NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The front driver side door does not open when unlocked. It seems to me a known issue that the lock actuator tends to fail on these doors. This is a huge safety concern.
My driver window stopped working in 2022, I paid to go get it fixed at an automotive place and then now as of 2023 all of the other 3 windows stopped working within a 2-4 month period. For all 3 windows to go randomly stop working within the 2-4 month period is the concern. I have mentioned this issue to my dealership and cooperate is also aware of the situation. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. No warning lamps, messages, or symptoms ever appeared anywhere, it just happened randomly and out of nowhere.
The driver door makes clicking sound but does not unlock with the rest of the car doors using my automated lock/unlock feature on my key. In searching online, this is a huge/broad issue among Hyundai Tucson 2016/17 owners.
Passenger Front door will not open from exterior upon unlocking. Can only open door from inside vehicle by reaching over and releasing inside lever.
No or reduced acceleration after stopping, no shifting at all into gear, vehicle hesitating, especially in low gears at speeds less then 10 MPH while idling in traffic. Issues shifting into gear and accelerating when pushing accelerator especially when going downhill. Issue happens nearly every time the vehicle is driven. Rear driver's side door will not open from inside or outside of car. Seems to be an issue with the cable/pulley system. Could definitely be a safety hazard in an emergency situation.
The Vehicle is a 2016 Hyundai Limited 1.6 Turbo. Back around the first part of May, we were driving down the interstate when the vehicle lost power, the check engine light came on, and the engine began to vibrate. The engine is also burning oil. There were no warning signs prior to the incident and the lights did not come on until the incident occurred. We took it to a dealership and they did a compression test. I was told, I would need a new engine. There has since been a recall on Hyundai engines, having the same issues mine has, but they did not include my vehicle in the recall. The 1.6 Turbo engine that my vehicle has, seems to be the same engine as the Hyundai Veloster which has been recalled. They also included the 2017 Hyundai Tucson in this recall. The vehicle in its current state is not safe to drive as it loses power while you are driving. This vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The passenger doors, front and back, have stopped opening. The handles from inside and from outside will not open the doors. This is a tremendous safety issue as in the event of a fire, accident, etc people would not be able to exit the vehicle. There is no warning when the doors will not open...it just happens. It has caused a big panic and fear for use of vehicle in the event that soon no doors may operate. This problem is a n issue across the board with Hyundai. Hyundai should be recalling and fixing this before someone is killed because they cannot open a door.
BOTH REAR DOORS WILL NOT OPEN FROM OUTSIDE OR FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. CHILDREN PASSENGERS HAD TO CLIME TO FRONT TO EXIT CAR. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
Transmission slips when trying to accelerate any. No leaks etc. Almost had a wreck trying to merge onto the interstate with my family in the car.
Driver Side door no longer opens from the outside after it has been locked. Rear Driver Side door no longer opens from the inside or outside handle. Seen numerous reports and accounts online report this same issue. I have a 6 month old child and cannot have the doors on my car not opening.
When I unlock all doors from the driver side inside you cannot enter the vehicle on the passenger side front door from the outside handle, you have to manually reach over and pull from the inside
When locking all doors and then unlocking doors the passenger door will not open from the outside. You can open it from the inside however in an accident or fire, no one could open this door. Very dangerous and I have seen numerous complaints about the door locking/latch issues
There appears to be a dangerously common malfunction on my 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Without any warning or indication of failure I am unable to open either of my rear passenger doors. Neither from inside, nor outside. The door locks appear to lock and unlock, manually and/or electrically, but the none of the door handles work. First the rear right side, followed by the rear left side a day later. It would be impossible in an emergency for someone to exit or be removed from the vehicle. God forbid there was a fire, or child stuck in a car seat. Vehicle is available for inspection. Though have not been able to have a dealer inspect it yet...Hyundai is not returning my calls. How can this not be a recall yet!! Do innocent people have to die first? There's no reason to have "tombstone legislation". Be proactive.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that both front and rear passenger’s side doors failed to open from inside or outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with an actuator failure. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
The engine caught fire while driving. The entire vehicle was engulfed in flames as a result. Total loss of vehicle.
My car seemed to be lagging severely when accelerating and then started coughing when accelerating and the check oil light came on even though I had plenty of oil and had just had it changed. I took it into the dealership and they said that the check engine light was also flashing just so fast I couldn’t see it. Several engine cylinders were apparently misfiring but it wasn’t covered by warranty. They installed new spark plugs and cleaned something to do with the fuel system and told me that would “be the starting place” several hundred dollars in. It worked fine. Fast forward 4 months I take it in for its regular oil change and mention how it’s been lagging again and here we go again. Same issue. According to my local mechanic a lot of these engines end up needing to be replaced completely to resolve the issue.
