Is the Chevrolet Traverse more reliable than the Hyundai Santa-FE?

Neither wins clearly. Both have a good reliability standing, and the comparison is effectively tied. The Santa-FE is cheaper to repair and visits the shop less often. The Traverse has fewer recalls and a slightly lower complaint rate for the vehicles sold.

Which has more recalls, the Traverse or the Santa-FE?

The Santa-FE has more. Federal recall records show 60 across its 2018 to 2026 model years, against 19 for the Traverse. Recall counts say nothing about severity, so check any specific car's VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Which costs less to repair, the Traverse or the Santa-FE?

The Santa-FE. Independent repair-cost data puts it at about $515 a year versus $656 for the Traverse, which is roughly $705 saved over five years. Its chance of a major repair is also lower, at 10% against 18%.

What is the biggest problem with the Hyundai Santa-FE?

Heavy oil burning. Owners report the low oil light flickering and the engine several quarts low with no visible leak, often around 78,788 to 110,000 miles. Left unchecked it can cause knocking, stalling, or engine failure. Check the oil often.

What goes wrong with the Chevrolet Traverse exhaust?

The front exhaust pipe brackets crack at their welds, then the pipe tears. It starts as a rattle at startup and grows to a loud clang, sometimes with exhaust fumes in the cabin. Reports start around 53,000 miles. GM coverage applies to 2019 and 2021 but not 2020.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe: Reliability Compared

Chevrolet Traverse

Good

Hyundai Santa Fe

Good

The Chevrolet Traverse and Hyundai Santa-FE are effectively tied on reliability. The Santa-FE costs less to repair; the Traverse has far fewer recalls. Each has a distinct weak spot: oil burning on the Santa-FE, exhaust brackets and alternators on the Traverse.

How Do the Chevrolet Traverse and Hyundai Santa Fe Generations Compare?

Shoppers looking at the Traverse are mostly choosing within the second generation, which ran from the 2018 model year through 2024 and received a facelift for 2022. That puts 2018 and 2019, its weakest years, at the start of the design. The Santa-FE split across two designs in this range. The 2018 model was the last year of the third generation, which had a refresh for 2017. The fourth generation covered 2019 through 2023, with a refresh for 2021. The 2025 and 2026 years of both models are too new to judge.

Verdict

The Chevrolet Traverse and Hyundai Santa Fe are evenly matched with a reliability score of 70/100.

Reliability is effectively tied, and the deciding factor is which kind of risk you would rather carry. The Hyundai is cheaper to keep running, with fewer shop visits and a lower chance of a major repair. The Chevrolet has far fewer recalls and a slightly lower complaint rate for its sales. Neither pulls clearly ahead. The choice comes down to heavy oil burning on one side and exhaust bracket and alternator trouble on the other.

Key Differences

1Hyundai Santa Fe costs $141 less per year to repair
2Chevrolet Traverse has 41 fewer total recalls
3Hyundai Santa Fe has 8% lower major repair risk

Category Scoreboard

2Chevrolet Traverse

—

3Hyundai Santa Fe

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair Risk

Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe: Which Is More Reliable?

Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Chevrolet Traverse	Hyundai Santa Fe
Reliability Score	70/100	70/100
Years Tracked	9	9
Total Recalls	19	60
Complaints per 10k Sold	7.2	8
Annual Repair Cost	$656/yr	$515/yr
Repair Frequency	0.4/yr	0.2/yr
Major Repair Risk	18%	10%
Year Wins	4 (2 tied)	3 (2 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Chevrolet Traverse and Hyundai Santa Fe?

Oil burning defines the Santa-FE, while the Traverse's trouble is spread across drivetrain, exhaust, and charging. Santa-FE owners find the engine several quarts low with no leak, and some cars stall or fail. Traverse owners report AWD Service messages, cracked front exhaust brackets, and alternators that quit early. Both have crash-linked brake complaints where the car would not stop at low speed. Only the Santa-FE has a speed control category, with sudden acceleration while parking that ended in crashes. Its power train area also has more crash-linked reports than the Traverse's.

Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe common problem areas comparison
Component	Chevrolet Traverse	Hyundai Santa Fe
POWER TRAIN	2.2Low	1.3Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.9Very Low	1.2Low
ENGINE	0.6Very Low	1.5Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1.1Low	0.9Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.7Very Low	0.5Very Low
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
STEERING	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.3Very Low
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	—None	0.2Very Low
SUSPENSION	0.1Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY	—None	0.1Very Low
SEATS	—None	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	—None
TIRES	—None	—None
TRAILER HITCHES	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Chevrolet Traverse or Hyundai Santa Fe?

Annual repair cost runs lower on the Santa-FE, at about $515 against $656 for the Traverse. That gap is $141 a year, or roughly $705 over five years. The Santa-FE also averages 0.2 unscheduled shop visits a year, half the Traverse's 0.4. When a repair does come up, the chance it is major is 10% on the Santa-FE and 18% on the Traverse. Independent repair-cost data favors the Santa-FE on all three measures.

How Does Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe Reliability Compare by Year?

Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Chevrolet Traverse	Hyundai Santa Fe	Edge
2026	76/1000R / 6C	75/1005R / 5C	Chevrolet Traverse
2025	75/1000R / 132C	75/1006R / 109C	Tie
2024	73/1000R / 107C	73/1009R / 109C	Tie
2023	72/1002R / 62C	70/1004R / 244C	Chevrolet Traverse
2022	73/1001R / 76C	66/10014R / 223C	Chevrolet Traverse
2021	71/1003R / 72C	69/10010R / 165C	Chevrolet Traverse
2020	62/1008R / 188C	70/1002R / 165C	Hyundai Santa Fe
2019	62/1003R / 358C	69/1003R / 201C	Hyundai Santa Fe
2018	62/1002R / 416C	63/1007R / 489C	Hyundai Santa Fe

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse scored 73/100 and the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe scored 73/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Chevrolet Traverse vs the Hyundai Santa Fe?

Pick the Santa-FE if you want lower running costs and fewer unplanned shop trips. Check the oil level often, since heavy oil use is its dominant complaint and often appears between roughly 78,788 and 110,000 miles. Ask for service records, and be cautious with 2018 and 2022, its weakest years. Walk away from any car with a flickering low oil light. Pick the Traverse if recall history matters to you and you can accept a higher chance of a major repair. Avoid 2018 and 2019, its weakest years. Listen for a startup rattle from the exhaust and ask about the alternator. GM special coverage for the exhaust bracket problem applies to 2019 and 2021 but not 2020, so a 2020 carries more out-of-pocket risk. For either model, treat 2025 and 2026 as too new to judge, since they have had little time to collect complaints.

Chevrolet Traverse vs Hyundai Santa Fe: Common Questions

Is the Chevrolet Traverse more reliable than the Hyundai Santa-FE?: Neither wins clearly. Both have a good reliability standing, and the comparison is effectively tied. The Santa-FE is cheaper to repair and visits the shop less often. The Traverse has fewer recalls and a slightly lower complaint rate for the vehicles sold.
Which has more recalls, the Traverse or the Santa-FE?: The Santa-FE has more. Federal recall records show 60 across its 2018 to 2026 model years, against 19 for the Traverse. Recall counts say nothing about severity, so check any specific car's VIN for open recalls before you buy.
Which costs less to repair, the Traverse or the Santa-FE?: The Santa-FE. Independent repair-cost data puts it at about $515 a year versus $656 for the Traverse, which is roughly $705 saved over five years. Its chance of a major repair is also lower, at 10% against 18%.
What is the biggest problem with the Hyundai Santa-FE?: Heavy oil burning. Owners report the low oil light flickering and the engine several quarts low with no visible leak, often around 78,788 to 110,000 miles. Left unchecked it can cause knocking, stalling, or engine failure. Check the oil often.
What goes wrong with the Chevrolet Traverse exhaust?: The front exhaust pipe brackets crack at their welds, then the pipe tears. It starts as a rattle at startup and grows to a loud clang, sometimes with exhaust fumes in the cabin. Reports start around 53,000 miles. GM coverage applies to 2019 and 2021 but not 2020.

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More Hyundai Santa Fe comparisons

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How we score the Chevrolet Traverse and Hyundai Santa Fe

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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