NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 305 owner complaints for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe.
One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired:Brakes, park outside (22V-056). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected.
3Safety recalls
305Owner complaints
10Complaints citing a crash
12Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: brakes, latches, locks and linkages, and seat belts. Most-reported area: engine (193 complaints, 63%; median mileage when it happened: 83,000). Includes the two-row Santa Fe Sport (2016 to 2018), the three-row Santa Fe XL (2019), and the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.
3 safety recalls for the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Brakes
Feb 3, 2022
antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · control unit/module
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles.
In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood latch to remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Risk: If the hood is not securely closed or the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary latch cable, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for the recall is 163.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles.
NHTSA listings: SANTA FE, SANTA FE SPORT. Hyundai campaign 163.
Seat belts
Mar 10, 2016
front · warning light/devices
Fails federal standard 208 (occupant crash protection)
In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses may be damaged by the seat's height adjuster mechanism, resulting in a failure to provide an audible warning when front seat occupants do not fasten their seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Without a warning to remind the front seat occupants that their seat belts are not buckled, they may forget to buckle their seat belt, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and reroute the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses to their proper locations, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 141.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016.
NHTSA listing: SANTA FE. Hyundai campaign 141.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 305 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Santa Fe. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Engine193 · 63%
Median 83,000 miles at failure (41 reports)
Powertrain24 · 8%
Brakes23 · 8%
Electrical system18 · 6%
Air bags13 · 4%
Fuel and propulsion system11 · 4%
Seat belts9 · 3%
Unknown or other39 · 13%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Hyundai Santa Fe recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2017 Santa Fe drew the most (260) and the 2016 drew 32.
Owner complaints
2016: 305 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Santa Fe
Model year
Complaints
2016
305
2017
1,316
2018
429
2019
225
2020
213
2021
186
2022
263
2023
287
2024
184
2025
223
2026
49
Safety recalls
2016: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Hyundai Santa Fe
Model year
Recalls
2016
3
2017
7
2018
5
2019
3
2020
2
2021
8
2022
8
2023
2
2024
7
2025
5
2026
4
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Hyundai Santa Fe SUV AWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Hyundai Santa Fe SUV FWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SUV AWD
Rollover risk 14.3%
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SUV FWD
Rollover risk 15.1%
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Santa Fe problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: engine (193), powertrain (24), brakes (23). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Santa Fe has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SANTA FE, SANTA FE SPORT.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.