What 1,611 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid

While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of motive power accompanied by a loud, catastrophic internal knocking sound from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Hyundai dealership (Piazza Hyundai of Limerick), where a certified diagnostic technician confirmed a severe internal connecting rod bearing failure (rod knock). This sudden engine failure creates a significant highway safety hazard due to the immediate loss of acceleration and power steering/brake assistance if the engine completely seizes while operational. Hyundai has issued widespread safety recalls and a 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty (TXXM) for this exact failure mode in other engine displacements (such as the 2.0L Nu GDI), yet they have excluded the 1.6L Turbo engine from identical coverage despite it suffering from the exact same manufacturing defect and presenting the same public safety risk.

NHTSA ODI 11747780

All the door locks and actuators/latches are failing. Hyundai claims there is no recall for it, and the price for one door repair is $1384... This is a safety issue since the passenger in the rear seat could not get out in an emergency!

NHTSA ODI 11747224

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger’s side door failed to unlatch as needed. The front passenger's side window failed to roll up or roll down. The driver's side rear door failed to unlatch or latch as needed. Additionally, the trunk switch failed to operate as needed. The dealer was made aware of the failures but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repairs were not covered under recall or warranty. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The contact feared being locked inside the vehicle and being unable to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

NHTSA ODI 11747133

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle was started after a while; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Goodyear Service Center to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had seized and needed to be repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,479.

NHTSA ODI 11746702

Within the last month, the passenger side front door will no longer open from the outside even if the door is unlocked. The driver must lean over to open the passenger door from the inside. Then approximately one week ago, the passenger rear door began to have issues in that it would not open from the outside nor would it open from the inside. This is a known safety issue which puts passengers at risk. A Technical Service Bulletin 21-bd-006h extends the warranty coverage to 10 years/unlimited mileage, however my 2016 Hyundai Tuscon is six (6) months outside of this window. The local Hyundai dealership will not fix under this door latch warranty extension and quoted a cost of $885.00 to remove and replace both latches. I currently have a case opened with Hyundai USA Customer Affairs and am waiting to see if Hyundai will cover the cost of repairs and fix the two door latches. If they do not, I will consider legal remedies.

NHTSA ODI 11745908

The vehicle severely shudders, jerks, and hesitates from a stop and while making a turn, during both acceleration and deceleration, making it entirely unsafe to drive. The vehicle has been completely un-driveable for the past 6 days. The check engine light illuminated, and on 4/9/26, the dealer documented a failed transmission judder test and kept the car, issuing a loaner. A temporary software patch failed after two weeks. Upon return, the dealer reported they were unable to recreate the problem, recommended returning when the vehicle demonstrates the problem more frequently, and refused to mechanically repair the dual-clutch transmission under my active original-owner 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, basically instructing me to continue to drive a seriously un-safe vehicle. Most recently, a yellow dashboard warning light illuminated, and the vehicle entered a dangerous 'limp mode,' severely restricting power and struggling to move before the light cleared after cooling down. The vehicle is completely un-driveable and parked.

NHTSA ODI 11743723

Oil consumption engine ticking hesitate to change gears poor acceleration.

NHTSA ODI 11742112

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, where the contact restarted the vehicle. The contact drove to his workplace and parted the vehicle. However, the vehicle later failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer it was purchased from, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to Affordable Towing and Repair, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11741794

Driver door does not open from the outside. Rear passenger door does not open at all.

NHTSA ODI 11741203

Transmission previously replaced after failed Judder test. Transmission is failing again: Last few days the car will accelerate to 15 then it attempts to shift and power drops and pressing the pedal has no response or very little then it changes into what feels like 4th or 5th gear at 20 mph and acceleration is very sluggish and also switching into manual gear control is completely unresponsive. Power drop at 15 mph, the transmission jumping into what feels like 4th or 5th gear at 20 mph, and sluggish acceleration — is consistent with the clutch pack slipping and the TCM essentially giving up on lower gears and defaulting to a higher gear to protect itself. Manual mode being completely unresponsive is a significant red flag — it means the TCM may have entered a limp or failsafe mode where it’s overriding driver input entirely.

NHTSA ODI 11740054

The power window motor and regulator on the drivers side failed to roll up the window. It was raining and made it stessful driving home . The window was stuck down and the rain was soaking the inside of the car. Very distracting while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11739666

delayed response when accelerating from a stop

NHTSA ODI 11737752

Oil drains very fast even with regular oil changes and maintenance. The vehicle began shaking and then completely stopped with very little warning. Check engine light flashed for under 60 seconds then vehicle would not move forward on the highway creating a major safety hazard. Engine smelled hot and like burning rubber.

