2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz: check engine light

Filed Nov 5, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · OH

Vehicle intermittently drops into a “Limp Mode” while driving. Speed becomes restricted at 20 mph and engine RPM locks at 2000 RPM. Cannot accelerate when pressing on gas pedal. No engine lights come on when this occurs. Turning ignition off and restarting temporarily resets the computer and clears speed cap. Has happened 4 times since purchased. Has strong coolant smell and occasionally rotten egg smell. This is a safety hazard! Dealership has offered no solution other than if it happens again to pull over, call tow truck, leave car running and get it to them. Opened complaint with corporate. No help. I am afraid to drive my car. This could cause a major accident and harm myself or others. Asked dealership if they could contact an engineer and was told no.

Filed Sep 27, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · NH

I have had one Transmission and the tow hitch wiring harness replaced once from recalls. The tow hitch wiring harness is failing and all the warning lights are failing. The transmission is slipping upon takeoff and will rev at elevated RMS on the highway at times. When in reverse it will still move forward at times and on a hill it rolls back. The breaks have slammed on (for no reason) a couple of times while on the highway. It has also lost power. No check engine lights are on at this time. The warning lights for wiring harness are on at all times. I had it looked at last week and I had to pay $400.00 but they never drove it and said the wiring harness is no longer their responsibility.

Filed Sep 9, 2026 · Transmission · LA

In approximately late 2024, at just under 30,000 miles, the vehicle lost motive power while driving on the interstate. Multiple warning lights illuminated and the vehicle lost drive shortly afterward, leaving me unable to accelerate in traffic. The vehicle was then serviced under Recall 236 (the federal safety agency 22V‑746) for the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission high-pressure oil pump. The remedy performed was a transmission control unit software update only; the transmission was not replaced. I do not have the exact dates and am reporting these as approximate. The vehicle now has approximately 99,700 miles. It has developed hesitation and dragging on drive-off within the first half mile of every trip and at low speed in town, resolving once the transmission is warm, with no check engine light or warning lamp. The selling dealer had the vehicle approximately 35 days across two repair orders without diagnosing the condition. The repairs performed were a cylinder 3 spark plug/oil repair and dropping and cleaning the fuel tank, neither of which resolved the complaint. I have run non-ethanol fuel exclusively since the vehicle was returned and the condition is unchanged. I am taking the vehicle to a different Hyundai dealer and have opened a case with Hyundai. I am filing this report because the software-only remedy may not be adequate for this transmission. Roughly two years and 70,000 miles after that repair, the same transmission is again showing drivability problems, and other owners may experience the same loss of power.

Filed Jul 10, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · NC

October 2025 while driving the vehicle at highway speeds, vehicle started bucking, losing power and then stalled. The check engine light did not come on. I was able to get off the side of the road and had it towed to the dealer. Dealer found injectors to be leaking and replaced all 4 GDI fuel injectors-mileage was 29,598. On July 1, 2026, again the same issue while driving the vehicle at highway speeds, it started bucking, losing power and stalling when slowed. This time the check engine light came on. Again, it was undrivable and had to be towed to the dealer. Dealer found after 15,000 miles, some of the new injectors failed and were leaking and all 4 GDI injectors were replaced again-mileage 44,492. Both times there was no warning signs that the fuel injectors were about to fail. No other tests were performed on the engine to find out why the fuel injectors are repeatedly failing. I have filed a report with Hyundai National Consumer Affairs because the vehicle will be out of warranty by the end of 2026, and the underlying issue has not been investigated nor resolved. I am concerned that once vehicle is out of warranty, a major issue with the engine will be found that caused repeated failure of the fuel injectors. I did request an extension of the warranty, but was told that normally doesn't happen.

