Three Hyundais with nothing in common except the badge, and the record treats them very differently. The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is a clear case: buy the 2015 or 2016, which score 87 and 93, and avoid the 2017 and 2018, which have 345 and 415 complaints and score 41 and 37. The Hyundai Genesis of 2011 to 2016 has one year to avoid, 2015, at 305 complaints and a score of 39, and one CAUTION, 2012, at 269 and 59. The Hyundai Kona has eight years on record and every one of them is a BUY, from 93 for the 2018 car to 74 for the 2024; its only real pattern is an Engine count that peaks on the 2019 car and falls away.
The Santa Fe Sport: 2017 and 2018
The Santa Fe Sport's record has a single component in it. Engine is the top category in all six years, and the count goes 108, 93, 41, 41, 197, 240. The first two years are high but the recall list explains them: campaign 17V226000 (31/03/2017) covers the 2013 and 2014 cars for machining errors that cause premature bearing wear inside the engine, and 18V934000 (28/12/2018) covers the same cars for a high-pressure fuel pipe that may have been damaged during that repair. Service Brakes and Hydraulic are second and third in 2013 at 42 and 32, and two campaigns cover the anti-lock brake module on 2013 to 2015 cars, 20V520000 (27/08/2020) and 21V303000 (28/04/2021), for brake fluid leaking inside the module and causing an electrical short, with 23V651000 (22/09/2023) covering the 2013 car's hydraulic control unit. With those closed, the 2013 and 2014 cars score 72 and 78, and the 2015 and 2016 cars, with 82 and 66 complaints, are the years to have.
Then the count goes the wrong way. The 2017 car has 345 complaints, 38.3 per year on the road, and Engine accounts for 197 of them; the 2018 car has 415 complaints, 51.9 per year, and Engine is 240. Service Brakes is second in both years at 57 and 68, Hydraulic 41 and 48, and Fuel/Propulsion System appears on the 2018 list at 38. There is no engine campaign on the 2017 or 2018 car. The only campaigns are the ABS module, 22V056000 (03/02/2022) on both years and 22V810000 (27/10/2022) on the 2018 car, the second of which names an engine compartment fire as the possible outcome, plus a seat belt anchor bolt on the 2017 car (17V365000, 05/06/2017) and a side curtain air bag and front coil springs on the 2018 car (17V801000, 13/12/2017, and 17V577000, 20/09/2017). The record shows the Engine pattern without a campaign to match it, which is the worst position for a buyer: no free repair, and no way to tell from a VIN whether a given car is one of the 240.
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 37 | AVOID | 415 | 4 |
| 2017 | 41 | AVOID | 345 | 3 |
| 2016 | 93 | BUY | 66 | 1 |
| 2015 | 87 | BUY | 82 | 3 |
| 2014 | 78 | BUY | 161 | 5 |
| 2013 | 72 | BUY | 197 | 6 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport model page.
The Genesis: 2012 and 2015
The Genesis nameplate on this site covers the 2011 to 2016 sedan and, in several campaigns, the Genesis Coupe as well, so read the recall list with the body style in mind. The 2012 car has 269 complaints and Engine leads at 71, with Service Brakes 65, Electrical System 49 and Power Train 39. The 2013 car is similar at 195: Engine 66, Service Brakes 58. The brake complaints have a campaign behind them: 13V489000 (29/10/2013) covers the 2011 and 2012 cars for brake fluid that does not protect the hydraulic control unit from corrosion, and 23V651000 (22/09/2023) covers 2011 to 2013 for the same unit. The Engine count does not; no engine campaign appears on any Genesis year.
The 2014 car scores 97 on 23 complaints and no recalls. The evidence is low, and a 23-complaint year is not a reliability verdict, but it is the only Genesis year with nothing against it. Then the 2015 car, the second-generation sedan, has 305 complaints, 27.7 per year on the road, and six campaigns, five safety-critical. Electrical System leads at 113, and the campaigns are electrical too: 15V097000 (19/02/2015) for water leaking into the rear lamp assemblies and corrupting the gear display, 16V575000 (02/08/2016) for an instrument cluster that may show the wrong speed, 17V359000 (05/06/2017) for a parking brake warning light that fails through switch corrosion, 21V160000 (10/03/2021) for an ABS module that can short circuit, and 24V107000 (13/02/2024) for a starter solenoid that lets water in and can cause an engine compartment fire. Exterior Lighting has 43 complaints, which fits the rear lamp campaign. The 2016 car carries the same 2015 to 2016 campaigns but has 102 complaints and scores 75; Electrical System still leads, at 30.
