Hyundai Santa Cruz Complaints

312 consumer complaints on file.

#11697511November 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Cruz. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power but was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V760000 (Power Train); the VIN was included, but the vehicle was already repaired in 2022. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 63,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697025November 2, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While driving on the highway at a speed of approx 35 mph, no traffic in front of me, I got an audile warning and the car started slowing down, and the message on the dash said EMERGENCY BRAKING, this has happened twice in the last month.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694604October 20, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:FUEL GAUGE
The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while fueling the vehicle, the fuel gauge became inoperable. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed a full tank while driving, regardless of the actual fuel level. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel gauge sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred after the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,045.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693975October 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN
As I was attempting to accelerate at a stop light, once I got to 10mph I lost all power and the vehicle appeared to be in neutral, even though it was in gear. The engine just revved and would not go any faster. It appeared that the transmission just completely slipped out of gear. I had to figure out a way to exit the road as I was in full rush hour traffic. When I re-entered traffic to try again, the same thing happened and I exited into a side street neighborhood. The third time, the car did accelerate although it was rough shifting. This problem is extremely unsafe. This is a brand new car and unacceptable. When I researched this issue online, it appears to be a very common issue in the 2022-2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz’s. I hope that this will be investigated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692942October 12, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Transmission does not advance through its ranges fails to shift leaving stranded middle of intersection. Misses a whole range looses excelleration. You
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691557October 6, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Hyundai Santa Cruz with transmission problems. 5 attempts to repair and manufacture failed to. Last time, vehicle had a sudden transmission failure while driving. Car stop responding to acceleration and transmission was not switching gears, that could had cause loss of control, especially in high-speed or high-traffic situations. Luckily it was very early in the morning, not much traffic and before (0.3 miles) from taking a high-speed interstate. Vehicle is not safe to drive and according to a research I made, other vehicles of same brand, model and year are facing same issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690758October 1, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Adaptive Cruze control will not allow use when wearing sun glasses. It will default out of cruze control causing driver distraction, eye strain from sunlight by having to drive while using Cruze control with out sun glasses.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690576September 30, 2025
SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while hauling a trailer and attempting to accelerate at various speeds, the vehicle was bouncing, and the tires was losing traction before being able to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to raise and lower as the shock absorbers needed to perform. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear shocks had failed to allow the vehicle to self-level. The rear shocks were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact reported the persistence of the failure and was advised to go to another dealer, Greg Hubler Hyundai (6200 W Hometown Blvd, Muncie, IN 47304) who also replaced the rear struts. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687864September 17, 2025
STRUCTURE
The contact owned a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle to go into a store, he looked back and noticed the vehicle was on fire. No warning lights illuminated. The contact mentioned he noticed the fire was coming from the rear driver's side quarter panel. The contact called 911. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was not filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was taken to a savage yard, and the insurance will then have the vehicle towed to a body shop. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact that they would inspect the vehicle, and they also offered to buy back the vehicle. Recently, he got an email informing him that they are not going to buy back the vehicle. The failure mileage was 18,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687068September 13, 2025
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN
On [XXX], I went out to start my 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz (SC) to leave work to go home. It was difficult to start, however, it started. As I entered [XXX] , i was nearly rear ended by another car, because my SC lost all acceleration. I turned on my hazards for SAFETY and then began to try to accelerate again and was only able to get up to 45 MPH and then was turning 4,000 RPM. I limped my SC home where I had it towed to a local Hyundai dealer as it has roughly 38,000 miles. The dealership had it for 3 days, but couldn't duplicate the issue, so no repairs were done. The Hyundai Santa Cruz has KNOWN transmission issues and the fact I was nearly rear ended could've caused a nasty wreck, resulting in more damage or even a fatality. I reported the issue to Hyundai customer service on the 11th of September (Case #[XXX]). However, in the response from Hyundai, basically saying they "experiencing a high e-mail volume" and responses may be delayed. As of 9/13/2025, I have not received a call or email from Hyundai's customer service. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685527September 7, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Consider taking a break warning triggers continually; sometimes as frequently as every other minute causing distraction during driving. It has occurred since purchasing vehicle. Dealership says can not disable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685226September 5, 2025
