2011 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	2011 / hyundai / santa-fe
known issues	6 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-08)
complaints	181 on file (2011-01-03 → 2026-04-09)
recalls	3
investigations	5
fars	51 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Front coil spring fracture puncturing the tireSUSPENSION6 complaints2015-04 → 2020-09santa-fe-2011-front-coil-spring-fracture

11353848 FRONT RIGHT STRUT SPRING RELEASED FROM THE MOUNTING WITH A LOUD BANG AND WAS RUBBING AGAINST THE TIRE. THIS HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH. THE TIRE WAS DAMAGED. I HAVE REPLACED BOTH FRONT STRUTS
10703436 TRAVELING AT APPROX. 40 MPH ON A SECONDARY PAVED ROAD THE EVENING OF 3/31/2015, HEARD A LOUD BANG AND GRINDING NOISE ORIGINATING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE. IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. FOUND THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT
10947534 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE TIRE PRESSURE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE CONTACT HEARD NOISE FROM THE FRONT TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS PUNCTURED THE

Accelerator hesitation and unexpected deceleration or lungeVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6 complaints2012-02 → 2014-10santa-fe-2011-accelerator-hesitation

10593684 THIS CAR HESITATES AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. I AM GETTING AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. WHILE SITTING AT A LIGHT AND I START TO GO I TURN THE WHEEL AND THE CAR HESITATES AND LUNGES FORWARD AND I HAVE TO STEP ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW IT DOWN
10510798 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY DECELERATED TO 5 MPH
10447708 ON DECEMBER 19,2011 I WAS SLOWING DOWN COMING TO A STOP SIGN AND ON OR ABOUT THE TIME AS I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THE MOTOR STARTED RACING OUT OF CONTROL. I PUT ALL MY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE CAR, THEN SLAMMED THE GEAR INTO PARK AND TURNED THE MOTOR OFF

Engine stalls or shuts off without warning while drivingENGINE19 complaints2012-05 → 2025-01santa-fe-2011-engine-stall-while-driving

10577396 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,800 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 38,920
10535699 FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SUMMER THE ENGINE HAS JUST SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY DOWN HILL. THIS TIME I BARELY MISSED CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND HITTING A PEDESTRIAN. *TR
10460671 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RESTART THE VEHICLE AND CONTINUE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED

Engine seizure, catastrophic failure, oil consumptionENGINE12 complaints2014-06 → 2025-09santa-fe-2011-engine-failure-oil-consumption

11689997 CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. With no prior indications, the engine seized while driving on side street at 25mph. Engine blew hole in block and dumped engine parts, including piston rod, piston and engine block remnants, and oil on street
10785369 WHILE DRIVING THE MOTOR LOCKED UP WITH NO WARNING. NO OIL LEFT IN THE PAN BUT NO LIGHTS CAME ON
11341922 CAR STARTED SMOKING BLUE SMOKE OUT OF THE EXHAUST AT 45,000 MILES WAS NEVER TREATED FOR AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS SUCH A THING WAS NOT ADVISED AT THAT TIME NOW 3 YEARS LATER SUV ONLY HAS 56,000 IT USED 2 QUARTS OF OIL IN 1700 MILES

Smoke and burning odor from turn signal switchELECTRICAL SYSTEM6 complaints2017-01 → 2021-09santa-fe-2011-turn-signal-switch-smoking

10945878 DIRECTIONAL WAS BLINKING FAST AND WAS NOT ON THEN SMOKE CAME FROM STEERING WHEEL
11140649 AFTER SIGNALING LANE CHANGE/TURN FROM HIGHWAY, TURN SIGNAL SWITCH CONTINUED CLICKING WHEN TURN WAS COMPLETED AND TURN SIGNAL WAS IN OFF POSITION. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT VENT
11192419 BLINKERS KEEP GOING ON BY THEMSELVES. SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN. HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS RUNNING WHETHER DRIVING OR IN PARK

Power steering failure and steering wheel seizureSTEERING4 complaints2012-09 → 2018-06santa-fe-2011-power-steering-loss

11084805 THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING ABOUT 35MPH ON A STREET WHEN THE POWER STEERING HIGH PRESSURE LINE FAILED, WE WERE TRAVELING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD AND BY THE TIME I HEARD THE WHINING OF THE PUMP, THE POWER STEERING FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT AND OF COURSE WE LOST POWER STEERING
10475793 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 4 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL STEERING CAPABILITIES. THERE WAS NO TENSION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND HE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A BOLT HAD BECOME
11101847 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
181	2011-01-03	2026-04-09	12	8	ENGINE:64; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:25; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:24; SERVICE BRAKES:23; POWER TRAIN: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.
10V613000	09/12/2010	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER	HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 28, 2010, THROUGH NOVEMBER 25, 2010. SOME OF THE REAR BRAKE CALIPERS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY MACHINED.	AS A RESULT, BRAKE FLUID WILL LEAK, FOLLOWED BY ILLUMINATION OF THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT INDICATING THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL IS LOW AND SHOULD BE CHECKED, THEN A SOFT OR SPONGY BRAKE PEDAL FEEL, AND IF NOT SERVICED, REDUCED BRAKING POWER WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.	DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR CALIPERS AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 17, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AT 1-800-243-7766.

Investigations all years →

action_number	status	subject	components	opened	closed	recall_campaign	summary
DP18003	closed	Non-crash Vehicle Fires	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES	2018-08-21	2019-05-10	18V907000	In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition. CAS stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
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
PE12029	closed	Steering Shaft Universal Joint Failure	STEERING:COLUMN	2012-10-09	2013-06-26	·	The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE12-029 based on one complaint alleging that a fastener became loose in the steering shaft of a model year (MY) 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicle and related Early Warning Reporting field report data.In it's response to ODI's information request letter for PE12-029, Hyundai identified a total of four incidents of steering shaft universal joint failure in early production MY 2011 Santa Fe vehicles, including the incidents that had been identified by ODI. Two of the failures occurred at low mileage early in 2011, shortly after vehicle sale, leading t
PE19003	closed	Non-crash Vehicle Fires	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES	2019-03-29	2021-12-22	20V061000	During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles equipped with Theta II and Lambda II engines (approximately 1.3 million vehicles). ODI also reviewed field data of other Hyundai vehicles equipped with Theta II, Gamma, Nu and Lambda engines (approximately 4.8 million). As a result of this PE, Hyundai has issued NHTSA Rec

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	51	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). 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2011/hyundai/santa-fe

@misc{wrenchpro_2011_hyundai_santa_fe_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2011/hyundai/santa-fe}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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