2012 Hyundai Santa FE: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE. The campaign is 20V746000. NHTSA received the report on 1 Dec 2020. The NHTSA record gives the component Engine. NHTSA has 353 complaints on file for this model year. 6 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on this campaign.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of campaign 20V746000, in the NHTSA record

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine. If bearing damage is found, the engine will be replaced. Dealers will also install a software update containing a new Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS). Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 198.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

1 campaign. 128,948 units in total.

20V746000Received 1 Dec 2020. 128,948 units.
Engine
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Veloster, 2012 Santa Fe, 2011-2013 Sonata Hybrid, and 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which over time can result in engine damage.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine. If bearing damage is found, the engine will be replaced. Dealers will also install a software update containing a new Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS). Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 198.
Report filed by Hyundai Motor America. Manufacturer campaign number 198. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 31 Mar 2021.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

353 complaints, 475 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2012 Hyundai Santa FE
All 2012 vehicles

2012 Hyundai Santa FE: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2012 Santa FE	All 2012 vehicles	Santa FE, all years	Mentions
Engine	480	144.2	230.6	228
Electrical System	90.5	130.1	81.7	43
Vehicle Speed Control	84.2	34	56	40
Service Brakes	52.6	56.2	41.7	25
Power Train	50.5	108.9	88.7	24
Unknown or Other	33.7	69.3	69.2	16
Steering	33.7	97.9	38.9	16
Suspension	29.5	21.5	42.6	14
Exterior Lighting	27.4	25.7	16.9	13
Fuel/Propulsion System	16.8	44.1	71.8	8

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.

Complaints that report a crash: 25
Complaints that report a fire: 17
Injuries in the complaints: 7
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 17 Aug 2026

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2021, with 43 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
DP22003	Defect petition	Loss of Motive Power	Engine	12 Sep 2022	12 Dec 2023
EA21003	Engineering analysis	Engine Fires	Engine	22 Dec 2021	5 Feb 2024	23V877
DP21003	Defect petition	Throttle control system vulnerabilities	Vehicle Speed Control / Throttle	12 Nov 2021	20 Jun 2023
PE19003	Preliminary evaluation	Non-crash Vehicle Fires	Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables	29 Mar 2019	22 Dec 2021	20V061000
DP18003	Defect petition	Non-crash Vehicle Fires	Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables	21 Aug 2018	10 May 2019	18V907000
RQ17004	Recall query	Scope and Timeliness	Engine	18 May 2017	22 Dec 2021	17V226000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2012 Hyundai Santa FEThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2012 Hyundai Santa FE: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/hyundai/santa-fe/2012/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Hyundai Motor America

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE?: 128,948 units in 1 campaign. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Hyundai Santa FE have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 45 recall campaigns for the Hyundai Santa FE, model years 2001 to 2026. 1 of them names the 2012 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE name most often?: Engine: 228 of 475 component mentions, or 480 per 1,000. For all 2012 vehicles the figure is 144.2 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2012 Hyundai Santa FE open?: No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.