2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz power train problems

“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.”

“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 (NHTSA 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…”

“The cars transmission has become very jerky at low speeds. The drive train will either hesitate or rev without power for a couple seconds. The problem started at around 14k miles.”

“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.”

“The contact owns a 2022 HYUNDAI Santa Cruz. The contact stated while driving 74 MPH, while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and turned the vehicle off and on and the vehicle began to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact then had the vehicle towed to another dealer where they informed her there were no recalls. The contact mention this failure has occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was repaired as the transmission was replaced twice. The manufacturer was notified on the failure, and they informed her to request a prior authorization from the dealer ship which was denied. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.”

“After starting vehicle and shifting to Drive, the vehicle does not want to shift out of 1st gear and only accelerating to 25 to 30 mph. So far the only quick fix is to stop and turn the vehicle off and then restarting.”