2010 Hyundai Santa Fe: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle	2010 / hyundai / santa-fe
known issues	7 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-07)
complaints	258 on file (2010-04-23 → 2026-08-15)
recalls	3
investigations	3
fars	40 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Transmission shift and gear-selection failurePOWER TRAIN17 complaints2011-04 → 2026-08santa-fe-2010-transmission-shift-failure

11608666 Transmission will not shift out of 1st. Gear .50000 miles this is second time in less than 2 months. Dealer replaced cable in top of transmission worked for 600 miles
11757175 The vehicle’s transmission slips while driving on the highway at approximately 65–75 mph. The slipping occurs at highway speeds and appears to affect the vehicle’s ability to maintain consistent power and acceleration
11383441 THE CAR MAKES A JERKING SOUND WHEN SWITCHING FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE WHEN IT'S HOT. IT ALSO JERKS LIKE IT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT GEAR TO GO INTO WHILE DRIVING ON OCCASIONS

Front-end jerk and steering pull over bumpsSUSPENSION6 complaints2016-07 → 2024-01santa-fe-2010-front-end-jerk-on-bumps

11566683 At any speed period, if i hit a pothole or those little ripple things on side of the country county roads, any of them causes my vehicle to jerk and makes a a sound like the entire right front end is going to fall apart at any moment and it either jerks my vehicle off the road
11555182 Whenever i hit a bump on the side of the road, the truck jerks really badly and if im not grasping the steering wheel with all my strength, it will jerk me off the highway from the bump making the entire car go off the road
11521906 When im driving down the road and the slightest bump is on yhe side of the road, the truck feels like its not connected to the framing or the wheels or something because when i hit the bump it jerks the wheels to the right and that's the only side it does it on and it does it so

Engine knock, stall, and failure requiring replacementENGINE94 complaints2011-04 → 2026-08santa-fe-2010-engine-failure-stall

11643002 The engine locked down due to the improper power train, driveline, driveshaft. Oil leaking and malfunction of power train, driveline, driveshaft caused motor to knock and lock down
11598573 The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure
11715168 I hadn't used the car in a few weeks (rarely leave the house because I work from home). I went to visit a friend on December 26th or 27th (don't remember exact date). On the way there the engine started having a knocking noise

Uncommanded acceleration and stalling under speed controlVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL17 complaints2011-07 → 2025-05santa-fe-2010-cruise-speed-control-surge

11103044 ON 6/17/2018 @ APPROXIMATELY 5:00PM WHILE DRIVING MY SANTA FE, I BEGAN TO HAVE SURGING POWER. I ATTEMPTED TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL BUT COULD NOT. I WOULD SLOW DOWN ONLY TO SPEED RIGHT BACK UP AS IF I HAD PUSHED THE RESUME BUTTON, I HAD NOT
10596575 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI SANTE FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLED. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED
11662795 Driving approximately 70-75mph on highway with cruise control set. Car starts to make rattling sound & engine warning light goes on, car struggles to accelerate and hovers around 60mph. Upon inspection of engine oil in car, fresh oil has been burned up quickly! Added 1 quart

Airbag warning light and restraint system faultsAIR BAGS7 complaints2013-04 → 2023-07santa-fe-2010-airbag-warning-light

11532175 I am the original owner of a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. It currently has less than 100,000 miles on it as I drive it infrequently. On June 12, 2023, my airbag light lit on the display and has since remained
11424359 The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown
11330874 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER SON WAS DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEED, THE FRONT DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SIDE-CURTAIN AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT AN IMPACT

Brake and ABS warning light with loss of brakingSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC7 complaints2011-12 → 2025-02santa-fe-2010-brake-loss-lockup

10438165 BRAKE PEDAL CANNOT HOLD PRESSURE, CREATING DANGEROUS SITUATION IN EMERGENCY BRAKING. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER ON NOVEMBER 29 FOR WARRANTY REPAIR. DEALER FOUND MASTER CYLINDER HAS INTERNAL LEAK. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER AND RE-BLED THE SYSTEM. *TR
11557213 The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle later lost motive power after pulling into the driveway
11303027 FOR NO REASON THE CAR WILL STALL AND ALL STEERING AND BRAKE FUNCTIONS ARE DISABLED. HAPPENS WHEN STOPPED OR WHILE DRIVING. CAR HAS TO BE PUT IN PARK AND RESTARTED. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER

Engine compartment fire while drivingENGINE6 complaints2014-08 → 2026-04santa-fe-2010-engine-compartment-fire

10732467 I WAS DRIVING MY 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, THE BLINKER SWITCH STARTED FRANTICALLY CLICKING, I THAN HEARD ELECTRICAL SPARKS FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND THAN SMOKE STARTING COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHERE THE BLINKER SHAFT WAS LOCATED
11727026 The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to immediately start, but started after several attempts
11551974 My 2010 Hyundai Sante Fe caught fire on 9/27/23 while I was operating the vehicle and this fire ultimately caused my electrical systems to overheat and the wiring to melt

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
258	2010-04-23	2026-08-15	8	6	POWER TRAIN:109; ENGINE:37; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:28; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:22; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:21

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
11E040000	06/10/2011	EQUIPMENT	CURT MANUFACTURING IS RECALLING CERTAIN TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESSES, PART NUMBER 55538, THAT CONNECT TOW VEHICLE LIGHTING CIRCUITS TO TRAILER LIGHTING CIRCUITS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 THROUGH 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES. THE UNITS ARE NOT WATER-TIGHT AND MOISTURE CAN SEEP INTO THE CONVERTER MODULE AND DEFEAT THE MODULE'S INTERNAL CIRCUIT PROTECTION.	WITHOUT THE CIRCUIT PROTECTION, THE MODULE CAN OVERHEAT POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.	CURT MANUFACTURING WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESS. THE REMEDY WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 17, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CURT MANUFACTURING AT 1-715 831-8713.
13V113000	01/04/2013	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH	Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.	Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.	Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
11V261000	28/04/2011	POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT	HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 SANTA FE 2WD VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS AND 2.4L ENGINES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 15, 2009 THROUGH MARCH 5, 2010. THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT MAY SUFFER FROM NOISE AND EXCESSIVE WEAR DUE TO A MISALIGNMENT OF THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT GEAR. CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION LEADS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WHIRRING/WHINING NOISE AND CAN EVENTUALLY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.	DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION MAY CAUSE LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.	DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT GEAR AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.

Investigations all years →

action_number	status	subject	components	opened	closed	recall_campaign	summary
DP21003	closed	Throttle control system vulnerabilities	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:THROTTLE	2021-11-12	2023-06-20	·	The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can b
DP22003	closed	Loss of Motive Power	ENGINE	2022-09-12	2023-12-12	·	The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complain
PE11010	closed	Transmission Intermediate Driveshaft	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2011-04-07	2011-05-10	11V258000	On April 25, 2011, Kia Motors Corporation submitted a defect notification letter to NHTSA regarding a transmission intermediate driveshaft condition in approximately 12,690 model year (MY) 2011 Kia Sorento 2-wheel drive vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4L engines (NHTSA Recall No. 11V-258).The recall addresses a defect with the external shape of the engine block which can prevent the intermediate shaft bearing bracket from mating evenly with the engine block.This can cause a misalignment of the intermediate shaft with the right side output gear.Resulting damage could cause

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	40	legacy-code	0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2010/hyundai/santa-fe

@misc{wrenchpro_2010_hyundai_santa_fe_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2010/hyundai/santa-fe}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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