Check the latest J.D. Power quality & reliability ratings, and you’re going to find the Hyundai Santa Cruz sitting at the top with a rating of 87 out of a possible 100, leading the next-most reliable unibody pickup by two points, beating Ford, Honda, and Tesla for the number one spot. Look into reports filed with the NHTSA, and this rating seems to check out, with the 2024 model having just 14 complaints on file, and a single recall.
So that leaves us with a few questions: what makes the Hyundai Santa Cruz so reliable, what are those complaints all about, and how did the competition do? Here’s what you need to know about the most reliable unibody pickup available in the US.
Reliability data for this article has been sourced primarily through J.D. Power, the NHTSA, CarComplaints.com, and RepairPal.com.
What Makes The Hyundai Santa Cruz So Reliable?
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is powered by a Smartstream G2.5 GDi, in both naturally aspirated and turbo variants. The Smartstream is an all-aluminum engine family dating back to 2018, with the G2.5 debuting in 2019 in the Sonata and the Kia K5. The turbo version launched a year later, and was made available in the Hyundai Santa Fe. The G2.5 has been the Santa Cruz’s sole engine since the truck’s debut in 2021 for the 2022 model year.
Most drivers will tell you that Hyundai engines manufactured in Korea tend to be the most reliable, but the G2.5s sold in the American market are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, and they’ve held up very well. The naturally aspirated version of the truck hasn’t been seen a single engine-related recall.
There’s no particular secret to what makes the Smartstream so reliable. It’s built from high-strength aluminum, it’s relatively simple in its construction, and it’s produced by a brand that regularly ranks in the J.D. Power top ten year after year (Hyundai’s subsidiary, Kia Motors, ranks first overall for 2023). The base GDi version of the engine makes 191 horsepower at 6,100 rounds per minute, so it’s not burning itself out with super-high RPMs, and the heaviest Santa Cruz barely weighs more than a couple tons.
In short: good engineering, solid construction, a consistent, reliable manufacturing pipeline, and realistic performance targets all make for an engine that’s easy to count on.
Watch Out For Transmission Issues, And Check Your VIN For Steering And Turbocharger Recalls
No vehicle is perfect, and we’re unlikely to ever see a mass-production car, truck, or SUV that goes its whole life without a single complaint. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is no different. It scored an 87, after all, not a 100. So, what do you have to look out for behind the wheel of a Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Potential Fire Hazard Resulting In Small, But Severe Recall
The most severe recall affecting the Hyundai Santa Cruz is a leaking turbocharger oil supply pipe in the 2022 model. The NHTSA has an active safety warning in effect for this recall, but only 16 units are affected. Even so, if you drive a turbocharged 2022 model, check your VIN to make sure you’re in the clear.
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Loss Of Power Steering Assist
The 2024 Santa Cruz was included in a recall for 795 Hyundais (the rest being 2024 Tucsons) for an issue with a circuit board in the power steering assembly. The circuit boards in affected units may be prone to short circuit, which can result in the power steering going out.
Possibility Of Early Transmission Failure, Especially In 2022 Models
The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has generated 77 powertrain complaints, many of them pointing to transmission failure and power loss. The 2023 model generated just 17 powertrain complaints, and the 2024 model just three. This issue recurs on CarComplaints, where one driver of a 2022 Santa Cruz reported failure to accelerate at 2,000 miles.
While RepairPal does not have enough data to generate a report on the Santa Cruz itself, they estimate a $468 annual repair cost for Hyundais in general, awarding the brand an overall reliability rating of four out of five stars, ranking them fourth for reliability out of 32 automakers in total.
What About The Other Unibody Pickups?
The Hyundai Santa Cruz takes a strong lead as J.D. Power’s most reliable unibody pickup, but the Maverick and the Ridgeline both scored at least 80 points with the consumer watchdog, and both trucks show very few complaints with the NHTSA for the 2024 model year. As for the Cybertruck, we’ll get to that. Here’s what you need to know about the second, third, and fourth most reliable unibody pickups available in the US:
Ford Maverick – J.D. Power Quality & Reliability rating: 85/100
Ford
Running either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost, or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid, the Ford Maverick is the top-selling truck in its segment, shifting 116,257 units in 2023, more than four times as many as the Santa Cruz, at 23,046. The Maverick can largely be credited for sparking a renewed interest in small pickups in the American market.
A recall for hybrid powertrain failure owing to a software error affects 8,727 Fords, including a number of 2022-2024 Mavericks. 217 Ford Mavericks, all in the 2024 model year, have been recalled for a potential fuel tank leak. One driver reports changing the oil after 2,200 miles in a 2024 Maverick and finding metal flakes in the oil.
Honda Ridgeline – J.D. Power Quality & Reliability rating: 84/100
Honda
Almost any list of million-mile vehicles will have a few Hondas on it. The mid-size Ridgeline scores J.D. Power’s bronze medal for unibody pickups, thanks no doubt in part to its relative age. The current Ridgeline debuted in 2016 for the 2017 model year, and it’s only run a single engine in its eight years of service, a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated 6-cylinder, so Honda has had plenty of time to work out the kinks, resulting in the most impressive NHTSA numbers of the bunch, with a single recall and just 6 complaints on file for the 2024 model year.
The 2024 Ridgeline’s sole recall is for faulty backup cameras in 187,290 units from the 2020 to 2024 model years. 2020-2023 Ridgelines were included among 124,077 units recalled for a loose fastener on the brake booster assembly. A number of drivers have reported a fuel smell in the cabin, with some reports dating back to 2019.
Tesla Cybertruck – J.D. Power Quality & Reliability rating: N/A
Tesla
The fourth most reliable unibody pickup, in a race of four, is the Tesla Cybertruck. The electric pickup has not actually been rated by J.D. Power as yet, but the automaker comes in second to last place in the website’s automaker ratings for 2023, reporting 266 problems per 100 vehicles. This ties Tesla with Rivian, and puts them right ahead of Polestar at 316. For reference, Hyundai averages 170 complaints per 100 units.
The Tesla Cybertruck’s biggest recalls have to do with build quality, including 11,688 units recalled for windshield wiper failure, and 12,150 units for improperly adhered trunk bed trim. One driver reports the passenger side door swinging wide open on the highway. 3,878 units have been recalled for unintended acceleration owing to trapped accelerator pedals.
The Cybertruck aside, Hyundai only wins the race for most reliable unibody pickup by a nose. J.D. Power officially ranks the truck two points ahead of the Maverick and three points ahead of the Ridgeline, which means that all three pickups are exceptionally reliable, so you won’t be kicking yourself over any reliability issues if you buy a Maverick instead of a Santa Cruz.
Sources:
NHTSA
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CarComplaints
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RepairPal
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J.D. Power
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 12:10:00
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