There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2012 Hyundai Tucsonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Car suddenly stalled on the interstate (sudden deceleration, could barely make it to the shoulder; engine and oil lights, loud knocking sound, burning smell); per Hyundai dealership, it is sudden engine rod failure. Hyundai recall 181 described this exact situation. If not for quick thinking and moving to the shoulder/shutting down the engine immediately, there was a high chance of either being hit by other vehicles or engine fire. I could have been killed or severely injured. Yes, problem was confirmed by Hyundai dealership. No warning prior to sudden deceleration. Engine and oil warning lamps did not appear until after sudden drop in speed, followed by burning smell.
I was driving on the road way and the entire engine seized. I had to glide over to the side of the roadway and call AAA. I called Route 1 Hyundai, where the car was originally bought, 7324126502 brand new in 2012. and they told me no warranty on vehical. I had vehical towed to a mechanic in Hightstown, NJ and they told me to check that he just put in a new engine in the same car covered under a class action lawsuit for the same problem. I called the dealership service manager William, and they told me that they are not willing to do anything. I am the original owner and what happened was very dangerous and I could have lost my life! I usually drive on highway going 65mph. This could have been a catastrophe with no warning!!
Three months ago, I was driving my car when the engine shut down while I was driving on the highway. I was able to pull over safely, however, I could have been in a fatal accident as my engine could no longer accelerate while I was on the highway. My car has been sitting in the Hyundai dealership since September 9 when the incident occurred, with Hyundai stating it can take 6-8 months. This has since placed my financial situation at a personal difficulty as the dealership has not been able to even diagnose car yet as they’ve stated, many other cars have the same issue that are ahead of mine. I tried reaching out to Hyundai customer support to get a rental car, but they said they cannot provide one until a proper diagnosis has been met so I would have to pay out-of-pocket until then, which I don’t know for sure if the rental will for sure be covered in full, much less I cannot afford to pay out of pocket in the meantime anyhow. If Hyundai could send a certified diagnosis to the customer support, that would then allow them to fund a rental car while the dealership finishes repairing the engine.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a grinding sound under the hood. The contact then stated that he heard a loud clunk sound and the vehicle then swerved across the road almost causing a crash. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to navigate the vehicle off the roadway. The contact then stated that he smelled an oil odor and a noticed a trail of oil on the ground and pieces of the piston rods. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that, the day before the failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under Manufacturer Recall Number: 993,999,966. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 169,374.
Hola el motor del auto se tranc Hello the engine of the car stalled
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made abnormal knocking sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was referred to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact received a notification for Hyundai Campaign Number: 966. Additionally, the contact received an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was eligible for repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost all motive power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was eventually towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that she had a routine recall repair completed at the dealer however, while attempting to leave, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed the contact that a diagnostic test was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a manager. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.
Driving home doing about 70 mph, i perchased this vehicle directly from a Hyundai Dealership, (112,445 at time of perchase) I had the vehicle for about a month and half, the vehicle did not give me any warnings until it randomly started to rev high while on the highway and very quickly after that I heard a clanking noise and my dash lights came on and my car filled with white smoke I had to pull over and there was oil all over the back of my car, the dealer never told me exactly was was wrong (after it was fixed) with it besides it happened near the engine block, there have been reports of this engine breaking (Hyundai Theta II 2.4L) due to faulty connecting rod bearing in the engine that may starve themselves of oil (there is actually a pending lawsuit for oil consumption) I believe this is what caused my engine to go. They gave me a different engine with 16,000 miles less (it has yet to break) At the dealership (where I bought it from)it took about a month and half to get it back it was “inspected” by my extended warranty and Hyundai mechanics, I was left without a loaner for two weeks and paid 106$ out of my pocket for a faulty engine, the dealership was kind enough to cover a big portion of it.
2012 HYUNDAI TUCSON Bought it used, 1 prior owner ~50K, very clean. Since is VERY well maintained (incl. oil changes). Periodic engine light off & on for no reason. NO other probs, no oil leaks EVER. All recalls done. Dealership checked 11/2021 when doing recall, didn't document, it's "a short in wiring", "expensive to fix" & blamed "not tightening gas cap"?! THEN...On freeway with no warning light, a loud "bang" noise heard, vehicle began shaking. Initially felt like flat tire, barely able to control, lost power but able to steer off highway, engine died. VERY, VERY dangerous situation in heavy traffic. During tow to dealership, found # to national recall center who assigned a case number & was told "it's being escalated nationally..a corporate case worker (CW) will call in 3-5 days". Told "tell dealership to give loaner car". No loaners b/c LONG waiting list. Corporate requested multiple exams & photos from dealership in search of "engine sludge" (shift blame technique "poor maintenance") none was found. Engine pictures pristine (per dealership) "like a new engine". Corporate even requested 1st owner records!? Diagnosis:"catastrophic engine failure" due to bearing failure, estimate ~$7K+ for new engine. Corporate offer: 80% of engine replacement cost w/parts warranty (1 yr/12K), no loaner car unless delay due to backorder. Owner gets to counter offer or discuss w/ CW whose role (apparently)is to negotiate w/owner. 3 wks, never rec'd call from anyone. Hrs, days, wks spent chasing elusive CW. "Cust. Care" answers "hello, what's VIN & mileage?". Forced to repeat same story over & over, finally learned CW out on PTO, no one reassigned (someone slipped w/ "we are SOO busy here"). Finally reached CW. Call #1: nice guy. Call #2: lied, blamed dealership, mean, shaming, told to quit calling, wasting HIS time. Take it or leave it on 80/20 deal to replace w/another Theta II (aka we never fixed our prob) engine. NEVER BUY HYUNDAI! SOMEONE COULD'VE DIED.
