GarageCalc What the data says
Engine accounts for about 64% of this year's Hyundai Santa Fe Sport complaints. That is a strong concentration, the kind that usually points to a specific known issue rather than general wear.
The 2018 model year contributes 37 complaints (26%). Older vehicles dominate, consistent with age-related wear rather than a new defect.
Complaints are up year over year, 126 to 142 (+13%), against a market that rose about 2%. Year-over-year movement is the most useful signal here: a model's sales are roughly stable from one year to the next, so a sharp rise means the per-vehicle complaint rate genuinely moved, not just that the model is popular.
How to read this
Raw complaint totals track how many Hyundai Santa Fe Sports are on the road as much as they track quality, so a high count on a best-seller is partly a volume story. Complaints are also self-reported: they capture what owners chose to file, not a controlled survey. Use these numbers to know where to look during a pre-purchase inspection and which recalls to check, not as a verdict on their own. Compare any car instantly in the Car Complaint Checker, or read the full 2026 study for the market-wide picture and methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport reliable?
Complaint counts alone cannot answer that, because they track how many are on the road as much as build quality. What the 2026 data shows: 142 NHTSA complaints so far (rank 88 of 765 models), +13% year over year, with engine the most-cited area. Treat it as a starting point and cross-check recalls and a pre-purchase inspection for the specific vehicle.
What is the most common Hyundai Santa Fe Sport complaint?
Engine: 91 of the 142 complaints filed in 2026 cite it (about 64%). That is a strong concentration, the kind that usually points to a specific known issue rather than general wear.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport model year has the most complaints?
The 2018 model year, with 37 of this year's 142 complaints (about 26%). Older vehicles dominate, consistent with age-related wear rather than a new defect.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, complaints received 2026-01-01..2026-08-24, compared with 2025-01-01..2025-08-24 (same window). Counted once per complaint ID, vehicles only. Aggregated data is available under CC BY 4.0 with a link to GarageCalc.