Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
77
Complaints
2
Crashes
3
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Owners of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz have filed 77
safety complaints with NHTSA
between October 2022 and July 2026.
The most complained-about system is the power train,
named in 25 of them
(32%). The typical failure was reported at 5,500 miles, the median
across the 6 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this
vehicle.
Recalls (2)
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
What owners report
Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add
up to more than 77.
POWER TRAIN 25 32%
ENGINE 20 26%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 5%
TRAILER HITCHES 3 4%
AIR BAGS 2 3%
STRUCTURE 2 3%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2023 at 33.
2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year
In owners' own words
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed · 1,200 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the contact crashed into a pole; however, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries and received medical attention. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,200. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint 11523859. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE
fire · towed · 18,000 miles
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 …
NHTSA complaint 11687864, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
On May 1, 2023 I pulled my 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz into my garage at about 5pm and fyi It was blustery outside and had been raining & snowing all day. At about 5:15 pm I heard a loud bang followed by another. I looked out the back door and saw that the whole garage was completely engulfed in flames. My garage is attached to my home and the fire spread fast especially with 40 to 50 mile per hour winds feeding it. The only thing we could do was to get out with with our 2 dogs and nothing else. The consensus among fire professionals are that my vehicle started the fire. So here I sit with absolutely nothing!
NHTSA complaint 11524087. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
The system that failed was electrical near or in the Tow Hitch which caused the vehicle fire. Vehicle is available for inspection at Auto Body Evolution Essex MD. The car caught fire in the back of the vehicle while parked in Owner's driveway and engine off. Neighbor pounded on Owner's door at 6:50 am. yelling for the residents to open the door that their vehicle was on fire in their driveway. Fire was dangerously close to the gas cap; parked vehicle was close to the owner's house, two boats in the driveway, and neighbor's house. After the incident, owner googled for any issues with Santa Cruz's. It was then and only then we learned that this vehicle had a fire recall on the Tow Hitch. We …
NHTSA complaint 11651645, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
my 2023 Santa Cruz had 7500 miles when purchased 4/25/26. I have had issues with the screen blackening/fading which cuts of electronics; ex; safety features. This was taken in twice. Then the truck loses power. Going 55 or 75, suddenly truck drops to 20mph. Car's honk, brake & swerve not to hit us. It has been at dealers three times now for same issue. Since I've owned vehicle, it has been at dealer for 29 days tomorrow and it is still there. The truck is a death trap, always something wrong.
NHTSA complaint 11753189. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
truck dash light would fade/blacken at which time none of safety features would work. This is an intermittent problem but seem like it has happened many times with the Santa Cruz's in general, so Hyundai was aware of problem. They don't seem to fix problems. This is a critical safety failure. No warning just happens. Had it happen to my truck about 7 times. When screen blackens, I have no safety features, can't see anything on dash, so I could get in a wreck
NHTSA complaint 11749492. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
driving/pulling on interstate speed only went to 20 miles per hour, no more. Pulled off and turned truck off, waited and restarted. all fine. No warning was given. Short time later engine light came on. Called and got appointment at dealers.
NHTSA complaint 11749495. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
crash · towed
Sudden Unintended Acceleration: Coming to a stop in a driveway and planning to put vehicle in to reverse, the Santa Cruz suddenly accelerated and kept accelerating ... it would not stop moving, brakes were applied continuously and forcefully, but with no effect. Vehicle crashed through shrubbery and small trees into neighbor's yard, over a retaining wall and finally crashing into neighbors parked classic car, only stopping after it nose-dived downward. We live in Rapid City, this event happened at our daughter's residence in Black Hawk, South Dakota.
NHTSA complaint 11733854. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
oil leak the oil leak has be too the dealer twice for repair each time they said it was fixed it has now has happend again for the third time in less than 306 miles could cause engine failure at highway speed and engine lockup at such speed first time it was found by dealer after third oil change approx. 15000 miles second 12000 miles later and now 306 miles latter with this time the leak was larger to to the fact that it triggerd the low oil light first two times it told to me it was oil pan gasket and a small leak which at the time made sense it not show up on the dipstick i know this was da problem on other Hyundai santa cruz models in previous years0
NHTSA complaint 11719745. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
At least two separate wiring harnesses have failed on my vehicle, affecting the tail lights. My vehicle cannot pass New York State safety inspection because of this issue. Safety of myself and other drivers is at risk, especially at night, since my vehicle is not properly illuminated. Occasionally, one tail light will go out or flicker. I had one trailer harness removed under a safety recall, but I don't recall the dealership ever replacing it. Then, a couple of years later, I got a ticket for a tail light being out. Paid the dealership to replace a (possibly second) trailer wiring harness, but they got the wrong one. When they finally got the "right" one, another (possible 3rd), much more …
NHTSA complaint 11714053, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
What each state asks for
, read from the statutes.
Where these numbers come from
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file
, published August 20, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API
, most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file
, published 2026-08-19.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst