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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 →

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 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2023
Power TrainUnknown Or Other

2022 Santa Cruz issues periodically with RPM will reach 4,000-5,000 (Engine sounds to be reving..sp), mph is near zero, on acceleration from a stopped position. To me, sounds to be torque converter, transmission or electrical system. Have had to dealer on 2 occasions, of which, they cannot reproduce issue.(May 25, August29). Thi…

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2022 Santa Cruz issues periodically with RPM will reach 4,000-5,000 (Engine sounds to be reving..sp), mph is near zero, on acceleration from a stopped position. To me, sounds to be torque converter, transmission or electrical system. Have had to dealer on 2 occasions, of which, they cannot reproduce issue.(May 25, August29). This issue is rare but when it occurs (last happening this week Oct 4)concerns of vehicle stopping completely and resulting in accident. Contacted Hyundai customer complaint location, to no avail. It may not be of concern to others but it is to me. When occurs removing foot from accelerator, start process of pulling forward again, all is good. This happened in July, when necessary to have someone else drive vehicle. They were ready to park and call tow truck. Advised what to do to rectify issue, towing was not necessary. Case numbers [XXXXXXX], NHTSA numbers assigned 829558: 828559: 827470. May be others……but I thought my contacting NHTSA was reporting issue as well. Any additional information needed, will provide. Contacted local dealer Sept 29, as well as Hyundai Consumer Affair (hmausa) to advise my intentions. Have contacted Consumer Affairs several times, assigned case number, Sept 1. but no resolution of issue. Have previously, via email, forwarded documentation to NHTSA. First date taken for “look at” was May 25,2023. Actually unsure of first occurrence date. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11548579

Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2023
EnginePower Train

Lose of power, twice, one was around July early August, driving from my home doing about 30 mph I lost power, and the word limit showed on my dash, thinking I may have done something wrong myself I didn't think much of it until last Wednesday 09/27/23 it happened again, after leaving my destination I was driving home went arou…

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Lose of power, twice, one was around July early August, driving from my home doing about 30 mph I lost power, and the word limit showed on my dash, thinking I may have done something wrong myself I didn't think much of it until last Wednesday 09/27/23 it happened again, after leaving my destination I was driving home went around a corner and was up to about 35 mph and my truck lost power, which was completely nerve wrecking I had to pull over quickly and the word limit showed up again, I restarted the vehicle and drove off, and called a hyandai dealership and made an appointment which is for today Monday 10/02/23

NHTSA ODI #11547655

Mileage unknown · Sep 20, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

Warning lights and chime for every ADAS system. Inoperative ADAS system. Driving down a two lane highway ALL of the safety systems warning came on in succession: Check cross traffic, lane keep, cross traffic, blind spot, forward safety, TPMS, etc. When this is happening the AC stops blowing cold and the controls are unresponsiv…

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Warning lights and chime for every ADAS system. Inoperative ADAS system. Driving down a two lane highway ALL of the safety systems warning came on in succession: Check cross traffic, lane keep, cross traffic, blind spot, forward safety, TPMS, etc. When this is happening the AC stops blowing cold and the controls are unresponsive. The warnings will occasionally pause and go back to normal, is quiet for a minute, the AC resumes working, then the dinging resumes and warnings flash. I stopped and restarted, all came back. I looked up where the sensors are and checked for obstructions, none. Disconnected, reconnected battery, it went away for a few miles then came back. No DTC's on app.

NHTSA ODI #11545593

Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 2023
Power Train

2022 Santa Cruz with 5850 miles ... lost power when accelerating on busy road (avoided accident) ... Transmission Control System malfunction warning ... notified by dealer transmission will need to be replaced

NHTSA ODI #11545260

10 miles · Sep 13, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Lane Departure feature malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to drive off the road on several occasions, and crossed double yellow lines with oncoming traffic ahead. The contact almost struck a pedestrian. In addition, the Forwa…

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The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Lane Departure feature malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to drive off the road on several occasions, and crossed double yellow lines with oncoming traffic ahead. The contact almost struck a pedestrian. In addition, the Forward Collision Avoidance system also malfunctioned several times causing the vehicle to abruptly stop while driving on the freeway with no other vehicles nearby. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions and no cause for the failure was found. The sensors were updated but after retrieving the vehicle, the failure immediately reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 10.

