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.
The passenger door will not open after being unlocked
While back out of my driveway in my 2016 hyundai tucson, it suddenly accelerated on its own out of control rendering me helpless and just along for the ride. Finally stopped while in reverse the car went across the street crashing violently into my neighbors boat and engine was still reving until I shut it off after the crash. Both my car and neighbors boat had major damage.
Air Bag light is staying on constantly. Took it to the dealer and said it is the Air bag control module. Not covered under extended warranty. Called Hyundai and they said not covered since vehicle is at 69,000 miles. Noticed Hyundai has recalls for air bag modules on other vehicles.
Vacuum pump was recalled back in 2019 - T3C: TL Tucson Vacuum Pump (19-01-010H). My car was “repaired” to fix the seal/cap. However, today the vacuum pump needs to be replaced. The engine light, brake assist and traction control lights all came on and stayed on. After talking with Hyundai it appears as though back when the recall occurred, the minimum was repaired and proper replacement of the part was not taken. Hyundai says they are no longer required to remedy the problem because they already addressed the recall back in 2019. Is there any action enforceable to take toward Hyundai to honor a complete repair of the recall rather than just slap a band-aid on it?
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle entered drive-safe mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was discovered that the engine was extremely low on oil. The contact was informed that the knock sensor and spark plugs needed to be replaced. Upon retrieving the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change and the mechanic informed him that the oil consumption issue was related to an unstated TSB. The mechanic referred the contact to the manufacturer to report the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The manufacturer then referred him to another dealer for an oil consumption test. Once at the dealer, the vehicle did not pass the oil consumption test. The contact was also informed that the pistons were failing; however, the engine could not be replaced under warranty until the engine completely failed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 72,856.
I have been finding when going for an oil change, the mechanic is stating that my vehicle has no oil in it, no signs of a leak, and this has occurred multiple times in last couple months. Now I check oil once a week and finding more often then not my oil is low and I need to add oil. not once has any warning light come on. What irritates me most is if this seems to be occurring with others - Hyundai needs to do something about this. Who knows how long I drove with low to no oil in my vehicle before knowing I had this problem. Can't imagine the damage done to my engine!
My car would not accelerate over 20mph took into dealership in 5/2021 with 75,000 miles I was told I needed a new Catalyst converter I replaced it. My oil started leaking in 10/2021 was told my oil pan gasket needed resealed I completed it. In April of 2022 I was recommended to get oil pan gasket resealed still. In July of 2022 my car slows down then stop on expressway. It starts back up I’m only able to go 20m0ph on the expressway this is not safe at alll with my children in the car it was very scary. Dealership finally has an appointment 8/9 diagnoses car 8/11 stating my Catalyst Converter is clogged and need replacement that caused my car to stop and slow down as well as I need oil pan gasket burning oil/leaking oil. This is a safety problem the car is not 10yrs old and has less than 100,00 miles to stop without warning lightsss or anything on a moving fast expressway could have caused me and my kids life. This issue need to be taken serious and inspected because I continue to have the same issues with the car a little over a year!!
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the driver's side rear door was unable to be opened from inside or outside the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
Window motors and regulators are prone to failure. All 4 of the window motors/regulators have failed within the past year. Apparently the regulator is made of plastic and falls apart easily. As a result, the windows can no longer be operated, and they can be moved up and down by hand from the exterior of the vehicle. Safety is at risk because the integrity of the windows are compromised. In some cases windows will fall down during normal operation of the vehicle. No warning lamps were illuminated during this failure. Note another complaint here: https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/window-regulator-2016-hyundai-tucson.671843/
My 2016 Hyundai Tuscon 1.6 liter Turbo threw a rod when I was driving home. All service lights turned on and we pulled over immediately just in time for the car to shut off completely. We had to push the car into a parking spot and saw that all of the oil had fallen out of the bottom. I have approximately 113k miles on the car. I have been religious with my service and maintenance. It was late at night and we were on a 2 lane levy road. Thank goodness the second the lights came on we were in front of 1 of the 2 spots in a 9 mile stretch to pull off. This was extremely scary and dangerous. We had the car towed to the nearest shop where they inspected it and let me know that they have seen several other Hyundai's come through with the same issue and they directed me to take it to the closest Hyundai Dealership so they could take care of it. It has been at Dublin Hyundai where they looked it over and neglected to cover the issue. It is still there now. Dublin Hyundai confirmed that I do need a new motor. They said that they will not cover it due to "Extreme Neglect" due to the Car Fax report. I am currently seeking out the rest of my maintenance records that were not reported. There are a total of 10 oil changes over the course of the past 5 years not reported but that have most definitely been done. There were no symptoms of this problem prior to the failure. This is my third Hyundai in a row and I have never had any issues prior. I have always been a happy Hyundai owner until now. I am beyond disappointed with the way that this case has been handled and would greatly appreciate assistance in learning my next steps to a resolution of repair or replacement.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that after locking the front passenger’s side door, the door was seized in the closed position and could not be opened when unlocked. The contact indicated that extreme force was needed to pull the door handle while attempting open the door. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 52,000.
