‘What Are They Indicating?:’ Man Calls Out Odd Design of Hyundai Santa Fe Taillights. Then He Learns Why They’re Shaped That Way

"Ugliest thing on the road lately next to Cybertrucks."

Man calls out unusual design of new Hyundai Santa Fe tail lights. Then he learns why they’re shaped like that

Photo by: aidaydayy & Hyundai Motor Group

Steve Ecker

By: Steve Ecker

Jul 28, 2025 at 5:00pm ET

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A man is calling out an unusual design choice for the new Hyundai Santa Fe.

In the TikTok, Aidan O'Donnell (@aidaydayy) showcases the Hyundai Santa Fe tail lights.

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“What the [explicit] are these? Dogbones?” he questions.

He then proceeds to start barking at the Santa Fe, as he believes they look like dogbones.

He captions the video “unleashing the dog in me.”

Viewers jumped in and took shots at the Hyundai Santa Fe and the tail lights' unusual design.

“The Hyundai Santa Fe is the ugliest thing on the road lately next to cyber trucks,” one TikTok commenter said.

“How do these designs pass the board? Who sits back and is like ‘yeeesssss this is it,’” another replied.

Many questioned the taillight design.

“I hate to see these, like what are they indicating,” a third shared.

Why Are the Tail Lights Shaped Like That?

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In response to the questions, multiple commenters chimed in to inform people that the design choice of the taillight is supposed to represent an "H" for Hyundai.

According to the head of design for Hyundai North America, Kevin Kang, the pattern in the taillights is part of an overall H-based design theme used all over the vehicle.

“Conveniently, the ‘H’ from Hyundai has a boxy shape (despite how it appears in the Hyundai logo), and the designers seized on this to make ‘H’ a design theme seen throughout the vehicle, including the front and rear light treatments, the front climate vents and even the ambient lighting across the dashboard,” Dick Smith Hyundai reports Kang shared.

Kang’s goal was to make the Hyundai Santa Fe designs distinct and unique for people to remember.

For better or worse, the goal was accomplished.

“The first thing you will likely remember about the Santa Fe are those ‘H’ headlights and taillights,” the dealership continues.

While the intent was for the tail lights to look like an “H,” many people couldn’t get past the idea of the tail lights looking like dogbones.

“I seriously thought these looked like dogbones,” one TikTok commenter shared.

“My son literally calls this the dogbone car,” another added.

“I’ll never be able to unsee this now,” a third replied.

Are You Able to Change These Taillights?

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe was totally restyled to be bigger and boxier, we reported back in 2023.

The tail lights may be the most polarizing aspect of this redesign. This design has even skewed people away from buying the car.

“The tail lights are so ugly. Can't buy one, let alone stand the sight of them driving by me occasionally.” one Reddit user shared.

“Are there any aftermarket fixes for the tail lights that aren't ugly?” another commenter asked.

In addition to looking like dog bones, the taillights on the new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe are mounted extremely low. Browsing around online forums suggests there is no direct solution to swapping out these “H” taillights, and custom modifications will be required.

One option to minimize the “H” is tinting down the brightness of the Santa Fe lights. This includes installing tail light covers.

What do you think?

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While the taillights have received some backlash, there is no denying that people will remember the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Update July 29: Via TikTok direct message, O'Donnell told Motor1, "I just wanted to share my thoughts in a comical way. The design doesn’t suit the rest of the car in any regard."