2025 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ
3 recalls, 27 complaints - 5/5 safety rating
26V316000 May 18, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Defect Description
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. Software in the front cameras may cause the forward collision avoidance system to activate prematurely and unexpectedly apply the brakes.
Consequence
Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the front camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 302. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall bec... Read more
25V809000 Nov 20, 2025
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
Defect Description
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.
Consequence
Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in t... Read more
24V877000 Nov 20, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Defect Description
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles. The console extension wiring assembly may be routed improperly, allowing the transmission to be shifted out of Park without applying the brake pedal.
Consequence
A transmission that can shift out of Park without applying the brake pedal can result in a vehicle roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Owners are advised to use the parking brake when parking the vehicle. Dealers will reroute the console extension wiring assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 17, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this rec... Read more
Complaint Statistics
27 total complaints
1 fires
Top Reported Components
| Component | Complaints |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 4 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 |
| ENGINE | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 |
| STEERING | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 |
| STRUCTURE | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 29, 2026
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
Loss of power while trying to accelerate. RPM's were going up, but the vehicle was very sluggish. Nearly got rear ended as I had turned right on a red from a stop to merge onto a 55mph road. I could not get up to speed and had to pull to the side of the road and engage my hazard lights. I turned the... Read more
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification letters for NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting) and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts required to complete the recall repairs were not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated th... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 7, 2026
Incident date: May 6, 2026
Recall 22V0820000, Ford recall 22S06 was completed in 2023. That recall failed. The dealership, and Ford corporate have refused to fix this under the recall which is required.
EQUIPMENT
Mar 17, 2026
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 KZ Durango N/A RV. The contact stated that while the RV was parked, the awning was independently enabled. The contact removed the awning control unit and noticed that the awning control unit was filled with water. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was provided ... Read more
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Mar 1, 2026
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
Battery completely died, randomly. Issue was “fixed”. Now check engine light is on. Engine sounds bad.
ENGINE
Mar 1, 2026
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
Battery completely died, randomly. Issue was “fixed”. Now check engine light is on. Engine sounds bad.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The malfunction indicator lamp light is on (MIL) with the following fault code stored in the DME: Fault code Control module Fault code text 1B8302 DME LIN bus, communication (EAC sensor): missing Problem verified. Don't know if car will quit on the highway. Mini recall for exact problem and extend... Read more
SERVICE BRAKES
Nov 16, 2025
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
2016 Dodge Ram 1500 truck apparently this is a known issue and the module to fix the antilock brake is impossible to get. I have been researching this and I have thus far not only my year make and model truck but other Dodge trucks with the same failure and not able to get the module. The Dodge Dea... Read more
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 11, 2025
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
I was driving about 40 MPH, message popped "camera blocked, clean front windshield" I did and the message cleared. A few minutes later it came back so I cleaned the windshield again. What happened next shocked me. Without any warning while traveling 30 mph the automatic braking system came on and st... Read more
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 11, 2025
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
Last week my 4wd service light came on. I took it to get diagnosed and was advised my ptu was faulty and needed to be replaced. There are recalls out for a faulty ptu but my vin was not included.
ENGINE
Nov 11, 2025
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
I recently had the engine replaced less than a year ago due to an engine recall on this model car, today 11/11/2025 the engine caught fire. We’ve kept up with oil changes on time and I had no alerts in the vehicle on the dash claiming the engine was hot.
