Hyundai Santa Cruz: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Hyundai Santa Cruz: 4 model years scored from 309 NHTSA owner complaints and 10 recall campaigns. Worst year 2022, best year 2024.
Hyundai Santa Cruz: which years to avoid
Across 4 scored model years the Hyundai Santa Cruz ranges from 56/100 in 2022 to 85/100 in 2024 — a 29-point spread, so which year you buy matters. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Power Train (89 of them).
Safest years: 2023, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2022.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2024 (score 85). Worst: 2022 (score 56, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 | BUY | $3,672 | 18 | 3 |
| 2024 | 85 | BUY | $3,802 | 35 | 1 |
| 2023 | 79 | BUY | $4,098 | 77 | 2 |
| 2022 | 56 | CAUTION | $4,600 | 179 | 4 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Santa Cruz, through the years →
Santa Cruz sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Santa Cruz on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Santa Cruz
Across every Santa Cruz model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train125 complaints across all Santa Cruz years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine75 complaints across all Santa Cruz years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other50 complaints across all Santa Cruz years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System37 complaints across all Santa Cruz years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System31 complaints across all Santa Cruz years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Vehicle Speed Control22 complaints across all Santa Cruz years · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement$520–$1,150
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Hyundai Santa Cruz years to buy?
2023, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2024 at 85/100, on 35 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
Which Hyundai Santa Cruz years should I avoid?
The 2022 is the weakest year we score, at 56/100 (CAUTION), on 179 complaints and 4 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Hyundai Santa Cruz problem?
125 of the complaints filed against the Santa Cruz across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04