2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz transmission & drivetrain problems

Related recalls

No recalls on file.

What owners say

1. Filed Oct 6, 2025FLTransmission & Drivetrain

   Hyundai Santa Cruz with transmission problems. 5 attempts to repair and manufacture failed to. Last time, vehicle had a sudden transmission failure while driving. Car stop responding to acceleration and transmission was not switching gears, that could had cause loss of control, especially in high-speed or high-traffic situations. Luckily it was very early in the morning, not much traffic and before (0.3 miles) from taking a high-speed interstate. Vehicle is not safe to drive…

   NHTSA complaint #11691557 · source
2. Filed Sep 13, 2025MOEngineAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   On [XXX], I went out to start my 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz (SC) to leave work to go home. It was difficult to start, however, it started. As I entered [XXX] , i was nearly rear ended by another car, because my SC lost all acceleration. I turned on my hazards for SAFETY and then began to try to accelerate again and was only able to get up to 45 MPH and then was turning 4,000 RPM. I limped my SC home where I had it towed to a local Hyundai dealer as it has roughly 38,000 miles.…

   NHTSA complaint #11687068 · source
3. Filed Sep 5, 2025INTransmission & Drivetrain

   car flashes transmission low fluid and gives a code of p193b-79. when trans downshifts upshifts will not happened. to clear the problem you have to turn car off and on , and then normal operation resumes, but shifting is now slower. and sluggish. this is the second transmission to have this problem. Seem hyundai has not fixed it from the 2022 recall.

   NHTSA complaint #11685226 · source
4. Filed Jan 28, 2025VAOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain

   Vehice experienced FULL power loss several times. Truck taken to dealership and stated no problem found. Incident happened again a week later. Determined wires can become lose from battery terminals for no reason.

   NHTSA complaint #11639015 · source
5. Filed Jan 9, 2025CTFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   My 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz, which I bought new, has gone into limp mode twice in 8 months, losing power while I was driving and letting me go no faster than 25 MPH. The first time, in April 2024, I was on [XXX] in Hartford CT. I called 911 because I was certain I would be hit by a car. There was no warning lights to indicate a problem. I was able to get off the highway and had it towed to Meriden Hyundai in Meriden CT. They said they could find nothing wrong. On [XXX], my…

   NHTSA complaint #11635156 · source
6. Filed Dec 13, 2024CATransmission & Drivetrain

   Transmission failed to transfer adequate power to the wheels when the accelerator was pressed from a full stop at the entry point of an intersection. This led to the the vehicle slowly entering the intersection for 2 feet over w seconds. Transmission then transferred full power to wheels. Vehicle was then driven to the entrance of the nearest parking lot, which required a left turn. Vehicle again had only a partial transfer of power to the transmission, leaving the vehicle…

   NHTSA complaint #11630645 · source
7. Filed Oct 15, 2024OHEngineOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain

   On 3 separate occasions this has occurred . When accelerating, the engine or power train completely loses all propulsion. Twice I was starting a left hand turn and crossing oncoming traffic. On one occasion I was turning right onto a 50 MPH highway and quickly veered off the road onto the berm. The only item on dash board flashing on the third incident was the cruise control preset and it was flashing 20. At the time I was not using the cruise control and I did not set it…

   NHTSA complaint #11619977 · source
8. Filed Aug 12, 2024NCEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   Loss of power during driving No warning or warning lights vehicle would not accelerate engine speed increased only to 3k rpm’s but vehicle would not accelerate This could have been life threatening if I was in traffic Shut vehicle off and restarted problem when away From looking on forums this is an issue with the Santa Cruz

   NHTSA complaint #11608085 · source
9. Filed Jul 19, 2024FLTransmission & Drivetrain

   For the entire day (XXX) my car would go limp when trying to shift gears with an automatic transmission. At least 3-5 second delays when pressing on gas and NOTHING happens. Very dangerous when driving in traffic as you cannot get out of the way of oncoming traffic! It finally moves very slowly as if you are in the wrong gear. I would say that the 2 and 4 gears it would not go into at all. As I floored the accelerator, I would see my MPG rating go sky high as no gas was…

   NHTSA complaint #11603499 · source
10. Filed Jul 9, 2024WATransmission & Drivetrain

    Truck stopped shifting corrrectly with 11550 miles. Would get stuck in 8th gear or 2nd gear. Shifting into manual mode produced no response. I brought it to the dealer 6/12 and upon receiving the P1c2d03 code, they told me it would be a hp oil pump. Looking the issue up, it seems the 2022's had this issue and required a new trans, not oil pump. A week later (6/20) dealer ship calls and says it's fixed with the oil pump. I go to collect my truck and don't make it out of the…

    NHTSA complaint #11600528 · source
11. Filed Jun 4, 2024INTransmission & Drivetrain

    so it seems that recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V746000 also effects 2023 santa cruz with the dct. While driving got transmission error on gauge once slowed by traffic vehicle would not shift and would just rev, after almost being hit by another car. figure out if you let it rev and then let off gas pedal car would upshift. But this was done by trial and error. this has happened 3 times and first 2 dealer says nothing wrong. code was p193b79. I think the recall to fix these…

    NHTSA complaint #11592442 · source
12. Filed May 13, 2024TXTransmission & Drivetrain

    On 3/22/2024 I was driving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz with 19k miles about 30 mph. My transmission suddenly became jerky without warning and acted liked it did not want to downshift, staying in higher RPMs. When it did decide to downshift, it lurched the vehicle badly. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the incident. A few seconds after it happened, the check engine light came on, along with a diagnostic notification on my infotainment screen. This indicated a…

    NHTSA complaint #11588397 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. 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