Model year record

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz recalls & problems

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has 4 safety recalls and 185 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is power train (91 complaints).

Recalls4safety recalls

Complaints185filed by owners

Crashes · fires5 · 1reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths5 · 0reported in complaints

1 recall for this model year carries an NHTSA park outside advisory. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Safety recalls

Trailer hitchesMar 17, 2023

Trailer hitches

Recall 23V181000584,784 vehicles

NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from buildings until repaired (fire risk).

Problem: 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.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.

StructureJan 31, 2023

Critical fasteners

Recall 23V03800016,104 vehicles

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

Components: Structure › Critical fasteners; Structure › Body › Roof and pillars

Power trainOct 6, 2022

Automatic transmission

Recall 22V74600056,148 vehicles

Problem: 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.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.

Engine and engine coolingMar 28, 2022

Engine › Oil/lubrication › Pipes, hoses, and fittings

Recall 22V19700016 vehicles

Problem: 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.
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.
Fix: 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.

Components: Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Oil/lubrication › Pipes, hoses, and fittings; Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Turbo/supercharger

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC AWD

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	Not Rated

Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: No

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC FWD

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	Not Rated

Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: No

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

Santa Cruz FWD

23mpg combined

City / highway	21 / 26 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S8) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,900/year to fuel

Santa Cruz AWD

23mpg combined

City / highway	21 / 27 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S8) · All-Wheel Drive · about $2,900/year to fuel

Santa Cruz AWD

22mpg combined

City / highway	19 / 27 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AM-S8) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,050/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Power trainAutomatic transmission	91	1	0	10,200 mi
Engine	51	0	0	25,000 mi
Unknown or other	36	0	0	—
Electrical systemInstrument panel › Speedometer/odometer; Instrument cluster/panel	22	0	0	—
Fuel/propulsion system	21	0	0	—
Vehicle speed control	18	0	0	—
Exterior lighting	9	0	0	—
Forward collision avoidanceAutomatic emergency braking; Warnings	9	1	1	30,000 mi
Lane departureAssist; Warning	5	0	0	—
Visibility/wiper	3	0	0	—
Air bags	3	3	4	—
Service brakes	2	0	0	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

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.
Sep 1, 2026
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…
Sep 16, 2026
Forward collision avoidance › Automatic emergency brakingCrash1 injury
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.…
Sep 9, 2026 · 57,000 miles
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.
Sep 7, 2026
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…
Jun 17, 2026
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.
Sep 5, 2026
Power train
The cars transmission has become very jerky at low speeds. The drive train will either hesitate or rev without power for a couple seconds. The problem started at around 14k miles.
Mar 1, 2026
Power train
The transmission failed. The dealership computer identified the failure with Safety Recall 236.
Jul 29, 2026

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.