2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Fuel System Problems

Which parts fail

• Fuel injection system › Injectors
  1

Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

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.

I purchased my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz new from Hallmark Hyundai in Tennessee. Ever since the purchase of my Hyundai Santa Cruz I have had issues with fuel injectors. I have had two fuel injector failures that had to be covered under warranty, the last fuel injector that failed under warranty was on cylinder 3 and was replaced a year ago at Coastal Hyundai in Melbourne, Florida. Three weeks ago, the fuel injector failed again on cylinder 3 and isn't covered under warranty. This makes the third fuel injector (two on the same cylinder) to have failed in the three years of owning my vehicle. With less than 80,000 miles on it. Hyundai knows it's a problem as they recently changed their service bulletin mandating all four fuel injectors to be replaced with an upgraded part. However they won't cover the charges and I'm on the hook for the bill. Also, the new upgrade kit is on back order. …

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. …

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. …

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.

- What component or system failed or malfunctioned: Code P019185 main fuel rail pressure regulator sensor. -Is it available for inspection upon request? Yes -How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? At highway speeds, sudden lose of power and speed. Unable to accelerate. -Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No, happens randomly, vehicle has to be shut down and restarted to resolve problem. -Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No -Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning, shortly after purchase and several time after purchase to date.

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.

Problem 1 - The vehicle has stalled twice at low speed (less than 5 mph). Both times I had just pulled away from a parking space, coasting (or slowing) before a STOP sign and the vehicle dies. It beeps loudly, says shift to Neutral and restart. It did restart both times. This happened both times while being in SMART mode. I drove it about a month in NORMAL mode between stalls and the issue did not happen. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not. I have had the Santa Cruz less than 2 months. Problem 2 - While accelerating away from a stop, it seems the vehicle revs and does not accelerate, almost like it is not in gear.

On multiple occasions the car had trouble starting and while on the road it would idle like it was struggling. My concern was the car dying on me while on the road and causing an accident for myself and the other drivers or pedestrians. The manufacturer hasn't inspected it nor has it been confirmed by the dealer. I haven't had any warning and they first started to appear in the beginning of 2024. I just recently read the fuel injectors are the cause of this and so far there has not been any recall by the manufacturer

I was trying to accelerate with pushing the gas pedal and the truck would not go any faster than 22 mph. This went on for 15 minutes until the truck was turned off and restarted. It seemed to be corrected with turning the vehicle off. No engine warning lights came on and the vehicle was in drive the whole time. The concern was not being able to accelerate on the on-ramp to the main highway. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone at this time. The problem could not be reproduced after it occurred today.

Fuel System complaints in other Santa Cruz years