Home · 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell · Complaints

What 1,536 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,536)Crash / fire / injury (36)Transmission & drivetrain (498)Engine (372)Body & structure (220)Electrical system (200)Latches & locks (156)Speed control (104)Fuel system (54)Brakes (48)Visibility & wipers (40)Lights (28)

Newest first · 1,536 complaints · page 22 of 62

Nov 24, 2021Electrical system

My back door on the driver's side does not open from the inside or out. I had the same issue with my driver's door but would open from the outside. I went to the dealership and replaced the door latch assembly. I am not under warranty, so it cost me alot to get fixed. Just one month later the backdoor stopped working completely. I got a letter in the mail form Hyundai saying this is a known issue and if your warranty has expired they'll fix it at no cost, that doesn't help me at all. This is a safety issue and needs to be a recall. I am worried the other doors will stop working. It is not affordable to get fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11441558

Nov 23, 2021Body & structure

Neither of the backdoors of the car will open from the inside or the outside. The first failure was the driver side backdoor which will not open even with force. Several months later the passenger side rear door is experiencing the same issue. I spoke with the local Hyundai dealership who confirmed that it is a well known issue, but they have been less than helpful with getting it repaired. They take my contact info and say someone will call me but they never do, when I call or go to the dealership in person the one guy who can help get the repair underway is never available, and they will not give me his direct contact info. This is a serious safety risk because there is no way to get to my children from either of the backdoors if there was an emergency, they have to be accessed and pulled over the center console to be removed from the car at all. Given the incredibly persistent issues with these latches failing in the Tucson, there is also no way to know when any of the other latches may fail and make it impossible to quickly escape the car.

NHTSA ODI 11441428

Nov 23, 2021Transmission & drivetrain

A warning light indicating that a brake light is out has been active for over 4 years. The bulbs have been replaced and checked and the brake light outage persists. This is an electrical issue and poses a serious safety hazard. Secondly, when trying to accelerate, the engine will rev between 400-500rpms but the car won’t speed up for several seconds. Lately while pressing the gas pedal the engine is revving in the 500’s while the car actually DEcelerates from 70mph to 40mph while ON THE FREEWAY. This is a mega dangerous safety issue for myself and other drivers. A mechanic quoted us yesterday as needing a new transmission. The car is 6 years old. In my opinion, these issues coupled with the existing recalls make this car a true lemon.

NHTSA ODI 11441431

Nov 15, 2021Body & structure

Latch failure of all 4 doors, passenger side door in 2018, passenger rear door 2018 and again now (2021), driver door 2019, driver rear door 2019. The door latch fails and at first won’t open from the inside. After a few days or weeks, door will not open from outside or inside. This costs over $450 (labor not included) and is a HUGE safety concern! This should not happen in a 5 year old car, especially to ALL 4 DOORS, and one of the doors twice!

NHTSA ODI 11440430

Nov 12, 2021Engine

Purchased the car new. A year or so into ownership the car began to bog down upon acceleration for a dead stop (stop lights, etc). I voiced my concern multiple times when I took the car to the dealership for regular services. I was told this is just the way this turbo performs. No reason to be concerned. I almost got his a few times due to this issue. again voiced my concerns was told the same thing over and over again. The next issue was when i would turn the oil light would flicker on and off. Still was told probably nothing but a short somewhere. Then we checked the oil and it was down a quart. took it in to the dealership they changed the oil and said to just "keep an eye on it". 3 weeks later the engine completely failed and seized. Had to have the car towed, paid that out of pocket. That was in July. Still no repairs done, they say they do not have a loaner car to give me and if I want a rental I would have to pay for it out of pocket and once the repairs are done and I have my car back I could contact Hyundai to possibly be reimbursed. This is so ridiculous! This engine should have been a recall as far back as 2017! So all summer we had to drive our old backup vehicle which has no ac and is not a great commuter vehicle. Someone should have to pay for all this inconvenience and cost. The date the engine completely failed is the date I have proved as the incident date.

