The 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe has 299 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 3 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are engine and service brakes. Owners most often flag catastrophic engine failure (theta ii and related gdi engines, ~2013-2019): sudden engine seizure, knocking, bearing failure, leading to complete replacement. often preceded by excessive oil consumption. warranty coverage is a frequent point of conflict. frequency: very frequent.
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles (US, public record).
Across the 14 Santa Fe model years we track, complaint volume runs from 106 (2006) to 1,272 (2017). With 299 complaints, the 2016 Santa Fe sits about the same asthe model's median of 330.
These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.
latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Campaign 17V358000Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable may corrode and bind, causing the secondary hood lat…
seat belts:front:warning light/devices
Campaign 16V145000Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015 to February 12, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the wires in the front seat belt buckle harnesses…
service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/module
Campaign 22V056000Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an e…
Sentiment is sharply divided by model year and engine type, creating a high-risk, high-reward ownership profile. Long-term owner reports for models equipped with the Lambda V6 engines (primarily 2007-2012) are overwhelmingly positive,…
Owner insights cover all generations of the Santa Fe. See the full Santa Fe owner picture and every model year.
Used Santa Fe listings typically run $23,697–$33,997 across 2016 to 2026 model years.
Compare every Santa Fe year side by side to see how 2016 ranks against the rest.