2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 179 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (44% of complaints); the 2023 and 2024 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 2 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Mar 2023
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 179 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“After starting vehicle and shifting to Drive, the vehicle does not want to shift out of 1st gear and only accelerating to 25 to 30 mph. So far the only quick fix is to stop and turn the vehicle off and then restarting.”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2026
“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.”Owner report · Power Train · Mar 2026
“All safety feature warning alerts (3) of them, since it will not allow me to check all that apply they are the following adaptive cruise control not working, blind spot warning not working, forward collison detection not working, lane departure warning not working, lane keeping assistance not working, parking collision warning not working rear cross traffic warning not working.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Oct 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“The vehicle was involved in a collision in which the airbags failed to deploy. Despite the severity of the impact, no airbags deployed. As a result, both adult occupants (my daughters) were injured. The failure of the airbag system to deploy raises serious safety concerns regarding the vehicle's restraint system and crash sensors.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2025
“The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving 62 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking system erroneously engaged. The Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but offered no assistance and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 30,000.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Aug 2025
“Vehicle began running roughly. CEL came on. Began to misfire. Limped it off the FWY under limited power. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Was diagnosed as having bad fuel injectors. Was told by service writer that Hyundai Santa Cruz trucks have been experiencing a lot of injector failures. Looking at the various Hyundai Santa Cruz forums, it appears that this has been a very common issue and has occurred in 2022 through 2025 model year vehicles”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2025
“2nd replacement DCT transmission failed Loss of power while driving on the interstate , upon acceleration no increase in speed, went from 65mph to 38mph before able to pull off the highway. Intermittently it is not shifting, shuttering, hard reverse shift, hesitation from park into drive”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2025
“My tailgate is opening unexpectedly while driving. Hyundai has assured people that the tailgate locks while the vehicle is on and moving but that doesn't seem to be the case. I always check to make sure the tailgate is latched after accessing it, since this has happened several times now. I have now lost 2 separate items out of the bed while driving with the tailgate unexpectedly down. This issue could pose a safety risk to other drivers.”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2025
“when pulling out on a intersection I was hit by a large box truck on the front and side drivers side at aprox. 20 to 25 mph. my air bags did not go off and my seat belt did not hold me from hitting the steering wheel Hyundai is saying the impact was not enough to force either one to help in this situation”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2025
“While driving in wet snow, the front windshield wipers stopped working. The windshield was clear, interior was warm, defrost was running, all normal winter settings. From my internet search, seems like this is a known issue, snow building up between the blade and the home position not allowing the wiper to complete its cycle, disabling the motor. Once cleared it will work again, but stopping wipers at speed is quite dangerous, not to mention pulling over on a icy road to rase the car hood to clean. Very unsafe. Internet forums says its been going on for years, why is this not been addressed?”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Jan 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.
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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Santa Cruz by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz reliable?
NHTSA has 179 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The most complained-about area is power train (44% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 26,696 miles or less.
Does the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train:automatic transmission. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.