Ford Edge vs Hyundai Santa Fe: which is more reliable?
The Ford Edge and the Hyundai Santa Fe are level on the federal record — 69/100 against 67/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Ford Edge
- 13 model years scored
- 9,716 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 62 recall campaigns, 21 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (90/100) · worst 2017 (35/100)
Hyundai Santa Fe
- 11 model years scored
- 3,748 owner complaints on record
- about 62 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (90/100) · worst 2025 (35/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Edge against Santa Fe
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Ford Edge
- Engine — 2,201 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,787 complaints
- Service Brakes — 1,606 complaints
Hyundai Santa Fe
- Engine — 1,901 complaints
- Power Train — 493 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 407 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Ford Edge — avoid: 2013, 2017.
Hyundai Santa Fe — avoid: 2017, 2025.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Ford Edge prices at about $37,400 and a Hyundai Santa Fe at about $40,800 — the Ford Edge is roughly $3,400 less, and they return 21.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Edge or the Hyundai Santa Fe more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Ford Edge scores 69/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe's 67/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe years should I avoid?
Ford Edge: 2013, 2017. Hyundai Santa Fe: 2017, 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Edge and the Hyundai Santa Fe?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Edge is Engine (2,201 complaints); on the Hyundai Santa Fe it is Engine (1,901).
Is the Ford Edge or the Hyundai Santa Fe cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Edge prices at about $37,400 and a Hyundai Santa Fe at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.