My 2016 tuscon has been giving be problems. I went to the dealership awhile back and told them that the oil has been burning having and that there's a perk when I start my car. They did an oil change and told me that I needed to lube the gears up first before running it. I assumed it was because my warranty was ending and because I was a girl, that was a quick go away problem. Well eastward today. I put oil in the engine at least once a week or more. The car is in the shop, and the machanics at pep boys are saying this is a reoccurring problem for this type of car. Also that all 2016 are made with the same engine pretty much so they should all be recalled. They quoted me 10 grand for a used engine. I'm taking it to hyundai, the pep boys told me that it's the same issues as the other recalls
This car is burning oil and locking up the engine while driving. This has happened multiple times now! I am changing the oil every couple two thousand miles instead of 3000, and sometimes even sooner than that. I was on the interstate a couple of times and the car will not accelerate. This is a danger to myself as well as other drivers. Why is this not being investigated??? Looking through the complaints, it has been happening to so many people and no one is doing anything about it!
Door locks do not unlock. Cannot get out of the car from inside and cannot get in to the car from the outside.
2022 my wife's 2016 engine began making a noise. This was a known safety problem with the engines but a recall was never issued. Instead there was a lawsuit against Hyundai in 2020 and 2021 in which consumers were compensated for their cost, or received a new engine.However, her engine went out in 2022. She did not get that benefit. Hyundai paid for a portion and she had to pay a portion for a new engine. This should have been a recall! Now currently 2022 & 2023, Hyundai's alarm is defective which is causing theft, and car jackings. This too is a known safety issue and nothing is being done unless she pays $550 for a security feature to be added to the vehicle. This is a problem! Hyundai should pay for this! She read that the Kia and Hyundai vehicles at issue don’t come with an anti-theft device called an immobilizer, which uses a chip to authenticate a key against the car’s electronic control unit. An immobilizer, which can be found in most modern cars, prevents the vehicle from being started if the key is not detected. It’s also been reported that some of the windows in the affected vehicles may not be connected to the cars’ security system, meaning they can be broken without the alarm being triggered, per the case. It stated, these vulnerabilities have caused thieves to view Kia and Hyundai vehicles as “easy targets,” especially after a viral social media trend highlighted. Now State Farm announced they are not accepting new Hyundai customers. More than likely my insurance is going to increase and the value will decrease.I need this governing body to govern and have Hyundai right their wrong. Issue a recall and do what is best for the consumers and not the company! She has been in contact with Hyundai National Consumer Department and it appears that her communication efforts aren't successful. She purchased her first Hyundai Excel in 88.Our immediate family have since purchased four Hyundai's. DO THE RIGHT THING! ISSUE A RECALL. FROM A CONCERNED HUSBAND!
The vehicle will not accelerate properly. Several times, I have been on the interstate, and the vehicle would barely increase in speed. Several instances have let to life threatening situations. Numerous times, I have gone to get on the interstate, and the vehicle would slow to nearly a stop, and even when having no other choice but to floor the gas pedal, it still would not accelerate. I've been forced to go off the road, in the middle of the interstate, so many times I've lost track. It's dangerous, and needs to be addressed immediately. I'm considering a lawsuit.
Both rear doors do not open from the outside or inside, no child lock engaged. Usually takes several tries locking/unlocking to get door open. In the event of a crash, passengers would not be able to exit the vehicle. Not inspected, and no warning lamps.
