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

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

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