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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.

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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

Electrical System complaints

21 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 26, 2023
Electrical SystemVehicle Speed Control

Both rear taillights have condensation since 1 month out from purchase till currently. Dealer garage will not fix it says it normal and will not even write up or make an appointment to have it checked. Recently, I was proceeding into the highway and I lost acceleration to move into traffic that scared the life out of and my fam…

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Both rear taillights have condensation since 1 month out from purchase till currently. Dealer garage will not fix it says it normal and will not even write up or make an appointment to have it checked. Recently, I was proceeding into the highway and I lost acceleration to move into traffic that scared the life out of and my family. Pressed the gas and car doesn’t move at all then hardly at 40rpms. No warning lights or anything came in. Drove home in the back roads and made an appointment with the garage in 2 days later. Which upon driving to garage the car seemed fine. The garage did not even write up a service order said it was normal.

NHTSA ODI #11519166

Mileage unknown · Apr 8, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

After taking my vehicle to get serviced for the 4th time, the vehicle is is not repaired. I still have the problem two hours later when driving the vehicle on April 7, 2023. My vehicle sometimes get stuck in high idle @1200 RPM when driving. The engine is at operating temperature when it get stuck. It doesn't go away unless I sh…

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After taking my vehicle to get serviced for the 4th time, the vehicle is is not repaired. I still have the problem two hours later when driving the vehicle on April 7, 2023. My vehicle sometimes get stuck in high idle @1200 RPM when driving. The engine is at operating temperature when it get stuck. It doesn't go away unless I shut off the engine for a few seconds and then start the engine. It stays in high idle @1200 RPM whether it is in park, neutral, reverse, or drive. It stays @1200 RPM whether the A/C is on or off. The engine control module seem to make adjustments to keep the idle @1200 RPM. It is difficult to stop, additional wear on the brakes, and poor fuel economy. On the highway, when I take my foot off the accelerator pedal the engine feels like the pedal is slightly pressed. A stuck accelerator pedal doesn't make adjustments to maintain the 1200 RPM idle in park and drive or whether the A/C is on and off. It is a problem with the engine control module controlling the idle speed. My dealer already did a engine and transmission value reset which didn't fix the problem. Others have filed a complaint that the RPM gets stuck @5000. The rpm getting stuck doesn't trigger a check engine warning light on my vehicle either. One time while I was driving with the idle problem, the engine shut off while I was braking to a stop at the light. Are Hyundai vehicle parts really being tested to the point of failure or malfunction? How come Hyundai USA doesn't know the cause of the problem? Are we their test subject and crash dummies? The Hyundai dealer said they couldn't reproduce the problem, so when it was malfunctioning again I drove it back to the dealership without shutting off the engine for them to confirm the problem. I have a recent video of the malfunction, but only older photos of the engine or electrical malfunction to upload.

NHTSA ODI #11516098

Mileage unknown · Mar 13, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

I was accelerating onto the interstate in a busy high speed area and suddenly there was no communication to my transmission. I went from 58 miles an hour to 20mph is a matter of seconds barely avoiding causing a several car pile up. I had vehicle towed to 2 different dealer service departments to no avail. I was told that there…

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I was accelerating onto the interstate in a busy high speed area and suddenly there was no communication to my transmission. I went from 58 miles an hour to 20mph is a matter of seconds barely avoiding causing a several car pile up. I had vehicle towed to 2 different dealer service departments to no avail. I was told that there was no code and the problem could not be duplicated. However there is a recall for a similar issue. I was told my vin number didn't fall within that recall. The vehicle has been in the shop for several issues in the 6 short months I've owned it most appear to be related to electrical issues. I've made several attempts to resolve the issue through Hyundai with no resolution.

NHTSA ODI #11511582

Mileage unknown · Feb 12, 2023
Electrical System

GREETINGS, I BOUGHT THIS SANTA CRUZ ON NOVEMBER 25, 2022, AND ITY HAS ONLY 7,137 MILES. I ONLY DRIVE 11 MILES TO WORK AND 11 MILES BACK FROM WORK AT MY FIRST JOB AND 3 MILE TO WORK AT MY SECOND JOB AND 3 MILES BACK. I DO NOT DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY TO GO ANYWHERE FAR. I ONLY USE THIS VEHICLE IN MY AREA. I HAVE ANOTHER VECHILE WHICH…

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GREETINGS, I BOUGHT THIS SANTA CRUZ ON NOVEMBER 25, 2022, AND ITY HAS ONLY 7,137 MILES. I ONLY DRIVE 11 MILES TO WORK AND 11 MILES BACK FROM WORK AT MY FIRST JOB AND 3 MILE TO WORK AT MY SECOND JOB AND 3 MILES BACK. I DO NOT DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY TO GO ANYWHERE FAR. I ONLY USE THIS VEHICLE IN MY AREA. I HAVE ANOTHER VECHILE WHICH IS THE SUV I HAD BEFORE THIS AND I DRIVE THAT ON WEEKENDS. I NOTICED THE MILEAGE KEPT GOING UP AND UP JUST LIKE THE GAS WHEN IT IS RUNNING OUT. THE MILEAGE IS NOW AT 9,490. SO THIS IS SAYING THAT FROM NOVEMBER 25 I USED 2,353 MILEAGE. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. SOMEONE DID SOME TAMPERING AT THE DEALER. MY SUV IS 2013 AND I GOT IT WITH SEVENTY SOMETHING MILES IN 2017. IT HAS 120,000 MILES ON IT NOW. PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT AND LET ME KNOW WHEAT IS GOING ON AND GIVE ME A CALL PLEASE. THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI #11506879

