Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 960 safety complaints about the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

960
Complaints
6
Recalls
3
Investigations

Complaints for this vehicle report 14 crashes, 23 fires, 18 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling issues dominate. They appear in 69% of the 960 complaints on file — an unusually concentrated failure pattern.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 128 of the 960 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 6 years after the model year (209 filed in 2023) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 3 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, engine & cooling issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 960 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
661
Power train / transmission
160
Other / unspecified
96
Brakes & stability
68
Electrical
67
Fuel & propulsion
60
Speed control
53
Airbags & restraints
27

"Cold-Start Hesitation & Rough Shifting: Following the 9C2 ECU update, my vehicle is experiencing a brief period of throttle hesitation, rough shifting, or jerky transmission behavior specifically during cold-start operations."

Owner complaint filed August 2026 · Power Train,Electrical System,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11760934

"We are driving on the highway and the engine just stop working but all lights are still working. I am trying to put gas but it seemed that the engine completely shuts off dangerously without warning. This put my family at risk because there were a lot of big trucks beside us. Theta II 2.0L Turbo engine just stalled I believe this has been around . Can you please help us."

Owner complaint filed June 2026 · Power Train,Unknown Or Other,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11747482

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe peaked later than usual, in 2023.

Complaints filed per year — 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
47
66
36
38
29
47
148
209
161
97
82
1617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2017 compares with other model years

Across the Hyundai Santa Fe model years we track, the 2017 has the most complaints on file.

Total complaints by model year — Hyundai Santa Fe
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
605
494
2017
960
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 6 recalls

6 recalls apply to some or all 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Mar 201616V-145
Seat Belts:Front:Warning Light/Devices

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. 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 …

Nov 201616V-842
Electrical System:Wiring

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring har…

Mar 201717V-142
Tires:Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have been set in the correct mode during vehicle assembly, and therefore will not provide an appropriate warning in the event of an unde…

Jun 201717V-358
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. 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.

Sep 201717V-578
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.

Feb 202222V-056
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 960 complaints about the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe have?

The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe has 6 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.