NHTSA ODI #11544242

Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2023
Power Train

Twice, as I accelerated the transmission slipped out of gear as if it was shifted into Neutral. In both cases it finally shifted into gear and started to accelerate. In one case I was accelerating on to the Interstate. The Santa Cruz was taken to the dealer on Sept. 7th 2023 but they could not reproduce the problem and indica…

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Twice, as I accelerated the transmission slipped out of gear as if it was shifted into Neutral. In both cases it finally shifted into gear and started to accelerate. In one case I was accelerating on to the Interstate. The Santa Cruz was taken to the dealer on Sept. 7th 2023 but they could not reproduce the problem and indicated there were no error codes. When the problem occurred I did not see a warning light on the dash.

NHTSA ODI #11543882

Mileage unknown · Sep 5, 2023
Unknown Or Other

automobile just shut off on highway going 65 mph for no reason causing a hazard for me and other people on the road. automobile then failed to restart. automobile was then towed to the closest dealer.

NHTSA ODI #11542646

70,000 miles · Aug 29, 2023
Air BagsCrashInjury

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH while slowing down, the vehicle rear ended by another vehicle which caused the contact to crash into the vehicle in front. The air bags did not deploy. The contact struck the steering and had major injuries to the nose and neck and they required …

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The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH while slowing down, the vehicle rear ended by another vehicle which caused the contact to crash into the vehicle in front. The air bags did not deploy. The contact struck the steering and had major injuries to the nose and neck and they required medical attention. The contact was unsure if the other drivers were injured. The vehicle was deemed totally loss from the insurance company. The manufacturer was contact but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage 70,000. A police report was filed.

NHTSA ODI #11541527

Mileage unknown · Aug 23, 2023
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

August 16th, 2023 - Roughly 10:30 am Started car using Push-To-Start, car coughed a few times upon startup. Was about 74 degrees, not too hot or too cold. (This has happened before, not totally abnormal for it to cough on startup.) Loaded up the kid, our luggage, and left. Car was running about 4-5 minutes before putting it in…

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August 16th, 2023 - Roughly 10:30 am Started car using Push-To-Start, car coughed a few times upon startup. Was about 74 degrees, not too hot or too cold. (This has happened before, not totally abnormal for it to cough on startup.) Loaded up the kid, our luggage, and left. Car was running about 4-5 minutes before putting it in drive. Drove out of the neighborhood street pretty normally, went to our stop sign, turned left. Car struggled up hill, appeared to be revving, but the RPMs and the speed did not reflect the amount of noise the car was making. Stopped at another stop sign, turned right, car WOULD NOT accelerate faster than 25ish mph. I put the pedal to the floor to try to bring up the speed, the SMART mode indicator was turning red (indicating bad gas mileage) but it was not accelerating or moving any further. Pulled into someone's driveway to get off the road. Stopped the car, put it in park, then put it in reverse, drove out of the driveway, put it back in drive. Car continued to not accelerate. Unable to get RPMs past 3k and speed past 25ish mph. Got it home without incident. Had dealership tow car as I was unwilling to drive it on an 70 mph road to get it to the dealer. Dealership and Hyundai corporate reject that anything occurred due to there being no computer indicator indicating there was an issue. They believe I had the car in manual mode. I discussed with them that 1) This was very unlikely, as I shifted back into drive more than once and 2) my RPMs would have been increasing if I was accelerating but simply not shifting. I went online and found out this is a widespread issue - I am not the only one reporting this problem.

NHTSA ODI #11540314

Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2023
Power Train

In the middle of driving, the DCT transmission began having intermittent issues with shifting and wouldn't allow regular acceleration, as well as disengaged the transmission/clutch around 3,000rpm in every gear. At this point, it would either over-rev with no connection to the transmission, or required letting off the gas comple…

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In the middle of driving, the DCT transmission began having intermittent issues with shifting and wouldn't allow regular acceleration, as well as disengaged the transmission/clutch around 3,000rpm in every gear. At this point, it would either over-rev with no connection to the transmission, or required letting off the gas completely, and long enough, to force a gear shift. Max speed was limited to around 55mph during this time. Both TCU updates have already been performed on the vehicle prior to the incident. A warning message appeared during the incident stating the TCU needs repair, and the check engine light illuminated. A standard OBDII diagnostic tool was unable to read the specific code afterwards. This falls in line with multiple similar situations with these transmissions, and it will be going to a dealer for evaluation.

NHTSA ODI #11539732

Official recalls

4

23V181000 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.