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What 181 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Hev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (181)Crash / fire / injury (20)Engine (64)Electrical system (25)Speed control (24)Brakes (22)Transmission & drivetrain (21)Steering (20)Suspension (16)Lights (14)Body & structure (10)Engine & cooling (8)

3 of 181 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 23, 2021SteeringElectrical systemFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THEIR RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER (HORNE HYUNDAI 1360 E AUTO CENTER DR, APACHE JUNCTION, AZ 85119 (480) 771-8213) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING TURN SIGNALS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 106,000.

NHTSA ODI 11404455

Feb 11, 2015SteeringCrash1 injury

WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE AT NORMAL SPEED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD, THERE WAS ANOTHER VEHICLE CLOSER TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD IN OPPOSING TRAFFIC ON A TWO LANE ROAD. AS I SWERVED A BIT TO THE RIGHT IN AN EFFORT TO GIVE THE OPPOSING VEHICLE MORE ROOM, I WENT TOO FAR TO THE BRIM OF THE ROAD. AS I TRIED TO CORRECT IT, I LOST TOTAL CONTROL OF THE STEERING OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING ME TO DRIVE STRAIGHT ACROSS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD AND INTO A TREE. THE VEHICLE WENT HEAD ONTO INTO THE TREE, BOUNCED OFF, AND SLID BACKWARDS DOWN INTO A DRAINAGE CULVERT. THERE WAS MELTING SNOW ON THE BRIM OF THE ROAD, BUT THE ROAD ITSELF HAD NO WEATHER RELATED PROBLEMS THAT WOULD CAUSE ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE STEERING WAS LOCKED, TURNED TO THE LEFT AT 10:00 POSITION, AND BOTH STEER TIRES WERE POINTED STRAIGHT AHEAD. THE STEER TIRES HAD LESS THAN 1,000 ON THEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10682832

Oct 26, 2012SteeringCrash3 injuries1 death

DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY WHICH RESULTED IN THE DRIVERS FATALITY, PREVIOUS DRIVER OF VEHICLE INDICATED SOMETHING WAS "ODD" WITH THE STEERING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10482407

Working with the data? Download all 181 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Hev verdict →