AutoUtility currently tracks 254 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 150 complaints (59.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 9 filings cite a crash, 13 cite a fire, 7 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 254 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (150 reports • 59.1% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Brakes & Traction Control (29), Powertrain & Transmission (22)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 9 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 13 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 7 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Brakes & Traction Control
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V651000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Powertrain & Transmission
Electrical System
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Driving on highway no warning lights appeared the car made a loud pop noise and heavy smoke appeared from under the hood. Immediately pulled over and noticed all of the oil poured out and was nasty looking. The car was up to date on oil change. My car was towed home and bone dry no oil and no..."
"I was driving down the road ( a busy Farm to market road) and my car lost power and died. Luckily i got off of the road. I tried to start the car again, but it kept dying. I had my son in law come help me move the car to a friends house so that I could get it to the dealership. It was after hours...."
"The engine failed due to complete and sudden oil loss. The vehicle is currently at Fremont Hyundai and available for inspection. Safety risk: the engine failed while driving on the highway with children in the vehicle. A check engine light appeared with no prior warning, the vehicle immediately..."
"2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited, 3.3L Lambda II GDI V6, ~102,000 miles. In December 2022, an authorized Hyundai dealer replaced three specific parts under a Hyundai recall/campaign (records requested). On Sunday [DATE] at approximately [TIME] PM, I was driving on [FREEWAY], [STATE], at 55–70 mph at..."
"Vehicle engine started knocking heavily while driving down the road. Had vehicle inspected for issue and was told vehicle had burned all the oil down to one quart and the engine was destroyed. Vehicle recently serviced with oil change within roughly 3,000 miles."
Complaint History for Hyundai Santa Fe
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Current Page | 254 | 9 | 2 | Current |
| 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe | 235 | 6 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe | 956 | 14 | 6 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe | 108 | 6 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe | 193 | 16 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe | 203 | 13 | 2 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe | 184 | 4 | 8 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe | 257 | 12 | 8 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe | 281 | 13 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe | 172 | 11 | 7 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe | 206 | 9 | 5 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe | 0 | 0 | 4 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 54 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 122 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 8 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (3)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions fo...
Loss of Motive Power
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 experienc...
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
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...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.