Driver side door doesn’t open after unlocking unless you yank on handle 10+ times, and now driver side window no longer goes up. Motor works for window to go down but not up, so it is now a safety concern! A quick Google search reveals countless 2016 Hyundai Tucson owners experiencing the exact same thing- and always with the driver door only.
Passenger side front door lock intermittently does not unlock either by pressing door handle or remote control. Passenger can be trapped inside of vehicle in the event of an emergency egress being needed. Problem is intermittent for now, but growing in frequency!
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a rattling noise and vibration coming from the steering wheel. Additionally, while parking and turning the steering wheel in either direction, there was a clicking noise coming from the steering column. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the intermediate steering shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 64,000.
The automatic windows broke in all 4 windows and I am unable to roll down my windows in the case of an emergency. The dealer confirmed this is an issue. This is a known issue on the 2016 Tucson.
Air Conditioning Unit is not working properly. I am spending over 1500.00 to have the defective unit replaced. I find it unreasonable that I should spend that amount to repair something that the company should include in a recall campaign.
Driver-side rear door fails to open from the inside or the outside. Currently, the passenger seated on that side of the vehicle has to enter and exit the vehicle using the door on the opposite side, which can easily be a safety issue. Thankfully, we have not been in an emergency incident or car accident where someone has had to use that door to get out of the car in a hurry. The failure to unlock the door and open seems to stem from an actuator mechanism that is faulty. (The same issue/complaint has been mentioned by other owners, including failure of more than one door latch, e.g. https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/help-16-tucson-limited-intermittent-door-unlock-fob-issue.690557/#post-6162832; https://www.carproblemzoo.com/hyundai/tucson/door-latch-problems.php, ) I contacted the local Hyundai dealer about this issue and was only able to get an appointment two months out (which will be tomorrow)! I will have more details regarding the repair associated with this issue after my appointment. But it seems like this should be a safety related recall given the potential danger of being trapped in a vehicle in the event of an emergency or an accident.
I was driving down the highway and I saw my usb cord smoking, I immediately threw it out the window to avoid a fire and pulled over on the highway. My heart was racing and then I called my mom. She thought it was the AC filter that needed to be changed. A few months later in October, the engine failed. A dealership fixed the engine, but it's still consuming a lot oil. I called Hyundai about the engine issues but I forgot about the smoke I saw. They closed the case on the engine, because they claimed I had no warranty. I have no warranty, because Fairfax Hyundai told me they no longer accept car shield. Hyundai closed my case last month and reopened it on 6/30, because of the smoke. I originally bought the car from Waldorf Honda, in Maryland. Dozens of issues have been reported with this vehicle. On 6/30 I realized that the two back doors also stopped opening from the inside and outside.
Rear driver side door will not unlock either by electronic or manual manuvers - Locked in senario. Passenger door wont unlock electrinically but manually can open with handle.
REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK/OPEN. CANNOT BE UNLOCKED BY ANY SWITCH. FROM INFO I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE DEALER OR CONTACTED THE MANUFACTUER. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ALARMS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED BY THE VEHICLE.O6/
Put car in drive and it does not engage and will not move. It acts like it is still in park. However, the reverse gear does operate.
Three of my windows stopped working within a few weeks of each other in June 2022 and July 2022. My car has approximately 19,000 miles on it. I took it to the dealership and they said that the window regulators need to be replaced. It costs $741 per window. This is a defect that is occurring with this car's make, model, and year. There are many online forums where other owners of the exact same type of vehicle are experiencing this failure. For example, in this forum there are over 10 owners that have the same issue. Many owners of this car are unable to open their windows anymore unless they can afford to pay the high cost per window. This is putting people's safety at risk because, 1) your car's windows are an emergency exit point if you are in an accident and your doors are nonfunctional, 2) you can't communicate with law enforcement during a traffic stop which puts the officer at risk and yourself because you have to open your door when you can't roll your window down, 3) children in the back seats can't breathe well from the strong wind in their face when the window is stuck rolled down while you are driving. Also debris can fly into the car because the window is not rolled up while driving. Please consider these safety concerns and investigate the fact that there are so many of these cars experiencing this exact defect that is causing multiple windows to fail. This is one website with many forums that report this window failure with this exact type of car: https://www.hyundai-forums.com/search/1269536/?q=windows+tucson&o=relevance Thank you in advance for your time to investigate this concern.
