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: structure
227 reports, newest first. Show all
Structure, Aug 3, 2026
Door latch issue. Driver's side door has to be pulled multiple times after unlocking to open from the exterior. Passenger side door latch has become completely inoperable and does not open from the interior or exterior now. To have multiple doors fail at the same time seems like a true design failure / flaw and an inoperable door a true safety hazard.
Structure, Jun 29, 2026
All the door locks and actuators/latches are failing. Hyundai claims there is no recall for it, and the price for one door repair is $1384... This is a safety issue since the passenger in the rear seat could not get out in an emergency!
Structure, Jun 23, 2026
Within the last month, the passenger side front door will no longer open from the outside even if the door is unlocked. The driver must lean over to open the passenger door from the inside. Then approximately one week ago, the passenger rear door began to have issues in that it would not open from the outside nor would it open from the inside. This is a known safety issue which puts passengers at risk. A Technical Service Bulletin 21-bd-006h extends the warranty coverage to 10 years/unlimited mileage, however my 2016 Hyundai Tuscon is six (6) months outside of this window. The local Hyundai dealership will not fix under this door latch warranty extension and quoted a cost of $885.00 to remove and replace both latches. I currently have a case opened with Hyundai USA Customer Affairs and am waiting to see if Hyundai will cover the cost of repairs and fix the two door latches. If they do not, I will consider legal remedies.
Structure, Jun 1, 2026
Driver door does not open from the outside. Rear passenger door does not open at all.
Structure, Mar 24, 2026
I had ANOTHER door latch lock assembly fail on my 2016 Hyundai Tucson. There was a TSB for this issue that the dealership said expired for my vehicle three months ago. They wanted a $200 diagnostic fee for a total repair of close to $1000. They confirmed it was another door latch lock assembly, although I’m not sure how because the door would not open from the inside OR the outside. When the rear passenger side assembly failed a week ago, my kids were stuck in the back of the vehicle. This is a potentially dangerous issue that Hyundai seems to be aware of. If the front driver’s side goes at the wrong time, and I am not able to open my door, it could have disastrous consequences. I could become trapped in my car in the event of an accident, fire, etc. Hyundai needs to recall all door latch assemblies and just replace them all free of charge. It’s ridiculous that it’s a guessing game of when they might stop functioning properly and potentially trap you inside the vehicle.
Structure, Feb 4, 2026
Window regulator and motor have failed due to plastic gears stripping out. I have replaced my two front windows in 2024 at $1063 a window. This week I had both rear windows fail allowing the windows to drop down unexpectedly. I was able to manually pull the windows up and tape them. I was supposed to receive a call from Hyundai twice this week about getting these covered under a recall since all four has failed, but they have failed to contact me.
Structure, Nov 3, 2025
Have had to replace all four window regulators. From searching online, it appears there are quite a few other people who have had the same issue. Raising this issue in case others have to to create a recall. Thank you
Structure, Sep 11, 2025
The back passenger door will not open from inside or outside. The front passenger door will not open from outside or inside. The warranty will not cover this as they are saying it it wear and tear. Hyundai has confirmed they know there is an issue with the doors but refuse a recall to fix this.
Structure, Feb 28, 2025
The door latch mechanisms are all faulty. I have read in many forums where this is a common issue with Hyundai models. The door latch on the back passenger door will not operate from inside or outside. The other three doors must be pulled on repeatedly in order to gain access. This creates a very dangerous situation of entrapment if there car were to catch fire or be in an accident. It’s almost impossible to get into the car from any door. The issue isn’t a locking issue either, doors will eventually open after repeated attempts.
Structure, Feb 28, 2025
Window is stuck down. Window does not roll up. The Hyundai Tucson doors are notorious for having problems from not unlocking, opening, to the windows not working. These are all safety hazards. The doors not unlocking or opening are covered under an extended warranty but the window issues, which are equally as problematic, have not been addressed and the dealership is price gouging customers for the fix.
Electrical system, Structure, Jan 6, 2025
Rear passenger door won’t open from inside or outside. Safety concern
Structure, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 14, 2024
All my doors stick and sometimes I have to fight with my car to even get a door open. Also, when trying to accelerate sometimes my throttle response is slow and i will not move for a few seconds.
Structure, Oct 10, 2024
In December 2023 I purchased my first car, a 2016 Hyundai Tucsan Limited Edition. The car had approx. 70k miles. After only 9 months, I noticed I was unable to gain access into the rear passenger side door. I quickly ruled out child locks, faulty fuses, and any other issues as directed in the owners manual. The window is still functional. As of today, 10/10/24 Ive had no luck being able to open the door. The mechanic stated it was an issue with the locking mechanism and quoted us for over $1400/$4000. He stated this is a common occurrence with this model. I find this issue with my newly purchased car, that I keep serviced and in perfect condition to be unacceptable. It is a major safety issue for me and my family. I am in school and work full time and I can not afford this type of repair. This type of issue should be recalled.
