2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Review: Unreliable & Uncomfortable Midsize SUV That's Expensive To Own

Robert baker on November 9, 2023

Many issues over the years but the most important is a severe gas leak when filling the unit with gas.i pulled out of a gas station yesterday and the parking area was covered in gasoline.smell is sickening.allmost passed out on the way home.not to mention how dangerous that issue is of a fire ir worse a death that could be caused by a fire or explosion. Not a happy customer.

Sled on March 11, 2022

I bought one, loved it, sold it, missed it and was sad, so I bought another one exactly the same, am happy again. Awesome mid-size SUV. Good in all kinds of weather and haven't had a single issue with it. Do your oil changes as you should and keep up your basic maintenance and she will be a reliable vehicle well over 250,000 kms!

macmac on July 9, 2020

Glad we had the V 6 engine. Great acceleration and still 26+ MPG on HWY. In six years never one complaint. Regular maintenance was all and no problems. Family of four fit well on long trips. Sorry we traded it in, should have kept it for daughters to use when they started driving.

Tigerfan on January 23, 2020

Overall a very good vehicle. Still runs great at 115K. Everything has held up well. Maybe a bit noisy. Comfortable to drive for long distances.

Slim0421 on November 14, 2019

This vehicle has been very reliable and efficient. Very roomy for this size SUV. Drives well. Does great in the snowy conditions around here. Stylish

Wendy on November 2, 2019

This car is outstanding. It is so reliable and has everything I need. It currently has 146k miles and runs like new. I plan on keeping it forever.

ongowa on October 23, 2019

Owned this vehicle for nearly 10 years. It never let me down. Quality is great. Powerful and roomy, AWD got thru some tough winters. Owning this vehicle convinced me to buy another brand new Hyundai car.

frustrated on October 4, 2019

Discovered the front passenger door lock was not working when someone walked up and actually opened the door!! The passenger alarm randomly works, whether the car is on or off. For safety, it has to be manually locked every time you put it into park or, turn the key on or off, etc. Thus it is a safety hazard and a dangerous feeling. (there are videos online to learn how to replace the lock assembly yourself. instead of paying $230 for the part and then labor costs) The Hyundai manual states that it will unlock only the driver door with the first press of the remote and to see the dealer for help resetting it if you want ALL doors to open at the first remote signal. The dealer says there is an expensive programming charge to have it keep all other doors locked except the driver's door. (Since "Sliding" has become so prevalent, to purchase gas, you have to turn off the car, lock the passenger door and then lock all other doors.) It's often squirrely when accelerating from a stop on a slight slope or while turning, when trying to speed up to merge onto interstates. Backup camera hesitates often, sometimes not showing the rear view until put back into park and then reverse. Could be quieter and needs more cup holders in the front.

Prayerman on May 10, 2019

I just purchased it with help from car.com and I love it I would recommend this to anyone looking for a car so that it

af-dfw on April 6, 2019

After 150,000 miles and 9 years, I just sold it to CarMax two months ago for $2,500.00. It was White Limited Trim Edition and I really didn't spend much other than oil changes to keep it maintained. I loved the 3.5L V-6 which was an awesomely powered engine. It would do 80 miles on the highway on road trips through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas and still get 25 plus mpg. For the first 100k miles the seats and overall ride were comfortable and we always got at least 35-40k out of each set of tires. Unlike my 96 Honda Accord and 2004 Honda CRV , the AC unit lasted until the day we sold it and blew reasonable cold air the entire time. The roof rack was super handy and for moving a child to college and back it couldn't be beat. If you plan on only keeping it to 100 to 120k, I would recommend one but it's not Toyota caliber for long-term reliability. Unfortunately, the traction control system and transmission were not as good as the V-6 motor. I taught both my kids how to drive on it and in an emergency situation if you gave it too much throttle it was all over the road and uncontrollable. The vehicle would literally skid from side to side until you eased up on the gas. Up to a point, this is common in most front wheel drive vehicles but with the 260+ hp on this Hyundai it was dangerous. I read that it would do 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. From the day I bought it, the transmission was crude at best. After a cold start, I would drive it very easily because it would slam through the first few gears. I brought it back to Van Hyundai in Carrollton TX a few times but they never really fixed it. If you buy one, make sure you wait for the transmission to slam into gear before you release the brake and press the gas pedal. I think that is why I made mine last that long with the issues it had. The transmission is a sealed unit, so the fluid is supposed to last the life of the vehicle. I really didn't want to get rid of it because it was paid for but the transmission was starting to downshift roughly and all the suspension bushings were gone. It would creak and squeak really loudly. At that point, with the value of the vehicle, it just wasn't worth putting more money in it. Two more things, the headlights are super easy to change compared to previous year models. Just unscrew a cap behind the headlight assembly behind the grill and the bulbs are right there to access. I sold it with the hood latch cable stretched out. I just pulled on the cable instead of the latch to open the hood.