2016 Hyundai Santa FE Sport

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Santa FE Sport arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2016 vehicle, but with only 93 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine (42 complaints), typically at 9.8 yr or about 105,000 miles.

Complaints: 93
Median age at failure: 9.8 yr
Median mileage: 77,000 n=32
Crash / fire / tow: 39.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

17V358000 2017-06-05

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.

If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

In owners’ own words

Engine 33,000 mi 2.4 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO COASTAL HYUNDAI (915 W NEW HAVEN AVE, MELBOURNE, FL 32901) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VIBRATION WAS NORMAL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

Engine 83,000 mi 3.8 yr in service

TOOK CAR IN 1 MONTH AGO FOR SERVICE CAMPAIGN (SOFTWARE UPDATE) 2016 SANTA FE SPORT 83,000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY YESTERDAY ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND CAR WENT IN TO 'SAFE MODE' WAS ABLE TO GO ABOUT 1/2 MILE BEFORE IT COMPLETELY STOPPED.. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WAS INFORMED TODAY THE ENGINE FAILED. WAITING FOR APPROVAL FROM HYUNDAI FOR NEW ENGINE. I'M COMPLETELY STUCK IN THIS VEHICLE NOW. NO ONE WILL PAY WHAT IS OWED AND I WILL LOSE TRADING IT IN.

Engine 48,000 mi 5.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE SPONTANEOUSLY AT A PARKING LOT. CAR WAS JUST SERVICED AND INSPECTED A MONTH PRIOR AT THE HYUNDAI DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED IT AND HAD NO PROBLEMS REPORTED. CAR WAS PARKED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. FROM THE INITIAL REPORT FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS A MECHANICAL ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS.

Other Santa FE Sport model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2016 Hyundai Santa FE Sport

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Santa FE Sport model years

How to read this