2016 Hyundai Tucson
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 1,620 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 21 Tucson model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 14 involved a crash and 26 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 outsideSep 4, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) recalled certain 2019-2021 Tucson vehicles on September 4, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Hyundai expanded the recall population, and added certain 2016-2018 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-lock Brake Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) could corrode internally and cause an electrical short, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire.
An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury or crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HECU fuse. For 2019-2021 model years, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) software will also be updated. Recall repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. The recall began November 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 195.
Campaign 20V543000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringNov 21, 2016
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that, due to a malfunction of the tow hitch module, may result, in the trailer brake lights being constantly illuminated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 153.
Campaign 16V842000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Aug 30, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 20, 2015 through May 31, 2016 and equipped with a 7-speed EcoShift Dual Clutch Transmission. Certain driving conditions and high temperatures may cause the vehicle to not move if the accelerator pedal is pressed and released repeatedly.
Inability to move the vehicle while in traffic may increase the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Transmission Control Module software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 28, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 149.
Campaign 16V628000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchMay 24, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015 to March 14, 2016. In the affected vehicles, if the primary hood latch has been released, and the vehicle is driven, the secondary hood latch may not hold adequately secure the hood to prevent it from opening while the vehicle is in motion.
If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch cannot secure the hood, the hood may unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary hood latch, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 145.
Campaign 16V348000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lighting, tail lightsMar 10, 2016
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Hyundai Tucson vehicles manufactured May 26, 2015 to January 15, 2016 and equipped with an accessory trailer hitch harness either included with the accessory trailer hitch or sold as a service part. In the affected vehicles, when the vehicle's engine is running and the brake lights are illuminated, if the turn signal is activated, the trailer turn signal lights will either turn off or remain continuously illuminated (not flash). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Failure to illuminate the trailer's turn signal lights would prevent the communication of the driver's intent, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began on May 2, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9640. Hyundai's number for this recall is 142.
Campaign 16V147000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
216 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 19, 2024
3 of my window motors do not work and my windows now will not roll up or down.
Electrical system, Oct 19, 2024
Purchased a 2016 Hyundai Tucson with approx. 79,000. Was driving with all windows down one day. From the driver side window switch panel, I attempted to roll up the rear, left window.. The window would not roll up. The window rolls down when using the driver’s window switches for the left, rear window, but will not roll up. The rear left window switch will operate the window up and down only. Discovered this problem when going through a drive through car wash and the window would not roll up. Needless to say, the interior of my car got a good cleaning that day.
Electrical system, Oct 12, 2024
Passenger window regulator went out, then my window and my back passenger window went out and now I have 2 windows that cannot stay up and have paper holding them up.
Electrical system, Sep 6, 2024
All four window regulators have failed. The plastic gear has totally disintegrated and has had to be replaced. I have noticed that this has been reported by customers numerous times. I hope that we may be reimbursed for the failure of the part since it is very, very common among these models. I have retained all receipts for parts and labor.
Electrical system, Aug 29, 2024
Driver window won’t go up & front passenger window won’t go down.
Power train, Electrical system, Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that when the vehicle was stopped, after depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then lunged forward. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V628000 (Power Train, Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Electrical system, Structure, Jul 10, 2024
I own a 2016 Hyundai Tucson and have noticed that NONE of the doors other than the driver door will open either from the inside or outside. I have small children that I drive to and from school, activities. If we were to get into a wreck or were to run off rode into a body of water my children could drown or die due to doors not opening. This seems to be a very common issue with Hyundai and needs to be addressed and recalled and fixed by dealership immediately!
Electrical system, Jun 11, 2024
Three of the four windows will not roll up and down.
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 1, 2024
Ever since I bought my vehicle off the lot, my oil has been burning and/or leaking from the engine. I have been having to put oil in every 2-3 weeks. Also as a result of the oil problem, the oil gets on the spark plugs and coils and erodes them causing them to burn out every 6 months. The first instance I had with this problem was on a road trip to Texas from Tennessee alone. All four spark plugs began faltering on the highway where the speed limit was 75mph, easily a dangerous situation for a malfunctioning engine. I had to pay to repair my vehicle the next day and it totaled to a little under $600. I have been checking for recalls on my specific vehicle for months but have seen none, despite there being similar recalls on other Hyundai vehicles. The electrical problem I’ve been experiencing is the windows start falling in to the doors or don’t roll down at all. Currently I have three windows with this problem, one of which I have had repaired.
Electrical system, May 3, 2024
My rear passenger door will not open from the inside or outside. My front passenger door has difficulties opening, I have to try to handle a few times. The front passenger door has been since I purchased the vehicle in 2022 but the rear passenger vehicle just started 5/2/24. The alternator has already been replaced as of 2022 and the front passenger motor has already been replaced as of April 2024 because the window stopped going up. And all of these have been at my expense!! I have read owner blogs that have all of these same issues. This is a HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. What if there is an emergency and I can't get my child safely out of his car seat? These issues, especially the door actuators, needs to be a recall and fixed immediately at no expense to the owners.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 19, 2024
I have a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. So far I had to have both the front driver side and passenger side window regulators replaced. I just recently noticed that both of my back windows do not work. I currently have an appointment with the Hyundai dealer to replace both of the back window regulators. I drive around with a piece of duck tape holding the back windows up. Hyundai has to know that this is a problem. Hyundai requires an anti theft recall but it’s useless as anyone can pull my windows down by force due to broken regulator in each door. Insanely ridiculous and unsafe.
