2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz problems, complaints & recalls

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz recalls (4)

• Recall 23V181000Mar 17, 2023584,784 vehiclesPark outside
  TRAILER HITCHES

  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.

  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.

• Recall 23V038000Jan 31, 202316,104 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS · STRUCTURE:CRITICAL FASTENERS

  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.

  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.

• Recall 22V746000Oct 6, 202256,148 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 22V197000Mar 28, 202216 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PIPES, HOSES, AND FITTINGS

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

NHTSA 5-Star safety ratings

Recent 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 27, 2026NHDriver Assistance & Safety TechElectrical SystemEngine

   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…

   NHTSA complaint #11767298 · source
2. Filed Sep 21, 2026WIOther / Unknown

   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…

   NHTSA complaint #11765981 · source
3. Filed Sep 11, 202657,000 miMDCrash1 injuredDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   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…

   NHTSA complaint #11763570 · source
4. Filed Sep 10, 2026KSEngine

   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,…

   NHTSA complaint #11763482 · source
5. Filed Sep 9, 2026LAOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain

   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…

   NHTSA complaint #11763142 · source
6. Filed Sep 8, 2026FLFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise 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 the care was not moving.

   NHTSA complaint #11762676 · source
7. Filed Aug 10, 2026NJTransmission & Drivetrain

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11755857 · source
8. Filed Jul 10, 2026NCEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   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 same issue while driving the vehicle at highway speeds, it started bucking, losing power and stalling when slowed. This time the…

   NHTSA complaint #11749598 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology