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2020 Hyundai Santa Fe

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

77 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical2

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA207

Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA25 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Santa Fe FWD, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 207 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Santa Fe FWD	Gas	FWD	2.4L 4-cyl	22	29	25	$2,500
Santa Fe AWD	Gas	AWD	2.4L 4-cyl	21	27	24	$2,600
Santa Fe FWD	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	20	27	23	$2,700
Santa Fe AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	20	26	22	$2,850

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 41476, 41480, 41475, 41479.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Trailer Hitches

244

Park outside584,784 vehicles

ProblemHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.RiskA fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.FixOwners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.

NHTSA campaign 23V181000reported Mar 17, 2023Hyundai Motor America

▲high

Visibility

216

26,413 vehicles

ProblemHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.RiskA windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.FixDealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.

NHTSA campaign 21V00M000reported Dec 28, 2021Hyundai Motor America

NHTSA defect investigations

Engine — Loss of Motive Power closed

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 complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023 · action DP22003

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

207complaints filed

13 involved a crash · 8 a fire · 15 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2020: 13 · 2021: 18 · 2022: 24 · 2023: 37 · 2024: 17 · 2025: 51 · 2026: 47

Most-cited components

Engine75

Unspecified40

Electrical System26

Power Train26

Forward Collision Avoidance19

Visibility14

What owners describe

“Vehicle emitted smell of burning turned on check engine light and oil. Warranty service indicates that the fault corresponds to the oil pump, what is a safety hazard. Santa Fe 2020”Dec 5, 2022 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

“On 07/12/2020 My 2020 SANTA FE Slipped out of park while in garage. It rolled backward until it hit neighbor's porch damaging my tailgate and tail light. It was taken to Hyundai dealership and they said they could not replicate the problem. On about 08/28/22 The next incident was the transmission slipped down into low …”Sep 27, 2022 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report

“The adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and forward collision avoidance systems in my SUV have been defective since purchase in June 2019. Hyundai has replaced the radar sensor but the dealer is waiting on a part to calibrate it which has been on indefinite backorder. I have waited over a year to have…”Sep 19, 2022 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	15%
SUV FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Santa Fe model years

2027 Hyundai Santa Fe

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2026 Hyundai Santa Fe

4 recalls · 46 complaints

2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

5 recalls · 215 complaints

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

7 recalls · 176 complaints

2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

2 recalls · 284 complaints

2022 Hyundai Santa Fe

8 recalls · 262 complaints

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

8 recalls · 185 complaints

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

3 recalls · 221 complaints

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe

5 recalls · 427 complaints

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe

7 recalls · 1,307 complaints

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe

3 recalls · 303 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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