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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 185 safety complaints about the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 90 complaints, 49% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 25,000 miles, the median across the 21 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

185 complaints on file

185

Complaints

5

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

5

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 90 · 49%
ENGINE 51 · 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 36 · 19%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 · 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 21 · 11%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 18 · 10%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 · 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 · 4%
LANE DEPARTURE 4 · 2%
AIR BAGS 3 · 2%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 2%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 1%
0 38 77

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 185.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 80.

84 63 42 21
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

TRAILER HITCHES

23V181000 · March 17, 2023

Park outside until repaired

The defect
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.
The risk
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 584,784 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

23V038000 · January 31, 2023

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.
The risk
A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 16,104 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

22V746000 · October 6, 2022

The defect
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.
The risk
Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 56,148 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

22V197000 · March 28, 2022

The defect
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.
The risk
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 16 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

The vehicle was involved in a collision in which the airbags failed to deploy. Despite the severity of the impact, no airbags deployed. As a result, both adult occupants (my daughters) were injured. The failure of the airbag system to deploy raises serious safety concerns regarding the vehicle’s restraint system and crash sensors.

NHTSA complaint 11705417. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 70,000 miles

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 complaint 11541527. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

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

NHTSA complaint 11681404. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

1 injured · crash · 57,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving on I-95 and approaching a stopped vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, and the automatic emergency braking system engaged. Upon depressing the accelerator pedal to accelerate when traffic started moving, the emergency braking light remained illuminated, and an alarm sounded even after the preceding vehicle drove away. The automatic emergency braking system failed to disengage, causing the vehicle to be rear-ended by an ambulance. The contact sustained body soreness from head to feet and whiplash but had not yet received medical treatment. The ambulance air bags deployed, and the ambulance was undrivable.

NHTSA complaint 11763570, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have had one Transmission and the tow hitch wiring harness replaced once from recalls. The tow hitch wiring harness is failing and all the warning lights are failing. The transmission is slipping upon takeoff and will rev at elevated RMS on the highway at times. When in reverse it will still move forward at times and on a hill it rolls back. The breaks have slammed on (for no reason) a couple of times while on the highway. It has also lost power. No check engine lights are on at this time. The warning lights for wiring harness are on at all times. I had it looked at last week and I had to pay $400.00 but they never drove it and said the wiring harness is no longer their responsibility.

NHTSA complaint 11767298. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving on a 170 mile trip at mostly high speed, when reducing speed near destination the engine suddenly shut off while traveling at 35 mph. Dashboard lights and alarms occurred indicating engine was off. Was able to safely bring the vehicle to a stop. Was very lucky this occurred in an area where I could bring the car safely to a stop. No indication of engine trouble or any alert lights proceeded the engine shut down. Was able to restart the car and safely reach destination. Was also able to do 170 mile return trip without incident. I reported this directly to Hyundai through their app. Scheduled appointment with dealer to check the vehicle. Inspection and diagnostics at Hyundai

NHTSA complaint 11765981, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My INTEGRATED THERMAL MANAGEMENT (ITM) module went bad in my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. I notified Hyundai about it and found out there are several service bulletins related to this part. My truck was outside the bumper-to-bumper warranty, so I had to pay over $1000.00 to get it replaced. I think it's shitty that Hyundai knows there is an issue with part on 2022-2023 Santa Cruz's and aren't willing to cover it. On top of that, the ECU has to re-calibrated after the repair, which didn't allow me to replace the part myself.

NHTSA complaint 11763482. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
In approximately late 2024, at just under 30,000 miles, the vehicle lost motive power while driving on the interstate. Multiple warning lights illuminated and the vehicle lost drive shortly afterward, leaving me unable to accelerate in traffic. The vehicle was then serviced under Recall 236 (NHTSA 22V-746) for the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission high-pressure oil pump. The remedy performed was a transmission control unit software update only; the transmission was not replaced. I do not have the exact dates and am reporting these as approximate. The vehicle now has approximately 99,700 miles. It has developed hesitation and dragging on drive-off within the first half mile of every trip and

NHTSA complaint 11763142, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle in the middle of turning in to a hazardous highway lost power and then began to drive sluggish at 20 miles per hour skipping. It acted like the fuel injectors were not allowing it to get fuel. After having some one check it is exactly what was wrong.. It he vehicle had not caught up I would be dead as an oncoming vehicle did not realize the care was not moving.

NHTSA complaint 11762676. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Santa Cruz

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 5 3 —
2025 19 3 —
2024 35 1 —
2023 79 2 —

Other 2022 Hyundai models

Ioniq 5 406 Tucson 383 Palisade 307 Santa FE 199 Tucson Hybrid 112 Elantra 101 Kona 99 Sonata 93

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Hyundai on this site — 205 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst