2022–2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz common problems and fixes

The Santa Cruz is a small pickup built on Hyundai's Tucson platform, with a 2.5L four and 8-speed automatic, or a 2.5L turbo four with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

We counted 322 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for 2022–2026 Santa Cruz trucks (retrieved October 5, 2026; each complaint counted once): 198 from turbo trucks and 123 from the regular 2.5L, identified by VIN, plus one with no usable VIN. No complaint VINs belonged to another vehicle. 2022, the first year, has more than half (185). Complaint counts show what owners report most often, not how many trucks have a problem.

At a glance

• The transmission is the most reported problem: about 100 complaints, mostly from 2022 trucks.
• About 90 complaints describe stalling or loss of power.
• One transmission safety recall covers 9,142 2022 trucks (22V746000); other recalls so far each cover fewer trucks.

Transmission

About 100 complaints mention the transmission, shifting, hesitation, jerking or lurching; 76 of them are from turbo trucks with the dual-clutch transmission, 57 of those from 2022.

Hyundai's safety recall 22V746000 covers 9,142 2022 Santa Cruz trucks built June 22, 2021 to March 25, 2022, according to Hyundai's recall report. The report's total of 53,142 vehicles includes other Hyundai models; NHTSA's current recall listing shows 56,148, so the population may have been revised since. In these trucks the transmission's electric oil pump can develop a fault; the truck then drives for about 20–30 seconds before losing drive power completely, with warning lights on. Hyundai's remedy is to inspect the transmission, replace it if necessary, and update the transmission computer so it keeps limited drive power after the fault.

Separately, Hyundai's service bulletin 22-01-059H updates the transmission software on 2022 turbo trucks built June 22, 2021 to June 13, 2022, to improve drivability and shift quality. On Santa Cruz Forums, owners report mixed results from those updates: some say it fixed the problem, others still notice low-speed jerkiness.

Recalls to check

• Turbocharger oil supply pipe that can crack on a few 2022 trucks (22V197000)
• Power steering circuit board that can short on some 2024 trucks (24V412000)

Before you buy

• Check open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls with the VIN, and ask a dealer which factory warranty coverage is left for this VIN; it depends on when the truck was first sold and its mileage.
• On a turbo, test drive in stop-and-go traffic and pull away from a stop a few times.
• Bring our used truck inspection checklist.