NHTSA ODI 11440189

Nov 12, 2021Engine

I need to let you know my 2016 Hyundai Tucson is using oil so bad it's getting out of control. No matter what we do it continues to happen. It has been using more has then it use to also. Its getting ridiculous. I love my car but I'm ready to go back to a different make all together if they don't do something to fix these issues. My Tucson is not the only one that does it. I have a family member who has to put a new engine in here due to this. I can not afford to buy my car and then turn around and have to put a new engine in it. Something needs done asap. I'm contacting a lawyer due to the many other issues not listed. Like it trying to die going down the highway. This has been going on since around June 2021

NHTSA ODI 11440295

Nov 11, 2021Electrical systemEngine

While I was driving on the highway my check engine light started blinking. I immediately pulled off on the next exit 1/4 mile from when the light started blinking. After stopping completely off the exit the engine stalled and both the oil light and battery light popped on. I was not able to accelerate or drive it from there. An independent mechanic who towed it to their shop said there was no oil in the engine. This is impossible because I had plenty of time left before the next oil change. A week prior to this incident we took the car to the Hyundai dealership to fix a recall problem. There was no indication anything was wrong with the engine or car at the time they fixed the recall issue. Somehow the oil in the engine disappeared and there was no indication from any low oil lights, engine lights, or any other notification that there was an issue. It currently has been towed to the Hyundai dealership and awaiting their diagnostic and solution. A claim has been opened with Hyundai corporate since there is a recall opened for 2016 Hyundai Tuscons.

NHTSA ODI 11440176

Nov 5, 2021Visibility & wipers

I have had 2 window regulators go out within a month due to them using cheap plastic and it's reaction to hear I assume.

NHTSA ODI 11439448

Oct 29, 2021Electrical systemLights

1) Front right driver headlight warning message, keeps illuminating. Mechanic, noticed wires are burning inside compartment. Safety issue burning wires may cause entire electrical system to burn out causing a fire and not having headlights. Vehicle being serviced 10/29/21 2) Driver Brake light message illuminated, replaced light 2 mo ago, as of today 10-28-21, brake light out again. Vehicle being serviced 10/29/21 3) Purchased vehicle 3/21. Vehicle will not accelerate, it will jerk causing a slow start, safety issue. Vehicle taken to mechanic covered thru warranty, he stated vehicle drove ok, still having same problem since 3/21

NHTSA ODI 11438590

Oct 25, 2021SteeringElectrical systemAirbags

MAJOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED INCLUDING SPEEDOMOTER, TACHOMETER, DEACTIVATION OF AIRBAGS AND INABILITY TO INDICATE WHICH GEAR THE VEHICLE WAS IN. SITUATION WAS REMEDIED WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF A SECONDARY VACUUM PUMP. WATER ENTRY INTO THE PUMP IS CAUSE OF ISSUE TO MAJOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS.

NHTSA ODI 11438031

Oct 20, 2021Body & structure

Rear passenger door when unlocked will not open. I can open the door when unlocked by banging on door just below the outside door handle.

NHTSA ODI 11437435

Oct 20, 2021Latches & locks

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the passenger’s side rear door would not open from the inside or the outside. The contact also stated that excessive force was needed to open the driver’s side front door. The dealer had been notified of the failure and the contact was provided the cost for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11437495

Oct 18, 2021Body & structure

Rear door does not open. Can't be opened from the inside or outside. Apparently, similar problems from this model from other owners. Affects all doors.

NHTSA ODI 11437166

Oct 17, 2021

Engine lost power while turning through a light at an intersection and the traction control light came on for a split second then off. Car the began violently shaking, shuddering and then decrease in power. Once stopped, engine would not regain acceleration or power. Was able to safely get off a very busy road. Car was towed to mechanic, diagnosed as bad engine. Spoke to local dealer who stated the 2016 engines have had many problems some vins (not mine) had additional warranty. Dealer advised to call Hyundai corporate and see if they could assist. Called Hyundai who stated my car is out of warranty and they cannot assist me as no engine recalls are open for my vin. I changed the cars oil and did all other necessary maintenance. The car burned oil excessively. Also had multiple issues with door latches, all 4 window regulators required replacement, turn signal and ac sensors went bad. Many problems for a car 5 years old and now undrivable. Hyundai knows of the problems but refuses to assist.

