Is the Hyundai Santa-FE more reliable than the Honda Passport?

No, the Passport has a slight edge. Both rate good, but the Passport has fewer recalls and avoids the Santa-FE's heavy oil-burning engine pattern. The Santa-FE does draw fewer complaints per vehicle sold and fewer shop visits, so the gap is small.

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

The Santa-FE has more. Federal recall records show 60 recalls across 9 Santa-FE model years and 29 across 8 Passport model years. The Santa-FE also covers one more model year in the data, but the gap is still large.

Which costs less to repair?

They cost almost the same. The Santa-FE runs about $515 a year and the Passport about $521, roughly $30 apart over five years. The Santa-FE also averages fewer unscheduled shop visits, at 0.2 a year against 0.3.

What is the biggest Santa-FE problem to watch for?

Engine 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 alone, it can bring misfires, knocking, stalling, and sometimes engine failure.

Does the Honda Passport have phantom braking?

Yes, it is the main complaint in its forward collision avoidance category. Owners report a flashing red BRAKE warning, a shaking wheel, and hard braking with nothing ahead. Dealers often cannot reproduce it, and one complaint ties false braking to a crash.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Honda Passport

Good

Hyundai Santa Fe

Good

On reliability, the Honda Passport edges out the Hyundai Santa-FE, with 29 recalls against 60. The gap is slight, and repair costs are nearly the same. Check the Santa-FE for oil burning and the Passport for phantom braking and idle-stop stalling before you buy.

How Do the Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe Generations Compare?

Most used shoppers will land in the fourth-generation Santa-FE, sold from 2019 to 2023 and refreshed for 2021. The 2022 year, one of its weakest, falls in that run, and the 2018 year, also weak, was the last of the third generation. The fifth generation began with the 2024 model year, so those cars have the shortest track record. The Passport's current generation started in 2019 and was facelifted for 2022, with further model year changes in 2023 and 2024. Its weakest years, 2019 and 2020, were the opening years of that generation. A new generation arrived for 2026, so those cars have little history to judge.

Verdict

The Honda Passport is more reliable than the Hyundai Santa Fe, scoring 74/100 vs 70/100.

A slight edge goes to the Passport. Federal recall records show 29 recalls across its model years, against 60 for the Santa-FE. The Santa-FE's top engine complaint, heavy oil burning that can end in engine failure, is also a serious pattern. The Santa-FE does have points in its favor: fewer owner complaints per vehicle sold and fewer unscheduled shop visits. Both sit at a good standing, so the margin is small. A clean inspection and service history on the specific car matter more than the badge.

Key Differences

1Honda Passport has 31 fewer total recalls
2Hyundai Santa Fe costs $6 less per year to repair
3Honda Passport scores 4 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

2Honda Passport

—

3Hyundai Santa Fe

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair Frequency

Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe: Which Is More Reliable?

Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Honda Passport	Hyundai Santa Fe
Reliability Score	74/100	70/100
Years Tracked	8	9
Total Recalls	29	60
Complaints per 10k Sold	11.6	8
Annual Repair Cost	$521/yr	$515/yr
Repair Frequency	0.3/yr	0.2/yr
Year Wins	5	3

What Are the Common Problems With the Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe?

Oil is the Santa-FE's main story. Owners find the engine several quarts low with no leak, and it can progress to knocking, stalling at highway speed, or outright failure. Its crash-linked areas are broader: service brakes, power train, and vehicle speed control, where drivers describe sudden acceleration while parking. The Passport has no speed-control category in its top problems. Its issues are the engine staying off after Auto Idle Stop, phantom braking with dealers unable to reproduce it, the transmission shifting into neutral while driving, and front rotors wearing out within a few thousand miles.

Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe common problem areas comparison
Component	Honda Passport	Hyundai Santa Fe
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.6Low	0.9Very Low
POWER TRAIN	1.2Low	1.3Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1.2Low	1.2Low
ENGINE	0.7Very Low	1.5Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	1.4Low	0.2Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	1Very Low	0.5Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	0.5Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	0.3Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
LANE DEPARTURE	0.1Very Low	—None
TIRES	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	0.1Very Low
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	—None	0.1Very Low
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—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: Honda Passport or Hyundai Santa Fe?

Repair cost is close to a tie. Independent repair-cost data puts the Santa-FE at $515 a year and the Passport at $521, a difference of about $30 over five years. The Santa-FE averages 0.2 unscheduled shop visits a year against 0.3 for the Passport. The Santa-FE has a 10% chance that a repair is major. No major-repair figure is given for the Passport, so that comparison cannot be made.

How Does Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe Reliability Compare by Year?

Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Honda Passport	Hyundai Santa Fe	Edge
2026	84/1000R / 0C	75/1005R / 5C	Honda Passport
2025	82/1000R / 11C	75/1006R / 109C	Honda Passport
2024	79/1001R / 12C	73/1009R / 109C	Honda Passport
2023	75/1004R / 24C	70/1004R / 244C	Honda Passport
2022	74/1003R / 45C	66/10014R / 223C	Honda Passport
2021	68/1005R / 119C	69/10010R / 165C	Hyundai Santa Fe
2020	68/1008R / 84C	70/1002R / 165C	Hyundai Santa Fe
2019	59/1008R / 253C	69/1003R / 201C	Hyundai Santa Fe

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Honda Passport scored 79/100 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 Honda Passport vs the Hyundai Santa Fe?

Pick the Passport if you want fewer recalls and a lower chance of a catastrophic engine problem. It suits drivers who mostly avoid stop-and-go routes where Auto Idle Stop stalls show up, or who will turn that feature off if they can. Skip the 2019 and 2020 model years, its weakest. Ask whether any front camera or brake rotor work has been done, since owners quote $1,800 to $2,500 for camera replacement. Pick the Santa-FE if you want fewer unscheduled shop visits and a lower complaint rate per vehicle sold, and you will check the oil level yourself between changes. Avoid the 2018 and 2022 model years, its weakest. Before buying any Santa-FE, ask for oil change records and look for the low oil light. The 2025 and 2026 years of both models rate well, but they have had little time to collect complaints, so do not treat that as proof they are best.

Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe: Common Questions

Is the Hyundai Santa-FE more reliable than the Honda Passport?: No, the Passport has a slight edge. Both rate good, but the Passport has fewer recalls and avoids the Santa-FE's heavy oil-burning engine pattern. The Santa-FE does draw fewer complaints per vehicle sold and fewer shop visits, so the gap is small.
Which has more recalls, the Santa-FE or the Passport?: The Santa-FE has more. Federal recall records show 60 recalls across 9 Santa-FE model years and 29 across 8 Passport model years. The Santa-FE also covers one more model year in the data, but the gap is still large.
Which costs less to repair?: They cost almost the same. The Santa-FE runs about $515 a year and the Passport about $521, roughly $30 apart over five years. The Santa-FE also averages fewer unscheduled shop visits, at 0.2 a year against 0.3.
What is the biggest Santa-FE problem to watch for?: Engine 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 alone, it can bring misfires, knocking, stalling, and sometimes engine failure.
Does the Honda Passport have phantom braking?: Yes, it is the main complaint in its forward collision avoidance category. Owners report a flashing red BRAKE warning, a shaking wheel, and hard braking with nothing ahead. Dealers often cannot reproduce it, and one complaint ties false braking to a crash.

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How we score the Honda Passport 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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