2022 Hyundai Santa Fe: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
197 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
The Santa Fe carries the Theta II 2.4 and 2.0 turbo engines and the same recall history as the Sonata, but its complaint counts are lower because its volumes are lower. The 2017 model year is the outlier, with 951 complaints, almost all engine failure and fire. Read the full note on the model page. 2022 specifically: a year the record favours — 197 complaints, score 74/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe and Elantra: beyond the engine recall, including 2022 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
Owner complaints: 197 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 49.25
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Symptoms are those described in Hyundai recall 236 (delayed shifting,hesitation, stalling). Vehicle has had multiple TSP services at Hyundai but symptoms persist intermittently. Software updates do not fix issue. Hyundai dealer has no other remedies.
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked or hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after two separate warranty repairs of the fuel injector, the failure persisted. In addition, the contact stated that the rear-view camera intermittently displayed a distorted or blank …
While accelerating, the 8-speed transmission sporadically hangs in 1st gear and will not change to 2nd. The motor revs to about 4000 rpm and will only travel at about 15 mph. This causes a safety hazard when attempting to enter fast moving traffic. After several attempts, the Dealer has said that they cannot duplicate this issue in their shop and has not made necessary warranty repairs to fix this vehicle. Hyundai…
Recalls: 5 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 22V746000 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission | Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power. |
| 21V524000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rail. |
| 23V181000 | Trailer Hitches | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit… |
| 24V879000 | Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. |
| 22V197000 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Turbo/Supercharger | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment. |
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 24 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,550
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.
- Power Train57 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Engine53 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other45 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System31 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System28 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Vehicle Speed Control16 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
Other Hyundai Santa Fe years
Hyundai Santa Fe years to avoid, and the best years to buy →
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (57 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 74/100, computed from 197 NHTSA complaints and 5 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe's most common problem?
57 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is transmission service or clutch-pack repair: about 7.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,290–$4,040 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 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe cost to run per year?
About $4,715 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $23,578 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 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 06/10/2022. 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 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe 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.
Strong evidence — 197 complaints, 5 recalls on record
- 197 NHTSA complaints on record (49.2/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (46.5/yr)
- 5 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems