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: 5 of 35 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 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
35 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 15, 2024
Air BagsCrashInjury
Driver 1 will be the Hyundai Santa Cruz traveling northbound on [XXX] at [XXX] . Driver 2 crossed [XXX] 1 directly in front of my vehicle causing extensive damage to the vehicle as well as injuries to the occupants. Vehicle 1 was [XXX] months old at the time. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED! All airbags of the #2 vehicle deployed, ALL. …
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Driver 1 will be the Hyundai Santa Cruz traveling northbound on [XXX] at [XXX] . Driver 2 crossed [XXX] 1 directly in front of my vehicle causing extensive damage to the vehicle as well as injuries to the occupants. Vehicle 1 was [XXX] months old at the time. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED! All airbags of the #2 vehicle deployed, ALL. Driver 1, was driving 45 mph northbound and never had a chance to slow down, impact was to the right front quarter panel of vehicle 1 to the left rear quarter panel of vehicle 2. The impact sent vehicle 1, the HYUNDAI, onto two wheels and into center media of [XXX] 1. As it rolled over the Dodge caravans left rear tire. The Passenger in vehicle 1, struck the passenger door and the dashboard on the passenger side as well as hitting her knee on the under dash area. The driver was thrown across and struck the passenger occupant on the left side and continued into the passenger. The point of this report is that the airbags never deployed and I have discovered this is a pending lawsuit by several attorneys. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11619944
Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2024
EngineFuel/propulsion System
My truck lost power climbing a pass. My speed dropped from 60 mph to 20 mph while on a state highway outside Yellowstone NP where traffic can be heavy. My error codes have indicated that it is a problem in the fuel injection system. I have had electrical harness on that system replaced 4 times in 6 weeks, 2 of the times took pla…
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My truck lost power climbing a pass. My speed dropped from 60 mph to 20 mph while on a state highway outside Yellowstone NP where traffic can be heavy. My error codes have indicated that it is a problem in the fuel injection system. I have had electrical harness on that system replaced 4 times in 6 weeks, 2 of the times took place at the dealership during repair. My truck is still not operable.
NHTSA ODI #11613896
Mileage unknown · Sep 6, 2024
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrashInjury
Another driver ran a red light and hit a vehicle in front of me, which spun and impacted the right front corner of my truck. Impact did not seem that severe, my air bags did not deploy but both front seat belts were locked up after the accident. My damage seemed just cosmetic, grill, bumper, hood and right front fender & headlig…
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Another driver ran a red light and hit a vehicle in front of me, which spun and impacted the right front corner of my truck. Impact did not seem that severe, my air bags did not deploy but both front seat belts were locked up after the accident. My damage seemed just cosmetic, grill, bumper, hood and right front fender & headlight were damaged. At repair shop, they determined that the right front frame rail was damaged and the vehicle is totaled, almost $19,000 to repair which is above Geicos’ 75% limit. If the impact was enough to damage the frame rail, why didn’t the air bags deploy?? I do not have an electronic copy of police report or damage assessment, only paper copy.
NHTSA ODI #11612964
Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2024
Power Train
- Incident occurred on the interstate about a mile from the exit - Was in the right hand lane preparing to exit - Started raining very heavily, could barely see the lane lines - Continued to slow down coming to a momentary stop - When beginning to go again, experienced the drive/tires or something started Shuttering/vibratin…
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- Incident occurred on the interstate about a mile from the exit - Was in the right hand lane preparing to exit - Started raining very heavily, could barely see the lane lines - Continued to slow down coming to a momentary stop - When beginning to go again, experienced the drive/tires or something started Shuttering/vibrating-like riding over very rough gravel - At this time the car began speeding forward-with me slamming on brakes-then the car went flying into reverse. The car went spinning and ended up in the interstate median - I tried driving out of the median and back onto the interstate-then the same thing happened again and we went all the way across the median and came to a stop just before hitting the oncoming traffic - As I pulled out onto the left lane of the interstate going West the same thing happened again. - We ended up in the middle of the interstate median aimed back to the East - At the point I put the car in park and waited a minute or so - I then put the car in drive, inched forward back up out of the median and merged with the East bound traffic - I was then able to move to right lane and exit the interstate - The out of control incident did not reoccur - Called the car dealer customer care to report incident on 7/30/24 - Talked with them and detailed the experience when the car went out of control. - An appointment with the local dealership was made for them to try to understand what/why/how it happened. - A case number was assigned to the incident - Arrived at the local dealership at for the service visit - The vehicle remained at the dealership for the rest of that day and all the next day - A service advisor called late in the afternoon of of the second day and informed me that they found no issues with the car, no error codes, and that the car performed as designed - She also stated that if it were to happen again, they would ask Hyundai for recommendations
NHTSA ODI #11606006
Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2024
Lane DepartureSteering
When the lane keeping assistant is operating, a constant, fairly loud buzzing sound emanates from the steering column, accompanied by a slight vibration on the steering wheel. When driving at low speeds and in traffic jams, this makes you nervous and distracts you from driving. The dealership cannot identify the problem and dete…
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When the lane keeping assistant is operating, a constant, fairly loud buzzing sound emanates from the steering column, accompanied by a slight vibration on the steering wheel. When driving at low speeds and in traffic jams, this makes you nervous and distracts you from driving. The dealership cannot identify the problem and determine the cause. This sound has not been noticed on other cars of this brand
NHTSA ODI #11605552
Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2024
Engine
Our 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz SE had a loss of engine power while attempting to accelerate into traffic after stopping at an intersection four times since purchase in November 2023. The engine did not go above idle for approximately 15 seconds while the gas pedal was pressed half way down. The vehicle barely moved into the road an…
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Our 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz SE had a loss of engine power while attempting to accelerate into traffic after stopping at an intersection four times since purchase in November 2023. The engine did not go above idle for approximately 15 seconds while the gas pedal was pressed half way down. The vehicle barely moved into the road and then gained power after what seemed to be the same as limp mode. No codes were set, no warning lights, no unusual noises or vibrations. Vehicle runs great at all other times. These vehicles were recalled in 2022 for a faulty transmission pump and software that caused this issue. Why does Hyundai still allow it for a 2024 model? Also, the backup camera stays on when driving forward now. We have the vehicle at the dealership awaiting their feedback
NHTSA ODI #11584624
Mileage unknown · Apr 16, 2024
Structure
On [XXX] I was in Pennsylvania packing my car to make a trip back home to New Hampshire. I closed the tailgate and it fell off and hit the bumper which dented the tailgate. i was able to put it up on the truck. When I checked further I was able to put it back but stopped often on my 7 hour trip to make sure it was latched. …
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On [XXX] I was in Pennsylvania packing my car to make a trip back home to New Hampshire. I closed the tailgate and it fell off and hit the bumper which dented the tailgate. i was able to put it up on the truck. When I checked further I was able to put it back but stopped often on my 7 hour trip to make sure it was latched. I was never informed that this could happen and my sales person and customer service for Hyundai was not aware of this issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11583389
Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2024
Vehicle Speed Control
I was traveling from Tennessee to Indiana on [XXX] going about 76 mph. I attempted to switch lanes and at the same time the other vehicle decided to speed up as the semi behind started speeding up. When my 2024 Santa Cruz Turbo (which only has 12,000 miles) jerked and started slowing down, the check engine light came on and it s…
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I was traveling from Tennessee to Indiana on [XXX] going about 76 mph. I attempted to switch lanes and at the same time the other vehicle decided to speed up as the semi behind started speeding up. When my 2024 Santa Cruz Turbo (which only has 12,000 miles) jerked and started slowing down, the check engine light came on and it started declining acceleration. I mashed the gas and nothing happened (I was in Normal MODE- not smart mode, not sport mode, and not snow). I literally almost died as 2 very large trucks are coming at me full speed as I'm descending speed. I swerved off the road into the grass medium and was able to get out alive. However, the Hyundai is still not accelerating the RPMS will go to max and I’ll only be at 50 mph. I googled online and apparently this is been going on since 2022 with a several of Hyundai cars not just Santa Cruz; The Tucson, Santa Fe, and Santa Cruz were just some of the reports I read. I have a video however it will not allow me to upload it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11582455
Mileage unknown · Apr 8, 2024
Service Brakes
Brand new car, Front rotors had to be cut to stop a bad shaking of steering wheel and car. They only left 1/2 mm left of usable service life. New rotors are 30mm. Replacement is at 28mm. Service department left me with 28.5mm.
NHTSA ODI #11581801
Mileage unknown · Feb 19, 2024
Tires
The tire split on the sidewall from tread area to almost where it touches the metal rim it is mounted on.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024 Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles. The circuit board in the motor-driven power steering assembly may short circuit, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the motor-driven power steering electric power pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 261.
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.
2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year