Federal safety advisory

Park this vehicle outside and away from structures until the repair is completed.

Model year record

2023 Hyundai Santa FE

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 490 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 23V181000

Trailer hitches

Component: Trailer hitches
Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Vehicles affected: 584,784
Reported to NHTSA: 2023-03-17
Owners notified: 2023-05-16

Defect description

Hyundai 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.

Safety risk

A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Owners 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.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

Component	Complaints	Median mileage
Unknown or other	97	—
Power train	64	18,192 mi
Electrical system	56	—
Engine	56	1,108 mi
Service brakes	32	—
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking	31	—
Vehicle speed control	20	12 mi
Forward collision avoidance: warnings	19	—
Fuel/propulsion system	18	—
Visibility/wiper	16	35,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control	13	—
Structure: body	8	—
Wheels	7	—
Back over prevention: warnings	5	—
Electrical system: horn	5	31,000 mi
Seat belts	5	—
Lane departure: blind spot detection	4	—
Air bags	3	—
Engine and engine cooling	3	35,652 mi
Exterior lighting	3	—
Steering	3	—
Fuel system, gasoline	2	35,652 mi
Lane departure: assist	2	—
Power train: automatic transmission	2	—
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly	2	9,100 mi
Carry handle, shell, base	1	—
Chest clip, buckle, harness	1	—
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel	1	2,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine: engine control module (ECU/ECM): software	1	1,108 mi
Exterior lighting: headlights	1	10 mi
Forward collision avoidance	1	1,000 mi
Lane departure: warning	1	—
Service brakes, air	1	2,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: pads	1	18,756 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: rotor	1	18,756 mi
Structure: body: bumpers: active shutters/grill	1	11,591 mi
Tires	1	—
Trailer hitches	1	—
Visibility: windshield	1	—

The 2022 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2024 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.