In late November, Hyundai Motor America issued a recall of more than 42,000 Tucson SUVs and Santa Cruz truck/SUV hybrids for a possible wiring defect that could make them roll away unexpectedly. Today we'll talk about what the recall says, what it means, and what Hyundai owners with those vehicles can do.
How Big is the Hyundai Recall?
According to the NHTSA release, a total of 35,560 Tucson and 6,905 Santa Cruz vehicles are included in the recall. Only the 2025 models appear to be affected, but estimates may rise some if the Tucson's upcoming hybrid versions have similar issues. On the bright side, Hyundai reportedly has no reports of injuries, deaths, crashes or fires related to already-sold vehicles.
What's Wrong with the Hyundai Tucson and Santa Cruz?
According to recall #24V877000 issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and 2025 Hyundai Tucson may have transmissions that can shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal. More specifically, the recall says "the console extension wiring assembly may be routed improperly, increasing the risk of contact with the mechanical release for the shift lever lock."
Most vehicles with automatic transmissions require the driver to depress the brake before they can shift to another gear, but the defect apparently removes that step. That could lead to unpleasant surprises for people who accidentally or absentmindedly put their Tucsons and Santa Cruzes in gear and start rolling before they expected to.
What Could Happen if the Hyundai Malfunctions?
If a vehicle unexpectedly rolls away from a stop, that can cause a lot of problems depending on where it's parked. Someone in a driveway might prematurely reverse into street traffic, for example, or a vehicle in a parking lot could roll out of its space before the driver is ready. On a busy day, the risk of hitting another vehicle or person in that parking lot would increase significantly.
Why Does This Hyundai Recall Matter?
In many cases, a recall is preventative. If a manufacturer learns about a faulty component or system in their product, they may try to notify customers who bought it before anyone (or anyone else) is hurt.
However, sometimes a recall identifies something that harmed people in the past but wasn't recognized at the time. A good example of that is the General Motors "ignition switch" recall a few years ago. It came to light that millions of GM/Chevrolet vehicles had a problem where a heavy or jiggled keyring could shut off all the vehicles' electrical systems while it was in motion. That left thousands of drivers without power steering or brakes in traffic, and when they crashed their safety features failed. Over a hundred people died and many more were injured in those wrecks, but it took years before anyone recognized the issue. In the meantime many of those victims were unfairly blamed for causing their own wrecks, and while they knew otherwise they couldn't point to the true culprit.
I'm not saying the Hyundai recall will end up like that, just that recalls sometimes connect the dots for people who didn't know what went wrong with their vehicle before their crash. That's why a product recall like Hyundai's matters: It may protect Tucson and Santa Cruz drivers from harm if they get the repairs before anything goes wrong, but it could also clarify things for others who unexpectedly rolled from a stop and got hurt in an accident.
What Should I Do if My Vehicle is Affected by the Hyundai Recall?
According to Hyundai, people with the affected vehicles can still drive them; the company just strongly recommends using the emergency brake when parking. That's not ideal, obviously, but the company pitched it as basically a "band aid" until their dealerships are ready to perform repairs. Those are expected to get under way in early 2025, and any driver who gets a letter or email about it should get in touch with their local dealer to schedule the needed maintenance.
Until then, if anyone is seriously injured when their 2025 Hyundai rolled away unexpectedly, I have an important piece of advice: Keep your vehicle. Why? Because proving that an auto defect caused your accident requires expert analysis of the vehicle, and that can't happen if a junkyard demolished it. We've been called by many people who realized too late that a defective car caused their injuries, but they had already sold it for scrap or had it towed away. We had to tell those people that without the vehicles to examine there was essentially no way to prove a malfunction or defect was to blame. In other words: "No car, no case."