NHTSA ODI 11437089

Oct 14, 2021Latches & locks

The locks in the doors do not alway unlock and sometimes stick. When in a accident or and emergency I won’t be able to get my kids out of the back seat due to the doors not always wanting to open. The front door does not open till the third pull at times. The back doors take a good 15 hard pulls for the lock to open. It shows unlocked inside while not opening from the outside or inside. You just get lucky to it finally opening sometimes.

NHTSA ODI 11436738

Oct 8, 2021Body & structure

Our rear driver side door does not open from both inside and outside. I have seen that this is an extremely common issue with other Hyundai owners. I have three small children. This is extremely dangerous if there was ever an emergency situation, to have small children trapped back seats, unable to open the doors. I have read that other doors eventually fail too, which just compounds the extreme danger that this poses if an emergency comes up and one has to evacuate the vehicle. The issue seems to always be the door latch and cable not catching, so there is a consistency in what other people are experiencing. Please consider this an extreme safety issue and issue a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11436074

Oct 7, 2021Seat belts

Since purchasing this car brand new I have had 3 different seat belt pretensioner failures all covered under warranty. Both front seat belt pretensioners and driver side belt anchor pretensioner. This is on a car with approximately 52000 miles and in excellent condition. In each case the airbag light came on. I am seriously wondering if there is a serious safety issue with these components.

NHTSA ODI 11435960

Oct 2, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Reduced engine power that caused car to suddenly stall. Check engine light and engine oil pressure light both came on. Auto shop is stating a new engine is required. Similar recall have been issued in other Hyundai Tucson

NHTSA ODI 11435229

Oct 1, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Engine Burns excessive oil, We change our oil every 3k miles since owning it sept 2019. I had taken it to the dealer for a repair on a separate issue and asked them to look at the engine and transmission due to noise and intermittent issues taking off. was told there was no issue and i did not need an oil change until I reach 5 k miles ( i was at 3k) and that the transmission has had the update and this is how the car operates noise and all, a week and a half later engine stalled while turning through a light at an intersection and the oil light came onfor a split second then off, no oil lights ever indicated low oil until that moment, I checked the oil and it was dry, I did an oil change, next time I reached 3k miles I took it to a shop, not the dealer and oil was dry at 3k miles, have had to refill the oil at 1500 miles since finding this out and have made multiple complaints to the dealer, they will not inspect it for what is a widely known issue unless i pay the money to do an oil consumption test that i cannot afford i have made numerous calls and have been unable to reach corporate after my first contact and delaer will not assist due to me being out of warranty even though this could have been prevented while i was in warranty and informed them i was having concerns, this company is aware of the issues these cars have and is knowing selling them when they can cause injury or death, as well none of my door handles will open the car upon first try(though this part is now under an extended warranty due to this issue) this company is knownly selling and doing everything not to recall dangerous vehicles

NHTSA ODI 11435178

Sep 30, 2021Engine

My Hyundai Tuscon is currently at 104,552 miles with a dead engine. I also have had to bring my car in for oil changes at 2000 miles instead of 3000, because it started eating through oil fast. The morning of my last oil change, 8/17, my engine started making loud clunking noise. After the oil change, on the way home to call my dealer, Key Hyundai of Milford, my engine shut off while in Drive on a busy street and started smoking. Luckily, I was able to move to the small shoulder and put my hazards on and force the car into park to wait for a tow. If I was not at a safe place to force my car into park the day it died, I could have been seriously injured. No engine lights or any warning lights went on on the dash at all. I had it towed to my auto shop and they said it was leaking oil all over the place, not anywhere an oil changer could access, and could not get it started. They suggested it was a faulty engine and to call Hyundai Corporate, start a case and get it fixed because at just over 100,000 miles it was still considered a young car. I bought this car at 82,000 miles used and was given no warranty on the engine. Hyundai Corporate would only open a case if I had it towed to a Hyundai dealer, and had to fight to get them to tow it themselves to Meriden Hyundai, where it currently sits. This engine failure and the problems leading up to it match exactly that of the large class action suit that is currently going on with Hyundai/Nissan/Kia motors, yet my VIN doesn't match any recalls. Back in March, I had a check engine light that lead to me paying out of pocket for a misfiring cylinder and having to replace the ignition coil and all my spark plugs. I have only had this car since October 2019, and have kept it well maintained. I have been going back and forth with Hyundai Customer Care, and they are sending me in circles and refusing to fix the problem or even attempt to help me solve it.

