Honda Ridgeline vs Hyundai Santa Cruz: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is ahead of the Honda Ridgeline on the federal record, 75/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Honda Ridgeline
- 8 model years scored
- 1,211 owner complaints on record
- about 37 complaints per year on the road
- 48 recall campaigns, 22 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (85/100) · worst 2025 (48/100)
Hyundai Santa Cruz
- 4 model years scored
- 309 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 10 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (85/100) · worst 2022 (56/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ridgeline against Santa Cruz
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Honda Ridgeline
- Electrical System — 265 complaints
- Engine — 253 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 143 complaints
Hyundai Santa Cruz
- Power Train — 125 complaints
- Engine — 75 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 50 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Ridgeline's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Santa Cruz's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Honda Ridgeline — avoid: 2025.
Hyundai Santa Cruz: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2023, 2024, 2025.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a Hyundai Santa Cruz at about $51,700 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the Hyundai Santa Cruz more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Santa Cruz scores 75/100 against the Honda Ridgeline's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz years should I avoid?
Honda Ridgeline: 2025. Hyundai Santa Cruz: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Ridgeline and the Hyundai Santa Cruz?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Ridgeline is Electrical System (265 complaints); on the Hyundai Santa Cruz it is Power Train (125).
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the Hyundai Santa Cruz cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a Hyundai Santa Cruz at about $51,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.