Electrical system, Engine, Mar 28, 2024
I was driving home from work and heard knocking sound come from engine. No sensors came on to alert me of any problem. I pulled over and checked oil. There was no oil and it was not due for oil change for another 1,000 miles. Oil is always changed between 3-5K miles. Took it to Gettel Hyundai dealership where it was purchased. They are unable to explain what or why this happened. Took claim out with Hyundai as there is only 60K miles. Hyundai and dealership offered no help because warranty had ended. Just told me it needed a new engine for $8K. Hyundai corporate denied claim also citing lack of service. That is not a valid reason and makes no sense. We provided every paper receipt showing diligent oil changes and required mile maintenance. They never bothered to do an engine oil burning test. After researching this online there is a well-known problem with these engines burning oil. There was no oil leaking. Why did NO sensor alert me there was no oil? This seems like a major safety concern. Hyundai is refusing to take responsibility for this problem and needs to address this properly. This car engine should be recalled.
Electrical system, Mar 24, 2024
Window regulator is not working in all the Windows I spend more 1000 dolars just to fixed the front ones still waiting to have money to fix the back ones the parts are made from cheap material this should be a recall
Power train, Electrical system, Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that after the vehicle came to a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lurched forward but hesitated to accelerate immediately. An unknown warning light illuminated, and the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC Code: P073F (Unable to Engage Gear 1), but no repair was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V628000 (Power Train, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Mar 2, 2024
When both driving and idling, the car will either stall or feel like it is about to stall, when all of a sudden the vehicle “pauses” for a second and then all of the dashboard lights come on. This has now happened at least 4 times in the past month. It will reset after turning the car off, but on more than one occasion after turning the car off, the engine doesn’t restart right away. Thankfully, the car has restarted and it resets the dashboard lights. My safety is a concern if my car stalls while driving at any speed! I have yet to take it to the dealer, as there’s a VERY long wait for an appointment - another recurring issue. No one has inspected this for me, and it is very concerning. There is plenty of evidence that this is happening to others in both online forums and Hyundai owners sites online.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Dec 29, 2023
The engine began to make a knocking noise. Upon our inspection, the vehicle had lost all oil. Vehicle was towed to our local dealership. Dealership informed us a bearing had become worn causing rapid oil loss and a rod to break, sending metal shards into the engine compartment. Engine could have seized up or caught on fire, had the vehicle continued to run. Dealership informed us of other Hyundai recalls for the same issue, however we were told our year/make/model was not included. Vehicle had been at same dealership 2 months prior for a heat/AC issue and a complete inspection was completed. No indication of bearing, oil, or engine issue was noted. No warning lights came on at any point.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Dec 14, 2023
Engine heating problems, electrical problems and now engine failure, the vehicle is no longer safe to drive. The vehicle is available for inspection. Other vehicles of same make, model, and year have been recalled for these issues however mine has not. I feel it has the same types of issues and safety concerns which should be recalled. The issues began with electrical problems inside the vehicle, random check engine lights coming on then off and other lights popping up in the dash board, the car was not accelerating properly, took the car in and they could not find a problem or fix it. The engine began heating and the speed of vehicle was also being affected. The car would randomly slow down quickly while on the highway at 70 MPH which happened a couple of times and was not safe at all, it could have caused a horrible accident. I could not accelerate enough to stay on the highway. That issue was fixed when we took the vehicle into the dealership to fix and should have been a recall as other cars where having the same issue. Hyundai should be held responsible for issues such as this that are affecting many other Hyundai Tucson drivers. Oil keeps depleting and the engine is burning through fast, also another concern and safety issue as that causes the engine to over heat and potentially cause a fire. A loud noise is coming from the vehicle, sounds like a helicopter it happened suddenly with no check engine light or warning. I'm concerned this car could catch fire, many Tucson's have had warning of catching fire. I don't park in our garage or even in the driveway for fear of that happening although they state ours is not supposed to be affected all these vehicle issues are telling me otherwise. Engine is now dead.This is unacceptable. Windows cannot be rolled down after multiple fixes that I paid for. Hyundai's poor production, manufacturing and quality control is unacceptable, please hold them responsible. Too much money has been spent on issues with no real results.
Electrical system, Dec 1, 2023
Front passenger door and rear passenger door will not open from the inside or outside. This is a major safety issue if someone has to get out in an emergency. I searched online and there are a ton of issues with the 2016 Hyundai Tucson in regards to the locking mechanisms in the doors.
Electrical system, Oct 27, 2023
None of my windows will go down. Vehicle has less than 25,000 miles.
