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2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
C
Safety Signal
76 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns3
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA18
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA25 mpg
202720262025202420232022

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Santa Cruz FWD, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 18 complaints, most often about the forward collision avoidance. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Santa Cruz FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl223025$2,500
Santa Cruz AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl212924$2,600
Santa Cruz AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo192722$2,850
Santa Cruz XRT AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo182621$2,950

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 48257, 48266, 48267, 48270.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Forward Collision Avoidance

302
423,062 vehicles
ProblemHyundai 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.RiskUnexpected braking increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update the front camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 302. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 20, 2026.
NHTSA campaign 26V316000reported May 18, 2026Hyundai Motor America
▲high

Air Bags

289 (H); 029G (G)
258 vehicles
ProblemHyundai 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.RiskSide curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.FixDealers will reinstall the side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 29, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 289 and 029G. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 22, 2025.
NHTSA campaign 25V809000reported Nov 20, 2025Hyundai Motor America
▲high

Electrical System

273
42,465 vehicles
ProblemHyundai 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.RiskA transmission that can shift out of Park without applying the brake pedal can result in a vehicle roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.FixOwners are advised to use the parking brake when parking the vehicle. Dealers will reroute the console extension wiring assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 17, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 273.
NHTSA campaign 24V877000reported Nov 20, 2024Hyundai Motor America

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
18complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2024: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 6

Most-cited components

Forward Collision Avoidance13
Electrical System3
Exterior Lighting3
Service Brakes2
Lane Departure2
Unspecified2

What owners describe

“Loss of power while trying to accelerate. RPM's were going up, but the vehicle was very sluggish. Nearly got rear ended as I had turned right on a red from a stop to merge onto a 55mph road. I could not get up to speed and had to pull to the side of the road and engage my hazard lights. I turned the vehicle off and let…”Aug 29, 2026 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds at night on several occasions, the headlights were dim and created a shadow across the roadway. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on multiple occasions. The dealer was initially unable to duplicate the failure but later …”Jul 8, 2026 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud popping noise was suddenly heard coming from the engine compartment with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that immediately following the failure, the power steering and brakes became inope…”May 7, 2026 · Engine · 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 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 Hyundai Santa Cruz

0 recalls · 0 complaints

C

2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz

3 recalls · 5 complaints

A

2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz

1 recalls · 35 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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