NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 79 owner complaints for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz.
One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired:Trailer hitch, park outside (23V-181). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected.
2Safety recalls
79Owner complaints
2Complaints citing a crash
3Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: trailer hitch and body structure. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (19 complaints, 24%). Most-reported area: powertrain (25 complaints, 32%).
2 safety recalls for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership.
Risk: A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace, or secure the roof moldings, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 241.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SANTA CRUZ. Components: Body structure: body, roof and pillars; Body structure: critical fasteners. Hyundai campaign 241.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
Owners have filed 79 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Santa Cruz. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Loss of power or limp mode19 · 24%
Check engine light8 · 10%
Hesitation or slow acceleration7 · 9%
Transmission failure or replacement6 · 8%
Shaking, shuddering or vibration5 · 6%
Misfires or rough running3 · 4%
Wiring, fuse or short-circuit problems3 · 4%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Powertrain25 · 32%
Engine20 · 25%
Electrical system14 · 18%
Forward collision avoidance6 · 8%
Fuel and propulsion system6 · 8%
Speed control6 · 8%
Brakes5 · 6%
Unknown or other10 · 13%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Hyundai Santa Cruz recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2023 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower.
Owner complaints
2023: 79 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Santa Cruz
Model year
Complaints
2022
184
2023
79
2024
35
2025
19
2026
5
Safety recalls
2023: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Hyundai Santa Cruz
Model year
Recalls
2022
4
2023
2
2024
1
2025
3
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC AWD
Rollover risk 16.4%
Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC FWD
Rollover risk 16.4%
Questions
What are the most common 2023 Santa Cruz problems?
In the 79 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz, the problems described most are loss of power or limp mode (19), the check engine light coming on (8), and hesitation or slow acceleration (7). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Santa Cruz has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SANTA CRUZ.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.