2016 Dodge Durango vs 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
Two midsize SUVs, compared on what actually matters when you're buying used:
what breaks, when it breaks, and what it costs you.
2016 Dodge
Durango
6/10
Buy the 5.7L Hemi, budget for electrical weirdness, and inspect those taillights before you sign anything.
VS
2016 Hyundai
Santa Fe
6/10
The 3.3L V6 Santa Fe (XL) is the one worth owning; the 2.0T/2.4L Sport is a Theta II lottery ticket you don't want to play in 2024.
Dead heat: both score 6/10. The tiebreaker is which specific car you find.
By the numbers
Green is the better number — higher on every score, lower on failures, complaints and recalls.
| Dodge Durango |
Hyundai Santa Fe |
| Known failure points | 6 | 7 |
| NHTSA complaints | 160 | 235 |
| Safety recalls | 3 | 3 |
| Service bulletins | 12 | 12 |
| Reliability | 58 | 55 |
| Cheap to own | 52 | 55 |
| Fun factor | 68 | 30 |
| Holds value | 48 | 45 |
| Enthusiast cred | 42 | 15 |
The most expensive thing that goes wrong
2016 Dodge Durango
8HP70/45 transmission hard shifts, 'Service Transmission' warnings, sudden RPM drop/limp mode
$200–$4,50030k–70k mi
2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
3.3L Lambda II V6 excessive oil consumption and rare connecting-rod-through-block failure
$5,000–$14,00060k–120k mi
If you buy one, buy this one
✅ 2016 Dodge Durango
2016 Durango R/T with the 5.7L Hemi, AWD, and the Blacktop appearance package — verify all three recalls were completed and taillights show no fogging.
✅ 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
2016 Santa Fe (3-row, NOT Sport) Limited or Ultimate with the 3.3L V6, in FWD, with under 100k miles, complete Hyundai dealer service records, and the KSDS/ABS recalls already performed. Bonus if it's a one-owner Southern-state car with no rust on the rear subframe.
Narrowed it down? Get the full report
This comparison is model-level.
Milo's report goes car-level — the one you're actually looking at:
- A line-by-line negotiation script
- The pre-purchase inspection checklist
- VIN-specific open recalls
- What it's really worth right now
- Your next 15,000 miles, forecast
- Hidden features & money-savers
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Scores and findings blend documented NHTSA recalls and complaints with
patterns synthesized from owner communities. Always inspect the specific vehicle and
verify open recalls by VIN before buying.