NHTSA Complaints · Active Recalls · California Lemon Law Data
The NHTSA tracks consumer complaints, manufacturer recalls, and safety investigations for every vehicle sold in the United States. These publicly available records are a critical resource for California lemon law cases because they establish patterns of recurring defects.
As of June 2026, the NHTSA has logged 170 complaints against the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Each complaint is filed by a vehicle owner or lessee through the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline or online portal at SaferCar.gov. You can review all 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz complaints directly on the NHTSA complaint database.
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has generated 340 NHTSA complaints and has 4 active recalls. If your 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has experienced a defect that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple visits, you may qualify for a full repurchase or replacement under California lemon law. Hyundai pays all attorney fees when we prevail. You pay nothing.
Powertrain and transmission defects directly impair the vehicle’s core function and are generally considered substantial defects under California lemon law. Owners of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz have reported harsh shifting, shuddering, slipping, and transmission warning lights. 90 NHTSA complaints have been submitted for this defect category. Owner reports include: “My 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has an ongoing powertrain/transmission malfunction that occurs during cold starts. The vehicle will not upshift out of 1st gear and becomes stuck around 25 mph with the accelerator fully pressed. There are no warning lights or messages. The only way to temporarily fix the issue is to pull over, turn the vehicle off, and restart it. This creates a serious safety risk because I am unable to accelerate to normal traffic speeds when merging or crossing intersections. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. The issue has been brought to two Hyundai dealerships multiple times. One dealership replaced the entire transmission, and on a later visit they topped off the transmission fluid. Despite these repairs, the problem continues to occur. Hyundai corporate is involved and has an active case open, but the defect remains unresolved. The problem has not been consistently replicated by the dealers because it only occurs on cold starts, but it happens repeatedly in daily use.” (NHTSA Complaint #11700470)
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has generated 36 NHTSA complaints for this defect category. If your vehicle has experienced recurring issues in this area that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple attempts, you may have a qualifying lemon law claim under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Owner reports include: “Hi, my car is a certified 2022 hyundai santa cruz I’ve been in touch with hyundai and they’re very unhelpful. I’m experiencing jerking while creeping uphill or driving in traffic at low speeds as well as in reverse. and its way worse when i have any bit of load in the bed. its extremely invasive, its really dangerous particularly when in reverse, because its hard to modulate the speed properly, when you feather the brakes when rolling into a parking space or reversing to a hook up a trailer it either is dead on power or jerks at a slight speed which makes it difficult to control. this is something that passed hyundai’s certified program but concerns me because there is no way its safe. I’ve lent my car to other people and they were concerned as well. please note i got my brakes and replaced and system bled but the issue persists. additionally I’ve experienced this issue for over 5000 miles (41k – 47k miles) please consider this complaint because its a legitimate safety issue and i have a feeling its related to this cars transmission woes. Thank you!” (NHTSA Complaint #11618907)
Engine and cooling problems are among the most serious defects under California’s Song-Beverly Act. Owners of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz have reported issues including stalling, overheating, loss of power, rough idling, excessive oil consumption, and check engine lights that return after dealer repairs. With 28 NHTSA complaints on record, this defect pattern is well-documented. Owner reports include: “The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Cruz. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power but was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V760000 (Power Train); the VIN was included, but the vehicle was already repaired in 2022. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 63,000.” (NHTSA Complaint #11697511)
Engine and cooling problems are among the most serious defects under California’s Song-Beverly Act. Owners of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz have reported issues including stalling, overheating, loss of power, rough idling, excessive oil consumption, and check engine lights that return after dealer repairs. With 24 NHTSA complaints on record, this defect pattern is well-documented. Owner reports include: “2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited 29K miles bought in March at CarMax. I had 6/8 fuel injectors replaced under warranty but it took MONTHS and 5 trips to the dealer. I first had an issue with cold starting the engine and I got a cylinder 3 misfire code, and the first time I dropped it off in April they said they could not repro and sent me home…and then the story got worse…. May 10, 2024 I dropped off the vehicle for a second time due to an intermittent issue with rough cold starts and check engine light. May 24, 2024 All 4 of the high pressure fuel injectors were replaced and I was able to take home the vehicle after two weeks. May 25, 2024 one day later, after the repairs were made, another check engine light DTC P23F5F0 came on while driving the vehicle. May 29, 2024 I dropped off the vehicle due to DTC P23F5F0 as reported by Bluelink . May 31, 2024 The DTC was cleared from the system after a brief diagnosis and I was sent home with the vehicle with no repairs being done. June 1, 2024 One day after I picked it up, DTC P23F5F0 showed up again for me on the Santa Cruz. June 2nd, 2024 I dropped it off for this DTC for the second time. They drove it 250 miles and could not get the light to come back on. July 12, 2024 They released the vehicle over one month later, doing nothing but clearing the light, citing that they needed to replicate the issue for Hyundai corporate to pay for a repair. July 13th 2024, the day after I picked it up for this DTC the second time, the same malfunction indicator DTC 23F5F0 light came back on for me. I finally got the vehicle back in August after they replaced 2 of the low pressure fuel injectors. I’ve heard from others that failing fuel injectors can cause catastrophic failures on the highway.” (NHTSA Complaint #11614306)
