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

The driver's side back door will not open from the inside or outside. There was no warning or damage down to cause this, just one day it would not open. From research on the internet this is a common problem with a 2016 Tucson and is due from the lock actuator and is not being recalled. This is a huge safety risk if someone needed to exit the backseat quickly.

NHTSA ODI 11602312

The vehicle intermittently fails to accelerate without warning or notification. The throttle pedal goes to the floor without the engine stalling or rev'ing but also fails to propel the vehicle. This has occurred when crossing lanes of on-coming traffic placing the operator in an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS situation. In addition, the vehicle also intermittently fails to go in reverse. These issues are most prevailant in warmer summer temperatures. Neither of these issues directly triggered a MIL light. MIL lights did occur independent from the cited issues but would typically self clear. On one occasion I was able to get a scan of the vehicle with an active MIL that yielded a P1921 Gear 2 System Motor Thermal Damage. Shortly after the scan, the code cleared and MIL went off. The conditions were NOT able to be reproduced by the dealership. They were also not able to clearly diagnose what would cause the P1921 fault. Their recommendation was to replace the entire transmission. ALL of the issues experience closely align with a issues cited in a class action law suit despite the vehicle not having any open recalls or TSBs.

NHTSA ODI 11600943

I own a 2016 Hyundai Tucson and have noticed that NONE of the doors other than the driver door will open either from the inside or outside. I have small children that I drive to and from school, activities. If we were to get into a wreck or were to run off rode into a body of water my children could drown or die due to doors not opening. This seems to be a very common issue with Hyundai and needs to be addressed and recalled and fixed by dealership immediately!

NHTSA ODI 11601027

Oil consumption is excessive it has caused the engine to have a knocking noise even though routine oil changes have been up to date. Yes available for inspection. This may cause the engine to seize at any given point while in motion. No, I have not been able to take the vehicle to a dealership yet. No, vehicle has not been inspected. No, no check engine/warning light has turned on. Knocking noise began June 28th 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11600655

The car started making noises. There were no warning lights and we drove to the Hyundai dealership in South Charleston, WV, where we were told it needs a new engine. The car is under warranty and Hyundai has denied the claim. Luckily we made it to the dealership before the car stopped. We had no indication there was a problem. We were traveling from out of state when this happened. An engine should not suddenly die with no warning. We have all the maintenance records.

NHTSA ODI 11596971

Passenger door lock-right rear door will not unlock from outside or inside

NHTSA ODI 11595289

Pronounced rattle from the steering column (not the wheel) when going over a rough surface. Vehicle has only 49,000 miles on it. Hyundai dealer checked and determined the rattle was not a safety issue and said a small plastic piece in the steering mechanism had broken and quoted a repair cost of over $1,000. I do not believe the dealership's diagnosis, nor its' safety assessment and believe they are simply avoiding a repair that should be covered under the vehicle's soon to expire warranty!

NHTSA ODI 11594881

Three of the four windows will not roll up and down.

NHTSA ODI 11593669

I can not get my rear left passenger door to open from either inside or outside.

NHTSA ODI 11593576

The driver and driver passenger doors get stuck and will not open after you lock them so I cleave to climb over the passenger to lock the door or I have to keep the windows down to be able to unlock and open the door the door latches are getting stuck I went to Hyundai in Little Rock the said I was covered under warranty and they never fixed it nor called me to tell me the part came in and it’s ready to be fixed this is a major safety hazard because I could be in a dark place or running from someone and can’t get inside the car or have access inside the driver side to do anything

NHTSA ODI 11593183

Rear doors will not open from inside or outside. This traps passengers if they are in the back seats. Back seats can only be accessed by climbing in from the front seats

NHTSA ODI 11592781

Ever since I bought my vehicle off the lot, my oil has been burning and/or leaking from the engine. I have been having to put oil in every 2-3 weeks. Also as a result of the oil problem, the oil gets on the spark plugs and coils and erodes them causing them to burn out every 6 months. The first instance I had with this problem was on a road trip to Texas from Tennessee alone. All four spark plugs began faltering on the highway where the speed limit was 75mph, easily a dangerous situation for a malfunctioning engine. I had to pay to repair my vehicle the next day and it totaled to a little under $600. I have been checking for recalls on my specific vehicle for months but have seen none, despite there being similar recalls on other Hyundai vehicles. The electrical problem I’ve been experiencing is the windows start falling in to the doors or don’t roll down at all. Currently I have three windows with this problem, one of which I have had repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11591906

The passenger door window rolled down but would not come back up. I was able to grab the window and pull it up. This is a safety issue because anyone can just push the window down. Not too mention if an officer needed you to roll down the window you could not.

NHTSA ODI 11590953

Internal engine failure; no compression cylinder. My vehicle was affected by the Tucson Dual Clutch Transmission Reprogramming recall. In higher ambient temperatures and specific operating conditions, the transmission clutch application logic can result in a delayed engagement when accelerating from a stop, and the vehicle would not accelerate. Inability to move the vehicle in traffic. The car is well maintained and in excellent shape. They estimated the cost to replace the engine at $14,000! and Hyundai Dealer Larry Miller denied any help with the repair cost.