POWER TRAIN
car flashes transmission low fluid and gives a code of p193b-79. when trans downshifts upshifts will not happened. to clear the problem you have to turn car off and on , and then normal operation resumes, but shifting is now slower. and sluggish. this is the second transmission to have this problem. Seem hyundai has not fixed it from the 2022 recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681569August 19, 2025
STEERING
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while in the process of towing the vehicle on a tow dolly, the contact attempted to steer the steering wheel to verify that the steering wheel was locked, but the steering wheel was not locked and could be turned. The contact stated that the Owner's Manual stated that the steering wheel would lock while the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the steering wheel had failed to lock while the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased with the intention of towing the vehicle on a tow dolly as necessary, but the contact had stopped towing the vehicle to prevent an accident. The dealer contacted the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer informed the dealer that the vehicle was operating as designed and could not be towed on a tow dolly. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681408August 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2nd replacement DCT transmission failed Loss of power while driving on the interstate , upon acceleration no increase in speed, went from 65mph to 38mph before able to pull off the highway. Intermittently it is not shifting, shuttering, hard reverse shift, hesitation from park into drive
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681404August 18, 2025
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
when pulling out on a intersection I was hit by a large box truck on the front and side drivers side at aprox. 20 to 25 mph. my air bags did not go off and my seat belt did not hold me from hitting the steering wheel Hyundai is saying the impact was not enough to force either one to help in this situation
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11680808August 15, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Make: Hyundai • Model: Santa Cruz • Year: 2025 • Trim: Limited • Mileage: 2600 miles • Date of Purchase: July 2025 Description of the Problem: I am reporting a safety issue with the Forward Attention Warning (FAW) system on my 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited, which unexpectedly disables Smart Cruise Control (SCC) during highway driving. The FAW system, which uses an in-cabin camera to monitor driver attentiveness, frequently misinterprets normal driving behavior—such as wearing polarized sunglasses or holding the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position—as inattention. This causes SCC to deactivate abruptly, resulting in sudden speed changes that create a safety hazard, particularly at highway speeds (e.g., 65–70 mph). The issue occurs multiple times per drive, especially when wearing sunglasses, and persists even after attempting to disable FAW in the vehicle’s settings (Settings > Vehicle > Driver Assistance > Driver Attention Warning > Off). For example, while driving on [XXX], SCC deactivated without warning due to FAW detecting my sunglasses, causing the vehicle to slow unexpectedly and requiring immediate manual intervention to maintain speed. This has happened regularly, creating a risk of rear-end collisions or driver distraction. I contacted my Hyundai dealership and they stated that no software fix is available and the system is “working as designed.” Hyundai’s Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 25-GI-001H) acknowledges FAW issues with sunglasses and hand position but offers no solution. I also contacted Hyundai Customer Service (1-800-633-5151), but they provided no resolution. This issue is widely reported by other 2025 Hyundai owners (e.g., Tucson, Santa Fe) in online forums INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679960August 11, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle began running roughly. CEL came on. Began to misfire. Limped it off the FWY under limited power. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Was diagnosed as having bad fuel injectors. Was told by service writer that Hyundai Santa Cruz trucks have been experiencing a lot of injector failures. Looking at the various Hyundai Santa Cruz forums, it appears that this has been a very common issue and has occurred in 2022 through 2025 model year vehicles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679915August 11, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving 62 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking system erroneously engaged. The Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but offered no assistance and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679782August 11, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle seems to not go into park at times and then coasts forward.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671897July 8, 2025
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed to pass another vehicle however, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle but did not turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that after shifting to drive(D) the vehicle failed to accelerate above 15 MPH. The contact stopped the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a fuel injector had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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