Is the Toyota Highlander more reliable than the Hyundai Santa-FE?

Yes, by a slight margin. The Highlander draws 5.8 owner complaints per 10,000 sold, against 8 for the Santa-FE, and its annual repair cost is lower. The Santa-FE has fewer shop visits and a lower chance of a major repair, so the two are close.

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

The Highlander has more. Federal recall records show 66 recalls across its 9 model years, while the Santa-FE has 60 across the same span. The difference is small. Check any specific car's VIN for open recalls before buying either one.

Which is cheaper to repair, the Highlander or the Santa-FE?

The Highlander is cheaper by a little. Independent repair-cost data estimates $489 a year for it and $515 for the Santa-FE. Over five years that is roughly $130. The Santa-FE does need fewer unscheduled shop visits each year.

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

Heavy oil burning. Owners find the engine several quarts low between changes with no visible leak, often around 78,788 to 110,000 miles. Left unchecked, it can bring knocking, power loss, stalling at highway speed, and in some cases engine failure.

What goes wrong most often on the Toyota Highlander?

Power train complaints lead, at 485. The typical report is a whine under acceleration that grows until the transmission fails, usually just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000 for the replacement, and some owners wait months for a backordered unit.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander: Reliability Compared

Hyundai Santa Fe

Good

More Reliable

Toyota Highlander

Good

The Toyota Highlander edges out the Hyundai Santa-FE on reliability, with fewer owner complaints per vehicle sold. The gap is slight. Santa-FE owners visit the shop less often and face lower odds of a major repair, but oil burning and sudden acceleration reports weigh on it.

How Do the Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Highlander Generations Compare?

Most of the Highlander's range sits in one generation. The fourth generation, XU70, covers 2020 through 2026, and a fifth generation, XU80, is listed for 2027. Model years 2018 and 2019 belong to the third generation, which had a refresh in 2017. The Santa-FE spans more changes. The 2018 model is the last of the third generation, which also had a 2017 refresh. The fourth generation, TM, ran 2019 through 2023 with a refresh in 2021. A fifth generation, MX5, began with the 2024 model year. A shopper looking at either model will mostly see one or two generations.

Verdict

The Toyota Highlander is more reliable than the Hyundai Santa Fe, scoring 73/100 vs 70/100.

A slight edge goes to the Toyota Highlander. Owners file fewer complaints per vehicle sold, 5.8 per 10,000 against 8, and the yearly repair bill runs a little lower. The Santa-FE answers with fewer unscheduled shop visits and a lower chance that a repair turns major. Both land at a good standing, so the gap is small. The Highlander's lead rests on complaint rate and cost, while its transmission and air bag reports keep the margin thin.

Key Differences

1Toyota Highlander costs $26 less per year to repair
2Hyundai Santa Fe has 6 fewer total recalls
3Toyota Highlander scores 3 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

3Hyundai Santa Fe

—

3Toyota Highlander

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair Risk

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander: Which Is More Reliable?

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Hyundai Santa Fe	Toyota Highlander
Reliability Score	70/100	73/100
Years Tracked	9	9
Total Recalls	60	66
Complaints per 10k Sold	8	5.8
Annual Repair Cost	$515/yr	$489/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.3/yr
Major Repair Risk	10%	13%
Year Wins	1	8

What Are the Common Problems With the Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Highlander?

Transmission failure and air bag complaints set the Highlander apart, while heavy oil burning defines the Santa-FE. Highlander owners describe a rising whine under acceleration, then failure just past the 60,000-mile warranty, with dealer quotes of $8,500 to $10,000. Front bumper covers that detach at highway speed are covered by recall 23V720000. Air bags draw 41 crash-linked complaints, mostly front impacts with no deployment. Santa-FE engines run quarts low and some fail, often from about 78,788 to 110,000 miles. Its crash-linked reports involve brakes that fail to stop the car and sudden acceleration while parking. Air bags are not among its main problem areas.

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander common problem areas comparison
Component	Hyundai Santa Fe	Toyota Highlander
POWER TRAIN	1.3Low	1.5Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1.2Low	0.8Very Low
ENGINE	1.5Low	0.2Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.9Very Low	0.4Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.5Very Low	0.5Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.5Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.5Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.3Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.1Very Low	0.3Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.2Very Low	—None
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.1Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	—None
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	0.1Very Low	—None
FUEL SYSTEM	—None	0.1Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
TIRES	—None	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	—None
TRAILER HITCHES	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None

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

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Hyundai Santa Fe or Toyota Highlander?

Independent repair-cost data puts the Highlander at $489 a year and the Santa-FE at $515. That $26 gap adds up to about $130 over five years, which is small. The Santa-FE needs fewer unscheduled shop visits, 0.2 a year against 0.3, and carries a lower chance that a repair is major, 10% against 13%. So the Highlander costs a bit less on average, while the Santa-FE gives you fewer trips and fewer big bills.

How Does Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander Reliability Compare by Year?

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Hyundai Santa Fe	Toyota Highlander	Edge
2026	75/1005R / 5C	84/1000R / 0C	Toyota Highlander
2025	75/1006R / 109C	76/1008R / 40C	Toyota Highlander
2024	73/1009R / 109C	67/10016R / 198C	Hyundai Santa Fe
2023	70/1004R / 244C	73/10013R / 140C	Toyota Highlander
2022	66/10014R / 223C	74/1007R / 186C	Toyota Highlander
2021	69/10010R / 165C	70/1006R / 403C	Toyota Highlander
2020	70/1002R / 165C	71/1008R / 269C	Toyota Highlander
2019	69/1003R / 201C	70/1003R / 414C	Toyota Highlander
2018	63/1007R / 489C	72/1005R / 242C	Toyota Highlander

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe scored 73/100 and the 2022 Toyota Highlander scored 74/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Hyundai Santa Fe vs the Toyota Highlander?

Choose the Highlander if you want the lower complaint rate and the lower yearly repair bill. Target the fourth-generation years and skip 2021 and 2024, its weakest. Before you buy, ask whether the front bumper cover recall repair was completed, and listen for a whine under acceleration during the test drive, since transmission reports cluster just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Choose the Santa-FE if fewer shop visits and a lower chance of a major repair matter more to you. Skip 2018 and 2022, its weakest years. On any example near or past 78,788 miles, ask for oil change records and check the oil level, because heavy oil burning is the dominant complaint. The newest years, 2025 and 2026, look strongest for both models, but they have had less time to collect complaints, so treat that as a partial picture.

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander: Common Questions

Is the Toyota Highlander more reliable than the Hyundai Santa-FE?: Yes, by a slight margin. The Highlander draws 5.8 owner complaints per 10,000 sold, against 8 for the Santa-FE, and its annual repair cost is lower. The Santa-FE has fewer shop visits and a lower chance of a major repair, so the two are close.
Which has more recalls, the Highlander or the Santa-FE?: The Highlander has more. Federal recall records show 66 recalls across its 9 model years, while the Santa-FE has 60 across the same span. The difference is small. Check any specific car's VIN for open recalls before buying either one.
Which is cheaper to repair, the Highlander or the Santa-FE?: The Highlander is cheaper by a little. Independent repair-cost data estimates $489 a year for it and $515 for the Santa-FE. Over five years that is roughly $130. The Santa-FE does need fewer unscheduled shop visits each year.
What is the biggest problem with the Hyundai Santa-FE?: Heavy oil burning. Owners find the engine several quarts low between changes with no visible leak, often around 78,788 to 110,000 miles. Left unchecked, it can bring knocking, power loss, stalling at highway speed, and in some cases engine failure.
What goes wrong most often on the Toyota Highlander?: Power train complaints lead, at 485. The typical report is a whine under acceleration that grows until the transmission fails, usually just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000 for the replacement, and some owners wait months for a backordered unit.

More Hyundai Santa Fe comparisons

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More Toyota Highlander comparisons

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Decided between Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Highlander? Run a VIN check before you buy — uncover hidden accidents, title issues, and open recalls.

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How we score the Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Highlander

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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