Fire
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Oct 20, 2025
Incident date: Oct 20, 2025
On October 8, 2025, my wife and I purchased a 2025 Ford F-150 Lariat, 3.5L Full Hybrid, with Ford's BlueCruise hands-free driving feature. As first-time users, I reviewed the owner's manual and Ford’s videos to understand BlueCruise. After several uses, I noted unpredictable behavior and now repor... Read more
ENGINE
Oct 1, 2025
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Coolant intrusion in the cylinder walls
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 7, 2025
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
On sept6,2025 while driving on highway at 65mph truck went into limp mode so you could not accelerate although trying to and the speed of the truck decreased. Had to pull off to berm of road for safety. Turned truck of and it appeared to reset itself and there were No Warning lights on dashboard whe... Read more
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Aug 15, 2025
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
AdvanceTrac stopped working in my car due a sensor. Had to get it replaced by Midas. When I went to turn on my car and put it in drive it started making an awful grinding sound and would not move and gave me an error code that just said service AdvanceTrac. It was insanely expensive to repair and th... Read more
STEERING
Aug 15, 2025
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
AdvanceTrac stopped working in my car due a sensor. Had to get it replaced by Midas. When I went to turn on my car and put it in drive it started making an awful grinding sound and would not move and gave me an error code that just said service AdvanceTrac. It was insanely expensive to repair and th... Read more
SERVICE BRAKES
Aug 15, 2025
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
AdvanceTrac stopped working in my car due a sensor. Had to get it replaced by Midas. When I went to turn on my car and put it in drive it started making an awful grinding sound and would not move and gave me an error code that just said service AdvanceTrac. It was insanely expensive to repair and th... Read more
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
While driving in a parking lot. The car wouldn't accelerate. Kept pressing on the gas pedal but the car wouldn't move. After about 5 seconds the car shut down. I had to place the car on P then press the start button, pressed the brake pedal and then the start button again and the car turned back on
POWER TRAIN
Mar 26, 2025
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
Down shift to a very low gear at times 60 mph downshift to second gear
POWER TRAIN
Mar 26, 2025
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The Transmission went out at 128k miles, a BRAND NEW GM transmission was replaced at a cost of $6,800 to me as it was not under warranty. Less than 2 months and 2k miles later, the new transmission went out. I just got my car back yesterday with yet another GM transmission and once again it is jerki... Read more
ENGINE
Jan 23, 2025
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
Engine locked up while towing an empty trailer. Engine is available currently as it is waiting for a new one at dealership. Stranded others and power failure while towing. Engine has been inspected by dealership. There was no warning lights, the engine was stuck around 4000 rpm. =I gave it gas to r... Read more
SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 19, 2025
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
During operation of the vehicle at approximately 45mph and sudden stopping/ breaking is required, truck fails to do so. It is a partial loss of brake pressure and a loud "whale cry" type sound that appears to be coming from under the hood. I have had it happen twice just recently; I have taken to de... Read more
STEERING
Dec 26, 2024
Incident date: Sep 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that while driving at 55 -60 MPH, the power steering failed. The steering wheel became increasingly difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was turned off while the contact inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted but a short distance af... Read more
STRUCTURE
Dec 26, 2024
Incident date: Sep 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the front passenger's side tire detached. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the place of residence. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The man... Read more
SERVICE BRAKES
Nov 14, 2024
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Failure of brake valve between primary and secondary tanks. does not isolate the two systems
BACK OVER PREVENTION
Nov 14, 2024
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the camera was blank at times. While reversing, the image was transposed and flipped. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was a message to contact the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed her there ... Read more
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Nov 14, 2024
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The car sometimes has a hard time to start engine. I have to pump the gas pedal numerous times quickly to finally get the car to start. Other times the car starts normally . Also sometimes when the engine is on and in the park position ; the engine may turn off. The auto off button has been elimin... Read more
NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2025 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC AWD
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Frontal Crash | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Frontal Crash, Driver | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Frontal Crash, Passenger | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Side Crash | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Side Crash, Driver | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Side Crash, Passenger | 5 / 5 ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | 4 / 5 ★★★★☆ |
| Rollover Risk | 16.4% |
Safety Technology
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Electronic Stability Control | Standard |
| Forward Collision Warning | Standard & Optional |
| Lane Departure Warning | Standard |
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ - All Years Overview
Complete safety history for the HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ across all model years (2022, 2026).
13
Total Recalls
477
Total Complaints
0
Investigations
13
Reported Crashes
2
Reported Fires
0
Reported Deaths