2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 35,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

While accelerating, the 8-speed transmission sporadically hangs in 1st gear and will not change to 2nd. The motor revs to about 4000 rpm and will only travel at about 15 mph. This causes a safety hazard when attempting to enter fast moving traffic. After several attempts, the Dealer has said that they cannot duplicate this issue in their…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway and approaching a stop sign, the message "Check Transmission Oil Immediately" was momentarily displayed. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be diagnosed unless the message was displayed. The…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 74,900 miles

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

While driving, my vehicle displayed “Shifter System Malfunction! Service Immediately.” Immediately after, I was unable to shift the vehicle from Drive into Park, Reverse, or Neutral. The only way to park the vehicle was to turn the engine off while it was still in Drive, restart it, and then shift into Park. This is an extreme safety…Owner complaint, filed 2026

My Santa Fe limited 2022, has stopped running while traveling at 50 to 60 miles per hour on 3 different occasions. Car has 19000 miles and incidents have occurred over past 10000 miles.Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 30,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

At approximately 67,000 miles, the vehicle experienced a sudden vibration when accelerate and decelerate. Engine light was on and vehicle had a hard time to maintain speed above 40mph. Cars were honking behind us due to the lack of speed on road. It happen all of a sudden and cause me and my wife panic at first. The car was took to the…Owner complaint, filed 2026

In November 2025, my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe began to hesitate when accelerating and would almost "jerk" when I pressed the gas pedal. Soon after my check engine light came on and I made an appt to take it for the closest Hyundai dealership (as it's still under warranty 33k miles) Upon running a check the dealership notified me that Fuel…Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

I am filing a formal safety complaint against Hyundai Motor America for non-compliance with federal safety recall regulations regarding Recall 244 (NHTSA Campaign 23V181/235) for my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN #[XXX]. I have been experiencing a severe parasitic battery drain that leaves the vehicle completely dead if parked for more than…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The horn has now stopped working in my vehicle twice. It was replaced 01/27/2023, and is now non-functional again. I believe this to be a safety issue as I have no way to warn other drivers or pedestrians of my presence, if necessary. One example of this, was that a vehicle was proceeding into my lane on the interstate yesterday…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Parts named most: Warnings (11), Automatic emergency braking (10).

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

Vehicle on initial start up shows no issue. Driving for a short distance or stationary for a short time. Vehicle instrument panel will show a fault of Forward safety system. Errors on Lane keeping assist, High beam assist, and Driver attention warning. Smart camera module will be hot to the touch causing failure of Front view camera and…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the automatic emergency braking system engaged while there were no objects or vehicles near the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the pre-collision message was displayed while the vehicle was parked or was idling. The vehicle…Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

Vehicle would not shift when accelerating on gas pedal while driving, rpm’s went up to 5,000. Had the car towed to closest dealership and they haven’t looked at it. They stated they are unable to assist me with a rental car. I am home alone with 2 children and cannot go to work. There is a transmission recall on the 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe…Owner complaint, filed 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated there was an engineering speed control fault while driving approximately 65 MPH. The contact stated that the smart cruise control rode the brakes while going downhill and destroyed the rotors. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 2,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

Stopped at a red light when the brake pedal depressed to the floor causing the vehicle to move forward from still being in gear. (No loss of brake fluid) It caused me to be involved in an accident. The investigating officer (police) tried the brakes, when he first tried the brake pedal was high and working, but then suddenly depressed to…Owner complaint, filed 2023

The vehicle is exhibiting heat spots on the rotors causing shaking while braking and making the vehicle not stop as designed or even reasonably safe. The issue first started at 7000 miles and became very undrivable by 9000 miles. The dealer turned the rotors at that time. Now the vehicle has 16000 miles and the issue has come back. I…Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The panoramic sunroof of a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Limited spontaneously shattered while in transit on the highway. A resoundingly explosive “bang” preceded large shards of falling glass, leaving a massive hole in the sunroof’s front panel. The incident seemingly occurred without direct contact of any kind…no flying debris, no…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while having the vehicle washed, the contact became aware that the front panoramic shield of the sunroof glass was cracked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that there were no recalls for the failure. The dealer provided no assistance. The vehicle was…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 5,480 miles

Parts named most: Body (5).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

On May 31, 2025, I suffered a severe facial injury causing trigeminal neuralgia and concussion when the Smart Power Liftgate on my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT failed to stop or reverse upon encountering obstruction. While unloading the trunk, I went to close the liftgate, lost my balance falling forward prior to it beginning to close. It…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Fuel access door does not open correctly. Fuel door does not have a lock or a require pressing of a button to open; you would normally just 'push' on closed door to make it pop open. Over the past (3) months, this has not always been working. Sometimes it requires multiple high-pressure pushes (or a light bump) for door to open. On other…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

This email serves as a formal dispute of the warranty denial issued by [Lester Glenn Hyundai Toms River NJ] regarding the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) passenger airbag sensor in my 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe.The dealership has refused coverage, attributing the failure to "water damage." I strongly dispute this finding and am formally…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The air bags sensor is on which means none of the air bags will deploy if I am in an accident. The dealership stated it is not covered by the warranty. The sensors were not tampered with but the sensor is not workingOwner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

My fiancée’s Hyundai Santa Fe has been taken in for service multiple times due to a serious and recurring safety issue. The vehicle suddenly begins malfunctioning while being driven: all of the lights on the dashboard start flashing, multiple warning lights come on, the vehicle shuts off, and both the steering and accelerator become…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. In addition, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 17,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line: Crugen Premium, Tire Size: 235/60/R18, DOT Number: 000CMYANH. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear passenger’s side tire became deflated. The tire was replaced with the spare and the vehicle was…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 10,000 miles

Ever since I bought by car in 2022 brand new the car has been shaking when I press on the brakes going around 70 mph. I took the car multiple times to the dealership and all they do is resurface the rotos. One time they refused to even look at the car so I called corporate and they got the dealership to do the same thing as before. But…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

When reaching between the seats to get a dropped item hand gets stuck on a sharp edge and cannot be pulled out. This happened to me once while driving and to my diluaghters very small hand while parked. Assistance was needed to dislodge hand.Owner complaint, filed 2025

When my wife sits in the passenger seat the seat is so low she cannot see over the dashboard. When she uses a cushion the air bag off light goes on indicating she is not protected from collision. This is an obvious safety issue which my dealer claims to know nothing about and has no solution. Please contact Hyundai and have them address…Owner complaint, filed 2021

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

On delivery the vehicle pulled to the left on the highway. Vehicle returned to dealer next day and 4 wheel alignment supposedly done. Car no longer pulled to left. Vehicle seemed very unstable in wet weather but owner assumed it was ok. At 3000 miles owner discovered all 4 tires wearing severely while adjusting tire pressures. Called…Owner complaint, filed 2022