2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Safety Report

Forward Collision Avoidance

6 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Unknown Or Other

2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.

Exterior Lighting

1 owner complaint mention this component in the current safety profile.

Electrical System,Exterior Lighting

1 owner complaint mention this component in the current safety profile.

Service Brakes,Forward Collision Avoidance

1 owner complaint mention this component in the current safety profile.

Electrical System

1 owner complaint mention this component in the current safety profile.

Frequently activates without cause, leading to distraction during driving.

Reported issues include headlight failure and instrument panel malfunction, affecting visibility and safety.

Unsmooth sensation in temperatures below 75-80 degrees and noisy squeaking/creaking sounds.

Summary: Hyundai 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.

Consequence: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers 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.

Summary: Hyundai 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.

Consequence: A 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.

Remedy: Owners 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.

While driving at night I happened to notice that the headlights failed to illuminate the road sufficiently. Specifically, the truck was going downhill. As it approached the bottom and soon to go uphill, I noticed that there was a strict delineation in what was lit up and what was not. Being on a country two lane with no ambient lights and travelling at the posted 55mph I realized that I did not ha...

I was driving on a highway at 55mph at night today 3/1/2026 and all of a sudden the headlights, instrumentation lights, and computer display went out, very scary, the all turned back on about 1.5 seconds later.

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that after a month of owning the vehicle, while attempting to start the vehicle, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light remained illuminated for approximately four miles and then turned off. The vehicle was taken t...

I can not disable the Driver Attention Warning (DAW) function on this vehicle. The "Take a Break" warning comes up at random times for no apparent reason. I understand the functionality but it often gives false warnings, distracting me from the driving task. This car needs to the ability to shut off the function, and, like other vehicles, set a time for setting the warning, i.e., every 45 minutes,...

This is an ongoing safety issue with a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited. The forward collision-avoidance system activates frequently and without cause during normal driving. The system will engage when another vehicle is simply turning, merging, or slowing down at a traffic light—normal, predictable situations where no emergency braking should occur. These unexpected activations create unsafe condi...

The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while fueling the vehicle, the fuel gauge became inoperable. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed a full tank while driving, regardless of the actual fuel level. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel gauge sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; howeve...

Adaptive Cruze control will not allow use when wearing sun glasses. It will default out of cruze control causing driver distraction, eye strain from sunlight by having to drive while using Cruze control with out sun glasses.

Consider taking a break warning triggers continually; sometimes as frequently as every other minute causing distraction during driving. It has occurred since purchasing vehicle. Dealership says can not disable.

Make: Hyundai • Model: Santa Cruz • Year: 2025 • Trim: Limited • Mileage: 2600 miles • Date of Purchase: July 2025 Description of the Problem: I am reporting a safety issue with the Forward Attention Warning (FAW) system on my 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited, which unexpectedly disables Smart Cruise Control (SCC) during highway driving. The FAW system, which uses an in-cabin camera to monitor...

-Brake pedal feels unsmooth in temperatures below 75-80 (mainly below 70) degrees as well as extremely noisy squeaking / creaking sounds accompanied. Inspection is always available. -I currently don't believe there is any safety risk to the issue I'm experiencing, but rather that it's unknown if there is one. I'm just being told there is no safety concern while also being told the issue I'm exper...

Since day one of purchasing the vehicle brand new, the Automatic Emergency Braking engages for basically no reason. The system is way too sensitive and will engage the brakes out of nowhere. This is very dangerous because the vehicle will come to a stop and it's only a matter of time when this happens and then get rear ended. Please address this issue, it's a major problem. Also, the Forward Colli...

After driving vehicle for 20-30 minutes. I receive on the dashboard an error message that the Driver Assistance System is not working properly. This has happen even if the sensor is clear of any type of debris or objects.

Vehicle is constantly slamming on the brakes when leaving a parking garage. Users have to turn the feature off every single time we enter our vehicle instead of it being saved to our profile. 2023 model allowed us to select warning sound only if we preferred. I'd hate to see this feature activate while it's raining. It is wayyy too sensitive even with the late timing option selected. Only a matter...

