What 11 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Hev

Date: Sunday, XXX at approximately 10:30 AM Location: LAZ Parking Garage, [XXX] Details: While exiting the parking garage at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly engaged automatic braking, causing the vehicle to make contact with a yellow pole in the garage. As a result of the impact, the front fender and bumper sustained damage. There was one occupant in the vehicle (myself), and I was wearing my seatbelt at the time of the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11750960

My 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid has lost drive/propulsion three times at freeway speed within the first month of ownership. The loss of power is sudden, and the vehicle does not re-engage drive for approximately 15–20 seconds. On July 5, 2026, at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost propulsion entirely and went limp in live freeway traffic, forcing me to coast off the freeway. Drive was only restored by shutting the engine off and restarting it. Two earlier occurrences happened on July 5, 2026 (earlier in the same drive) and on June 14, 2026. The vehicle is currently at the dealer service department; no fault codes were found and the technician could not reproduce the condition. This is an intermittent but repeatable loss of vehicle control at highway speed and I consider it a serious safety hazard with crash potential. Hyundai Consumer Affairs case #xxxxxxx is open on this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11748907

The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while slowly driving into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly stopped and then suddenly jolted forward and crashed into a guard rail and steel fence in front of the local Post Office. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged, but no air bags deployed. No injuries were reported. A Police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not contacted after the failure. The contact was later informed of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V316000 (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 7,700.

NHTSA ODI 11747172

After purchase, I drove home on the highway and noticed an obvious rattle/vibration. I returned the vehicle 3 times before it was finally discovered that there was a defect in the drive shaft. To hide the defect, during manufacturing multiple balance weights were installed on the same side of the drive shaft to allow it to pass safety checks, despite posing a major safety risk. The vehicle has been declared a Lemon and they must repurchase, but I suspect this problem will extend beyond my one vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11746828

There was a recent recall for the forward collision cameras that were causing breaking issues. This happened 4 or 5 times with the vehicle slamming on the brakes violently. I took it into Tustin Hyundai last month and had the software recall applied. The issue happened again on the 55 highway on June 20th at 6pm going approximately 35mph. Vehicle in front of me hard braked and applied brakes under control coming to a stop when the car took over and slammed on the brakes skidding the vehicle sideways

NHTSA ODI 11745419

Camera malfunction sign with "NO CAMERA SIGNAL RECEIVED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER" pops up at random times when trying to backup, or park in a lane.

NHTSA ODI 11744122

An alarm keeps going off warning the driver to take a break. The vehicle has an infrared sensor watching your eyes. If you look right or left it keeps sounding an alarm for you to take a break. It has gone off as many as eleven times in fifty miles even though I NEVER cross the center line or the fog line. I’m not doing anything but paying attention to my driving which includes looking right and left for cross traffic, pedestrians, animals, etc. I’ve driven over a million miles and have never been charged with an accident, have a clean license, and take a safe driving course every three years. On 6/2/26 a young child on an electric bike pulled right out in front of me and I nearly hit him. He was about five years old and didn’t look. I was watching to my left and saw him coming and stopped in time. This device/warning warns against looking for anything to either side of the road. I’m a retired automotive quality engineer and this feature is the antithesis of safety. I can’t believe it ever passed a DFMEA design review. The dealer says it can’t be shut off. There’s already alerts/alarms to warn against leaving your driving lane. This serves no useful purpose and poses a hazard to defensive driving.

NHTSA ODI 11743151

Car suddenly braked on three separate occasions with enough space between vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11741296

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11740648

I was driving - the car in front of me signaled they were exiting my lane, I accelerated to pull up - the auto brake triggered for no reason, slamming my car to a stop without my consent. This caused the car behind me to rear end the rear passenger side of my car, causing minor cosmetic damage.

NHTSA ODI 11740128

The contact test drove a 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. The contact stated that while stopped, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond as expected. While releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle responded and moved. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11724847