The Lemon Index2010 Hyundai Santa Fe.
The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe is worse than average by owner complaints: 106 complaints in its first 3 years and a Lemon Index of 119, where 100 is the average car. Owners complain most about transmission & drivetrain, it has 3 recalls, and it gets 22 to 23 mpg combined. The best Hyundai Santa Fe year is 2016.
Before you buy. What matters most for this car.
How serious. Out of 260 owner complaints, owners reported:
Every Hyundai Santa Fe year. 2010 is highlighted. Lower is better.
What owners complain about most. From owner complaints to the government.
Share of this year's owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not the share of cars that break. One complaint can name more than one area.
When owners reported problems. From owner complaints to the government.
Most owners who filed a complaint with NHTSA had 5K to 90K miles on the car (212 complaints listed the miles). This shows when people who had a problem reported it, not the odds that your car will have it.
- transmission & drivetrain complaints mostly came at 2K–79K miles
- engine complaints mostly came at 52K–109K miles
- electrical complaints mostly came at 20K–117K miles
Recalls 3
- lights 2013
Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe…
- equipment 2011
CURT MANUFACTURING IS RECALLING CERTAIN TOW PACKAGE WIRING HARNESSES, PART NUMBER 55538, THAT CONNECT TOW VEHICLE LIGHTING CIRCUITS TO TRAILER LIGHTING CIRCUITS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 THROUGH 2011 HYUNDA…
- transmission & drivetrain 2011
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 SANTA FE 2WD VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS AND 2.4L ENGINES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 15, 2009 THROUGH MARCH 5, 2010.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. A recall only matters if it's still open on that exact car, so check its VIN.
Problems Hyundai told dealers about
Hyundai sent dealers 122 repair notes for this car. The ones about its biggest problems:
- Bluetooth controls on steering wheel inoperative
- Automatic transmission solenoid dtc p0741, p0743, p0748, p0753, p0758, p0763, p0768, p0773 and…
Ask a seller or mechanic if these were done. Some are free under warranty or a special program.
Government investigations
- ClosedLoss of motive power2022–2023
- ClosedThrottle control system vulnerabilities2021–2023
- ClosedTransmission intermediate driveshaft2011
NHTSA looks into a problem when enough owners report it. Many end in a recall.
Safety
Crash stars (older test): front ★★★★★ · side ★★★★★ · rollover ★★★★☆
Fuel cost and engines
About $2800–2900 a year in fuel (EPA estimate). Engines: 2.4L 4-cyl, 3.5L 6-cyl.
In owners' words
From stop,making left turn, lost all power momentarily, rpm dropped to idle. Pressing accelerator did nothing, finally engine came back and accelerated wildly. Very dangerous.
2010 Hyundai Santa Fe owner · NHTSA complaint 10500116
More owner reports
The automatic transmission slips (goes into neutral) when shifting between first and second gear under light acceleration. The engine rpms raise during the slip and the transmission slams into second gear.
NHTSA complaint 10450205
Transmission slams into gear, also slips into gear and sometimes moves when in park.
NHTSA complaint 10422908
Quick answers
Is the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?
No, it is worse than average by government complaints. It drew 1.2× the average car's complaints filed with NHTSA in its first 3 years, per car sold (Lemon Index 119; 100 is average, lower is better). The best Hyundai Santa Fe year by this measure is 2016.
What are the most common 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the parts named most are transmission & drivetrain (57%), speed control (13%) and electrical (8%). That is the share of complaints, not the share of cars that break.
How many recalls does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe have?
3 safety recalls (latest: lights). Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What gas mileage does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe get?
22 to 23 mpg combined, depending on the engine (EPA estimate).
At what mileage do 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe problems start?
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 5,100 and 90,000 miles. The middle report was at 41,500 miles, from 212 complaints.
Does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe have transmission problems?
Transmission and drivetrain issues make up 57% of its owner complaints.
How much does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe cost in fuel a year?
About $2800 to $2900 a year, by the EPA's current estimate.
What engines does the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe have?
2.4L 4-cyl, 3.5L 6-cyl.
What Hyundai Santa Fe year is better than the 2010?
By owner complaints per car sold, the best recent years are 2016, 2015 and 2018.
Lemon Index = safety complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model year. 100 is average; lower is better. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect. How it works