Hyundai Genesis: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 75 | BUY | 102 | 5 |
| 2015 | 39 | AVOID | 305 | 6 |
| 2014 | 97 | BUY | 23 | 0 |
| 2013 | 71 | BUY | 195 | 4 |
| 2012 | 59 | CAUTION | 269 | 5 |
| 2011 | 73 | BUY | 145 | 6 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Hyundai Genesis model page.
The Kona
The Kona's 769 complaints across eight years never produce a verdict below BUY, and the reason is that the one pattern in the record was recalled. Engine is the top category on the 2018 to 2022 cars at 41, 128, 103, 76 and 32, and campaign 21V301000 (28/04/2021) covers 2019 to 2021 cars with the 2.0-litre Nu MPI engine for piston oil rings that may not have been properly heat-treated. The 2019 and 2020 cars, at 187 and 156 complaints and 26.7 and 26.0 per year, are the Kona's weakest years, and both score 81 on high evidence. The 2018 car, with 74 complaints and no recalls, scores 93.
From 2023 the list changes: Electrical System leads at 25, 31 and 9 on the 2023 to 2025 cars, and Engine falls to 7 and 9. The 2024 car, a new generation, has 50 complaints but four campaigns, three of them safety-critical: 23V901000 (26/12/2023) for 12-volt battery cables that can chafe on the engine control module bracket and short in a crash, 23V650000 (22/09/2023) for rear seat belt assemblies, and 26V452000 (14/07/2026) for a rear centre seat belt buckle on 2024 and 2025 cars. The fourth, 24V308000 (01/05/2024), is an exhaust gas recirculation valve that can short and cut drive power. That recall load is why the 2024 car scores 74 rather than higher. The 2023 car has 23V526000 (27/07/2023) for the Idle Stop and Go oil pump controller.
Hyundai Kona: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 | BUY | 28 | 1 |
| 2024 | 74 | BUY | 50 | 4 |
| 2023 | 86 | BUY | 63 | 1 |
| 2022 | 85 | BUY | 96 | 0 |
| 2021 | 85 | BUY | 115 | 1 |
| 2020 | 81 | BUY | 156 | 2 |
| 2019 | 81 | BUY | 187 | 1 |
| 2018 | 93 | BUY | 74 | 0 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Hyundai Kona model page.
How the three rank
The Kona first: no AVOID year, no CAUTION year, and its lowest score is 74. The Genesis second, on the strength of the 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016 cars, with the 2015 car as the exception. The Santa Fe Sport last, because its two worst years are the two newest, with the highest Engine counts in this guide and no campaign to cover them.
What to check before you buy
- On a 2017 or 2018 Santa Fe Sport, ask for every oil change receipt and any engine work, listen for knocking at idle from cold, and confirm 22V056000 and, on a 2018, 22V810000; on a 2013 or 2014, confirm 17V226000, 18V934000 and the ABS campaigns.
- On a 2015 or 2016 Genesis, confirm 24V107000 (starter solenoid) and 21V160000 (ABS module), both fire or braking risks, and check the instrument cluster and gear display on a 2015 for anything odd.
- On a 2011 or 2012 Genesis, confirm 13V489000 and 23V651000, and test the brake pedal for firmness.
- On a 2019 to 2021 Kona with the 2.0-litre engine, confirm 21V301000 and ask about oil consumption between services; on a 2024, confirm all three safety-critical campaigns.
Summary
Avoid the 2017 and 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and the 2015 Hyundai Genesis; treat the 2012 Genesis as CAUTION. Buy a 2015 or 2016 Santa Fe Sport, a 2014 or 2016 Genesis, or any Hyundai Kona, with the 2018 and 2021 to 2023 cars the strongest on the record.