The Hyundai Santa Cruz has a Driver Forward Attention Warning system. The steering column has a camera that monitors the driver's eyes and face to make sure the driver is watching the road while the cruise control is engaged. The feature shuts down the cruise control if it assesses the driver is not paying attention to the road. The feature does not account for the driver wearing sunglasses, ho...

While driving at highway speeds with Smart Cruise Control set during the day I put on sunglasses and the driver attention system turned off the system 6 seconds later. I repeated this event set several times at various speeds and driving conditions with the same 6 second failure result. I made the dealership aware of this and verified it with them in the vehicle. Apparently, system uses an IR cam...

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 range may be exceeded while driving: • If the front camera is not properly install...

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 tonneau cover. This bulletin provides instructions to inspect and, if necessary, r...

Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit a Data Communication Unit (DCU) software error due to the internal timer initialization logic not being implemented. The DCU module may shut down telematics services after one year. Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-079H-1 provides instructions to p...

Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit a Data Communication Unit (DCU) software error due to the internal timer initialization logic not being implemented. The DCU module may shut down telematics services after one year. This bulletin provides instructions to perform a software update for the...

This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary ...

Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit a Data Communication Unit (DCU) software error due to the internal timer initialization logic not being implemented. The DCU module may shut down telematics services after one year. This bulletin provides instructions to perform a software update for the...

Certain Santa Cruz (NXT) vehicles may exhibit a Data Communication Unit (DCU) software error due to the internal timer initialization logic not being implemented. The DCU module may shut down telematics services after one year. Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-079H provides instructions to per...

Hyundai has become aware that some vehicles equipped with the 2.5 Turbo-GDI Theta III engine may exhibit coolant seepage on the back side (exhaust side) of the engine caused by a crack in the cylinder block.

Certain 2025MY Santa Cruz (NXT) and Santa Fe (MX5A) vehicles equipped with the 2.5T-GDI Theta III engine may exhibit coolant residue on the back side (exhaust side) of the engine caused by a crack in the cylinder block. Follow the procedure outlined in Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 25-01-052H to ...

Certain 2025MY Santa Cruz (NXT) and Santa Fe (MX5A) vehicles equipped with the 2.5T-GDI Theta III engine may exhibit coolant residue on the back side (exhaust side) of the engine caused by a crack in the cylinder block. Follow the procedure outlined in this bulletin to replace the engine sub-assembl...

Certain 2025MY Santa Cruz (NXT) and Santa Fe (MX5A) vehicles equipped with the 2.5T-GDI Theta III engine may exhibit coolant residue on the back side (exhaust side) of the engine caused by a crack in the cylinder block. The California Air Resources Board has determined that these vehicles may be rel...

Certain Santa Fe (MX5A) and 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. Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) 25-01-071H (for Santa Fe vehicles) and 25-01-072H (for Santa Cruz vehicles) pr...

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 update the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) with improved logic to address these DTCs...

This bulletin provides information related to the changes introduced in the 2025 1st Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system as described in this TSB.

This bulletin provides information related to the changes introduced in the 2024 2nd Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system. Refer to the 2024 2nd Navigation Map and Software Update Improvements section in this TSB for a list ...

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to verify Bluelink Data Communication Unit (DCU) network connection a...

Certain vehicles (See Applicable Vehicles List below) equipped with the 12-inch instrument cluster display and separate Instrument Cluster Module require software verification PRIOR to odometer mileage writing. If the Cluster Module does not have the latest software, the incorrect mileage may be wri...

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to verify Bluelink Data Communication Unit (DCU) network connection a...

Hyundai Motor America has noted that several vehicles were impacted by a telecommunications outage that occurred on Sunday, February 9th , resulting in the potential loss of connectivity or interruptions when attempting to use Bluelink functions. Voice Recognition, Sports Media, and Weather will not...

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink functions. This may be due to an occasional disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to reset the Connected Car Data Communication Unit (DCU) in Dealer Mo...