IllustrationWhen taking off from a stand still the Santa Cruz will hesitate.. Not all the time but it's usually when you need to get into traffic... It will lose power and finally take off...
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Santa Cruz years
Owner complaints for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz are substantially higher than the model-year median of 35.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Santa Cruz years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 21 of 183 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 90 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
183 reportsALL DASH LIGHTS ARE ON WHILE DRIVING. OIL, ABS, TIRE PRESSURE, CHECK ENGINE. CAR IS AT DEALERSHIP NOW AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME WITH A LOANER AND CONSTANT UPDATES. THEY HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH CORPORATE AND THEY ADVISED THEM TO CHANGE SOMETHING IN THE ABS SYSTEM WHICH IS EXPECTED TO …
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ALL DASH LIGHTS ARE ON WHILE DRIVING. OIL, ABS, TIRE PRESSURE, CHECK ENGINE. CAR IS AT DEALERSHIP NOW AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME WITH A LOANER AND CONSTANT UPDATES. THEY HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH CORPORATE AND THEY ADVISED THEM TO CHANGE SOMETHING IN THE ABS SYSTEM WHICH IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE MIDDLE OF FEBRURARY. NOTHING TO DO BUT WAIT.
Halogen headlights too dim, even on high beams. Called dealership and was told they couldn’t switch to a brighter bulb. Was also told I couldn’t convert to LED headlights without voiding warranty; that if I wanted LED headlights I should have “purchased a higher trim model”. I purchased the SEL with activity package trim and y…
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Halogen headlights too dim, even on high beams. Called dealership and was told they couldn’t switch to a brighter bulb. Was also told I couldn’t convert to LED headlights without voiding warranty; that if I wanted LED headlights I should have “purchased a higher trim model”. I purchased the SEL with activity package trim and you would think an almost $40,000 vehicle would have better headlights than this.
Official recalls
423V181000 · Trailer Hitches
Mar 17, 2023
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.
23V038000 · Structure:body:roof And Pillars; Structure:critical Fasteners
Jan 31, 2023
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace, or secure the roof moldings, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 241.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Structure:critical Fasteners
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.
Consequence: A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace, or secure the roof moldings, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 241.
Structure:body:roof And Pillars
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.
Consequence: A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace, or secure the roof moldings, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 241.
22V746000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Oct 6, 2022
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.
22V197000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pipes, Hoses, And Fittings
Mar 28, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall 222.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pipes, Hoses, And Fittings
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment.
Consequence: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall 222.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Santa Fe and Santa Cruz vehicles. The oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment.
Consequence: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall 222.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.