Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Forward collision avoidance10
- Electrical system3
- Unknown or other3
- Exterior lighting3
- Engine2
- Service brakes2
- Lane departure1
- Fuel/propulsion system1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz failed the safety check 0.24% of the time — 30% less often than the average 2025 passenger car (0.34%). Median odometer at inspection: 77 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC AWD | ★★★★★ | 16.4 % |
| 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC FWD | ★★★★★ | 16.4 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard & Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 10.7–11.1 L/100 km (about 21–22 mpg US), CO₂ 251–260 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 12.4 | 8.5 | 10.7 |
| Santa Cruz AWD XRT · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 12.8 | 8.9 | 11.1 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz.
| 2026238 19 May 2026 | Other Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem with the front camera could cause the forward collision avoidance (FCA) system to apply the vehicle's brakes s… |
| 2025646 20 Nov 2025 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the side curtain airbags may not have been installed properly. As a result, the airbag(s) may not inflate properly in a crash. … |
| 2024708 20 Nov 2024 | Electrical Issue: On certain vehicles, the wiring for the center console extension may not have been routed properly. As a result, the wiring could contact the release f… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. Software in the front cameras may cause the forward collision avoidance system to activate prematurely and unexpectedly apply the brakes.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson, 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, and 2026 Genesis GV70 vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not have been installed properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles. The console extension wiring assembly may be routed improperly, allowing the transmission to be shifted out of Park without applying the brake pedal.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Hyundai told its dealers about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010978 | Certain Santa Cruz (NXT), Santa Fe (MX5A), Santa Fe Hybrid (MX5A HEV), and Tucson (NX4A) vehicles may exhibit a display screen flickering or intermittently going blank. This may be due to the shield width of the coaxial cable being too wide, causing a loose connection. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to adjust the width of the shield using a supplied shield adjustment jig. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)