Reliability & cost of ownership
Hyundai Santa Cruz Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Hyundai Santa Cruz? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Hyundai Santa Cruz problems by model year
13 recall entries and 328 owner complaints on file across 5 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Santa Cruz | 3 | 5 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2025 Santa Cruz | 3 | 22 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2024 Santa Cruz | 1 | 36 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2023 Santa Cruz | 2 | 79 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2022 Santa Cruz | 4 | 186 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Hyundai Santa Cruz, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- power train128 complaints
- engine79 complaints
- unknown or other53 complaints
- electrical system42 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system32 complaints
- vehicle speed control30 complaints
- forward collision avoidance26 complaints
- exterior lighting18 complaints