Air conditioning system was just replaced for $2000. A week later, car to a dealership for a recall. Two and a half weeks later, while driving, engine lights came on, hard to accelerate, then rattling noise from engine. My son was on way back to college and on a rural road with not too much traffic. He pulled over and was not able to restart car. Had to be towed to nearest town (between home and his school, about 1 1/2 hours from each). The repair shop said total engine failure. They investigated and not able to find a rebuilt engine because engine has too many problems and a used engine would be $8000 to install and would likely have same defect. The car only has 96,000 miles. We bought used, from a Hyundai dealership, with a good CarFax report. It was a safety problem because he could have been devastating if he was on a busy highway. Unfortunately, it happened in a scarcely populated area and he was stranded while it was getting dark waiting for the tow truck. No warning lights until time of engine breakdown. Car had just been seen at a service station and car dealership just days before breakdown. We cannot take chance of investing that much money into a car that would have same problem. Had to have car sold for scrap.
The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 68 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle lunged forward. The check engine warning light was flashing. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the connecting rod and engine needed to be replaced. Additionally, cylinder #3 was blown. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,450.
10/5/21Driving on interstate. Experienced sudden loss of power. Pulled to side of road and car completely stopped and shut down. No warning lights prior to incident. Vehicle routinely serviced and had full tank of gas. Mechanic stated catastrophic engine failure.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V063000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer and had a recall remedy completed. The contact stated that three days later while driving 70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a nearby parking lot and checked the oil level and saw that the level was low. The contact added one-fourth of a quart of oil and restarted the vehicle but heard an abnormal noise. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The consumer stated the replacing the engine costs $12,000 and this is the 2nd vehicle destroyed with an oil incident. This has cost her 2 engines, oil change, and a engine switch.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the contact heard a clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated moments later, a loud explosion came from the rear of the vehicle. The contact saw smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle stalled while driving to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced two years prior under NHTSA campaign number: 19V063000 (Engine and engine cooling) which the contact related to the failure. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and entered into Limp Mode without warning. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V063000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she linked to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at 40 - 50 mph, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed as engine failure. The mechanic referred the contact to tow the vehicle to another independent mechanic who specialized in engine repair. The vehicle was then towed to the second independent mechanic where the vehicle remained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was over 100,000.
My vehicle has stalled (died) several times on me in the last several months. This happens when I am pulling into traffic or stopping at a light, etc. and is a serious problem because it could cause me to be hit. I took the car to my licensed mechanic and he said there was metal in the variable timing hub...he put the new part on it and then changed the oil and took it for a test drive. On return it was rechecked and found to be full of metal shavings again. He stated I would need new engine because mine was falling apart. He checked for recalls and found that this problem was a recall on the Santa Fe and the Sonata but not for my Tuscon...this does not make sense as these vehicles basically have the same or similar engines. Check engine light and oil light came on and stayed on. I was advised by my mechanic to contact you with this problem. I believe Tuscons should be added to the recall list before lives are lost. I believe my car should be repaired by the dealership..I would appreciate any help you can give me on this
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was smoke coming from the tailpipe and a gurgling sound was coming from the exhaust. Additionally, the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who diagnosed that the engine oil was present inside the engine cylinder and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 137,000.
I HAVE A 2012 HYUNDAI TUCSON AWD WITH 86,000 MILES ON IT. WHILE DRIVING IT RECENTLY COULD HEAR ENGINE RATTLE/KNOCKING NOISE. BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER AND AFTER TWO DAYS LOOKING AT IT, THEY SAID THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THEY SAID THE DAMAGE IS IN THE LOWER PART OF THE ENGINE. THEY SAID SINCE I AM THE SECOND OWNER, MANUFACTURER WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY. $9000 TO REPLACE ENGINE. RECALL FOR THIS ENGINE IN THE 2012 KIA WITH THE MANUFACTURER PAYS TO HAVE REPLACED, BUT NOT FOR SAME ISSUE UNDER THE HYUNDAI BRAND??
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026