Passenger door has to be forced open when unlocked. Once opened the door works fine. Door works fine from inside. This is a safety issue because if n an accident happens and can't get in the driver's side, rescue workers couldn't get into the passenger side. I've read many customer complaints for the same issue with all doors. This should be a recall.
Door latch failure. The door latches do not work, and become un-openable. 11/2020 & 04/2022. Yes it is currently available for inspection with a non-operational door. Safety issue, cannot exit the car. Cannot get kids out of the car. I cannot get out of the car. No one can open the car door that is affected when unlocked from the inside or the outside of the car. Yes, there are articles, fixes and my personal mechanic and Hyundai mechanics have addressed the previous same issue in 11/2020. The car was inspected by a Hyundai dealer 10/2020 who gave me a quote to replace the door latches and locks. The car was inspected by my mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership as well, who installed part #Hyundai actuator motor Front door lock 81310D3010. The car has not been inspected by police or insurance. The car has had same failure in drivers door that was fixed by a different car manufacturer. The car currently has a different door latch failure. There are no warning lamp indicators. The door simply will not open at all when unlocked causing a problem for anyone to exit the vehicle in an emergency.
While climbing the hill on Highway 5 south, the engine RPM dropped so I was moving the car to the shoulder, and while moving, black smoke came out of the engine hood and stopped the car on the shoulder, and then, the fire began to rise under the engine hood. An insurance company investigation determined all losses. Geico Claim #0547433700101042
Driver side window will not go down. It’s stuck.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while coming to a stop at approximately 2 MPH at a traffic light, the vehicle rolled forward, failing to come to a complete stop, and collided with the rear bumper of the vehicle in front. The contact stated that the "four-way braking" warning light and another unknown light were illuminated. The contact stated that there was damage to the rear bumper of the vehicle in front. The police were called but no report was written and there were no injuries. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an issue with the ABS related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V543000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and needed to be taken to a manufacturer dealer for repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated the passenger’s side failed to open from the inside or the outside. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,995.
Passenger rear door will no longer open on first try after locking and unlocking vehicle
The rear doors on both driver and passenger side will not open. They will not open from the outside or inside. This is a safety concern since I have children in car seats. I am not able to secure my children in their seats. My children are not able to exit my vehicle safely. If I were to be in a collision, first responders would not have access to my children. This is not the first Hyundai Tucson to have this problem as from further research, hundreds or owners have complained of this exact problem. Someone should be held responsible and accountable.
The car doors don’t open even after unlocking. I can hear and see the door is u locked but the door doesn’t open from outside. Unable to open the door and get my kid out in case of emergency
There is a major problem with certain year Hyundai vehicles from 2016-2021 with the engine burning oil and clogging up the exhaust. My moms vehicle has been at dealership for evaluation and combustion cleaning multiple times and the problem still continues. There has been times where she is driving car and it starts to bog down and loose power which is a safety issue especially if on highway. The vehicle is burning oil, occasionally have to add oil. The engine light does come on at times. The car has been at dealership for recommended oil consumption test at every 1000 miles and has not passed. Combustion cleaning done each time and sent on way. Called and made complaint with Hyundai corporate and and got no where. The tech department at Hyundai factory gave dealership recommendations to do which were completed and still having same issue. The factory was only willing to cover 70% off the cost of new catalytic convertor and my mom to be responsible for remaining balance. Hyundai claimed that the convertor was out of warranty 8 years/80,000 miles even though this has been going on for past 2 years. This is not a problem caused by consumer but an issue with factory. Hyundai not living up to there 10 year/100,000 mile warranty as they advertise. There are facebook groups with people having same problems as we are with dealership not really doing anything other than combustion cleaning as advised by factory and corporate not doing anything either. I believe this is a major safety/defect issue with engines in these Hyundai Vehicles . What happens when someone is on the highway and the vehicle bogs down and another vehicle comes from behind and slams into you?
My passenger door and back drivers side door won’t open when unlocked. You have to open the door from the inside
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the front and rear driver’s side and front passenger’s side windows fell down inside the door panel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the window regulators needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,683.
The driver's side front door and rear door lock actuators failed in both the doors and you are unable to open the doors from the exterior of the vehicle after the doors have been locked. The only way to open them is to go around and open them from the inside of the vehicle. This is a major safety concern due to not being able to quickly access the vehicle from the outside to get someone out of the car if it was to be involved in a wreck/on fire. As a first responder this is a situation that I have encounter in my work experience and could be the difference in someone living or dying in a collision. This issues is well documented online and with the dealership when I called to discuss it with them. This part does not have any warnings before it fails and one day it just stops working. Our vehicle is a 2016 and has around 50,000 miles so it is not old by any means. I have not had any of the parts examined by anyone such as the insurance company but I am a police officer that is trained in Advance Crash Investigation and Crash Reconstruction.
