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2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Gas Compact SUV

202720262025202420232022
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
C
Safety Signal
77 / 100
CSafety Signal · 77 / 100
2Recalls · 1 critical
77Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
23 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Santa Cruz AWD, is EPA-rated at 23 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 77 complaints, most often about power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Santa Cruz AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl212523$2,700
Santa Cruz FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl222623$2,700
Santa Cruz AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo192722$2,850

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (2)

Trailer Hitches

critical
Park outside584,784 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

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.

NHTSA campaign 23V181000 · reported Mar 17, 2023 · Hyundai Motor America

Structure

high
16,104 vehicles

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

Risk: A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

NHTSA campaign 23V038000 · reported Jan 31, 2023 · Hyundai Motor America

Owner complaints

77 complaints filed

2 involved a crash, 3 a fire, 1 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2022: 4 · 2023: 33 · 2024: 15 · 2025: 19 · 2026: 6

Most-cited components

  • Power Train — 25
  • Engine — 20
  • Electrical System — 13
  • Unknown Or Other — 10
  • Vehicle Speed Control — 6
“Coolant leaking onto engine shield and ground from front a small rock that hit of vehicle radiator. The radiator is not nearly shielded well enough to protect it from rocks and other debris. A 1/4 inch diameter rock struck the front of radiator through grill opening resulting in a leak and possible risk of overheating …”Mar 23, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“On February 10, 2023, I was driving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz on Interstate 10 near Gautier, Mississippi. My cruise control was activated and I was cruising at a speed of about 76mph. Suddenly the vehicle began to rev up to 7,000 RPMs and decelerate. The vehicle then began to coast at around 45mph and pressing the acc…”Feb 22, 2023 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report
“The car has 1,360 miles and is only a month old since I bought it. Car sat for 8 hours at my work parking lot. When I went to start it it ran rough like an engine misfire for about 10 seconds then normal. When I drove off with engine cold... the transmission would not shift up and was at 4,000 rpms. The accelerator ped…”Feb 9, 2023 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
PU/CC AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆16%
PU/CC FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Santa Cruz model years

A

2027 Santa Cruz

0 recalls · 0 complaints

C

2026 Santa Cruz

3 recalls · 5 complaints

C

2025 Santa Cruz

3 recalls · 18 complaints

A

2024 Santa Cruz

1 recalls · 35 complaints

F

2022 Santa Cruz

4 recalls · 180 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 45552, 45537, 45553). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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