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

My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has been experiencing sudden engine failures for about 10 months now. Driving at 70 mph on a freeway and experiencing a loss of torque is terrifying. Glad I was able to pull off safely. Engine lights came on for a few seconds and then turned off. Visit to the dealer showed... nothing. The engine is under warranty, but Hyundai dealers continue to dismiss the issue. Also, this engine has been excessively burning oil during the very same timeframe. There are no leaks - confirmed by Hyundai dealers. I have to put in about a quarter every other 2-3 weeks. Hadn't I done this, my vehicle would not make it to the next oil change. Really frustrating! Reading thru complaints to NTHSA, there a lot of us facing the same issues, with faulty engines and excessive oil consumption. This must be investigated, and a recall notice settled. Hyundai must be held accountable.

NHTSA ODI 11584100

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.

NHTSA ODI 11584110

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at various speeds, the four windows rolled down independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the front driver’s side window was replaced; however, the three remaining windows failed to operate as needed. Recently, the rear passenger’s side window was locked in place by a mechanic to prevent the persistent failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11583802

The driver side door will no longer open from the outside. I have to crawl through the passenger side to open the door from the inside. According to a Google search, this is a common issue with this car.

NHTSA ODI 11583897

My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has had power and acceleration issues since I purchased it brand new in 2016 from the dealership. When trying to accelerate onto the freeway, or trying to turn onto busy traffic the engine would rev but not pick up speed causing a dangerous situation when traffic is present. I have had all the updates to my vehicle, but the issue did not improve. At first I thought it had something to do with the transmission, but recently I have discovered that it was probably something wrong with the engine all this time. I currently have 111,070 miles on my vehicle, and I have kept up with routine maintenance. I had noticed in the last couple of years that my engine oil was burning at an extremely high rate, and I had to keep replenishing it between oil changes. I never saw any oil leaking on the ground though. About a month ago while I was entering a freeway, my check engine light started flashing and I could not accelerate. The vehicle’s engine started misfiring and the vehicle was having a hard time switching gears. Fortunately it was early in the morning before rush hour traffic otherwise I would have been hit by oncoming traffic. I had the codes read and they came back as P0300, P0302, and P0304. I had already had the spark plugs replaced less than 10,000 miles prior to this, so we tried changing the ignition coils. That did not help, so we changed the spark plugs too. This still did not solve the problem. A mechanic ran a compression test and determined there is a problem with the engine. I have read numerous other complaints online now about similar issues with the 2016 Hyundai Tucson engine failure with less than 150,000 miles that put people in harms way while driving down the road. The engine failure is occurring even with regular maintenance.

NHTSA ODI 11583190

The driver side door fails to open from the outside. I'm not sure if it is available for inspection, as I've tried to contact the Hyundai dealership I got it from, and they haven't gotten back to me. This is a safety issue because it causes me to have to walk around to the passenger side door and either climb over, or reach over and partially open the driver door then get back out and walk over to the other side again. I live in a big city and as a woman I don't always feel safe having to take extra time to get into my vehicle. It's also a safety issue because if something goes wrong, someone can't open the door to get to me. A dealer friend of a friend looked at the door and confirmed something is wrong with the latch cable, and also said that it would cost up to $1500 to repair. This is the only person who has inspected it so far. It looks like I'm not the only person who has had door issues with Tuscons which is why I'm here. There was no warning at all. I drove the vehicle to work with no incident and then when I left work I found I could not open the door anymore even after locking and unlocking a few times. This was back at the beginning of March 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11581464

Hi, I am an owner of 4 Hyundai vehicles and all had the steering wheel coupler failed before 100,000 miles. 2 sonata and 1 Elantra coupler was replaced under the 100,000 miles extended warranty but my 2016 Tucson with 80,000 miles is not covered. All Hyundai and Kia vehicles have this problem. Why only some models are covered and not others? The problem is the same across the board. I think Hyundai should be compel to honor repairs on all models for this common steering wheel coupler problem and not on selected model.

