The Used Car Index

2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz problems

NHTSA lists 5 complaints for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz, 0 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-10.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ.

At a glance

Complaints
5
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
423,062
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
16

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. This model year is too recent for a sales denominator.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
LANE DEPARTURE240.0%
POWER TRAIN240.0%
STEERING120.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL120.0%
VISIBILITY/WIPER120.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
LANE DEPARTUREASSIST1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
loss of control240.0%0.92
electrical electronic120.0%1.00
mechanical failure120.0%0.81
visibility or lighting120.0%0.99
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate480.0%0.93
high120.0%0.46

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 5 tagged complaints of 5 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

26V316000

Date: 2026-05-18. Systems: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

26V047000

Date: 2026-01-26. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Saf (excerpt)

Consequence: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

25V809000

Date: 2025-11-20. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

16 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6
AIR BAGS2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2
POWER TRAIN2
STRUCTURE2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE1
LANE DEPARTURE1

11037491

Date: 2026-09-24. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Certain Tucson (NX4A) and Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit air bubbles forming on the surface of the dashboard (crash pad) due to poor adhesion caused by prolonged UV and heat exposure. Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 26-01-074H provides instructions to inspect the dashboard (crash pad) for bu

11037490

Date: 2026-09-23. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Certain Tucson (NX4A) and Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit air bubbles forming on the surface of the dashboard (crash pad) due to poor adhesion caused by prolonged UV and heat exposure. This bulletin provides instructions to inspect the dashboard (crash pad) for bubbling and, if necessary, to u

11035139

Date: 2026-07-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Some Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may have a tonneau cover that does not latch or unlatch, does not retract properly, and/or has a v-gap that is present when closed. This may be due to a broken or missing clip on the underside of the tonneau cover. This bulletin provides instructions to inspect and, if

11033840

Date: 2026-06-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

This bulletin provides information related to a Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software update for some vehicles equipped with an 8-speed wet dual clutch transmission (8WDCT). The software update revises the touch point learning variation, improving drivability and judder symptoms. Some 8WDCTs (ind

11033698

Date: 2026-05-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Some Santa Fe (MX5A) and Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit a low idle or excessive vibration while in Drive or Reverse, or DTC P050600 (Idle Air Control System a RPM Lower than Expected) caused by the one-way clutch sprags being misaligned. This bulletin provides instructions to remove the aut

11032592

Date: 2026-05-08. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may experience Over-the-Air (OTA) update failures due to outdated Central Communication Unit (CCU) software. This bulletin provides instructions to perform a software update for the CCU.

11032522

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit drivera side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prio

11032523

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous drivera s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the ve

11031315

Date: 2026-04-08. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizona s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to verify Bluelink Data Communication Unit (DCU) network connection

11029906

Date: 2026-02-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE, LANE DEPARTURE.

Some 2019MY and newer vehicles equipped with a front view camera may illuminate certain warning lights and trigger DTC C272246 fault code for the front camera. In the following cases, the front camera auto-calibration range may be exceeded while driving: a ? If the front camera is not properly insta

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
SANTA CRUZ5

Same model, other years

All model years | All Hyundai models

Other Hyundai models, 2026

Sources

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