Engine has no oil less three months since last oil change, vehicle did not have any type of low oil notification, car just stopped engine locked up.
The contact's husband owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door was unable to open from inside or outside the vehicle. Additionally, the driver's side rear passenger door was also unable to open. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
I was on my way to work as normal. There were no warning lamps or other notifications/signs of a problem when all of a sudden, my vehicle started decelerating. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw smoke. I immediately pulled over and the smoke increased. Within a matter or seconds flames started to shoot out from under the hood. I don't know if the fire started from something electrical or engine-related but it spread fast! Before the police and fire truck arrived at the scene, my car was engulfed in flames! This was a terrifying and horrific experience! Prior to this, I had to replace all of the motors on the windows and noticed the jerky movements when driving in Turbo mode that I was told was normal. I didn't even have the car for 2 years! When I contacted Hyundai about the windows, they did nothing and the Rep referred me to get rid of it! I should have listened.
Door handles on vehicle not working. When you go to pull back on the door handle it won’t open. I couldn’t get my Nephew out of the car. Very frightening. Had to crawl through the hatch to get to him. It started one day with my driver door and I had to pull back at least twice or more before it opens. Now the front passenger’s side door will not open unless pulling the handle from inside to let them in. Back doors are not wanting to open from outside. The day my Nephew was trapped no door would open. Thank god the hatch opened. This is a serious safety issue. Makes me nervous that one day I won’t be able to open my car doors from the inside too. I had trouble with that yesterday on the front passenger door. I don’t have kids and it’s just me a single lady that lives 5 minutes from work. I typically don’t have kids in my vehicle, this was the first time. Made me look like a bad auntie putting my brother’s child in danger. There is hardly any wear on my vehicle, so there must be an issue with the door handles in general.
Rear driver side door handle does not open, seems to be a safety issue with this car
Rear door will not open from the inside or the outside
Window regulator on the front passenger side window is no longer working after just over 50,000 miles. Window regulator on the front driver’s side does not always work. I was quoted that it would be a $700 repair by the dealer. Front passenger side window is being held up by card board stuffed inside the door (the dealer’s advice). Door lock actuator on the front passenger side door does not allow you to open the door from the outside when unlocked. Both issues are serious safety concerns if the car were to be in an accident. Both issues are very common with this make and model.
The Hyundai engine is defective and consumes oil at a rate of 5 quarts every 3,000 miles. It ran completely out of oil and left me stranded on the highway in rush hour traffic 3 hours from home. Several people were put at risk! No warning lights; no check engine and no oil light until the car stalled completely. I was able to add oil and get the car in limp mode to the dealership where they ran oil consumption tests, and it failed due to being 106k miles. The car was returned to me and I was told to watch the oil. Weeks later the car broke down again in the middle of the road. The spark plug tips were burnt completely off and there was a dime sized hole in a valve. Multiple mechanics outside of Hyundai agree that both the plugs and the valve damage are a direct result of the defective engine. Again, Hyundai has denied all claims and refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing on their part, despite the amount of claims, lawsuits and upset customers stacked against them.
I have made multiple complaints to Jenkins Hyundai of leesburg about my car hesitating and not going like it should and almost causing multiple accidents because it wouldn’t go when it should. However, they stated nothing was out of the ordinary and to just drive it in sport mode. Well I’m December of 2020, the turbo went out while driving home. They then wouldn’t fix it until I had a friend state that her dad worked at a diff location and that it was covered under warranty. They told me they had to do an investigation to see if it was covered under warranty or not. They kept my car for a few weeks before I got a phone call on New Year’s Eve stating my car was ready for pick up. Meanwhile, there was an active recall with the brakes from September of 2020, that they in fact did not fix while having my vehicle there. Fast forward to June 9, 2022, and my turbo went out again and there is water mixed with the oil in my car. I have made multiple reports along with others on the transmission issues and now making a report on the turbo. These vehicles are not safe, I don’t understand why they have not been recalled for these issues.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side door latch would not unlock and could not be opened from inside or outside of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000.
i have a 2016 hyundai tucson and now that the vehicle is almost paid for, i am having issue with the blinker. when i put the let or right blinker on it stops blinking, also, my car smells like something is burning. i take good care of my car, i do routine maintenance on it when it is require, i have regular oil changes. i am taking to a hyundai shop this weekend
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated without warning. The contact stated that after several seconds the vehicle continued to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 2,400.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door failed to open from inside or outside of the vehicle. The contact had spoken to the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000. The VIN was not available.
