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2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Critical

110 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.17 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical23V181000 Park outside

Trailer Hitches

fire while parked or driving can raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious23V038000

Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars

detached roof molding could become a road hazard, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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

Complaint volume

110 this model-year 9 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

3Crashes
3Fires
1Injuries
0Deaths

Across 110 complaints. Severity Index 0.17.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Power Train25 · 23%Engine20 · 18%Electrical System13 · 12%Unknown Or Other10 · 9%Fuel/Propulsion System6 · 5%Vehicle Speed Control5 · 5%Service Brakes5 · 5%Exterior Lighting4 · 4%
  1. Power Train — 25 reports
  2. Engine — 20 reports
  3. Electrical System — 13 reports
  4. Unknown Or Other — 10 reports
  5. Fuel/Propulsion System — 6 reports
  6. Vehicle Speed Control — 5 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 5 reports
  8. Exterior Lighting — 4 reports
  9. Trailer Hitches — 3 reports
  10. Visibility/Wiper — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2022 (4) · 2023 · 2024 (1) · 2025 (3) · 2026 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.