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What 43 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (43)Crash / fire / injury (13)Driver assistance (24)Brakes (12)Electrical system (5)Lane Departure (2)Lights (2)Body & structure (1)Engine (1)Fuel system (1)Steering (1)Tires (1)

2 of 43 complaints match · Lights · clear filters

Jun 11, 2026Lights

On my 2026 Hyundai Tucson Limited, the HVAC touch-panel status indicators are extremely difficult to see in daylight conditions. The illuminated indicators for A/C, recirculation, vent mode selection, and heated/cooled seat levels become washed out by sunlight and reflections. From the normal driving position, the indicators are often not visible. To determine the status of HVAC functions, I must lean forward and/or shield the panel with my hand to see the illuminated indicators. This requires additional driver attention and time looking away from the road. The condition occurs even with instrument panel illumination set to maximum and display settings to maximum. We had the suv at the hyundai dealer and showed the service adviser the problem and he agreed is was a design problem. It is especially a problem in lots of traffic these days when you have to lean over/closer or cup your hand to see the settings which requires taking your eyes off the road and your hand off the steering wheel for a long period of time, creating a distraction and safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11743554

May 4, 2026Lights

Rear turn light visibility, turn signals are a foot off the ground and hard to see by cars following due to location on the bumper. This is only pertaining to the 4th generation Tucson (current), not any other generation. We didn't realize the issue when we bought the car, nor did we realize the placement in the bumpers. However someone stated it was hard to see the blinkers, especially in the rain. At first we thought the wiring had come undone, but then we noticed the same issue on all 2025-2026 model Tucsons. Then I noticed this video on Youtube and realized it's been a problem. This gentleman seems to have a fix, which imo should already be done, maybe Hyundai accidently missed the hookup when making the vehicle. It seems the brake lights were meant to be hooked up as blinkers and the rear horizontal line light was to be a part of the braking lights. Anyway the way the current blinkers a placed is where the backup lights should be. Please help with this, it's definitely a safety issue in the rear back and or rear quarter side panel turning of the vehicle. Visibility is very poor to say the least. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11735597

Working with the data? Download all 43 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2026 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid verdict →