Electrical system, Structure, Oct 8, 2023
Body: my vehicle has experienced a malfunction in the front passenger side door. This door does not open from the outside, regardless of it being unlocked. The failure occurs 99% of attempts to open said door. A repair was made by the dealer I purchased it from, yet the issue returned within a month. First incident: February 2022. Electrical: My vehicle has also experienced malfunctions in all four windows. The initial malfunction occurred in July 2023, when the front driver side window would not go down. Within a week of having the window regulator and motor replaced professionally, the window regulator failed again (would not go back up after being let down)-- with an additional failure in the front passenger side window regulator. The part was replaced for the second time by a different independent service provider. This time, the failure occurred when I inspected the service providers work. The part was reordered and replaced yet again. However; the service provider made me aware that the issue had occured again, shortly after they repaired it and began testing it. The window was blocked off to keep it from sliding down. The issue is now present in all four windows. Each time it is repaired, the window regulator drum gears are stripped within 3-4 uses. - Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. - failure/malfunction was inspected and confirmed by two different independent service providers. - there were no warning lights or signals aside from the initial failure leading to a failure in all four windows.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 21, 2023
My car has an engine oil leak that has been happening for over a year now since I bought it. I have to change my oil every 2,000 miles because of the leak, when Ive been told this car should be changing its oil for every 7,000 miles. My passenger door no longer opens from the outside once my car is unlocked. I have to put my window down in order to get inside and this is a safety hazard.
Electrical system, Sep 20, 2023
The windows of the 2016 Hyundai Tuscan go down and then the regulator went bad at that exact moment causing the windows to not go up, while driving on the highway. It is available for inspection. On a highway, I was going the speed limit between 65-70 MPH when I put one window down and attempted to put the window back up but I couldn’t. The pressure gets unbalanced and therefore impacts the drivers ears and passengers. I couldn’t even drive without the need to grab my ears because of the pressure. I had to pull over because the window wouldn’t go back up and the other windows wouldn’t go up after trying to balance the pressure in the car. I had to think quick and get on the side of the highway to figure out what happened. My ears wouldn’t stop popping and I couldn’t get back on the highway to get home. I had to drive slow off the following exit because the pain in my ears was so bad. This is a safety issue and isn’t the first time seeing this happen to people. The problem occurred out of nowhere, there were no warning signs and no indication this was going to happen. I confirmed my suspicions by going to a mechanic locally and sought out the issue being the regulator. This cannot be on consumers to repair. Out of all the issues that have been announced about this issue country wide, I’m surprised this has not been brought up before. This happened on 9/18/23 at night going home with my children. They had to cover their ears because of the pressure. I did not call the police or insurance company as I had not been in an accident. That doesn’t not mean this should be taken lightly. Had I not had thought of my kids in my car and thought quickly to pull over, we would have crashed.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 15, 2023
Recently the transmission was replaced because the original one was defective. After a couple of weeks, I had turned on the clean air control and it started blowing cold air, so I turned the heater control higher, and the air was even colder. I don't know why this started happening all of a sudden. I'm the type of driver that rarely turns on the heater or air conditioning, I always use the recycle air button that pulls from off the engine and from outside.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 4, 2023
I bought a used 2016 Hyundai Tucson locally. Had the car 3 days, & both rear window actuators had to be replaced. Had the car a week, oil pump/pan seal failed. Then the rear seal fail. Then the boot on the right CV joint failed. The aAC started blowing hot on the passenger side, while cold on the driver side, but I DON’T have dual controls for the temperature & it’s full. Bluetooth randomly connects/disconnects. Gas gauge is inaccurate says 40 miles left & then suddenly your light is on & it says you’ve 20. REPEATEDLY replaced my brake light bulbs/front turn signal bulbs, several times within a few months of each other, often on the same side. Having my phone plugged into the charging ports, the phone often overheats to the point of being too hot to touch. Even placed out of the sun’s rays, & shaded. Must pull front passenger door 2x externally before it will open. RR passenger door you can pull all day/push from inside /outside, doesn’t matter, WON’T OPEN.The car is equipped with a CVT, which allows you to shift manually if needed. Then the transmission refused to shift automatically. No codes would show. Today car died on me in the middle of the road, while I was turning, check engine is on, & car refuses to start. I was almost hit by cross traffic from both directions. A few people drove around me, before two very nice young men pushed my car out of the middle of the road onto the shoulder of a county road, on a holiday weekend. If not for a Good Samaritan, I’d have been walking 6 miles home in the dark. I’m almost 50, & a woman, & diabetic. The car has plenty of oil & coolant. Tried putting the car in neutral, still won’t start. Air filter is clean. Battery is good. Says it has gas; 40 miles til empty. Car tries to turn over but won’t catch. Tachometer will barely register to the line above zero, & even giving it gas makes NO difference. Have been told it is the timing & transmission. Dealer won’t honor extended warranty. Car has “just” passed Hyundai warranty.
Electrical system, Sep 3, 2023
The front passenger window failed to work. A week later drivers window failed to work. A week after repairing the two front windows the rear passenger side window failed to work. The failure of windows working is breaking of plastic regulators by faulty manufacturing parts. There should be a recall on these regulations. This is a safety issue!