I have a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. So far I had to have both the front driver side and passenger side window regulators replaced. I just recently noticed that both of my back windows do not work. I currently have an appointment with the Hyundai dealer to replace both of the back window regulators. I drive around with a piece of duck tape holding the back windows up. Hyundai has to know that this is a problem. Hyundai requires an anti theft recall but it’s useless as anyone can pull my windows down by force due to broken regulator in each door. Insanely ridiculous and unsafe.
Engine or transmission The vehicle has stalled randomly multiple times on the freeway, business roads and intersections, not accelerating and burning through oil Dealership says they cannot figure out or replicate the issue No check engine light or warning of any kind given
Multiple door latches failing all within the past 6 months, UNABLE to open from inside or outside. Rear doors both failed within weeks of each other. Front driver's side door is now beginning to stick, which is how the other failing doors began to initially fail. If you Google this issue, you will see it is a common problem for 2016 Hyundai Tucson model. This is a critical issue as all door latch assemblies are failing at the same time on my vehicle, which will make it nearly inoperable, as well as a safety issue if I or my 3 children are unable to enter or exit the vehicle. I took the vehicle to a local ASE certified repair shop and they stated that the cables inside the latch assembly become stretched or compromised. They were able to perform a temporary fix, but they said in order to completely fix the issue, the entire latch assembly needs replaced. The temporary fix did not even last for 3 days and cost me $300. Cost for the assembly part alone for one door is approximately $200. If you add that to labor, I will be spending nearly $1,600 to replace all 4 door latch assemblies. This should not be the consumer's responsibility as it is an ongoing issue for this make and model year. I have submitted a complaint for recall directly to Hyundai US, but this is a critical issue, and something needs to be done immediately!
Rear right door stopped opening from inside and outside just over a month ago. Two weeks ago front passenger door started to not be able to be opened. To not be able to safely exit a vehicle is a tremendous safety concern....in an accident , in another emergency situation, if vehicle caught fire, etc. Which door will not be operable next? How can my elderly, disabled family member safely ride in this vehicle and get safely out? Will I need to drive to a fire department to get doors cut open? (this actually is my go-to safety plan at this point) We took to our Auto repair, they also could not open these doors. There are no dash warnings of doors being compromised. The vehicle was not in any accident incident. Internet searching reveals this to be a widespread problem with the Hyundai vehicles
Rear passenger door will not open from inside or outside when clearly unlocked. Safety concern if must exit vehicle quickly in case of emergency.
The issue that is prominently in other Hyundai cars is the rear back doors will not open to be released. The locks will unlock and lock and it has no correlation with key battery and power to the door; the issue is the latching mechanism itself. This is a hazard to those who need to get out of vehicle in serious and emergency situations and having a door failed on a latching mechanism is not okay. This is also an issue to parents or guardians who travel with kids and use the child safety lock, and there is not a proper solution to this issue without tearing the door apart and having that be paid out of pocket of their own expense because a door latching mechanism has failed them. The responsible owner of this situation needs to be addressed and resolved by Hyundai, itself.
Transmission can lurch forward or hesitate, shudder when accelerating from a stop. More problematic is the extreme vibration/shuddering of the car when in stop and go traffic. It is so severe passengers are actually thrusting back and forth in their seats. First occurrence was at 23,000 miles when a warning light came on saying, "transmission running high, pull over while driving in traffic." At the time I was driving in moderately heavy city traffic for about 20 minutes. Hyundai service reported they could not duplicate the problem, and no codes found in any system, so no repairs performed. Was informed service mechanic that this can happen in extended traffic. However, I had not been in extended traffic. I continued to experience other issues as noted above and when complained about them was told there was nothing wrong with the car, it just had some quirks with the transmission, nothing that needed repair. Recently my driving has changed from city to interstate driving and starting about 5,000 miles ago, the severe shuddering/vibrating happens when traffic is tied up on interstates. The car has not been overheated by hot weather or extended driving as suggested by the service center. When I took it back in for servicing I was informed there was a "dry and wet" type of transmission in the 2016 Tucson's, and I had the dry one which is problematic. Again, the mechanics were unable to duplicate the problem, and said there was nothing they could do to fix the car as it was inherent in this transmission. They suggested I contact Hyundai and ask for the transmission to be replaced as it was still under warranty. Current mileage is 39,000. I have contacted hyundai but they insist, I must take it back to the dealer so they can "duplicate the problem and repair it. It has been and continues to be very frustrating trying to deal with hyundai. I do not feel safe driving long distances in the car and consider it to be a safety concern. Please advise. Thank you, Ellen
Passenger rear door will not open from inside or outside. no damage or accident has occurred. door just quit opening.