37,000 miles · Nov 22, 2022
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that after letting up off the accelerator pedal, the engine revved up and the vehicle lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the instrument…

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The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that after letting up off the accelerator pedal, the engine revved up and the vehicle lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the instrument panel background lighting was very dim for all the display functionality. The local dealer was contacted and informed that the failure had occurred intermittently, and while driving at various speeds. The dealer suggested that the vehicle be taken in to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.

NHTSA ODI #11494529

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2022
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

lost of power while driving at 45 mph. no engine warning.

NHTSA ODI #11490028

Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 2022
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

My new car with less than 2000 miles stalled at a traffic light on Southlake Blvd. in Southlake, TX. It just died and would not start. All the electrical warning lights were flaring. Every time I tried to restart it, it would try, shudder, and die. I was lucky not to get run over on that busy street. It was towed to the dealersh…

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My new car with less than 2000 miles stalled at a traffic light on Southlake Blvd. in Southlake, TX. It just died and would not start. All the electrical warning lights were flaring. Every time I tried to restart it, it would try, shudder, and die. I was lucky not to get run over on that busy street. It was towed to the dealership and has been there a month exactly. They cannot figure out what is wrong.

NHTSA ODI #11488348

Mileage unknown · Sep 24, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

I was driving on the highway (55mph) with my two children in the backseat. My vehicle started slowing down quickly even with my foot on the gas. There was no warning, no lights on the dash lit up warning me there was anything wrong with the car. The rpm’s we’re going up but it was like there was no power to the car. I got off th…

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I was driving on the highway (55mph) with my two children in the backseat. My vehicle started slowing down quickly even with my foot on the gas. There was no warning, no lights on the dash lit up warning me there was anything wrong with the car. The rpm’s we’re going up but it was like there was no power to the car. I got off the highway onto a side road as fast as I could do I wouldn’t get hit. Then I pulled off to the side of the road. I put it in park and turned it off. I tried to turn it back on and it would start. After a second attempt it turned on but was really rough and felt like it would stall. I used blue link to call for a tow truck. Then I called the dealership to tell them since I’ve only had the car for 9 months. I tried to turn the car back on and the dash said battery discharging due to electrical and it turned off before I could read the last word. Tonight checking my email blue link sent an email stating a possible condition with the engine control system. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where I bought the car.

NHTSA ODI #11486239

Mileage unknown · May 12, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

2022 Santa Cruz 764 miles. Washed vehicle April 1st with hose, water & soap bubbles in grill of DRL. I was told that its a lens cover & not the LED DRL, but it collects and holds water & soap. I can't clean in there. Field service engineer came out, deamed normal by Hyundai, grill & lens are not sealed. Unacceptable, water coll…

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2022 Santa Cruz 764 miles. Washed vehicle April 1st with hose, water & soap bubbles in grill of DRL. I was told that its a lens cover & not the LED DRL, but it collects and holds water & soap. I can't clean in there. Field service engineer came out, deamed normal by Hyundai, grill & lens are not sealed. Unacceptable, water collecting by electrical component. Can't get behind lens cover to clean. Eventually im going to have a film in there, and DRL won't work as they should. If soap and water get in now, what happens during winter when it gets road spray from rock salt melting snow and ice turn things to a slush? Who's going to clean that? What happens when the water turns to ice? I mentioned windshield gets foggy and has to be cleaned inside, I was told to use my defroster to clean it. There is no defroster in grill. I'm seeing water collect by an electrical component and soap during a wash. Thats now, the winter road spray won't be as kind. Those are not individual lights, it's one component of 4 lights. The longer this goes on, the effectiveness of those lights will go down. That's not gonna help me at night. Those lights are expensive and you have to have the entire panel replaced. Im not a mechanic or body & fender man. Who's going to pay for that? But, the big question is, "why aren't these lights sealed?

NHTSA ODI #11464351

Mileage unknown · Apr 24, 2022
Electrical SystemPower Train

I purchased a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, Limited edition. The vehicle went into neutral while driving on a busy highway. There was no forward or reverse gear operation. I had to call the local police to block off the lane till a tow truck arrived. After 60 days the dealer finally located the problem. A ground wire to the transmis…

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I purchased a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, Limited edition. The vehicle went into neutral while driving on a busy highway. There was no forward or reverse gear operation. I had to call the local police to block off the lane till a tow truck arrived. After 60 days the dealer finally located the problem. A ground wire to the transmission control module came loose and caused the vehicle transmission to fail. The ground ID Number was GE204 and is located inside the left front fender. This problem took 2800 miles to occur. I feel one ground connection should not cause this type of safety issue.

NHTSA ODI #11461935

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.