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2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Critical

272 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.46 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical23V181000 Park outside

Trailer Hitches

fire while parked or driving can raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious18V715000

Air Bags:Side/Window

In the event of a crash, if the air bags become damaged during deployment they may not inflate properly, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the SCAB installation bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 177.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles. The Side Curtain Air Bag (SCAB) mounting bolts may interfere with and damage the air bags during deployment.

Complaint volume

272 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

20Crashes
14Fires
11Injuries
0Deaths

Across 272 complaints. Severity Index 0.46.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine66 · 24%Unknown Or Other46 · 17%Power Train31 · 11%Electrical System24 · 9%Structure · Body14 · 5%Steering12 · 4%Service Brakes11 · 4%Fuel/Propulsion System7 · 3%
  1. Engine — 66 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 46 reports
  3. Power Train — 31 reports
  4. Electrical System — 24 reports
  5. Structure:Body — 14 reports
  6. Steering — 12 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 11 reports
  8. Fuel/Propulsion System — 7 reports
  9. Air Bags — 7 reports
  10. Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking — 6 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2001 (4) · 2002 (4) · 2003 (4) · 2004 (3) · 2005 (3) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (9) · 2008 (6) · 2009 (3) · 2010 (3) · 2011 (3) · 2012 (1) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (2) · 2016 (3) · 2017 (6) · 2018 (2) · 2019 · 2020 (2) · 2021 (7) · 2022 (5) · 2023 (1) · 2024 (7) · 2025 (5) · 2026 (4)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.