Car suddenly lost significant acceleration power in normal conditions. According to Hyundai dealer inspection, the rod bearing failed and pressure in the engine was lost. Safety risk was causing an accident because of loss of power. No accident occurred due to being so close to the right shoulder. This would have been far more dangerous if this was on a 6-7 lane highway causing major accidents due to being an obstacle to normal traffic flow. No warning lights or lamps were displayed before incident.
My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has repeatedly had a major safety issue when one of the doors will suddenly completely stop working. One day a door will work fine, and after no accidents, impact, or any other known factor, the door is completely unable to be opened. The handle operates as intended, but the door itself does open. In the 4 years I have owned my car, I have had to repair 6 instances of this problem (2 of the doors having this issue again after initial repair). This issue includes my driver side door, where I have had to crawl through the car to get out. Apparently this is a known issue impacting a large amount of Hyundai Tucsons. This is obviously a major safety issue. If these doors cease operation for seemingly no reason due to some poorly designed / manufactured component, I can’t imagine they could withstand any sort of vehicle collision / accident. I hesitate to imagine a situation where someone is in some sort of collision and need to escape a burning vehicle / pull a child out of a vehicle and their doors do not work.
When I go to accelerate my vehicle it does not accelerate properly. It actually slows down to the point of almost stopping. It is very dangerous when I am getting on the highway. I have had cars almost rear end me due to this issue. I travel with my children in this car.
Both back doors will not open from inside or outside. Very dangerous safety concern
2016 Tucson rear doors wouldn’t open
Passenger door wont open when unlocked using the key fob. If opened from the inside and left unlock the door will open.
The passenger rear door won't open and hasn't done so an unknown period of time. 1. In July, 2023 I brought it to Shaker Hyundai in Watertown, CT when there was a recall to update the electrical system in this vehicle. I requested they try to fix the door after the recall was complete. When I left the dealership, the door opened. I stopped approximately five miles down the road on the way back home; I was unable to open it then and it hasn't opened since. The car hasn't been inspected by the police or the insurance company, but it has been inspected by the Watertown, CT dealership. Yes, it's available for inspection. No lights. No messages, other than oil change light. Others have registered this issue here, and I want to add my voice to theirs. Clearly your organization knows how VERY dangerous it is for passengers to lack egress from the car. If this happens randomly, is it possible the remaining three of my doors will latch permanently, and what then? Please do something! In the past, I owned a DIFFERENT car whose axle broke at an odd angle because of a defective part; the mandatory recall didn't take place for an additional two years. Please don't make me and others wait. Finally, I want my the dealership from whom I purchased to take a stab at fixing it properly and permanently. Unfortunately, Danbury won't look at it since Watertown tried/failed. HELP!
Hyundai dealership just gave me my vehicle back after having it for 3 months replacing the engine due to engine failure which a class action law suite was filed about. While having my vehicle they also replaced all the ignition coils and spark plugs, 1 day after receiving my vehicle back my car throws the following codes and has to go back to the dealership. P0353- ignition coils C primary control circuit/open P0354- ignition coils D primary control circuit/open P0420- Catalyst system efficiency bele9 threshold bank 1
The dual clutch transmission is malfunctioning. The car is lurching when accelerating, failing to accelerate and/ or delayed acceleration, and shaking/ shuddering terribly. The car is available for inspection upon request. My safety as well as others is at risk because there have been multiple incidents where the car's accelerator wouldn't engage when going 70+ mph on the interstate almost causing an accident. The car also lurches and shakes terribly. Yes the problem has been confirmed. The problem has been inspected on similar cars having the same problems but not mine specifically. There were no other warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The problems first appears May 14, 2022.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026