What 122 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid

As I was pulling into a parking space in a parking garage, the vehicle's engine revved, tires squealed and then the vehicle propelled forward on its own, without my foot being on the accelerator. The vehicle only stopped when it hit a support column and the wall of the parking structure. There was extensive damage to my vehicle and to the parking structure wall. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk due to the car accelerating on its own. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by the dealer, but we did take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and they said they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle that would have caused the unintended acceleration. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer, the insurance company and an investigator for Hyundai. Hyundai infomed us that they are not taking any responsibility for anything that occurred and that they will not share their investigator's report with us. There were no warming lamps or messages related to the problem prior to the failure. However, there have been other occasions while driving on the open road when the engine has revved on its own and I told Hyundai about that. In doing our own research, we have found that there are other 2023 Hyundai Tucson drivers who have had this exact same problem (unintended acceleration causing a crash) while pulling into parking spaces. Additionally, the air bags did not deploy during the collision and therefore the incident was not recorded by the EDR.

NHTSA ODI 11711003

On [XXX] around [XXX] PM two Barnes County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a Reckless Driving Complaint. The Reckless Driving Complaint started on [XXX] and later crashed around [XXX] near [XXX]. Barnes County Sheriff Randy McClaflin said the reporting person, a [XXX] female, was also the driver of the reckless vehicle, a 2023 white Hyundai Tucson. of Fargo contacted the Barnes County Dispatch Center and reported her gas pedal was stuck and the vehicle she was driving was traveling at speeds of over 90 miles per hour. made multiple attempts to shut the vehicle off, place it in neutral/park and brake however, those attempts failed. One Barnes County Sheriff’s Deputy was able to position his patrol vehicle in front of vehicle while the other Barnes County Sheriff’s Deputy was able to position her patrol vehicle behind Both Deputies communicated with through a Barnes County Dispatcher while they attempted to disable vehicle. At one-point was able to slow her vehicle enough that she decided she could enter the median and use the cable barriers to stop the runaway vehicle before it struck a slow-moving vehicle ahead of the lead Deputy. entered the median and struck the cable barrier with the side of her vehicle. The vehicle became disabled. was uninjured and was taken to Mercy Hospital by Sheriff’s Deputies. The North Dakota Highway Patrol will be investigating the crash. Sheriff McClaflin said kept as calm as can be expected and due to her quick thinking, she was able to avoid causing any injuries to others on the roadway. Sheriff McClaflin would also like to remind everyone to please watch for emergency lighting while traveling on roadways INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11607070

The contact owned a 2023 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from an unknown location of the vehicle, after which the vehicle began to accelerate on its own. The driver attempted to stop the vehicle, but the brake pedal pulsated and failed to slow the vehicle, resulting in the driver briefly losing control of the vehicle and only coming to a complete stop after colliding with a utility pole. Both the driver and passenger side air bags deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The driver and passenger were both transported to an area hospital by EMT and treated for injuries to the chest sustained from the air bags. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 11598593