2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 79 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz over 4 years — 24 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Santa Cruz years here — under the median of the other years, which is 31. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Trailer hitch and Roof and pillars.

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz — Photo by Zeometric, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (25 of 79), then Engine (20) and Electrical system (14). The most filings arrived in 2023 (33 of 79). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2022 and 2024

The 2022 Santa Cruz has 184 complaints, 51 per year, and the 2024 has 35 complaints, 12 per year. The 2023 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022. The 2023 has more complaints per year than the 2024.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (2)

Recall trailer hitch 2023-03-17 · NHTSA campaign 23V181000

Summary 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. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Remedy 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.

Recall structure, body, roof and pillars 2023-01-31 · NHTSA campaign 23V038000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson and 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles. The roof moldings may detach.

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (79 total)

Powertrain

Engine

Electrical system

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel and propulsion system

Speed control

Service brakes

Exterior lighting

Trailer hitch

Air bags

Structure

Suspension

Visibility and wipers

Fuel system, gasoline

Lane departure

Seats

Tires

Show 9 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Unknown. I have had a clunking in the rear and have come across a TSB TSB 25-SS-003H. Seems like a safety issue. Rear shocks could be defective."
Suspension · filed 2026-09-14
"The push-to-open fuel filler door repeatedly failed to release, preventing refueling. The door locks through an electronic actuator tied to the central locking system, and there is no interior lever or owner-accessible…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-09-09
"my 2023 Santa Cruz had 7500 miles when purchased 4/25/26. I have had issues with the screen blackening/fading which cuts of electronics; ex; safety features. This was taken in twice. Then the truck loses power. Going 55…"
Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-27
"truck dash light would fade/blacken at which time none of safety features would work. This is an intermittent problem but seem like it has happened many times with the Santa Cruz's in general, so Hyundai was aware of…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-07-10
"driving/pulling on interstate speed only went to 20 miles per hour, no more. Pulled off and turned truck off, waited and restarted. all fine. No warning was given. Short time later engine light came on. Called and got…"
Engine · filed 2026-07-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz PU/CC FWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Santa Cruz all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S8)	All-wheel drive	19	27	22 MPG	$2950
Santa Cruz all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	21	25	23 MPG	$2800
Santa Cruz front-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	22	26	23 MPG	$2800

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2022–present

Body styles Pickup

Oil 0W-20 full synthetic , 4.5 qt capacity

Tire size 245/60R18 (SE/SEL/SEL Premium), 245/50R20 (Limited)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 22V-197 covers certain 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz vehicles, and also certain 2022 Santa Fe vehicles: the oil supply pipe to the turbocharger may crack, which could result in an oil leak in the engine compartment. Dealers replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe. Recall 23V-038 covers certain 2022-2023 Santa Cruz vehicles, and also certain 2022 Tucson vehicles: the roof moldings may detach; dealers inspect and replace or secure them as necessary.

Compare

Previous year 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Next year 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz See every Hyundai Santa Cruz model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz reliable?

What are common problems with a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz?

Is the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz been recalled?

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz?

Owners have filed 79 complaints about the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz is 22.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Hyundai Santa Cruz take?

0W-20 full synthetic; capacity is about 4.5 quarts with filter.

What does recall 22V-197 cover on the Santa Cruz?

Certain 2022 Santa Cruz vehicles (and certain 2022 Santa Fe): the oil supply tube for the turbocharger may leak. See the NHTSA campaign for the remedy.

What tire sizes does the Santa Cruz use?

245/60R18 on SE/SEL/SEL Premium; 245/50R20 on Limited.