NHTSA ODI 11591106

Right front window will not go up Regulator bad

NHTSA ODI 11590925

Both rear doors will not open from inside or outside. This began 3 years ago, with intermittent opening issues. For the last six months, neither rear door will open from inside, or outside. With the THOUSANDS of complaints I have seen online, one would THINK our GOVERNMENT would DO SOMETHING!!!

NHTSA ODI 11590562

Drivers side rear passenger door will not open most times. In an emergency situation a rear passenger would not be able to exit.

NHTSA ODI 11590128

I have three doors on my Tucson affected. Back passenger door will not open at all from the inside or outside. The driver’s will open if I lock and unlock three or four times and pull the handle three or four times. The back drivers door is now doing the same thing as the drivers door. I have looked into the cost of having it repaired and Hyundai wants over $1500 per door to fix the issue. If I pay the close to $5000 to fix these doors, which I most definitely don’t have and don’t know anybody who does, I will have paid more than half the value of the car just to fix the doors. I’ve looked online and there are hundreds and thousands of people having the same problem - multiple years of Tucson models and other Hyundai models such as the ELANTRA. My car only has 62,000 miles on it. It has only had two owners. In the six years that I have owned the car I have only had people in the backseat three or four times. This is definitely not a wear problem. It is most definitely a safety issue. If I am in an accident and unconscious and the emergency workers can’t get the door open to get to me, it’s a safety issue. If I’m in an accident and can’t get the door open to escape the car, it is a safety issue. If I am going to my car late at night by myself and can’t get into the car it’s a safety issue. I am divorced and live alone, and drive across country occasionally. If I’m stopped at a rest stop or gas station and can’t get into my car this is a safety issue. If there are children in the backseat of the car and the door can’t be opened to get to the children this is a safety issue. The back passenger door stopped working entirely about 6 to 8 months ago - it can’t be opened from the inside or outside at all. The driver’s door started having issues about 3 to 4 months ago. The back drivers door just started having the issue three days ago. I do not understand why a safety recall has not yet been issued for this problem considering the huge number of affected cars out there.

NHTSA ODI 11589555

Engine is being replaced due to excessive oil consumption. First sign was engine knocking in November 2022, which resolved with oil change. July 2023, engine knocking was heard again, Hyundai dealer said car came in with no oil. Had oil changed / filled, was advised to bring car back in 1000 miles. December 2023, brought car back to dealer after ~1000 miles, no knocking but oil was 2 quarts below spec. Ladder frame was resealed and ladder frame o-ring replaced. Oil was refilled, oil pan and oil dip stick both sealed for oil consumption test. Feb 2024, car brought back to dealer after ~1000 miles, no knocking but oil was 1.8 quarts low. Combustion chamber cleaning was performed and oil refilled. Oil pan and oil dip stick both sealed for another oil consumption test. Early May 2024, car brought back to dealer after ~1000 miles, oil still apparently quite low (no details provided by dealer). Engine replacement approved by Hyundai corporate in mid-May 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11589106

I was driving to work Tuesday and noticed that my car wasn't accelerating and losing speed, pulled over and as soon as I came to a stop, it dies. I got it towed to my mechanic, they said I was out of oil and throwing a p1326 code for the ksds. I'm not sure how that is possible, cause I changed the oil a month prior on April 6, this happened May 7. Mechanic put more oil in and I was taking it home. I noticed a funny noise and took it back to my mechanic; got there and it started knocking and cut off as soon as I stopped again. Mechanic did another diagnostic and it threw the code again. Got it towed to the dealership and I'm now waiting on them. Apparently it's the engine, they have been having lots of issues with them.

NHTSA ODI 11588363

The car did not accelerate after pressing gas pedal all way down. Encountered this while idling and trying to accelerate from a steady speed as well.

NHTSA ODI 11588352

When driving All the warning light is on. Also when you reduce speed or stop at the light the steering wheel turn hard to turn or move. The battery seem to be low voltage, because when you lock the car the sound of the horn sound weak. And wouldn't start.

NHTSA ODI 11587590

There is no power when accelerating, especially up a hill. The rpm's hover over 4k for a long time before downshifting, hence, eating up gas like crazy. Also, the passenger side back door does not open at all, the driver's side back door takes several pulls before opening, the driver's door takes 3 pulls to open, and the front passenger door takes a minimum of three pulls to open. The no power just recently started happening. The door issue started in late 2023 and has gotten progressively worse just recently.

NHTSA ODI 11586944

My rear passenger door will not open from the inside or outside. My front passenger door has difficulties opening, I have to try to handle a few times. The front passenger door has been since I purchased the vehicle in 2022 but the rear passenger vehicle just started 5/2/24. The alternator has already been replaced as of 2022 and the front passenger motor has already been replaced as of April 2024 because the window stopped going up. And all of these have been at my expense!! I have read owner blogs that have all of these same issues. This is a HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. What if there is an emergency and I can't get my child safely out of his car seat? These issues, especially the door actuators, needs to be a recall and fixed immediately at no expense to the owners.

NHTSA ODI 11586854

The back door latch does not unlock so neither back passanger doors will open at all. If something were to happen where we need to evacuate quickly this puts people in the back at a huge risk. I have taken it to get repaired and they want at least $250 for each door. There were no warnings one day the door just stopped opening and then the other stopped. It’s been over a year now. There are multiple videos on youtube on how to “fix” it for this specific vehicle so I don’t understand how this hasn’t been recalled already.

NHTSA ODI 11585091