Model year 2026 · Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD, Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings
EPA rates the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz at 20–25 mpg combined across 4 versions. NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 5 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Safety recalls
3
EPA combined mpg
20–25
NHTSA overall rating
5/5
Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT
Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Hyundai dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz recalls
NHTSA's recall file lists 3 safety recalls for the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz, newest first.
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 302)
Units affected
423,062 (estimate)
Problem
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. Software in the front cameras may cause the forward collision avoidance system to activate prematurely and unexpectedly apply the brakes.
Risk
Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the front camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 302. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 20, 2026.
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 293)
Units affected
41,651 (estimate)
Problem
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
Hyundai Motor America (manufacturer recall no. 289 (H); 029G (G))
Units affected
258 (estimate)
Problem
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.
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.
Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.
Advertisement
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz fuel economy by version
EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination. Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.
Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.
EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Rollover risk
Forward collision warning
2026 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ PU/CC N/A AWD
5 stars
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
16.4%
No
2026 HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ PU/CC N/A FWD
5 stars
5 stars
5 stars
4 stars
16.4%
No
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.
Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.
Advertisement
2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz owner complaints
Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz, most recently on Sep 2, 2026. 0 mention a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.
Most-cited components in 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz complaints
Component named in complaints
Mentions
Power train
2
Lane departure
1
Lane departure: Assist
1
Steering
1
Vehicle speed control
1
Visibility/wiper
1
Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.