NHTSA ODI 11581508

My car randomly will not reverse; it's happened a few times, I was alone or with my 5 year old the first time, and next couple of times I've had witnesses (husband and a friend) and this last time I was alone but I took a video. Sometimes my car feels like it has no power or like it's in the first gear struggling to make it past that (it's an automatic but that's the best way I can describe it). Three out of my four doors stick and I have to pull multiple times to get the door opened, even though it's unlocked. I find these issues, while not outright dangerous, can be a hassle especially when I'm in a parking lot trying to reverse into a spot or out of a spot. It's hard for my 8 year old to get in or out of the car cause her door sticks. I feel like when my car is driving sluggish, that I am going to get hit by another car.

NHTSA ODI 11580599

I was driving home from work and heard knocking sound come from engine. No sensors came on to alert me of any problem. I pulled over and checked oil. There was no oil and it was not due for oil change for another 1,000 miles. Oil is always changed between 3-5K miles. Took it to Gettel Hyundai dealership where it was purchased. They are unable to explain what or why this happened. Took claim out with Hyundai as there is only 60K miles. Hyundai and dealership offered no help because warranty had ended. Just told me it needed a new engine for $8K. Hyundai corporate denied claim also citing lack of service. That is not a valid reason and makes no sense. We provided every paper receipt showing diligent oil changes and required mile maintenance. They never bothered to do an engine oil burning test. After researching this online there is a well-known problem with these engines burning oil. There was no oil leaking. Why did NO sensor alert me there was no oil? This seems like a major safety concern. Hyundai is refusing to take responsibility for this problem and needs to address this properly. This car engine should be recalled.

NHTSA ODI 11579851

Window regulator is not working in all the Windows I spend more 1000 dolars just to fixed the front ones still waiting to have money to fix the back ones the parts are made from cheap material this should be a recall

NHTSA ODI 11579103

This make an model has issues with the doors not opening, when they are unlocked and from time to time the windows will not open. These are both huge safety concerns. I have reported this to Hyundai and have a case number 2104500 which nothing has been done and I have heard nothing in over a year. This make and model need to be recalled for the door and window issues which are all over the internet when a search is done.

NHTSA ODI 11577870

Vehicle transmission prolongs shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, and from 2nd to 3rd gear. Vehicle only has 55000 miles on it and we are second owners of the vehicle. This has been on ongoing issue with the vehicle that we attributed to design but a month ago, the check engine light came on. We took is the Ray Skillman Hyundai who diagnosed that the transmission was the cause of the check engine light and that the entire transmission will need to be replaced at a cost of a little over $7000 to us. The original warranty on the car offered a 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty but Ray Skillman Hyundai nor Hyundai Corporate will replace the transmission without charge. We also know of many other issues related to transmission components of other Hyundai vehicles. The vehicle puts at risk because the unexpected pause puts the drivers behind us at risk of running into us.

NHTSA ODI 11577551

Driver side door latch won't open after unlocking with key fob. No warning from inside the car. Have not been to a dealer or independent service center so have not had any inspections. Not necessarily a safety issue at this point but could be in the future. As part of my work, I'm in and out of my car a lot so locking the car is necessary. I should not have to climb over the shift/middle console to unlock it. Should be part of a recall to fix.

NHTSA ODI 11576383

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that after the vehicle came to a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lurched forward but hesitated to accelerate immediately. An unknown warning light illuminated, and the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC Code: P073F (Unable to Engage Gear 1), but no repair was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V628000 (Power Train, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11575519

Loss of power while driving thru heavy traffic causing car to go into a low speed. No warning lights until after turning off and back on. Hyundai dealership confirms no compression cyl 3, metal shaving in engine block, oil full. Engine in car 1.6L GDI turbo, not under hyundai recall. Hyundai denying claim to replace because vin not included in recall but does admit engine is same as in other recalled engines for same issue. Losing power in heavy traffic with no warning was safety issue. Only light to come on was engine light after the fact.

NHTSA ODI 11575542

Door locks no longer work. Passenger side failed and now (3 months later) drivers side failed. This prevents entry and exit in case of emergency. Rear doors function appropriately. When locking and unlocking the doors, the front two make a mechanical sound. When unlocked, they do not open.

