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: latches/locks/linkages
157 reports, newest first. Show all
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 23, 2021
When obviously unlocked, can feel lock disengage and see lock indicator pop out, door does not open unless handle is pulled multiple times. Driver side was repaired under warranty; both passenger side doors have the same problem but started after warranty.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 22, 2021
Rear passenger doors will not open even when unlocked, child safety feature is not on. This is a safety concern in an emergency situation. Doors will not open from the inside or outside.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 19, 2021
Left passenger door will not open. I have found multiple examples on the internet. The door will not open using the inside or outside handle.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 18, 2021
I am having the same problem as hundreds of others were the door actuators in 3/4 of my doors no longer function properly. Driver's side rear door cannot be opened from the inside or out. Front two doors have to be opened from the inside. Passenger side rear door is the only one that works properly.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 16, 2021
The locking mechanism of the driver's door as well as the rear door on the driver's side has malfunctioned. The driver's door requires the exterior handle to be pulled 3-6 times before the door will open (it opens on the first pull from the inside. The rear door does not open at all from either the inside or the outside. The issue with the driver's door started to occur in Feb 2021, or at approximately 50k - 55k miles. The issue with the rear door started to occur in May 2021, or at approximately 55k - 58k miles. I have not yet had the issue inspected by a dealer or independent mechanic, but will be soon. The rear door is a significant safety issue. If a severe enough accident occurred including a fire or rollover, or a collision to the passenger side that rendered the passenger side doors inoperable, occupants in the rear seat would not be able to exit the vehicle. I am also worried that the driver's door and possibly the passenger side doors will begin to not function at all. I have ready on many Hyundai forums that this is a common issue to all Hyundai models manufactured in the 2010s.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 16, 2021
THE LEFT SIDE REAR DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE .. ALSO NOW THE DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND GETTING WORSE BY THE DAY. NOT BEING ABLE TO GET MY CHILD IN OR OUT OF THE CAR ON THE LEFT SIDE IS VERY WORRIESOME IF THERE WAS ANY TYPE OF AN EMERGANCY. IT HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED AS OF YET BUT I AM TAKING IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW 6.17.21. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR NOTIFICATION DESCRIBING THE DEFECT OF THE DOORS.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 15, 2021
UNKNOWN- the rear passenger door won’t open from the outside or the inside of the car. And now this issue is happening with both rear doors and the drivers side door. In order to get into the drivers seat, you have to get in through the passenger side door and crawl over. When I Google this safety concern, it seems like this has happened too many people. I’m concerned because if this has happened to others and if anyone gets into a car accident, no one can get out, without trying to break a window and crawl out.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the passenger’s side rear door had ceased in the lock position. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,362.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 14, 2021
Driver's side rear door will not open. Was working fine - then suddenly neither the inside nor outside handle will open door when unlocked. This is a concerning safety issue since I use this vehicle to transport my 2 grandchildren in car seats - and creates a hazardous situation in an emergency. Internet forums are full of reports of this same issue with this particular year/model of Tucson. Also - there is evidence that Hyundai Korea is aware of this problem - and has initiated steps to offer owners replacement of all door latches to remedy the issue. Here is a weblink to the Korean page that spells out some of the details: http://www.consumerwide.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=37459 FYI - I have owned and driven cars for almost 50 years - and have never had a vehicle where the vehicle doors just stopped functioning like this....
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 14, 2021
Passenger side rear door lock failed at 71000 miles. Could not open door from outside or inside.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 14, 2021
My front passenger door and rear driver passenger door will not open from the outside or the inside. Issue with door latch mechanism. Mechanism was repaired approx. 1 yr ago on passenger rear door. Safety issue since doors can not be opened from inside if am emergency happened. Child age 5 rides in car regularly. Big safety concern.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 10, 2021
The drivers door and drivers Side back door doesn’t open from the inside or the outside. It opens after like 10 tries of yanking on it. This is a serious issue if I had to get out of there quickly or if I had someone in the back that couldn’t climb. I should have to climb out of my car. Recall this.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 10, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the front and rear driver’s side doors failed to open using the interior or exterior door handles. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 10, 2021
I had a problem with my driver door not opening when I originally purchased this vehicle 2 years ago. The dealer fixed it for me that time. It happened again to my rear driver side door. It starts off taking a few pulls to open the door, then after a couple weeks, the door stops unlatching all together, can’t open it from the inside or outside. Rear passenger door went a few months after that, so I have no access to the back seat. Drivers door just started having the problem again too. Was told the problem was the door lock actuator when I initially got it fixed. From what I can tell, a lot of people have this problem, it’s a know issue with the 2016 Tucson’s, and a safety issue at that. What if there are children or elderly people in the back seat and this was an issue during a car crash? I can’t pay to replace a bad part every few months only to have the problem happen again. Hyundai needs to offer a solution to this problem, not just replacing the same faulty part.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 9, 2021
Passenger side door will not open even though it is unlocked. Steering wheel shaft is going out and rattles when driving. not safe and could cause an accident or death
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 7, 2021
Passenger door lock won’t unlock from inside or outside. 4-year old Grandson could not get out This happened before with the passenger front seat door. Took to dealer and fixed. I am seeing online that many people are having the same problem. This could be dangerous.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 4, 2021
Two doors will not unlock or open.If in a wreck you are trapped. Dealer said I would have to pay to fix the car. Car will not speed up when on a rough road, which other cars will run over you. Mileage 90122
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 4, 2021
My back passenger door will not open from the inside or outside.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 2, 2021
My passenger side door and back door not opening from outside. We have a kid in the seat so we have a child lock in the back. Because of that we couldn't able to open the door. When I called hyundai about that they said they will first evaluate for that I need to pay and then they charge me for the 2 doors. This is very absurd.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 1, 2021
I have had three of the four doors unable to open at different time before repairing them. This is a safety issue putting my daughter trapped in the vehicle with the only way out to climb over the seats. If in an accident she would be unable to get out of the car quickly. I don't understand why this hasn't been addressed by NHTSA yet. Having a vehicle that could trap you in it is unsafe. One door was repaired when still under warranty, the next was repaired and paid for and now it's happened to another door that needs repairs and finally the drivers door appears it's going to have the same thing happen to it. Currently once the vehicle is unlocked you have to pull on the door handle twice before it opens. First pull still feels locked second pull opens it.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 1, 2021
The diver side rear door will not open. Does not open from outside or the inside. If this happens to the other rear door a person could get trapped inside the car.
Latches/locks/linkages, May 29, 2021
When unlocking the doors with key fob, all the doors besides the driver's side, will open. The drivers side won't open at first. Have to unlock and relock the car several times just to open the door on the drivers side. The same thing is happening when sitting inside the passenger seat on the left handside of the driver, the door won't open from inside out. The door has to be open by someone on the outside. This is been happening a lot to many people.
Latches/locks/linkages, May 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated the vehicle's rear passenger door failed to open and close. The rear driver's side door failed intermittently, and the front passenger's side door required several attempts to open or close the door from the outside before opening and closing successfully. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,500.
Latches/locks/linkages, May 26, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door failed to open from the inside or outside while unlocked. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Latches/locks/linkages, May 20, 2021
Rear Passenger Door won't open and driver side door is getting stuck. Have 2 pull drivers side door to get it to open.