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Car · Hyundai problems

2020 Hyundai Santa Fe problems

218 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The most reported area is engine and engine cooling (39% of them). NHTSA also lists 63 service bulletins and 2 recall campaigns.

218owner complaints
14say a crash was involved
9say a fire was involved
15injuries 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: 15. Deaths: 0.

Complaints by area

Each bar is the share of this model year's 218 complaints that name that area. A complaint can name more than one area, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

14 smaller areas not shown (56 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 63 repair bulletins from Hyundai for the 2020 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-016HReceived October 14, 2026

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

  3. 26-01-013H-2Received June 6, 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.

  4. 9C2 060518Received June 6, 2026

    Engine and engine cooling

    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.

  5. 9C2 OLReceived April 22, 2026

    Engine and engine cooling

    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.

  6. 9C2 Susp DNReceived April 2, 2026

    Engine and engine cooling

    Hyundai Motor America is currently investigating an ongoing issue with software GDS event #1383 related to 2015MY Sonata (LFA) 2.4L vehicles.

  7. 25-01-087H-1 DNReceived January 5, 2026

    Engine and engine cooling

    Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Sonata (LFA) and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions.

  8. 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.

Recalls

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. Recall repairs are free at a Hyundai dealer.

  1. 23V181000March 17, 2023Do not drive notice

    Trailer hitches

    Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

  2. 21V00M000December 28, 2021

    Visibility

    During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.

See all 2 recalls for the 2020 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 86 complaints · 39%

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) 26 complaints · 12%

Electrical system 25 complaints · 11%

Visibility and wipers 19 complaints · 9%

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

Check a quote you got

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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2020 Hyundai Santa Fe: questions

What are the most common problems on the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Of the 218 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, 86 (39%) name engine and engine cooling, and 26 (12%) 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 2020 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 14 of the 218 complaints as involving a crash and 9 as involving a fire. They also reported 15 injuries and 0 deaths. NHTSA records these as the owner reports them and does not confirm each one.

How many recalls does the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2020 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 63 repair bulletins for the 2020 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.