What breaks most · 2022 to 2026 model years
Hyundai Santa Cruz problems by year
Owners have filed 314 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Hyundai Santa Cruz across model years 2022 to 2026. One year stands out: 2022 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2024 and 2023.
- Years to check closely: 2022
- Fewest complaints: 2024, 2023
- Complaints on file
- 3142022 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2022179 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 105 fires · 8 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 8kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 13Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 179 | 4 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (89) | |
| 77 | 2 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (25) | |
| 35 | 3 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | Forward collision system (9) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | Lane departure system (2) |
What fails on the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 50% |
89 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 27% |
49 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz |
| Unknown or other | 19% |
34 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
21 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 11% |
20 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
17 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 5% |
9 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 4% |
7 | 0 | Shop forward collision system parts for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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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.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Hyundai Santa Cruz years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2022 carries the most filings on the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The 2022 alone has 179 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Hyundai Santa Cruz problem?
On the 2022 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 89 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Hyundai Santa Cruz problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Hyundai Santa Cruz complaints that include mileage is about 8,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.