Hyundai Santa Cruz loss of power problems

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 Sep 8, 2026 · Acceleration, Fuel system · FL

Vehicle in the middle of turning in to a hazardous highway lost power and then began to drive sluggish at 20 miles per hour skipping. It acted like the fuel injectors were not allowing it to get fuel. After having some one check it is exactly what was wrong.. It he vehicle had not caught up I would be dead as an oncoming vehicle did not realize the care was not moving.

Filed Aug 29, 2026 · Fuel system · UT

Loss of power while trying to accelerate. RPM's were going up, but the vehicle was very sluggish. Nearly got rear ended as I had turned right on a red from a stop to merge onto a 55mph road. I could not get up to speed and had to pull to the side of the road and engage my hazard lights. I turned the vehicle off and let it sit for a few minutes, then turned it back on and the issue went away. No lights/warnings or sounds were associated with the problem. First time driving the car today. Weather is mid 70's and overcast.

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 Jun 5, 2026 · Fuel system, Transmission · FL

Loss of power from the engine while accelerating from a stop in heavy traffic. Car began shaking and sputtering with intermittent spurts of power, unable to exceed 10 mph on narrow bridge. Pulled over and the vehicle smelled heavily of gasoline near the engine. This issue is the Third instance of my engine sputtering and losing power. The first instance, injectors 2 & 4 were replaced. The second instance Injector 3 was replaced. I followed dealer recommendations and only used top tier gas from busy stations, and manufacturer technician recommended techron additive every 1000 miles. There have been two additional instances where the engine sputtered but regained power, with the dealer unable to replicate the issue.

Filed Apr 25, 2026 · Acceleration, Fuel system · DE

While driving on I-81 up a steep grade, truck suffered a sudden power loss, with speed dropping to 35 MPH from 65 MPH. Attempts to regain speed failed and it felt like truck downshifted to a lower gear. 35 MPH continued until I decided to use truck cruise control to attempt to gain speed. I was worried about tractor trailers hitting me due to low speed. Finally got vehicle to 65 MPH but would not go above 65 MPH. Rode that way for 100 miles ( trip home was ~ 200 miles) finally in lighter traffic when I had to brake, I tried to use gas pedal to maintain speed.and it worked. Rode the last 100 miles normally. I was at great risk when truck went from 65 MPH to 35 MPH. This is the second incident vehicle suffered in the last 2 months.. Dealer was not able to diagnoise problem. Vehicle had no warning lamps to warn me in both instances.

Filed Nov 20, 2025 · Transmission · KS

Sporadically, when shifting from first to second gear, the engine/transmission will stall, causing a loss of power for several seconds. This is generally when pulling away from a stop sign/light into traffic. I picked a single date below, but this continually happens from time to time.

Filed Oct 16, 2025 · Transmission · NM

As I was attempting to accelerate at a stop light, once I got to 10mph I lost all power and the vehicle appeared to be in neutral, even though it was in gear. The engine just revved and would not go any faster. It appeared that the transmission just completely slipped out of gear. I had to figure out a way to exit the road as I was in full rush hour traffic. When I re-entered traffic to try again, the same thing happened and I exited into a side street neighborhood. The third time, the car did accelerate although it was rough shifting. This problem is extremely unsafe. This is a brand new car and unacceptable. When I researched this issue online, it appears to be a very common issue in the 2022-2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz’s. I hope that this will be investigated.

Filed Aug 18, 2025 · Transmission · WA

2nd replacement DCT transmission failed Loss of power while driving on the interstate , upon acceleration no increase in speed, went from 65mph to 38mph before able to pull off the highway. Intermittently it is not shifting, shuttering, hard reverse shift, hesitation from park into drive