2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (69) · Vehicle Speed Control (18) · Engine (16)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Santa Cruz model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
21 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Trailer Hitches 2023-03-17 · campaign 23V181000 · 584,784 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
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.
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.
Structure:critical Fasteners 2023-01-31 · campaign 23V038000 · 16,104 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2022-10-06 · campaign 22V746000 · 56,148 vehicles
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.
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 Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication:pipes, Hoses, And Fittings 2022-03-28 · campaign 22V197000 · 16 vehicles
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.
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.
Service bulletins (67)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-10-27 · 26-GI-003H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 2nd navigation map and software update. the changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system. refer to the 2026 2nd navigation map and software update key improv
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Visibility/Wiper 2026-08-04 · Z08 OL · Warranty Program/Extension
certain 2022 – 2025 model year santa cruz and 2022 – 2025 model year tucson vehicles may have front wipers that do not return to the designated park position due to a loose wiper motor crank arm nut. at hyundai, we are committed to providing vehicles of outstanding quality and value. in an effort to
Structure:body 2026-07-07 · 26-BD-003H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some santa cruz (nxt) vehicles may have a tonneau cover that does not latch or unlatch, does not retract properly, and/or has a v-gap that is present when closed. this may be due to a broken or missing clip on the underside of the tonneau cover. this bulletin provides instructions to inspect and, if
Visibility/Wiper 2026-07-06 · 26-BD-007H DCS · Warranty Program/Extension
some tucson (nx4a and nx4m) and santa cruz (nxt) vehicles may have front wipers that do not return to the designated park position due to a loose wiper motor crank arm nut. hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the wiper motor crank arm nut under this condition to 10 years / 100,000 miles f
Visibility/Wiper 2026-07-06 · 26-BD-007H DN · Warranty Program/Extension
some tucson (nx4a and nx4m) and santa cruz (nxt) vehicles may have front wipers that do not return to the designated park position due to a loose wiper motor crank arm nut. hyundai is extending the warranty coverage for the wiper motor crank arm nut under this condition to 10 years / 100,000 miles f
Showing the 6 most recent of 67 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“my 2022 hyundai santa cruz didn't deploy the side curtain airbags when struck on the front passenger side. i was the passenger seated where the car impacted and my head hit the window without the airbags in which i suffered a traumatic brain injury and have become disabled. i'm attaching the supporting documentation regarding the accident and veh…”
2026-09-27 · Engine“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 …”
2026-09-21 · 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 i…”
2026-09-11 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking · 57,000 mi · 💥 crash“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 alar…”
2026-09-10 · 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 …”
2026-09-09 · Unknown Or Other“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 h…”
2026-09-08 · Vehicle Speed Control“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 t…”
2026-08-10 · 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.…”
2026-08-04 · Power Train“the transmission failed. the dealership computer identified the failure with safety recall 236.…”
2026-07-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System“october 2025 while driving the vehicle at highway speeds, vehicle started bucking, losing power and then stalled. the check engine light did not come on. i was able to get off the side of the road and had it towed to the dealer. dealer found injectors to be leaking and replaced all 4 gdi fuel injectors-mileage was 29,598. on july 1, 2026, again the…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.