2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
83 NHTSA owner complaints · 3 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 83 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 83.0
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
While driving in the evening around 9:00 pm with AC on crash detection lights came on along with other emergency dashboard lights . Speed was limited to 23 miles per hour .
My vehicle randomly slows it self down while driving. I would be pressing the gas and the car would voluntarily slow down on its own with no warning. This problem can lead to plenty of accidents due to me or any other driver around me being unaware when my vehicle will brake on its own. The problem has been confirmed by Hyundai Patterson of Tyler, Texas and they have worked on my car twice to fix the issue and it sti…
On 08/22/26 at approximately 11:45 AM I was stopped at a traffic light and struck by a Ford Pickup truck whose approximate speed was 45 mph as described in the police officer who witness the accident totaling my Hyundai 2025 Santa Fe. No airbags were deployed. According to the police officer the frame was bent as well. Please see attached vehicles pictures
Recalls: 3 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 26V218000 | Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, 2023-2026 Genesis G90, 2024-2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The driver and passenger seat belt anchors may detach. |
| 25V808000 | Back Over Prevention:Display Function | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera may not have been installed properly, which can damage the wiring harness and cause the rearview camera image not to display. |
| 25V809000 | Air Bags:Side/Window:Curtain | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 34 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine25 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System25 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System20 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Vehicle Speed Control19 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
- Forward Collision Avoidance15 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Power Train14 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
Other Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid years
Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid years to avoid, and the best years to buy →
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (25 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 40/100, computed from 83 NHTSA complaints and 3 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid's most common problem?
25 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid cost to run per year?
About $4,187 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $20,935 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 06/04/2026. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other midsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 83 complaints, 3 recalls on record
- 83 NHTSA complaints on record (83.0/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (9.2/yr)
- 3 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems