2015 Hyundai Tucson
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 227 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 9th highest complaint count among 21 Tucson model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 7 involved a crash and 8 involved a fire. 7 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/modulePark outsideFeb 3, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, and 2014-2015 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and cause an electrical short, which could result in an engine compartment fire.
An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS multi-fuse, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 218.
Campaign 22V056000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
227 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Apr 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 4, 2022
I bought My SUV on January 14th 2022, and it presented a recall problem on February 05th, 2022. On the way from Bethlehem to New York, my daughter was driving the vehicle, when it slowed down in the middle of the highway, put my daughter live in risks and it did not accelerate and she moved to the edge and called 911. I called the AUTOProved staff, the dealership I unfortunately bought my SUV from, immediately when my car broke down. On February 23rd the warranty company sent me a tow truck, which picked the vehicle to the dealer's shop from my house, and the Dealer's staff have been providing misleading information to me ever since. (They told me I couldn't call Hyundai, because this vehicle was in their name.) Now, I completely understand that my car might not be the only one they or you have to work with, however, as you may notice it's been two entire months and neither the dealership, nor the Hyundai company have provided me with neither a solution, nor any service, or helpful information to my problem. I've exhausted every possible method to get an answer from the dealership. I've emailed them, called them, personally went to the site several times, sent them messages, and they have been giving me false information about my vehicle, ignored my calls, picked up and said they will call me back with information and never called, or say that nothing can be done about my car and/or that it is MY responsibility to pay for the recall problem of my car for it to be fixed after previously telling me that I didn't have to pay for anything and as you state on your letter to me. On March 18th 2022 the AUTOProved staff, told me that my Tucson was towed to their shop and that they will have to work on it because you, Hyundai, refused to fix the problem. Lastly on March 31st I called the Warranty company to claim the rental car refund, but they said that they did have not a claim for the vehicle from the dealer staff.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 15, 2022
Previous History: Vehicle already required an engine replacement - short block assembly. Current Details: DTC P01326 - While driving - Check Engine Light blinks & vehicle's acceleration is immediately reduced, causing dangerous disruption to the flow of traffic while merging into traffic from exit ramps, at traffic lights, stop signs, turns etc. Has been to dealer 3x for diagnosis and repair. Jan 2022 - 1st attempt - Knock Sensor replaced (Recall 966 was performed in Nov 2021) 2nd attempt - Knock Sensor software updated - 3rd attempt - Knock Sensor disconnected and reconnected. After each repair attempt the vehicle continued to suffer reduced acceleration and blinking check engine light while driving within a day or two. 4th time - DTC P0087 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure - Too Low & DTC P2191 System too Lean at Higher Load (Multiple) (Bank 1). These are "new" codes discovered by subsequent Hyundai dealership after the 3rd repair attempt unresolved by the original selling dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. The warning check engine lights did appear at the same time as the reduced acceleration and occurred each time spontaneously while driving. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There are additional complaints involving 2015 Hyundai Tucsons listed on the NHTSA website which I do not see connected to a current or previous recall. However, I do see Hyundai issued a recall # 207 in 09/2021. Please note the similarities of referenced complaints show the first 8 characters KM8JT3AF of the VIN show a direct correlation to manufacturer and engine types. Also note, there is an open unresolved recall # 218 with the potential to cause fires and currently has NO REMEDY available. Recommendations from Hyundai are to park vehicle away from buildings and continue driving even with fire hazard?
Engine, Mar 10, 2022
While driving down an interstate I accelerated to pass a semi truck. Immediately after passing the truck I took an exit and about halfway off the ramp my car lost all power...no noises or notifications. Had to coast to side of road. Once car was off thr road the engine light oil light and battery light were all lit. I bought a new battery and it did not fix my car. I had a mechanic look at my car and they believe the engine siezed up. The dealership said there is 3 recalls now on my car but engine is not one of them though is probably should be. Was told it would take 3-4 months to get my car in due so many needing repaired. I do not understand how this hasn't been recalled yet. I had my 1 yr old and 2 yr old in the car with me. If my car had quit just 10 seconds earlier we would have likely died. This is not ok for them to keep selling these cars with engine problems. Someone needs to open a lawsuit against hyundai.
Service brakes, Feb 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the brakes were stuck without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. No further information was available. The failure milage was 71,000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 11, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2015 Hyundai Tucson. The contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine, Feb 9, 2022
My husband had taken my vehicle to work one day. He called me and told me that the car had shut off and wouldn’t restart. He had just turned onto a major highway and was able to pull off to the side of the road. We thought it might have been the key fob, so I brought the other fob with me. Still nothing. The brakes were stiff and the dash would light up, but the engine wouldn’t turn over. We had the car towed back to our home. We replaced the battery and starter, and after doing research, have come to the conclusion there is something in the engine that is causing the engine to not turn over. We believe we’ve narrowed it to the timing chain. Our next step is to take it to the dealership and have it evaluated, but possibly looking to upgrade.
Engine, Jan 21, 2022
After inspection by the mechanic it was determined that the engine seized. The vehicle is currently at the garage and is available. At the time the engine seized we were on the highway with a speed limit of 70 mph. The vehicle shut off but luckily I was able to pull over safely onto the shoulder. I had my entire family in the vehicle so I definitely feel our safety was at risk. The vehicle has only been inspected by my mechanic. The oil was changed less than two months ago and was changed at regular intervals. There was no warning lights or messages prior to the vehicle losing power. Once it lost power the oil light and engine light came on.
Engine, Jan 12, 2022
Our 2015 Tucson has the G4NC DOHC GDI engine, which unfortunately isn’t listed in any current engine settlement as of the writing of this complaint. Our engine started to rev at considerably high rpms while driving up hill, followed by a subsequent loss of power and speed. We managed to make it to the top of the hill and pull over, traversing over multiple lanes in front of on-coming semi trucks and other fast moving traffic with our hazards on. Upon pulling over, our engine died. There were no red or amber warning/caution lights on the dash, nor did the check engine light illuminate during the incident. After a few attempts at restarting the engine, we finally got it started and drove it home and brought it to the dealer the next day. They diagnosed it as a “clogged catalytic converter.” Although seemingly a secondary issue, and no further information as to what actually caused the clog in the vehicle inspection report, we reluctantly dished out the $3,200 for the repair of the vehicle we so desperately needed for work. They also installed a “knock-sensor” update. A couple months later… When driving the vehicle to work, the check engine light illuminates and flashes on and off continually. After pulling the vehicle over to a stop and consulting a Hyundai mechanic, I had the vehicle towed to a Hyundai dealership for diagnostics. Turns out the knock sensor update is what caused the engine light to illuminate to “prevent severe engine damage,” and I’m left with a large bill for engine repairs. Will the G4NC engine be investigated by the NHTSA? Will Hyundai honor my drive train warranty? Will Hyundai Corporate ever call me back? Tune in next week…
Other or unspecified, Jan 11, 2022
Oil consumption. Why is my car using so much oil? I do regular oil changes and I’m always 1 -2 quarts low when I go in for my oil changes. Last oil change. I was told to come back in 1000 miles. I’m 300 miles shy of that and I checked it and I was already a quart low. With all the complaints that I’ve just read. You’d think you a recall be done. Or taking the cars off the market. What I’m a supposed to do in the meantime about this? Help!! Emmett Idaho
Engine, Jan 7, 2022
Driving down the street and the vehicle suddenly shut off in the middle of the roadway. Vehicle would not restart. Engine oil leaking out of tail pipe was noticed when vehicle was being placed on tow truck. Towed to Hyundai. They say seized engine and not covered under warranty due to low oil. No lights came on dash to include low oil or check engine. Only 66,000 miles. Oil last changed less than 4,000 miles. If there was no oil then how is it possible oil leaking from tail pipe. Looked at similar complaints. Appears rods and bearings are braking in these motors. 55 mph road when car suddenly shut off. Could have seriously injured driver. Could have caused serious accident. Hyundai does not stand by their product and warranty.
Other or unspecified, Dec 22, 2021
Knock sensor repeatedly puts the car in limp mode. Loss of acceleration is dangerous. Dealer resets sensor and claims can't find anything wrong. This issue is widely reported.
Engine, Dec 1, 2021
My engine ceased while driving, leaving me stranded on the road. I had it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealer that was supposed to do any warranty repairs. Prior to this, I was needing to replace the oil, about 1 quart per week. I did my routine service maintenance and they tried replacing a seal or gasket but that did not stop the problem from reoccurring. When the car was brought to the dealer, the oil was low but there still was some oil in the engine. My engine light never came on to warn me about any issues. The car was sluggish and sputter which was when I would check the oil and put more oil in. I know there was a lawsuit which was settled with engine problems for the same make, year and model as mine but I have not received any recall notice for engine problems for my vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Oct 12, 2021
There are a lot of reports stating that Hyundai doors stop opening and a recall should be done to fix the problem. I had my rear passenger door stop opening from the inside and outside of the vehicle. It is a safety issue in case of an accident and I’m am not able to get into that door to get to my children in the back seat especially if the other door is damaged in the accident or if there is a car fire. Please check into this it is a safety issue and my vehicle only has 67000 miles on it.
Structure, Oct 11, 2021
Rear passenger door handle stopped working. Door locks and unlocks but the door won't open. This is a serious safety issue that could lead to entrapment of a passenger. Problem is NOT intermittent and a local mechanic confirmed it. Vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or anyone else other than my mechanic.
Electrical system, Oct 2, 2021
On date of incident, I had accelerated to enter onto the Major Deegan Expressway in Bronx,NY and made my way into the left lane when I felt the vehicle hesitate a second and downshifted in speed with some of the dashboard lights turning on. I was able to safely get to the emergency shoulder where the vehicle stopped and would not start again thought it had power. I was towed off the highway some hours later. The vehicle was towed to Central Avenue Hyundai in Hartsdale,NY for service on September 7, 2021 under my Hyundai warranty plan. A few days later I was advised by Ryan of the service area that the engine was the problem and needed to be replaced. Currently awaiting approval from warranty for that work to take place.
Engine, Sep 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. A few days later the contact was driving to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic when the vehicle loss motive power and stalled. The contact was able to get the vehicle to restart and get the vehicle slowly into a neighborhood where the vehicle stalled again. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Sep 24, 2021
Twice in the last nine months (roughly December 14, 2020 at 67,000 miles & 9/7/21 at 84,300 miles) I have been left stranded on the side of the highway due to what two different Hyundai dealerships call "complete engine failure", which requires the replacement of the entire engine. Ultimately, when I asked what a "complete engine failure" entailed, the dealerships both told me there were metal flakes throughout my engine and that the engine had to be replaced. Both times the symptoms were as follows: loss of acceleration and a horrible ticking noise. The gas pedal is pushed to the floor and the car will not move forward. "Pop" or "Knock" and the engine starts smoking. No check engine light. No check oil pressure light. This is all within about 2 minutes. Moving from 65mph to 0 in a matter of 90 seconds without braking, when you have a semi truck behind you is terrifying. You put your hazards on immediately, pull over as soon as possible, and pray that nobody hits you. You try to stop and your brakes don't seem to be doing their job but you are finally able to stop. Once you've pulled over and the car stops smoking, you pop the hood. Immediately you notice the dipstick for the oil is about halfway out of the engine and oil has exploded everywhere under the hood. I purchased the car 14 months ago and so far, four of those months it has been undriveable due to complete engine failure, requiring replacement and fighting with Hyundai to do the right thing and repair it, which they refuse to do. Even when there is an active campaign (Campaign 966) to update the software to trigger a warning light. The campaign was issued 3/30/21 & I just received notification via first class presorted mail to have the software updated on 9/11/21. They say they won't make the repairs because it is out of warranty. I call lies. This is a direct result of failing to notify me in a timely manner to get the software update that would have at least supposedly triggered a warning light.