NHTSA ODI 11737712

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle needed an oil consumption cleaning. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11736165

The engine in this 2016 Hyundai Tucson has experienced progressive failure symptoms consistent with the known rod bearing defect covered under Hyundai's engine warranty extension campaign. Symptoms include: excessive oil consumption requiring frequent top-offs over several months, severely degraded acceleration, failure to upshift under load, and an audible metallic crunching noise occurring around 4,000 RPM. A knock sensor fault code (P1326) was previously triggered (on 2/16/26), confirmed by a mechanic (on 2/17/26), and cleared. The dealer was visited (on 2/17/26) and refused to perform the campaign repair, stating no active code was present at that time. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem has not been confirmed by the dealer despite a visit; the dealer declined to act citing absence of an active code. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. Warning symptoms include the prior knock sensor code, oil consumption, loss of power, and the current mechanical noise. Symptoms first appeared several months ago and have progressively worsened. The dealer's refusal to act under the existing campaign despite documented symptoms has left this vehicle in a dangerous condition on public roads.

NHTSA ODI 11735304

Both rear doors actuators will not allow to open from inside or outside, the passenger will open from inside and the driver door intermittently is the same and I have to juggle the handle or smack above the handle to get it to open on driver side. The passenger is only opening from inside and have to smack above the handle or put pressure to door to have the actuator release....both rear doors do not open at all. This is a safety egress issue. I have minor children and they cannot get out of the vehicle and if an emergency, the first responders cannot get into it.

NHTSA ODI 11733931

I have had 3 window motors go out in the last 7 months.

NHTSA ODI 11732553

Took vehicle to dealership and had it diagnosed for the electrical system faults cause all the dashboard warning lights came on. Shop said it could be bad vacuum pump.

NHTSA ODI 11731943

Driver side door lock actuator failure yesterday. 4/10/26 Purchased this car 8/15/25 was not told there was a problem and recall

NHTSA ODI 11730617

Three power window regulators have failed on my 2016 Hyundai Tucson within a six-month period. The front driver and front passenger windows both failed first and required replacement. The rear driver-side window has now also failed and is currently stuck in the open position. When the failures occur, the window will move up slightly but then drop back down or will not stay closed, indicating a failure of the regulator mechanism rather than normal wear. The fact that multiple window regulators have failed in a short period suggests a defect or premature failure of this component. This creates a safety concern because one window is stuck open, exposing the vehicle interior to weather, reducing security, and potentially affecting driver visibility and safe operation. This appears to be a known issue with this model year, but my vehicle is not included in any recall.

NHTSA ODI 11729862

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. Moments later, the vehicle stalled after driving a very short distance. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence to perform an oil change and found metal shavings inside the oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11727954

All dash warning lights are on and dash lights have a intermittent bright light surge. Hard to shut off engine and have to disconnect battery for electric power to shut off. Very noticeable hesitation in acceleration starting to drive

NHTSA ODI 11727692

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while attempting to buckle the driver's side seat belt, the seat belt failed to buckle securely, and the seat belt failed to retract as designed. The contact had not attempted to pull on the seat belt and the seat belt was unable to buckle securely. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer was contacted dealer and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,361.

NHTSA ODI 11727504

Hyundai Tucson Sport 2016 GDI engine. I am the original owner of this truck I have taken care of this truck so much it being my first brand new purchase. No oil leaks NOTHING! When I first purchased the vehicle I noticed that it would stall when I would accelerate but did not think too much of it since it was brand new. A few years passed started to notice frequent oil changes were supposed to be made. Another few years turbocharger went out had to get it replaced. The engine consumes so much oil at first I thought it was because the turbocharger was out so when I got it fixed I thought that would fix that issue and it didn’t. I got an oil change March 2, 2026 and on March 21, 2026 I was on the highway and the truck started to shake really bad I exited the highway went straight to the oil place they said I had no oil on the dipstick I got ANOTHER oil change (expensive) and when I turned on the car to leave the car shook again and the engine light was flickering on and off and finally stayed on the dash board. Barely made it home. Got a tow truck to tow it to Hyundai dealership they told me they will not see it unless I pay the diagnostic fee of $200 and even then they think it’s the engine with everything I described to them. They said since there are no recalls on the Tucson that Hyundai will not do anything for me I would have to pay out of pocket for everything. Had to pay the tow truck again to tow it to my house ($250). My car has all the symptoms all the other cars have that they have recalled. This is a huge safety issue because i drive on the highway a lot and everyone knows a car with no oil is extremely dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11727134

I had ANOTHER door latch lock assembly fail on my 2016 Hyundai Tucson. There was a TSB for this issue that the dealership said expired for my vehicle three months ago. They wanted a $200 diagnostic fee for a total repair of close to $1000. They confirmed it was another door latch lock assembly, although I’m not sure how because the door would not open from the inside OR the outside. When the rear passenger side assembly failed a week ago, my kids were stuck in the back of the vehicle. This is a potentially dangerous issue that Hyundai seems to be aware of. If the front driver’s side goes at the wrong time, and I am not able to open my door, it could have disastrous consequences. I could become trapped in my car in the event of an accident, fire, etc. Hyundai needs to recall all door latch assemblies and just replace them all free of charge. It’s ridiculous that it’s a guessing game of when they might stop functioning properly and potentially trap you inside the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11726847