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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

Unknown Or Other complaints

35 reports
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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 · 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

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 · Jun 19, 2023
Power TrainUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

Waiting to turn at a busy intersection then proceeded to press the accelerator the vehicle lossed power and had shut off. I Shifted gear to park to start engine and it would not go faster than 10mph. Vehicles behind nearly wrecked into me and were honking their horns. It had died again then started back up. I was able to drive h…

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Waiting to turn at a busy intersection then proceeded to press the accelerator the vehicle lossed power and had shut off. I Shifted gear to park to start engine and it would not go faster than 10mph. Vehicles behind nearly wrecked into me and were honking their horns. It had died again then started back up. I was able to drive home before it died again. Vehicle towed to dealership. Was told they are booked until next week and no available loaner cars.

NHTSA ODI #11527802

Mileage unknown · May 23, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The glass sunroof in my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, 1.5 years old with 8,020 miles, exploded on 05-22-23, and is currently awaiting an inspection by the insurance adjuster from Progressive Insurance. Our safety was not compromised, as the interior cover was closed at the time of this occurrence. This occurred completely without w…

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The glass sunroof in my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, 1.5 years old with 8,020 miles, exploded on 05-22-23, and is currently awaiting an inspection by the insurance adjuster from Progressive Insurance. Our safety was not compromised, as the interior cover was closed at the time of this occurrence. This occurred completely without warning. On 05-22-23 at approximately 4:30pm, my boyfriend and I were returning from a trip to Annapolis MD for his medical procedure. We were traveling Eastbound on Route 50 at about 65mph in moderate traffic, and were about 1.5 miles from the Bay Bridge itself, when we heard a pop and then an explosion, and then could hear sound above our heads. I pushed the interior sunroof cover back an inch or two, and definitely heard air rushing in, and could also hear pieces of glass rattling around. I closed the roof, and we continued our drive back to Dover, arriving home at approximately 5:40pm. I wasn’t sure this repair would be covered by my insurance, since I have a $1,000 deductible, so I felt my first course of action should be to determine the cost of the repair. On 05-23-23 I drove to the Hyundai dealership (Winner) in Dover DE, at 10:30am, and the clerk said she had never heard of a sunroof spontaneously exploding, that a rock had probably hit it, and that either way, they didn’t fix them there, and she referred me to a nearby building housing their body shop. I drove there, went inside and explained what happened, but they said I would have to make an appointment for an estimate, and that they didn’t write estimates for Progressive anyway, and that I’d probably have to go to IG Burton in Milford for that. Even if Winner did end up fixing it, they are booked into September. Since my vehicle is now compromised, and I am unable to drive it in the rain, or have any protection in a rollover incident, I felt that this should be considered an emergency situation, and came back home and called Progressive for further assistance.

NHTSA ODI #11523450

Mileage unknown · May 15, 2023
Unknown Or Other

A few days ago, my vehcile began giving me continuous warning messages on the dash, replacing the tachometer. The messages I received alternate from day to day "Uneven road ahead - please drive carefully" and "Slippery road ahead - please drive carefully". I can aknowledge these but they come back with an annoying beep. When …

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A few days ago, my vehcile began giving me continuous warning messages on the dash, replacing the tachometer. The messages I received alternate from day to day "Uneven road ahead - please drive carefully" and "Slippery road ahead - please drive carefully". I can aknowledge these but they come back with an annoying beep. When I don't acknowledge them, the tach and these messages alternate every few seconds with an attention getting "beep". In the meantime I cannot read the tachometer or other vehicle information displayed there. I made an appointment with my Hyundai delaer to have it addressed. When I showed up for that, the dealer informed me that there were several cases of this reported and the fix was to install a navigation update but that they would charge me to do this. This vehicle is about 18 months old with less than 10K miles on it and still under full vehicle warranty. When I called Hyundai Customer Care about this, they refused to do anything and gave me the run around telling me the dealer would determine if this was covered by the warranty. It is a defect!! I have attched a picture of the dash with this message.

NHTSA ODI #11522112

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 14, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The roof moldings may detach and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

NHTSA ODI #11507220

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2023
EngineUnknown Or Other

Transmission problems , car went into limp mode.

NHTSA ODI #11500930

Mileage unknown · Dec 11, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Santa Cruz transmission would not engage into drive. Therefore, vehicle could not move or be driven. Transmission seemed to be in neutral position. Had to be towed to dealer and has been there since July 28, 2022. Dealer gave a loaner vehicle. Still making payments on a new vehicle and not enjoying the ride. Who dropped the ball…

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Santa Cruz transmission would not engage into drive. Therefore, vehicle could not move or be driven. Transmission seemed to be in neutral position. Had to be towed to dealer and has been there since July 28, 2022. Dealer gave a loaner vehicle. Still making payments on a new vehicle and not enjoying the ride. Who dropped the ball on this? Dealer seems as frustrated as I am.

NHTSA ODI #11496918

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.