Structure, Jul 30, 2024
Have had to replace the regulator in all four windows. Seems to be a pretty common problem online. Reporting this so hopefully enough people say something that Hyundai has a recall and reimburses us for the repairs. Thanks
Structure, Jul 21, 2024
I have a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited. I have had both front windows Regulators break within the past year. I had the drivers side repaired but, was hoping there would be a recall before I spent $800 to repair the other one. But Hyundai should own up to this issue and have a recall, If they want return customers. Time to step up Hyundai
Structure, Jul 15, 2024
The driver's side back door will not open from the inside or outside. There was no warning or damage down to cause this, just one day it would not open. From research on the internet this is a common problem with a 2016 Tucson and is due from the lock actuator and is not being recalled. This is a huge safety risk if someone needed to exit the backseat quickly.
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!
Structure, May 24, 2024
Both rear doors will not open from inside or outside. This began 3 years ago, with intermittent opening issues. For the last six months, neither rear door will open from inside, or outside. With the THOUSANDS of complaints I have seen online, one would THINK our GOVERNMENT would DO SOMETHING!!!
Structure, May 19, 2024
I have three doors on my Tucson affected. Back passenger door will not open at all from the inside or outside. The driver’s will open if I lock and unlock three or four times and pull the handle three or four times. The back drivers door is now doing the same thing as the drivers door. I have looked into the cost of having it repaired and Hyundai wants over $1500 per door to fix the issue. If I pay the close to $5000 to fix these doors, which I most definitely don’t have and don’t know anybody who does, I will have paid more than half the value of the car just to fix the doors. I’ve looked online and there are hundreds and thousands of people having the same problem - multiple years of Tucson models and other Hyundai models such as the ELANTRA. My car only has 62,000 miles on it. It has only had two owners. In the six years that I have owned the car I have only had people in the backseat three or four times. This is definitely not a wear problem. It is most definitely a safety issue. If I am in an accident and unconscious and the emergency workers can’t get the door open to get to me, it’s a safety issue. If I’m in an accident and can’t get the door open to escape the car, it is a safety issue. If I am going to my car late at night by myself and can’t get into the car it’s a safety issue. I am divorced and live alone, and drive across country occasionally. If I’m stopped at a rest stop or gas station and can’t get into my car this is a safety issue. If there are children in the backseat of the car and the door can’t be opened to get to the children this is a safety issue. The back passenger door stopped working entirely about 6 to 8 months ago - it can’t be opened from the inside or outside at all. The driver’s door started having issues about 3 to 4 months ago. The back drivers door just started having the issue three days ago. I do not understand why a safety recall has not yet been issued for this problem considering the huge number of affected cars out there.
Structure, Apr 6, 2024
The driver side door fails to open from the outside. I'm not sure if it is available for inspection, as I've tried to contact the Hyundai dealership I got it from, and they haven't gotten back to me. This is a safety issue because it causes me to have to walk around to the passenger side door and either climb over, or reach over and partially open the driver door then get back out and walk over to the other side again. I live in a big city and as a woman I don't always feel safe having to take extra time to get into my vehicle. It's also a safety issue because if something goes wrong, someone can't open the door to get to me. A dealer friend of a friend looked at the door and confirmed something is wrong with the latch cable, and also said that it would cost up to $1500 to repair. This is the only person who has inspected it so far. It looks like I'm not the only person who has had door issues with Tuscons which is why I'm here. There was no warning at all. I drove the vehicle to work with no incident and then when I left work I found I could not open the door anymore even after locking and unlocking a few times. This was back at the beginning of March 2024.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Engine, Apr 2, 2024
My car randomly will not reverse; it's happened a few times, I was alone or with my 5 year old the first time, and next couple of times I've had witnesses (husband and a friend) and this last time I was alone but I took a video. Sometimes my car feels like it has no power or like it's in the first gear struggling to make it past that (it's an automatic but that's the best way I can describe it). Three out of my four doors stick and I have to pull multiple times to get the door opened, even though it's unlocked. I find these issues, while not outright dangerous, can be a hassle especially when I'm in a parking lot trying to reverse into a spot or out of a spot. It's hard for my 8 year old to get in or out of the car cause her door sticks. I feel like when my car is driving sluggish, that I am going to get hit by another car.
Structure, Mar 17, 2024
This make an model has issues with the doors not opening, when they are unlocked and from time to time the windows will not open. These are both huge safety concerns. I have reported this to Hyundai and have a case number 2104500 which nothing has been done and I have heard nothing in over a year. This make and model need to be recalled for the door and window issues which are all over the internet when a search is done.
Structure, Mar 4, 2024
Door locks no longer work. Passenger side failed and now (3 months later) drivers side failed. This prevents entry and exit in case of emergency. Rear doors function appropriately. When locking and unlocking the doors, the front two make a mechanical sound. When unlocked, they do not open.
Structure, Dec 19, 2023
The drivers back door won't open from the inside or outside. The drivers door is sticking and starting to do the same thing. Very hazardous in case of fire, accident or attempted car jacking.
Structure, Vehicle speed control, Nov 12, 2023
1. My car will randomly not accelerate when the gas is being pressed. This has almost got me killed when making a left hand turn on more than 1 occasion now. The car also struggles with random shifting and power issues while going up steep hills at high speeds. 2. The front passenger side door and the rear drivers side passenger door just randomly stopped working with a week of each other. The rear wont open from the inside or outside. The front passenger side opens if you shake the handle back and forth multiple times (essentially trying to open it multiple times till it opens)