NHTSA ODI 11575347

I have joined the millions of disappointed Hyundai customers who have faulty engines in their cars. Hyundai is refusing to replace my engine or provide any assistance because there is no formal recall for my vehicle. In May of 2023, my engine failed after starting to have oil consumption issues and Hyundai diagnosed it as failure due to maintenance neglect. When I opened a case with Hyundai, I gave all maintenance records, including a January full-point inspection done by Hyundai, showing no engine issues or anything engine-related to be addressed. In follow up after providing the records, Hyundai determined it was actually not due to neglect of maintenance, but a dirty valve train, and therefore there was nothing they could do since I was out of my warranty period. However, when I asked how I was to know my valve train was dirty if all my inspections came back with no issues, I was told that it just happens and there is no way to prevent. I asked them to re-open my case and they again asked for maintenance records, the ones I already provided, to try and say again that it was maintenance related. I kept getting different stories from the case manager, the service manager at Cool Springs Hyundai, and the GM at Cool Springs Hyundai. I have since joined a group on Facebook with thousands of others encountering this same issue - random engine failure and case managers requesting maintenance records in the hopes Hyundai can find a way to blame it on the consumer. It’s no secret that Hyundai makes vehicles with faulty engines as seen by the multiple recalls over the past few years, including the recent one regarding engine fires affecting 3+ million customers. Hyundai needs to be held accountable. In research of my engine, the 1.6L GDI, I see that this engine is under recall for the Hyundai Veloster for the same exact issue that I have had, but for some reason that same engine in my vehicle has yet to be recalled. I plead for your assistance and resolving.

NHTSA ODI 11575141

When both driving and idling, the car will either stall or feel like it is about to stall, when all of a sudden the vehicle “pauses” for a second and then all of the dashboard lights come on. This has now happened at least 4 times in the past month. It will reset after turning the car off, but on more than one occasion after turning the car off, the engine doesn’t restart right away. Thankfully, the car has restarted and it resets the dashboard lights. My safety is a concern if my car stalls while driving at any speed! I have yet to take it to the dealer, as there’s a VERY long wait for an appointment - another recurring issue. No one has inspected this for me, and it is very concerning. There is plenty of evidence that this is happening to others in both online forums and Hyundai owners sites online.

NHTSA ODI 11575079

Engine was burning more oil between oil changes. Auto shop diagnosed engine as blown engine after scoping each valve. 126,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11574611

The engine in this vehicle is faulty like same engine in 2016 Hyundai Veloster. The recall that covers the engine in the Veloster shows identical engine failure to that seen in our vehicle. We noticed that the engine oil light came on within 3k miles of the last oil change and when we checked we had lost over 3 quarts of oil with no signs of external leaking. We put in more oil and within a week it started knocking and the engine failed. We took it to the shop and they said they had replaced multiple Hyundai engines under warranty for same exact problem. Reference Hyundai Campaign 22-01-023H. Hyundai is stating they are not going to fix this issue on the Hyundai Tucson because it doesn't fall under the recall yet though they know it has same issue. Our car has less than 90k miles with full synthetic used the entire time. This engine fails, they know why it fails, and ours did while my wife was taking kids to school.

NHTSA ODI 11574350

While driving my car started to have trouble accelerating and then the engine started to make a knocking noise. While driving the noise started to get louder and worse and then the check engine light came on. I have checked for recalls with my vin # and there are none. The issue I am having with my vehicle is exactly like recalls I have seen listed for other years and or version of my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Turbo. I can not drive my car and I need help.

NHTSA ODI 11572826

My 2016 Tucson Sport with Eco Shift has a dangerous problem with the transmission. Intermittently It will not move when I give it gas. The RPMS go up to 6000 but the car wont move. Its the DCT transmission. Today I took it in for the 3rd time and I don't want it back until its fixed. This is a very unsafe vehicle to drive since you would not know when it would just stop shifting and driving. Have registered a complaint with Hyundai Motors as the service department does not know when the vehicle will be repaired. 

NHTSA ODI 11572164

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle then entered LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to drive to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized due to rod bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about an Extended Warranty coverage. The manufacturer was contacted and declined to authorize the repair. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB Number: 22-01-023H-2 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11571030

All 4 Windows will not roll up/ down. Using multiple quarts of oil a week. The heat doesn’t work. Back doors will not open.

NHTSA ODI 11570516

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to cease driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who determined that there were metal fragments in the oil, resulting in damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000.

NHTSA ODI 11570647