Hyundai Santa Fe Sport reliability by year
22 recalls and 1,157 owner complaints across 6 model years. Best year to buy: 2016. Year to avoid: 2013.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 2 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 6 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Santa Fe Sport aggregated across 6 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport scores 7.8/10 — the strongest in the 2013–2018 range. 65 complaints on file, 1 active recall. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport year should I avoid?
The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport scores 6.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 194 owner complaints with NHTSA, 6 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2013 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2014 (avoid — the engine — 5 fire-related complaints on the engine); 2013 (avoid — the engine — 5 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the engine). The cleaner years on the data are 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport are tracked?
6 model years (2013 through 2018) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 22 recalls and 1,157 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?
engine is the most-reported category — 546 complaints across 6 model years. Average shop repair runs about $3,100.