Engine, Sep 15, 2021
My car Tucson is 2015 model. Since early 2018, RPM has risen while driving, cars have been shaken, and engine check lights have continued to come in. When I went to the car repair shop and checked, my car said it was an engine piston defect. And engine oil also disappears 500 to 1,000 miles after replenishment. So I have to make up for it regularly. I'm very nervous about the car, so I have to turn on the engine before departure and leave after 5 minutes, and I have a lot of inconvenience due to this and that problems. I want to know more about what my car is like and I desperately need your help.
Engine, Aug 29, 2021
On April 16, 2021 my husband was driving our 2015 Hyundai Tucson home from work at 10:30pm. Upon entering Interstate 77 S the Tucson suddenly came to a complete stop. He was able to get it off the side of the interstate. There were no dash lights that came on or noises to give warning this was about to happen. We had not had any issues with the vehicle till then. We had the Tucson towed to the car lot where we had purchased it on 12.26.2020. This could have caused accidents that could have harmed not only my husband but others traveling that interstate that night. Other than the mechanics that replaced the engine and an individual from Warranty Solutions no one else inspected the blown engine. We spent $6948.55 for a rebuilt engine and labor. We were without our vehicle from 04.16.2021 until 08.28.2021. Hyundai had a recall on engine components but for some reason ours was NOT included. I strongly feel it should have been. Not only did this failure put my husband in danger but also anyone traveling that interstate that night.
Engine, Aug 5, 2021
At 40,000 miles with no warning engine stalled while driving Upon inspection by dealership Bore Scope Scarring on all cyl walls predominate on 1 and 2 rf suspects lower engine issue Oil change records were provided
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 23, 2021
Driving down the road and suddenly the check engine light came one and the engine started producing a knocking sound. I called several dealerships and had a couple of them run the VIN, which they said there are no recalls. However one dealer had mentioned that Hyundai vehicles, including Tucsons are starting to come in at astonishing rates with the same problem I have. I called Hyundai USA and they said there have been some known issues with engine failure describing the same problems mine has along with some known to have increased oil consumption, but they do not know why. They even said that sometimes the owners would not know of the increase in oil consumption and it could in turn cause engine fires. Any dealership I have contacted said due to the increase of vehicles brought in with the same problem, they are unable to even look at my vehicle for a month and to repair is possibly several months out.
Engine, Jul 20, 2021
Engine failure. I changed car oil and filter every 3,000 miles. A strong noise came from the engine and Pep Boys mechanic say I needs oil. I changed oil ,drove one mile and the car stop.
Engine, Jul 20, 2021
I purchased this vehicle after it had been leased. I purchased it with 48K miles in December 2018. I have maintained the vehicle, per the manufacturer's guidelines. In July 2021,at 69K miles, a high-pitched whirring sound came from engine when gas was applied. The noise did not occur when vehicle is in idle. The noise came suddenly when I was accelerating getting on a highway (on ramp). I took to my trusted mechanic immediately and they haven't been able to diagnose the issue at this time. However, they found busted metal pieces in the pan and have ruled out more common issues, like serpentine belt, timing belts, and exhaust. My mechanic was so far into the engine trying to find the clearly broken part (or parts), that it will be more cost effective to just replace the engine. I contacted my local Hyundai dealership, and they ignored my emails (until this point). A safety concern is that the car could still be driven, even though there was clearly something wrong with the engine. There were no warning lights of any kind in the dash, before or after the engine sound came on. Also, a qualified mechanic could not find/replace the broken part, and Hyundai is ignoring my engine issue requests. I also contacted Hyundai USA and am waiting for a response. The vehicle's engine, if defective, is out of warranty because I am second owner. The second owner warranty only lasts to 60K miles.
Power train, Engine, Jul 6, 2021
I was driving and there was a knocking noise from the engine and loss of power. I opened the hood and noticed a pulley on the belt that looked loose and had the car towed to the dealership. According to them they know this particular engine Theta model has been an issue for fires and engine failure with components breaking internally but no recalls have been addressed for my VIN number even though there are hundreds of thousands of customers with the same issues and only some recalls have been made. Ultimately leaving the customer with the bill. This is a very dangerous situation and reading hundreds of comments on various sites and these incidents happening in other countries as well with this engine, there should be a huge investigation and something being done about this.