Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid: 5 model years scored from 140 NHTSA owner complaints and 15 recall campaigns. Worst year 2025, best year 2021.
Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid ranges from 40/100 in 2025 to 92/100 in 2023 — a 52-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Santa Fe Hybrid at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (25 of them).
Avoid: 2025 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2021 (score 89). Worst: 2025 (score 40, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40 | AVOID | $3,907 | 83 | 3 |
| 2024 | 83 | BUY | $2,470 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | 92 | BUY | $2,760 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 79 | BUY | $3,076 | 37 | 4 |
| 2021 | 89 | BUY | $3,066 | 20 | 3 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Santa Fe Hybrid sub-models & family
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
Across every Santa Fe Hybrid model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine46 complaints across all Santa Fe Hybrid years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System36 complaints across all Santa Fe Hybrid years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train34 complaints across all Santa Fe Hybrid years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Fuel/Propulsion System29 complaints across all Santa Fe Hybrid years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Forward Collision Avoidance20 complaints across all Santa Fe Hybrid years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
- Vehicle Speed Control19 complaints across all Santa Fe Hybrid years · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement$520–$1,150
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2025 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2025 is the weakest at 40/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid years to buy?
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2023 at 92/100, on 0 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid problem?
46 of the complaints filed against the Santa Fe Hybrid across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04