Hyundai · Known Issues
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Problems: 11 Known Issues
2025 model year · 1,010+ owner reports · Updated September 2026
2025 · All trims · All engines
Choose the year and equipment for your written issues and visual request.
2025 model year · 1,010+ owner reports · Updated September 2026
2025 · All trims · All engines
Choose the year and equipment for your written issues and visual request.
Interest applies to the selected vehicle and configuration; it is not a reservation. Voting stores a first-party identifier for up to 180 days to prevent repeat votes. No account or email is needed. Clearing cookies or using another device may count separately. Privacy
Visual coming soon
Your interest helps us choose what to build next.
Visual Known Issues · Coming soon
$4.99/month plus taxes at launch · No payment today
According to Au7o's analysis of 1,010+ owner reports, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz has 11 documented known issues, with 3 rated critical. The most serious are Forward Collision Avoidance Phantom / Unexpected Braking (Recall 26V316), Improperly Installed Side Curtain Airbags That May Not Deploy in a Crash (Recall 25V809) ($0-$0 repair) and Misrouted Console Extension Wiring Contacting Shift Lock Release, Allowing Shift Out of Park Without the Brake (Recall 24V877) ($0-$0 repair). The most commonly reported issue is Infotainment Screen Freezing / Black Screen with 420 owner reports. DIY maintenance guides at au7o.io.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
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.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
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.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
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.
Don't see your problem? Describe your symptoms to get a diagnosis, or .
According to Au7o's analysis of 1,010+ owner reports, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz has 11 documented issues. The most frequently reported are: Forward Collision Avoidance Phantom / Unexpected Braking (Recall 26V316), Improperly Installed Side Curtain Airbags That May Not Deploy in a Crash (Recall 25V809), Misrouted Console Extension Wiring Contacting Shift Lock Release, Allowing Shift Out of Park Without the Brake (Recall 24V877). Of these, 3 are rated critical and should be addressed promptly.
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz has 11 known issues documented across 1,010+ owner reports. 3 issues are rated critical: Forward Collision Avoidance Phantom / Unexpected Braking (Recall 26V316) and Improperly Installed Side Curtain Airbags That May Not Deploy in a Crash (Recall 25V809) and Misrouted Console Extension Wiring Contacting Shift Lock Release, Allowing Shift Out of Park Without the Brake (Recall 24V877). Prospective buyers should inspect for these issues and factor potential repair costs into their purchase decision. Regular maintenance following the manufacturer's schedule helps prevent many common problems.
Repair costs for known Hyundai Santa Cruz issues range from $0 to $4,500, depending on the specific problem and whether you choose DIY or professional repair. Au7o provides step-by-step DIY maintenance guides that can help reduce repair costs.
NHTSA recall 26V-316 (Hyundai recall 302) covers certain model-year 2025-2026 Santa Cruz vehicles. Front-camera software can cause the Forward Collision Avoidance system to exhibit increased sensitivity to forward-object proximity in certain driving scenarios. The system may enga… Severity: high.
A small number of Santa Cruz trucks left the assembly line with side curtain airbags that were not installed correctly, so the curtain may fail to deploy or may deploy out of position in a side impact or rollover. NHTSA campaign 25V809000 covers 258 vehicles across 2025 Tucson, 2… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: high.
Content on this page was compiled with AI assistance using NHTSA complaints, TSBs, owner reports, and public automotive data. While we strive for accuracy, this information may contain errors. Always verify repair procedures and specifications with your vehicle's service manual or a qualified mechanic.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
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 Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024 Tucson and Santa Cruz vehicles. The circuit board in the motor-driven power steering assembly may short circuit, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
+ 4 more recalls. Check all on NHTSA.gov
Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check recalls specific to your vehicle.
The console extension wiring assembly that runs near the shift lever can be routed incorrectly during assembly so that the harness presses on the mechanical release for the shift lever lock. With the lock defeated, the transmission can be moved out of Park without the brake pedal… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: high.
The 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission (DCT) on the 2.5L turbo Santa Cruz can overheat when towing near its 5,000 lb capacity or during spirited driving in warm weather. The transmission overheating warning forces the vehicle into limp mode. The DCT cooling system is undersized… Repairs typically run $0-$400. Severity: medium.
Santa Cruz owners report the 12V battery going dead after the vehicle sits only a few days, attributed to parasitic draw from the Bluelink telematics modem and constant key-fob pinging. Owners receive Bluelink low-battery alerts on nearly-new trucks, and some have had batteries d… Severity: medium.
Trucks with the 2.5L turbocharged engine use an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission (8WDCT); the naturally aspirated 2.5 uses a conventional 8-speed torque converter automatic and does not share this behavior. On the DCT, variation in clutch touch-point learning produces a shudd… Repairs typically run $0-$4,500. Severity: medium.
Santa Cruz owners report water leaking into the cabin, frequently onto the front passenger floorboard, traced to clogged, crimped, or disconnected sunroof drain hoses. In several documented cases dealers found multiple drain slots blocked or a factory drain hole that was never fu… Severity: medium.
Electrical noise generated inside the Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC) of the instrument panel cluster can cause the cluster to reboot intermittently while the vehicle is being driven, leaving the display blank for several seconds. During the blank period the speedomete… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: medium.
The 10.25-inch infotainment system in the Santa Cruz is prone to freezing, going black, or rebooting randomly. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connections can trigger the freezes. The backup camera feed may also be lost during a freeze. Hyundai has released multiple softw… Repairs typically run $0-$2,000. Severity: low.
The factory-applied composite bed liner on the Santa Cruz peels, chips, and delaminates prematurely, often within the first year. The issue begins at the edges and tailgate area. UV exposure and temperature cycling cause the liner adhesion to fail. This is a widespread cosmetic i… Repairs typically run $0-$650. Severity: low.
The roll-up tonneau cover fitted to SEL Premium and Limited trucks develops two related faults that Hyundai acknowledged in service bulletins issued March 2024. The cover binds in its rails and becomes hard or impossible to open and close (TSB 24-BD-003H), and it retracts incompl… Repairs typically run $0-$900. Severity: low.