2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (9) · Vehicle Speed Control (4) · Service Brakes (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Santa Cruz model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2024-06-05 · campaign 24V412000 · 795 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024 Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles. The circuit board in the motor-driven power steering assembly may short circuit, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
Risk: A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the motor-driven power steering electric power pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 261.
Service bulletins (33)
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 33 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Seat Belts“i recently noticed a malfunction with the front passenger seatbelt buckle in my 2024 hyundai santa cruz at approximately 48,000 miles. after unbuckling, the red release button would remain stuck in the depressed position. this prevented the seatbelt tongue from being inserted and latched again. tapping the buckle several times allowed the button to…”
2026-07-19 · Service Brakes“i’m concerned about the power brakes i’ve received these faults a few times. dtc dtc system dtc sub system c184987 chassis lkas also there are reports online that other owners have experienced this issue with their santa cruz’s some reporting dealers lack of concern. diagnostics history my vehicle last reported original date mileage statu…”
2026-06-03 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 15,000 mi“contact owns 2024 honda santa cruz. the contact stated while driving 45 mph on the highway vehicle wasn't responding while accelerator pedal was depressed. the contact stated there was no warning lights on vehicle before incident happen and that contact had to turn off and on the vehicle to make it function. correctly. the contact was able to cont…”
2026-05-25 · Service Brakes“on [xxx], while i was travelling south on [xxx] in washington, while towing. my emergency brake/forward collision avoidance system activated. very briefly but enough to give me a shock. there was no reason for this to be activated, traffic was moving along, no one was closely in front of me, fortunately no one was right behind me. i discovered u…”
2026-05-04 · Lane Departure: Assist“my issue is that the lane keeping system was much too sensitive. i would be riding at highway speeds and the car would pull suddenly to the right or left. this was an intermittent problem but when i took it in wanting an adjustment to the system to make it less sensitive, i was told that they were unable to address the system-not allowed to make an…”
2026-04-25 · Vehicle Speed Control“while driving on i-81 up a steep grade, truck suffered a sudden power loss, with speed dropping to 35 mph from 65 mph. attempts to regain speed failed and it felt like truck downshifted to a lower gear. 35 mph continued until i decided to use truck cruise control to attempt to gain speed. i was worried about tractor trailers hitting me due to low…”
2026-01-28 · Power Train“i was at a stop sign leave a store and i started going again and when i got to 15 mph it like it went into neutral and i thought maybe i hit shifter in neutral but didn't and i went to go again did same thing but then jump into next gear got cat home i bought this car brand new i only got 33000 miles …”
2026-01-21 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“ i purchased the vehicle in september of 2025 i called and sent text message to palmer hyundai of mobile to report an issue with forward collision system (please note photos and document would not attach so i sent an email to vsh@dot.gov. 02/08/2025. the issue was reported at the 1st oil change with palmer hyundai (8000 miles oil change) i have be…”
2026-01-20 · Fuel/Propulsion System“ very strong fuel smell coming from parked vehicle after filling the gas tank. after driving 40 miles to remove approximately 1/4 of a the tank, fumes are gone. 1/06/2026: took truck to closest dealership. burlington hyundai nj and they had it for 3 days. (the tank was not full) and they didn't find anything wrong. they still have not given me any…”
2025-11-20 · Power Train“sporadically, when shifting from first to second gear, the engine/transmission will stall, causing a loss of power for several seconds. this is generally when pulling away from a stop sign/light into traffic. i picked a single date below, but this continually happens from time to time. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.