NHTSA ODI 11435024

Sep 30, 2021Electrical systemEngine

I'm mid may-end of may I took it in to Fort mill Hyundai the first time because it was starting to crank hard, sounded funny and my dashboard lights would come on saying I needed oil and there was an engine issue. When I idled too long the car would just die, I'd have to shift into park actually turn the car off and let it sit 1-3 mins turn it back on and all the lights would be off and it would drive like it did before it died, loud. They did testing on it and said these repairs (crankshaft sensor, spark plugs and I think an oil change) should fix it. This was less than a month after my previous oil change. Got the car back 3-4 days later and it sounded better but I still felt like it didn't drive and smooth as it should. 2-3 weeks goes by and my oil light again comes on only with sharp turns. The car over the next couple of days would do the loud cranking noise, didn't drive well over 60 and the engine light came on and gauges would go down but would be fine again once the car was turned off for a couple min like 5 . I set up an appt to hVe them look it over again because of the lights coming back on. Not even 2 days later twice going to and from work it completely died out on me (like the first time) but this time it would turn over once it was out in park and turned off correctly. First time I was in the middle of traffic at a red light waited 10 mins multiple times trying to turn the car on to move to the side and it wouldn't. I let it sit for 5 mins without trying to turn it on and it started the gauges didn't work and it was VERY loud stuck in like first gear wouldn't go above 20 mph. Pulled into a neighborhood turned it off to let it cool off again thinking it was over heating. It would crank but again lights still all on and the gear gauge didn't work (down at 0 liek the car was off). I waiting like 20 mins it still had the lights on but the gauges worked, when I tried to drive home it wouldn't go about 45mph or out of 2nd gear.

NHTSA ODI 11435065

Sep 28, 2021Body & structure

The rear driver's side door of my door suddenly stopped working. When I was trying to get my baby out of the car, neither my husband nor myself could get to her. We couldn't open her door with the exterior door handle (even after multiple attempts to unlock the car) or the interior door handle. If we find ourselves in an emergency situation, we would not be able to safely and efficiently evacuate our child and other passengers. While it has not been inspected, it is available for inspection upon request. There were and still are no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Additionally, this seems like a common issue for the Hyundai Tucson as there are many people online talking about this very same issue, with some people unable to open either of their doors.

NHTSA ODI 11434666

Sep 27, 2021Body & structure

Rear passenger door will not open from inside or outside despite being unlocked. Previously it could be opened after pulling handle several times, now it will not open at all despite being unlocked. I have small children in the back seat in car seats and would not be able to get them out through that door in an emergency. The front driver's door also requires pulling the handle several times in order to open it.

NHTSA ODI 11434498

Sep 27, 2021Latches & locks

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the passenger’s side rear door failed to open without warning. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,880. The VIN was invalid.

NHTSA ODI 11434518

Sep 24, 2021

I took my 2016 Tucson to the Myrtle Beach Sc dealership for the recall on the ABS. First thing that happened they called me in the back and told me that they added oil (which I checked when I got home and was overfilled) and that they put in 2 new air filters. They did all this before asking me. So they tried to get me to pay $72 each for the air filters and $16 for the oil and of course I refused. Within days the check bsd system light and all other lights have come on. When I’m at a stop signs it shuts off. I have started the vehicle one morning to warm the engine up and I go back and thence hole is off with the dashboard lights on. My vehicle has even stop and cut off while in traffic while taking my daughter to school. The RPM and the AC stops working when these lights come on and I can only drive the vehicle at a certain speed. I don’t know if by “fixing” the ABS caused this issue or what but my vehicle was driving fine before I went to that dealership. I contacted the dealership asked for a manager and of course one was not available but I was told that they would look at my vehicle for $110. And I still haven’t heard from a manager. So disappointed in Hyundai!!!

NHTSA ODI 11434255

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Working with the data? Download all 1,536 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell verdict →