The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger dummies.  Hyundai showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of all critical body areas was good for the driver and good or adequate for the rear passenger.  In the side barrier test, dummy readings indicated good protection of the driver.  However, the side curtain airbag got caught on the trim of the C-pillar and did not deploy as intended.  Moreover, the airbag was seen to have torn during deployment.  Hyundai investigated the tear and have changed the airbag attachment fixings of affected vehicles in production and have issued a recall for all vehicles with a panoramic roof.  Owners are encouraged to take their vehicles to dealers when asked to do so.  The side barrier test was repeated with changed airbag attachment fixings and no tearing was seen. However, the airbag still did not deploy as intended and protection of the driver's head, in the side barrier and side pole tests, was downgraded to adequate.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  However, a geometric assessment of the rear seats indicated poor whiplash protection.  The standard-fit autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system performed well in tests of its functionality at the low speeds, typical of city driving, at which many whiplash injuries are caused.

In the frontal offset test, protection of all critical body areas was good or adequate, except the neck of the 10 year dummy, protection of which was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of neck tension.  In the side barrier test, protection was good for all critical body areas.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded.  All of the restraint types for which the Santa Fe is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

The protection provided by the bonnet to the head of a struck pedestrian was predominantly good or adequate, with some areas poor protection at the windscreen base and on the stiff windscreen pillars.  Protection of pedestrians' legs was good or adequate while protection of the pelvis was good or marginal.  The AEB system performed adequately in tests of its response to pedestrians but was marginal in scenarios with cyclist targets.

The AEB system performed well in tests of its functionality at highway speeds, with collisions avoided or mitigated in all test scenarios.  The lane assistance system helps to stop the vehicle from drifting out of lane and can also intervene in some more critical emergency situations.  The driver-set limiter helps the driver to maintain control of the vehicle speed, while a seatbelt reminder system is standard for all seats, including those in the optional third row.