Owners have filed 15 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the automatic emergency braking, brakes, and electrical. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/6
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | AWD, FWD | 24–25 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Smart Cruise Control shuts off at highway speed when the in-cabin driver attention camera decides the driver is not watching the road. Sunglasses, especially polarized ones, are the most common trigger, and a hand at the top of the wheel can set it off too. Turning the feature off in the settings reportedly does not stop it. Other reports describe automatic emergency braking that slams on with no hazard, including when leaving parking garages, even on the late timing setting. Some trucks show a Driver Assistance System error or a collision warning light that returns after a camera replacement.
The truck brakes hard on its own when traffic ahead turns, merges, or slows for a light. One of the two reports is crash-related: the truck was rear-ended after an unneeded stop, and the problem repeated dozens of times. The manufacturer called this behavior "by design." A separate report describes a rough brake pedal with loud squeaking and creaking in cooler weather. A dealer reproduced it on that truck and on a new one from the lot.
Headlights, instrument lights, and the center display can go dark for a moment while driving at highway speed at night, leaving the driver briefly without lights. A separate fault leaves the fuel gauge stuck on full no matter how much fuel is in the tank. In that case the dealer replaced the fuel gauge sensor, but the problem came back. That failure appeared at about 5,045 miles. Only two complaints are on file, so neither pattern is well established yet.
Excerpts from complaints Santa Cruz owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
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.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2025
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.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2025
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.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2026
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 4 Santa Cruz years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Hyundai dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
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.
Risk: Side curtain air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Cars shoppers compare with the Hyundai Santa Cruz, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
