It is not a recall and does not mean your car is covered. The 8 newest:

  1. 26-GI-004HReceived October 28, 2026

    Backup camera and sensors

    Some Hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (PDW) sensor(s) that may trigger various DTCs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the PDW...

  2. 26-EM-015HReceived October 13, 2026

    Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption.

  3. 26-EM-017HReceived October 9, 2026

    Certain Palisade (LX2) and Santa Fe (NC) vehicles equipped with Lambda II 6-cylinder engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption.

  4. Z01 LetterReceived June 6, 2026

    Air bags

    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...

  5. 26-BE-011HReceived May 8, 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.

  6. 26-EM-002HReceived March 7, 2026

    Certain Santa Fe / Santa Fe XL (NC) vehicles equipped with 3.3L Lambda II GDI engines may exhibit abnormal engine noise or damage.

  7. 25-BD-012HReceived November 12, 2025

    Information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp.

  8. HSE25-12-P270Received September 3, 2025

    Engine and engine cooling

    The warranty coverage of certain engines for repairs and replacement has been extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles (15years or 240,000km) from the date of original retail delivery or date of...

Recalls

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. Recall repairs are free at a Hyundai dealer.

  1. 22V056000February 3, 2022Do not drive notice

    Service brakes, hydraulic

    The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.

  2. 17V358000June 5, 2017

    Latches/locks/linkages

    In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

  3. 16V145000March 10, 2016

    Seat belts

    In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front...

See all 3 recalls for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, or check your VIN below to see which are open on your car.

Common repairs in this area (not a diagnosis)

These are repair jobs that sit in the areas owners report most. A complaint may need a diagnosis first: the same symptom can come from many causes, and a serious one such as engine failure is not fixed by a cheap part. They are not a forecast of what your Santa Fe will need. Ranges are US estimates for all makes.

Start with a diagnosis

Engine and engine cooling 153 complaints · 65%

No repair price here: this area usually needs a diagnosis first. A diagnostic scan (check engine light) runs $55 to $250.

Power train (transmission and drive) 21 complaints · 9%

Service brakes 17 complaints · 7%

Electrical system 11 complaints · 5%

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Check your VIN

Complaints and bulletins cover a whole model year. Only the VIN shows what is open on your car.

0 of 17 characters

Recall and complaint data comes from NHTSA, the US government's vehicle safety agency, and is cached for up to a day. Recall repairs at a dealer are free. A recall that is not listed may not apply to your car or may not be filed yet. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls too.

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2016 Hyundai Santa Fe: questions

What are the most common problems on the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Of the 236 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, 153 (65%) name engine and engine cooling, and 21 (9%) name power train (transmission and drive). A complaint can list more than one area, so the shares add up to more than 100%. These are owner reports, not proven causes.

Is the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?

These numbers cannot say. NHTSA complaints have no sales count to compare against, so a high number on one model does not mean it fails more than another. Use them to see which areas owners write about, then check your own VIN for open recalls.

Do these complaints include crashes or fires?

Owners marked 6 of the 236 complaints as involving a crash and 2 as involving a fire. They also reported 6 injuries and 0 deaths. NHTSA records these as the owner reports them and does not confirm each one.

How many recalls does the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. Recall repairs are free at a Hyundai dealer. Enter your VIN to see which ones are open on your car.

What is a service bulletin?

A service bulletin is a repair instruction a maker sends to its dealers. It is not a recall, and it does not mean your car is covered. NHTSA lists 67 repair bulletins for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe.

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Sources

Complaint, bulletin and recall counts come from NHTSA as filed. Repair prices are estimates from our own ranges. Not a repair shop, estimates only.