AI Damage2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz: common problems
Owners of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz filed 35 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and engine. The maker issued 32 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 35
- involving a crash
- 3
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 32
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 31% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 17% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 14% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel/propulsion system 11% of all complaints
- 5 Lane departure 9% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 11 complaints (31% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
- Engine: 6 complaints (17% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (14% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 4 complaints (11% of all).
- Lane departure: 3 complaints (9% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 2.5 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 8-speed
- dual-clutch (DCT), 8-speed
Drive: AWD, FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 35 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| Engine | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane departure | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Backover prevention | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 1 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The point of this report is that the airbags never deployed and I have discovered this is a pending lawsuit by several attorneys. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Impact did not seem that severe, my air bags did not deploy but both front seat belts were locked up after the accident. My damage seemed just cosmetic, grill, bumper, hood and right front fender & headlight were damaged.
When this code is triggered, your vehicle will likely illuminate warning lights on your dashboard, such as the ABS and ESC warning lights. You might experience a change in how the brake pedal feels or a temporary deactivation of cruise control or stability features.
The contact stated there was no warning lights on vehicle before incident happen and that contact had to turn off and on the vehicle to make it function. correctly. The contact was able to contact dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated this has been a recurring event on vehicle.
My Emergency Brake/Forward Collision Avoidance system activated. Very briefly but enough to give me a shock. There was no reason for this to be activated, traffic was moving along, no one was closely in front of me, fortunately no one was right behind me.
My issue is that the lane keeping system was much too sensitive. I would be riding at highway speeds and the car would pull suddenly to the right or left. This was an intermittent problem but when I took it in wanting an adjustment to the system to make it less sensitive, I was told that they were unable to address…
While driving on I-81 up a steep grade, truck suffered a sudden power loss, with speed dropping to 35 mph from 65 mph. Attempts to regain speed failed and it felt like truck downshifted to a lower gear. 35 mph continued until I decided to use truck cruise control to attempt to gain speed.
The issue was reported at the 1st oil change with Palmer Hyundai (8000 miles oil change) I have been dealing with this issue for a year, I wanted to provide Hyundai an opportunity to correct the front collision warning system it is still inoperable.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,018 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 48% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Santa Cruz has 53 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 35, below average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil…
Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition…
- Certain 2022 – 2025 model year Santa Cruz and 2022 – 2025 model year Tucson vehicles may have front wipers…
Certain 2022 – 2025 model year Santa Cruz and 2022 – 2025 model year Tucson vehicles may have front wipers that do not return to the designated park position due to a loose wiper motor crank arm nut. At Hyundai, we are…
- Some Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may have a tonneau cover that does not latch or unlatch, does not retract…
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…
- Some Tucson (NX4A and NX4M) and Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may have front wipers that do not return to the…
Some Tucson (NX4A and NX4M) and Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may have front wipers that do not return to the designated park position due to a loose wiper motor crank arm nut. Hyundai is extending the warranty coverage…
- This bulletin provides information related to a Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software update for some…
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…
- This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in…
This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 1st Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and…
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and…
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co…
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding…
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety…
- Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles equipped with 8-speed dual clutch transmissions (8DCT) may set one of…
Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles equipped with 8-speed dual clutch transmissions (8DCT) may set one of the high pressure electric oil pump (HP EOP) DTCs listed below. This bulletin provides the service procedure to…
- Some Santa Cruz (NXT), Santa Fe (TMA, MX5A), and Sonata (DN8A) models may require replacement of the…
Some Santa Cruz (NXT), Santa Fe (TMA, MX5A), and Sonata (DN8A) models may require replacement of the 8-speed wet dual clutch transmission (8WDCT) when the vehicle sets one of the high pressure electric oil pump (HP…
- Some 2019MY and newer vehicles equipped with a front view camera may illuminate certain warning lights and…
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…
- Some Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may have a tonneau cover that does not latch or unlatch, retract properly,…
Some Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may have a tonneau cover that does not latch or unlatch, retract properly, and/or have a v-gap is present when closed. This may be due to a broken or missing clip on the underside of the…
NHTSA lists 32 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, engine, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 35. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: loss of power / limp mode (23%), warning lights, check engine (23%), driver assists: adaptive cruise, lane keeping (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz?
NHTSA lists 32 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2024 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.