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2017 Hyundai Santa Fe: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
78%
992 of 1,270 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

78% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 97% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 38 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 76%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
992
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
1,308
this model year
Fires reported
30
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
7
19 crashes · 26 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE841 · 64%
POWER TRAIN200 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER127 · 10%
SERVICE BRAKES116 · 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM84 · 6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM81 · 6%

The years either side

2010
66%
159 of 258
2011
51%
83 of 181
2012
74%
246 of 353
2013
57%
443 of 802
2014
66%
410 of 654
2015
71%
220 of 336
2016
75%
214 of 304
2017
78%
992 of 1,308
2018
69%
277 of 427
2019
48%
99 of 221
2020
49%
97 of 208
2021
48%
77 of 166
2022
58%
111 of 198
2023
43%
109 of 264

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other midsize SUVs with no elevated signal in 2017

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE05/05/20232 INJURED
I bought this vehicle and there was a complete break down malfunction due to the ABS module system! This lack of due diligence caused both myself and my 7 year old to unwillingly enter a vehicle that put our lives at risk and a near death experience that still traumatizes my daughter until this day who refuses to enter…
POWER TRAIN02/12/20191 INJURED
I PARKED MY CAR PARALLEL TO THE CURB ON A CITY STREET. I MOVED THE SHIFTER FROM "DRIVE" TO "PARK". I DID NOT TURN OFF THE ENGINE BECAUSE I WAS ONLY GOING TO GET OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS TO OPEN THE DOOR BEHIND ME TO LET SOME SENIOR CITIZENS TO GET IN THE CAR. I RELEASED MY SEAT BELT BUCKLE AND PROCEED TO OPEN THE DRIVER-S…
ENGINE04/30/20201 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED AND DECELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPEND…

Three of 992 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (7)

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The affected vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that may not have …
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch actuating cable m…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L engines. The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irr…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.