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2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA35
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA23 mpg
202720262025202420232022

The 2024 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 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 35 complaints, most often about the power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
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 at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 46719, 46697, 46720.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Steering

261
795 vehicles
ProblemHyundai 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.RiskA loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the motor-driven power steering electric power pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 261.
NHTSA campaign 24V412000reported Jun 5, 2024Hyundai Motor America

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
35complaints filed

3 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2023: 1 · 2024: 17 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 8

Most-cited components

Power Train11
Engine6
Vehicle Speed Control5
Unspecified4
Fuel/Propulsion System4
Forward Collision Avoidance4

What owners describe

“As I was attempting to accelerate at a stop light, once I got to 10mph I lost all power and the vehicle appeared to be in neutral, even though it was in gear. The engine just revved and would not go any faster. It appeared that the transmission just completely slipped out of gear. I had to figure out a way to exit the …”Oct 16, 2025 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while in the process of towing the vehicle on a tow dolly, the contact attempted to steer the steering wheel to verify that the steering wheel was locked, but the steering wheel was not locked and could be turned. The contact stated that the Owner's Ma…”Aug 19, 2025 · Steering · NHTSA owner report
“On [XXX] my car would not run with a half a tank of gas and 776 miles ,I allied Hyundai towing and had it towed to the nearest dealer in Springfield pa and it sat down a week or more before they looked at it ,after that they finally called and stated there was sugar in my tank ,I explained that was impossible because I…”Mar 17, 2025 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 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

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
PU/CC Early Release AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆16%
PU/CC Early Release FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆16%
PU/CC Later Release AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆16%
PU/CC Later Release 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 Hyundai Santa Cruz

0 recalls · 0 complaints

C

2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz

3 recalls · 5 complaints

C

2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz

3 recalls · 18 complaints

C

2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz

2 recalls · 77 complaints

F

2022 Hyundai 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. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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