Purchased a used 2016 Hyundai Tucson, approx. 79,000 miles. A few weeks later I noticed a rattling in the steering column when driving over railroad tracks, rough roads, etc. When sitting stationary, I could rock the steering wheel back and forth and got a clunking sound. Took to the dealership, they wanted $250 just to diagnose. Did my own investigating. With the car turned on I would hold the steering wheel with one hand and hold the steering shaft with the other and work them in opposite directions. This replicated the clunking and knocking noise I would hear while driving. I determined it was a faulty upper pinch bolt. Replaced the bold and all noise went away. Fast forward a few months later and the sound returned. Slightly at first, then the sound became very pronounced again. Tightened pinch bolt again, went away. Seems to either be a problem with the shaft itself or the upper pinch bolt. Either way, my fear is the steering shaft is going to loosen and fall off of the steering column resulting in a loss of steering and potential accident. Hyundai dealership seems to act clueless about issue.
While exiting from interstate the car lights all went out and the car stopped and nothing would work. After a little time the car started and warning lights were on dash. I drove home and then the light would not shut off and I had to manually go turn them off. The new morning the car started and no warning lights were on. Now the radio turns off on it on and the cruse control is not setting. Also the drivers side window stops in when going up.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, she attempted to open the front passenger's side door using the driver's side power door lock switch however, the door failed to unlock. The contact engaged the front passenger's side door lock switch but the door failed to unlock. The contact also stated that the door would not unlock from the outside. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to manipulate the door switches until the front passenger's side door unlocked. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Back passenger door will not open from time to time from the outside or inside. It unlocks and everything but you have to keep trying before it opens. I looked this up and it is common for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson. This is a defect that can be dangerous under certain circumstances.
My car has an unresponsive accelerator pedal, delayed or no acceleration, jerking, shuddering, shaking, and stalling. The defects cause dangerous and unsafe conditions, including failing to shift, stalling and delayed or unresponsive acceleration, especially from a stop. I have been stuck on major highways and have had to disconnect battery and wait just to get the car to restart and actually move. I have had to be towed just to get out of the way of traffic
Locks and Latches have stopped working. My rear passenger and driver side latches do not open. It is a safety hazard for anyone riding in my vehicle.
Rear passenger door will not open from outside or inside after unlocking. Basically, the door stays locked. Only after repetitive banging on the door handle (outside) will it sometimes open (more often it just stay locked - it may be days and dozens of attempts before it haphazardly opens). Additionally, the front drivers side door does not open on the first pull from the outside (it requires at least 2 pulls - sometimes as many as 4 pulls to finally open). Finally, the front passenger door is experiencing similar problems where it may take a second pull to open the door (this door only recently started having this problem and it opens normally most of the time). It can't be a coincidence that 3 out of the 4 doors on this vehicle are having problems with the door locks. So far the front doors open fine from the inside but the rear drivers side door is a serious safety hazard as I have a 3 yr child that sits in the back seat regularly. A simple google search brings up dozens of links and articles where owners of the same model vehicle are complaining of the exact same problem. It's obvious that this is a common issue with this vehicle but so far no recall even acknowledgement by the manufacturer has been issued. This is a safety issue - PLEASE HELP
The regulator and motors have failed in all four windows. Two have been replaced with "panel assembly" parts - on 03/24/2022 the parts cost $383.09 and on 10/07/2022 the same [XXX] cost $470.16. I have not yet replaced the back two windows which are held in place by tape. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Air conditioning compressor stopped working, it had 'seized' according to the dealer and had to be replaced at my expense since it was out of warranty.
The engine has been consuming too much oil for a few months now. Most recently, an oil change was done on 2/17/2022 after driving 879 miles by an independent mechanic, and there was only 2.5 quarts of oil left. This occurred after the Hyundai dealer said that it passed an oil consumption test. Also on two occasions, the dashboard lights and headlights went out while driving, then came back on moments after. This has not been replicated. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The back, driver's side, door will not open from the inside or outside. The issue has been present since the very first week I purchased the car. If this issue happens to all the doors, I could be trapped inside the vehicle, and unable to get out. It absolutely needs to be recalled and replaced by Hyundai.
On Friday, September 11, 2022, I had just returned from running errands. I parked the car, which had no warning lights on whatsoever, and exited the vehicle. A few seconds later, smoke started streaming out from under the hood. I popped the hood but did not open it, and started toward the house to get some water, thinking that something was overheated. Before I had taken ten steps, flames were shooting out from the hood. I called 911, but before the fire department arrived, part of my house also caught fire. It has been inspected by the fire marshal and my insurance company.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact’s son stated that while stopped, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted via the telephone and informed of the failure; the dealer suggested that the vehicle be brought to the dealer for assistance. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.