Filed Mar 26, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · CO

"The 8-speed Dual Clutch Transmission and engine (Cylinder 4) failed on my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL Premium AWD with 37,780 miles. Both components are available for inspection upon request. While merging onto the highway in Sport Mode, the vehicle experienced violent shuddering and noise so severe I believed I had multiple flat tires simultaneously — specifically both front and rear passenger side tires. I immediately activated hazard lights and exited the highway. I was unable to safely operate the vehicle. Other drivers on the highway were also put at risk by my sudden need to exit. The dealer has NOT been able to reproduce or confirm the transmission issue despite multiple documented visits over the past year. However, AutoZone confirmed diagnostic code P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected on March 19, 2026 via OBD-II scan. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by the Hyundai dealership over the past year. Hyundai Motor America has an open case on this vehicle and has escalated it to their buyback department. The Check Engine Light illuminated during the highway incident then self-cleared. Transmission slipping, shuddering at low speeds, high RPMs at low vehicle speeds, and failure to shift properly have been reported to the dealer for over one year. This vehicle contains the identical DCT transmission covered under Hyundai Recall 236 but my VIN was excluded despite identical symptoms. Backup camera has also failed twice — a federally mandated safety device."

Filed Nov 4, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 63,000 miles · CO

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 the federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 63,000.

Filed Aug 11, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

Vehicle began running roughly. CEL came on. Began to misfire. Limped it off the FWY under limited power. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Was diagnosed as having bad fuel injectors. Was told by service writer that Hyundai Santa Cruz trucks have been experiencing a lot of injector failures. Looking at the various Hyundai Santa Cruz forums, it appears that this has been a very common issue and has occurred in 2022 through 2025 model year vehicles

Filed Jul 8, 2025 · Fuel system · 62,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed to pass another vehicle however, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle but did not turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that after shifting to drive(D) the vehicle failed to accelerate above 15 MPH. The contact stopped the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a fuel injector had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

Filed Feb 28, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · OH

On the interstate mid-route, the engine light went on and the car started acting sluggish and slightly shaking on the interstate and would not respond to pressing the gas to accelerate and started to slow down. When I pulled over to the berm it was vibrating as if it was going to stall out. I turned the car off and returned to the interstate with no issues for the rest of my ride (the engine light remained on). On the next trip to the dealership for an appointment to have it checked, I was merging onto the interstate, and again, the car was not responding to me putting on the gas and would not accelerate. Could not push the car over 35MPG, and had to ride to the dealership with the car varying in speed anywhere from almost a complete stop to 30MPH on the berm where I could with flashers, often it felt as if it would stall out. It was a very dangerous & unsafe ride. FYI - The dealership replaced all 4 fuel injectors to fix

Filed Oct 19, 2024 · Transmission · IA

First shift issue, no warning lights present, was able to get to dealer they hooked up computer and reset/restart vehicle and told me I probably hit gas and brake at same time and it was probably in limp mode. Month later went to store just fine, got back in my vehicle and check engine light was on, shift issues, was told to keep driving for over 2 weeks till they had available appointment, during that time battery died and check engine light went off but shift issues were still there and they had to drive it I believe they said 60 miles to get light to come back on so hyundai would approve transmission replacement. After that finally got replaced and I put almost 4k miles on their rental (yeah... took a while). I was back in less than a week before service transmission immediately indicator comes on, again got to my destination fine, got back in vehicle and I'm on my way back in the dealer again. I was told I was the third transmission back in to get replaced again after a week of being on the road. but wait, battery dies again, warning lights gone and they give back the vehicle. They were nice enough to offer me 10k less than what I purchased it for 6 months ago.

Filed Sep 12, 2024 · Engine · SC

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.

Filed Aug 27, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · AL

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz began shaking on the interstate and showing a check engine light on the dash. After pulling off the road to a nearby auto parts store, the ODB reader showed a DTC of P0301, which is a misfiring cylinder. A independent mechanic across the street from the auto parts store diagnosed the issue as a leaking fuel injector, but in order to get the repair cost covered, the vehicle had to be towed to a Hyundai dealership. The dealership did not have any loaner vehicles to offer and estimated 1-2 weeks to even officially diagnose the vehicle themselves. 2 weeks later, the dealership is estimating another 2-3 weeks or more, and Hyundai corporate will not approve any reimbursement for the out-of-pocket costs of hotel, towing, Uber, and rental until diagnosis AND repair is complete, which could be an unknown period of time.