Your vehicle report
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 185
- Received Jan 2022 to Sep 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Transmission fails or loses power while driving19 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Unintended acceleration despite braking18 complaints · 9.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips12 complaints · 6.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #23V181000Park outsideHyundai 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.
- Recall #23V038000Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Engine stalls and loses power while drivingFirst signal: Jul 2025
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 5 crashes, 1 fire, 5 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 12 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Month | Complaints |
|---|---|
| January 2022 | 1 |
| February 2022 | 10 |
| March 2022 | 5 |
| April 2022 | 5 |
| May 2022 | 5 |
| June 2022 | 5 |
| July 2022 | 8 |
| August 2022 | 7 |
| September 2022 | 6 |
| October 2022 | 9 |
| November 2022 | 6 |
| December 2022 | 13 |
| January 2023 | 8 |
| February 2023 | 4 |
| March 2023 | 4 |
| April 2023 | 5 |
| May 2023 | 5 |
| June 2023 | 4 |
| July 2023 | 3 |
| August 2023 | 3 |
| September 2023 | 5 |
| October 2023 | 4 |
| November 2023 | 2 |
| December 2023 | 4 |
| January 2024 | 1 |
| February 2024 | 2 |
| March 2024 | 2 |
| April 2024 | 0 |
| May 2024 | 2 |
| June 2024 | 2 |
| July 2024 | 4 |
| August 2024 | 3 |
| September 2024 | 3 |
| October 2024 | 2 |
| November 2024 | 0 |
| December 2024 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 1 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 1 |
| May 2025 | 3 |
| June 2025 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 2 |
| August 2025 | 4 |
| September 2025 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 0 |
| November 2025 | 3 |
| December 2025 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 1 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 4 |
| July 2026 | 1 |
| August 2026 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 6 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
| Total | 185 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 19 | 10% | – | NHTSA recall #22V746000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 18 | 9.7% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 12 | 6.5% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 11 | 5.9% | 12.2× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Jul 2025 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.5% |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 8 | 4.3% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 7 | 3.8% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 6 | 3.2% | – | NHTSA recall #22V746000 |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 5 | 2.7% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 5 | 2.7% | 6.8× | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 2.2% | 6.3× | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 3 | 1.6% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #23V181000March 17, 2023584,784 vehicles affected
Park outside: NHTSA advises this until the repair is done.
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #23V038000January 31, 202316,104 vehicles affected
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #22V746000October 6, 202256,148 vehicles affected
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #22V197000March 28, 202216 vehicles affected
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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN