Hyundai Santa Fe 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 501 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 50 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 50 in every 100249 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 20 yearsabout 120,963 miles
First tests counted: 501

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 249 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 46 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 27 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system

Noted on 24 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (front)

Noted on 23 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time: 50in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 11in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 39in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.3% of 501 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2004	55 in every 100	367
2005 This car	50 in every 100	501
2006	50 in every 100	831
2007	54 in every 100	839
2008	57 in every 100	543
2009	61 in every 100	502
2010	51 in every 100	2,661
2011	53 in every 100	2,908
2012	52 in every 100	2,682
2013	60 in every 100	1,240
2014	66 in every 100	2,324
2015	75 in every 100	2,800
2016	78 in every 100	4,095
2017	81 in every 100	2,507
2018	82 in every 100	1,850
2019	83 in every 100	1,046
2020	84 in every 100	501
2021	89 in every 100	846
2022	90 in every 100	1,766

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe reliable?

With 501 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 50.3% of 501 first MOTs on the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 61.3%. Among 249 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) appears more often than on similar cars (18.5% of those tests; 46 observed failures; about 2.6× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Hyundai Santa Fe 2005?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (18.5% of those tests; 46 observed failures; about 2.6× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Drive shaft joints and boots (front) stand out?

Drive shaft joints and boots (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (18.5% of those tests; 46 observed failures; about 2.6× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.

What are common problems with the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe include Drive shaft joints and boots (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.

What does this Hyundai Santa Fe 2005 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.