The highly popular Tucson and the ailing Santa Cruz have been hit with a safety recall. According to Hyundai Motor America, no fewer than 42,465 vehicles produced for the 2025 model year with both the naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.5-liter I4 feature an improperly routed wiring assembly.
In case of contact with the mechanical release of the shift lever's locking mechanism, the lever can be shifted out of park without depressing the brake pedal, increasing the risk of vehicle rollaway. Although the center console's upper assembly is produced by Seoyon E-hwa Auburn, the recall condition is attributed to none other than Hyundai.
The South Korean automaker did correct the problem in vehicle production on October 25, 2024, with both the 2025 model year Tucson and Santa Cruz hailing from Montgomery-based Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Even if the problem was corrected on October 25 this year, the recall population is listed with cut-off dates of November 7, 2024 for the Santa Cruz and November 13, 2024 for the compact-sized crossover.
Hyundai Motor America started looking into this matter the day before the production change, with the company prompted by a report alleging unintended movement of a corporate fleet Tucson. No other reports of incidents related to the recall condition have been received thus far. As you may have already guessed, service technicians will have the console extension wiring assembly rerouted at no charge to affected customers.
Owner notification letters will be mailed by January 19, 2025. In the meantime, owners of 2025 models produced through November 7 and November 13, respectively, are recommended to set the parking brake when parking to eliminate any chance of rollaway.
Photo: Hyundai
Internally referred to as NX4, the fourth-gen Tucson is the most popular Hyundai available in this part of the world. The Q3 2024 sales report from Hyundai Motor America reveals that 145,947 examples of the breed were sold in the period from January 2024 through September 2024 in the United States market.
The Santa Cruz, on the other hand, is way behind the crossover. 25,171 units were delivered in the nine-month period, which is nothing compared to its nearest rival. More specifically, the Ford Motor Company sold 108,996 units of the Maverick. Speaking of which, the 2025 Maverick has added optional all-wheel drive to the hybrid powertrain.
Prospective customers of the Santa Cruz don't even have a hybrid option to speak of, but rather the aforementioned 2.5-liter mills. The Tucson is available as a hybrid from $33,365 excluding the destination charge, whereas $39,630 is the starting price of the plug-in hybrid. Both fuel-sipping setups are based around a 1.6-liter turbocharged I4 engine.
In gas-only mode, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid nets 35 miles per gallon (6.7 liters per 100 kilometers) in the combined test cycle. As for the Tucson Hybrid, make that up to 38 miles per gallon (6.2 liters per 100 kilometers). Over in Santa Cruz land, the most fuel-efficient spec is the NA engine with front-wheel drive at 25 mpg (9.4 l/100 km) combined.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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