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has generated 14 NHTSA complaints for this defect category. If your vehicle has experienced recurring issues in this area that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple attempts, you may have a qualifying lemon law claim under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Owner reports include: “Vehicle is equipped with automatic headlights. They constantly turn on and off during the day as soon as you enter any type of shadow. This causes the headlights to “flash” the driver in front of you. While traveling on the interstate at 75 mph if you go under an overpass they turn on, less than 1 second but take 30-60 seconds to turn off! During that time the dash darkens and you cannot see the speedometer,HVAC controls, etc. Even with the headlight switch turned to OFF the dash continues to dim as if the headlights were on! I have had the dealer (San Tan Hyundai in Gilbert AZ) check them twice. Each time I am told operating as designed. This needs a software update to make the automatic headlight system less sensitive. There is no reason why my dash is dimming while the system is off or why the headlights are coming on during a bright sunny day because I drove through a shadow.” (NHTSA Complaint #11553737)
The following 4 recalls have been issued for the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz by the NHTSA or Hyundai. If your vehicle is affected, the manufacturer is required to provide a free remedy. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls.
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Defect: See NHTSA database for details.
Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the turbocharger oil supply pipe, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai’s number for this recall 222.
Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Defect: See NHTSA database for details.
Risk: Loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Component: STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
Defect: See NHTSA database for details.
Risk: A detached roof molding could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
Component: TRAILER HITCHES
Defect: See NHTSA database for details.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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
California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1790–1795.8) is one of the strongest lemon laws in the United States. It protects buyers and lessees of new and certified pre-owned vehicles that develop substantial defects the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, a lemon law presumption is triggered when any of the following apply to your 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz:
Once the presumption is triggered, the burden shifts to Hyundai to prove the vehicle is not a lemon. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), Hyundai must pay your attorney’s fees if you prevail — meaning qualified representation costs you nothing out of pocket.
If your 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz qualifies as a lemon under California law, Hyundai may be legally required to:
Step 1: Document every repair visit. Keep all repair orders, work orders, and dealer invoices. Each visit counts as a repair attempt, even if the dealer says nothing is wrong.
Step 2: Keep returning for repairs. You must give Hyundai a reasonable opportunity to fix the defect. Visit different authorized Hyundai dealers if needed and ask for written documentation of each visit.
Step 3: Contact a California lemon law attorney. Once you believe the threshold has been met — 4 attempts for non-safety defects, 2 for safety defects, or 30 days out of service — contact an attorney for a free case evaluation. Under § 1794(d), Hyundai pays your fees if you win.
Step 4: Send a demand letter. Your attorney will send Hyundai a formal demand letter. Most California lemon law cases resolve through negotiation without going to trial.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, four or more repair attempts for the same non-safety defect, or two attempts for a safety-related defect, triggers the lemon law presumption. Additionally, 30 or more cumulative days out of service qualifies regardless of the number of repair attempts.
Yes. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), Hyundai is required to pay your reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs if you prevail in a lemon law claim. This means qualified lemon law representation is free to you if your case succeeds.
Yes. A recall is not required to file a lemon law claim. The Song-Beverly Act covers any substantial defect that impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle that the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts. NHTSA complaints support the claim by establishing a pattern, but are not a prerequisite.
California lemon law claims are generally subject to a four-year statute of limitations from the date you discovered or should have discovered the defect. However, you must still be within the manufacturer’s original warranty period when the defect first appears. Contact an attorney promptly to preserve your rights.
If your 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has a recurring defect, California’s Lemon Law may entitle you to a full refund, replacement vehicle, or cash settlement — at no cost to you.
Our attorneys answer the questions we hear most from California vehicle owners — fully updated for 2026.
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