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Hyundai Santa CruzModel year report

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Problems

Compared with other Hyundai Santa Cruz years

Too new to compare

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
22filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
3,522miles, 4 complaints with mileage
Recalls
3campaigns on record
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA crash rating
5 / 5stars overall, 2 rated versions
EPA fuel economy
25 mpgcombined, 2.5L 4-cyl FWD · 22 city / 30 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 22 consumer complaints for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The part named most often is forward collision avoidance, with 10 complaints (45% of the total), followed by electrical system (4) and exterior lighting (4). 4 of the complaints include a mileage, and 100% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 3,522 miles. Of all complaints, 1 involved a crash, 1 a fire, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns and 35 technical service bulletins for this model year. Forward collision avoidance complaints overlap with 1 recall campaign and 1 technical service bulletin filed under the same part. Electrical system complaints overlap with 1 recall campaign and 16 technical service bulletins filed under the same part.

This model year has fewer than 25 complaints on record, so the numbers below can change a lot with a few new reports.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Example complaints

Forward collision avoidance: “While driving at highway speeds with Smart Cruise Control set during the day I put on sunglasses and the driver attention system turned off the system 6 seconds later. I repeated this event set several times at various speeds and driving conditions with the same 6 second failure result. I made the dealership aware of this and verified it with them in the vehicle. Apparently, system uses an IR camera to determine driver attention level via eye contact and does not work with most sunglasses. …”

NHTSA complaint #11625321, filed 2024-11

Electrical system: “One or two times a week, while driving at night, my headlights and head unit display both power off briefly, typically about 1/2 a second. Then they resume as if nothing had happened. No warning lights or errors, no boot up screen... just back to normal instantly. The only thing that changes is my seat belt indicator illuminates for a few seconds, then goes back off. After some online digging, it seems plenty of other people have this issue, but no one has found an official cause or solution.”

NHTSA complaint #11774411, filed 2026-10

Exterior lighting: “While driving at night I happened to notice that the headlights failed to illuminate the road sufficiently. Specifically, the truck was going downhill. As it approached the bottom and soon to go uphill, I noticed that there was a strict delineation in what was lit up and what was not. Being on a country two lane with no ambient lights and travelling at the posted 55mph I realized that I did not have enough distance to stop safely in the event that something be on the road ahead, e.g., deer. So concentrated is the light that it does not create any vertical illumination. …”

NHTSA complaint #11724893, filed 2026-03

Other or unknown: “The latest software update, Oct 2026, no longer combines my FM favorites stations with my Sirius stations and now requires me to take my eyes off the road so that I can change from listing to FM to listening to Sirius. Prior I only needed to scroll all my stations using the toggle on the steering wheel allowing me to keep my eyes on the road. This requirement decreases road safety and should be reversed.”

NHTSA complaint #11771900, filed 2026-10

Mileage when problems were reported

100% of the 4 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 2,000 and 5,045 miles.

100%0–100%10–250%25–500%50–750%75–1000%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (4 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 3,522 miles.

Complaints by year filed

This model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

2024202510202610
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Santa Cruz · crew cab AWD★★★★★5 / 5554 · 16.4% risk
Santa Cruz · crew cab FWD★★★★★5 / 5554 · 16.4% risk

Driver aids listed by NHTSA for the 2025 model year: forward collision warning standard on some versions, lane departure warning standard, automatic emergency braking standard on some versions.

Neighbouring years: 2024: same overall rating; 2026: same overall rating. A redesign between years can change both the car and the test.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Santa Cruz AWD2.5L 4-cyl8-speed automatic212924$2,800
Santa Cruz AWD2.5L 4-cyl8-speed automatic192722$3,050
Santa Cruz FWD2.5L 4-cyl8-speed automatic223025$2,700
Santa Cruz XRT AWD2.5L 4-cyl8-speed automatic182621$3,200

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 35 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 35 bulletins →

Other model years of the Hyundai Santa Cruz

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2026553525—Too new
2025223,5223525—Too new
2024361,0001523Too new to compareToo new
2023795,5002523Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Too new
202218625,0004—23Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Stable

All Hyundai Santa Cruz model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz have?

NHTSA recorded 22 consumer complaints for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz as of Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz is reported most often?

Forward collision avoidance is named most often, in 10 complaints (45% of the total), followed by electrical system with 4.

Has the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz been recalled?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

How did the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz do in NHTSA crash tests?

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings give the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz 5 out of 5 stars overall, across 2 rated versions (body style and drive). Ratings from different model years are only comparable when the vehicle was not redesigned in between.

What gas mileage does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz get?

The EPA rates the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz FWD, 2.5L 4-cyl) at 25 mpg combined, 22 city and 30 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,700 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz reported?

Among the 4 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 3,522 miles and the middle half falls between 2,000 and 5,045 miles; 100% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.