2012 Hyundai Santa FE

Typical pattern

7.6% of complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (228 complaints), typically at 7.6 yr or about 90,000 miles.

Complaints: 472
Median age at failure: 6.3 yr
Median mileage: 58,400 n=377
Crash / fire / tow: 16.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

228 reports · 90,000 mi

7.6 yr

16.2%

Electrical system

43 reports · 60,000 mi

7.5 yr

16.3%

Speed control

39 reports · 17,000 mi

1.7 yr

25.6%

Service brakes

25 reports · 29,827 mi

2.8 yr

28%

Power train

23 reports · 22,650 mi

2.4 yr

4.3%

Other

16 reports · 90,000 mi

8.6 yr

6.2%

Steering

16 reports · 44,332 mi

4.4 yr

6.2%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

20V746000 2020-12-01

Engine

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Veloster, 2012 Santa Fe, 2011-2013 Sonata Hybrid, and 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which over time can result in engine damage.

A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Speed control 250 mi 6 mo in service

WHILE CHANGING LANES, THERE WAS A SUDDEN LACK OF RESPONSE WHILE I WAS PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THIS ONLY LASTED A MILLISECOND BUT WAS ENOUGH THAT I STARTED TO PRESS DOWN TO COMPLETE THE CHANGE WHEN THROTTLE RESPONSE RETURNED. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES IN THE 3 MONTHS SINCE PURCHASING THIS AUTO. *JS

Speed control 5,500 mi 1.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

MY SANTA FE HYUNDAI 2012 ACCELERATED UNINTENTIONALLY WHEN I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT. I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO THE PARKING SPOT WHEN IT LURCHED FULL THROTTLE OVER TWO BUSHES AND KNOCKED DOWN A BLACK IRON FENCE AND I PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND I WAS ON THE SIDE WALK. I COULD HAVE HIT A PEDESTRIAN! IT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING. *TR

Speed control 5,000 mi 1.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 3 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING SPOT THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A BUSH AND WENT THROUGH A FENCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND A COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

Service brakes 43,220 mi 2.5 yr in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE TRAVELING ON STATE PARK ROAD GREENVILLE SC, A MAIL TRUCK WAS STOPPED IN ROAD. AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I SWERVED OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING THE TRUCK. I SIDE SWIPED SEVERAL TREES CAUSING APPROX. $5000.00 WORTH OF DAMAGE. *TR

Other Santa FE 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.