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What 253 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid

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 (253)Crash / fire / injury (22)Engine (159)Brakes (29)Transmission & drivetrain (22)Electrical system (20)Fuel system (13)Airbags (9)Body & structure (9)Lights (9)Speed control (7)Steering (6)

6 of 253 complaints match · Steering · clear filters

Jan 15, 2024Steering

My power steering failed without notice while driving. This has happened several times. The first time I just happened to need to pull off the highway because my 4 year old had to go to the bathroom and couldn't hold it. It went out as soon as I exited the highway and entered the parking lot. The steering became very hard and heavy to move and then just locked up. If I hadn't gotten of the highway when I did it would have happened while driving on the highway with my two young sons which could have resulted in a bad accident. I had no prior warning. It just happened unexpectedly. We thought maybe it was the battery so we replaced the battery with a brand new one but about a month later it happened again when I was backing out of my garage. I was afraid of driving it so I just parked it back in the garage. It is available for inspection. It has not been inspected by anyone yet. The problem just started about a month ago.

NHTSA ODI 11565541

Sep 3, 2023SteeringBrakesFuel system

While driving at 65 mph on an urban expressway, the engine quit without warning and would not restart. This resulted in diminished steering and braking control as well as exposure near the edge of traffic on a narrow berm of an overpass bridge. Full tank of fuel, good battery, the engine would not crank or restart. All electrical accessories work fine.

NHTSA ODI 11542427

Jun 13, 2019Steering

USED VEHICLE (80,000 MILES). POWER STEERING CUT OUT WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ALONG CURVE AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WITH OUR INFANT SON IN THE BACK. MANAGED TO SAFELY STOP, TOOK TO DEALERSHIP FOR EVALUATION. DEALERSHIP INDICATED IT HAD FIXED PROBLEM WITH ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM, BUT THE POWER STEERING CUT OUT AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. HAPPENED TO MY WIFE A THIRD TIME WHEN SHE WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPACE. DEALER COULDN'T IDENTIFY PROBLEM, SAID WE NEEDED TO REPLACE ENTIRE STEERING ASSEMBLY.

NHTSA ODI 11219908

Sep 21, 2015Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 (NA) HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.

NHTSA ODI 10766357

Jun 7, 2015Steering

VEHICLE REQUIRES CONSTANT MINOR STEERING CORRECTIONS TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT LINE. VEHICLE WANDERS ON THE HIGHWAY AND SEEMS TO OVER ADJUST SO THAT A SLIGHT STEERING ADJUSTMENT TO THE RIGHT REQUIRES A SLIGHT CORRECTION TO THE LEFT AND ON AND ON. IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD A STRAIGHT LINE.

NHTSA ODI 10723852

Apr 21, 2015SteeringSuspension

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25. UPDATED 7/9/15*CN

NHTSA ODI 10711925

Working with the data? Download all 253 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 15, 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 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-in Hybrid verdict →