2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Santa Cruz years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 4th of 5 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. That ranks 4th out of 5 Santa Cruz model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is forward collision avoidance (10 complaints, 50%), typically at around 2,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 20owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 10 | 50% | 2,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 3 | 15% | 5,045 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 15% | 200 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 10% | 7,738 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 10% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 10% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 5% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking
Problem: 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.
Risk: Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the front camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 302. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 20, 2026.
Air bags:side/window:curtain
Problem: 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.
Risk: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
Electrical system:wiring
Problem: 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.
Risk: A transmission that can shift out of Park without applying the brake pedal can result in a vehicle roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to use the parking brake when parking the vehicle. Dealers will reroute the console extension wiring assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 17, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 273.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Radiator is leaking coolant at the bottom. Upon close inspections it is noted the front grill design of the vehicle leaves the radiator super exposed to the elements and road hazards causing excessive damage to the radiator during normal everyday use. During a call to the dealer it was discovered…
Making a left turn against oncoming traffic into a convenience store parking lot. There was a car in the driveway waiting to exit the convenience store parking lot. As I crossed the oncoming traffic lane the crash avoidance light on the dash came on and the brakes locked up nearly causing me to be…
Loss of power while trying to accelerate. RPM's were going up, but the vehicle was very sluggish. Nearly got rear ended as I had turned right on a red from a stop to merge onto a 55mph road. I could not get up to speed and had to pull to the side of the road and engage my hazard lights. I turned…
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds at night on several occasions, the headlights were dim and created a shadow across the roadway. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on multiple occasions. The dealer was initially unable to duplicate…
The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud popping noise was suddenly heard coming from the engine compartment with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that immediately following the failure, the power steering…
Other Hyundai Santa Cruz years
← 2024 Santa Cruz · 2026 Santa Cruz →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Santa Cruz | 5 | 3 |
| 2025 | 20 | 3 |
| 2024 Santa Cruz | 35 | 1 |
| 2023 Santa Cruz | 79 | 2 |
| 2022 Santa Cruz | 185 | 4 |
See all Hyundai Santa Cruz problems by year, every Hyundai model, or the Hyundai VIN decoder.
Similar Hyundai models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Owners most often report forward collision avoidance, electrical system, exterior lighting problems. The top one, forward collision avoidance, accounts for 10 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Santa Cruz model years, the 2025 has far fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.