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, Oct 21, 2022
On Oct. 14, 2022 I had to take my car in to repair/replace front passenger side window regulator. The window no longer would go up and down. $807.51. Yesterday, Oct. 20 my driver's side front window failed. Another $807 repair. I am a senior citizen (woman) on a fixed income also experiencing recent Ian hurricane damage and repairs. Am I to expect the rest of the windows to fail? Do I have some recourse with Hyundai?
Structure, Jun 26, 2022
REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK/OPEN. CANNOT BE UNLOCKED BY ANY SWITCH. FROM INFO I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE DEALER OR CONTACTED THE MANUFACTUER. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ALARMS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED BY THE VEHICLE.O6/
Structure, May 26, 2022
Rear right door stopped opening from inside and outside just over a month ago. Two weeks ago front passenger door started to not be able to be opened. To not be able to safely exit a vehicle is a tremendous safety concern....in an accident , in another emergency situation, if vehicle caught fire, etc. Which door will not be operable next? How can my elderly, disabled family member safely ride in this vehicle and get safely out? Will I need to drive to a fire department to get doors cut open? (this actually is my go-to safety plan at this point) We took to our Auto repair, they also could not open these doors. There are no dash warnings of doors being compromised. The vehicle was not in any accident incident. Internet searching reveals this to be a widespread problem with the Hyundai vehicles
Structure, Apr 19, 2022
Passenger rear door will not open from inside or outside. no damage or accident has occurred. door just quit opening.
Structure, Mar 29, 2022
Rear passenger door will not open from inside or outside when clearly unlocked. Safety concern if must exit vehicle quickly in case of emergency.
Structure, Latches/locks/linkages, Feb 11, 2022
The drivers side door almost never opens on the first try, I usually have to pull the handle twice. Recently the passenger side back door will not open from the inside or outside, despite being unlocked. This is a huge safety concern if I were in an accident and could not open this door. I have seen DOZENS of other reports of people having this same issue and a recall should be issued immediately to fix this potential life threatening and dangerous issue.
Structure, Feb 10, 2022
I've had this used hyundai for 6 months, had to replace drivers door panel ( windows not going up and down) Stopped working. Now drivers back door window will not go up or down. Right side back door will not open anymore. On utube people by the 18k are complaining about these same issues. What next? It's like the body is falling apart.
Structure, Latches/locks/linkages, Jan 1, 2022
The passenger front door Will not open from the outside once locked. It must be open from inside the car. This would be a safety concern if there was an accident and people were trying to get into the passenger side car. It seems from research that this is a known issue from Hyundai
Structure, Dec 13, 2021
Passenger side door failing to unlock fully, not openable from the outside under many circumstances. This seems to be a common problem with the 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Hyundai needs to issue a recall for this safety issue.
Structure, Dec 1, 2021
First the passenger side rear door would not unlock or open; was repaired for a very high amount and I was told it wasn't covered; now the same thing with the driver's side rear door; online forums show this as a very common problem with Hyundai Tucson 2016. This is a safety issue - door cannot be used to exit the vehicle from the inside or outside at the malfunctioning (non-functioning) door.
Structure, Nov 30, 2021
My third door has stopped opening from the outside. This is a known issue to Hyundai about these cars and it is a safety issue.
Structure, Nov 23, 2021
Neither of the backdoors of the car will open from the inside or the outside. The first failure was the driver side backdoor which will not open even with force. Several months later the passenger side rear door is experiencing the same issue. I spoke with the local Hyundai dealership who confirmed that it is a well known issue, but they have been less than helpful with getting it repaired. They take my contact info and say someone will call me but they never do, when I call or go to the dealership in person the one guy who can help get the repair underway is never available, and they will not give me his direct contact info. This is a serious safety risk because there is no way to get to my children from either of the backdoors if there was an emergency, they have to be accessed and pulled over the center console to be removed from the car at all. Given the incredibly persistent issues with these latches failing in the Tucson, there is also no way to know when any of the other latches may fail and make it impossible to quickly escape the car.
Structure, Nov 15, 2021
Latch failure of all 4 doors, passenger side door in 2018, passenger rear door 2018 and again now (2021), driver door 2019, driver rear door 2019. The door latch fails and at first won’t open from the inside. After a few days or weeks, door will not open from outside or inside. This costs over $450 (labor not included) and is a HUGE safety concern! This should not happen in a 5 year old car, especially to ALL 4 DOORS, and one of the doors twice!
Structure, Oct 20, 2021
Rear passenger door when unlocked will not open. I can open the door when unlocked by banging on door just below the outside door handle.
Structure, Oct 18, 2021
Rear door does not open. Can't be opened from the inside or outside. Apparently, similar problems from this model from other owners. Affects all doors.
Structure, Oct 8, 2021
Our rear driver side door does not open from both inside and outside. I have seen that this is an extremely common issue with other Hyundai owners. I have three small children. This is extremely dangerous if there was ever an emergency situation, to have small children trapped back seats, unable to open the doors. I have read that other doors eventually fail too, which just compounds the extreme danger that this poses if an emergency comes up and one has to evacuate the vehicle. The issue seems to always be the door latch and cable not catching, so there is a consistency in what other people are experiencing. Please consider this an extreme safety issue and issue a recall.
Structure, Sep 28, 2021
The rear driver's side door of my door suddenly stopped working. When I was trying to get my baby out of the car, neither my husband nor myself could get to her. We couldn't open her door with the exterior door handle (even after multiple attempts to unlock the car) or the interior door handle. If we find ourselves in an emergency situation, we would not be able to safely and efficiently evacuate our child and other passengers. While it has not been inspected, it is available for inspection upon request. There were and still are no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Additionally, this seems like a common issue for the Hyundai Tucson as there are many people online talking about this very same issue, with some people unable to open either of their doors.
Structure, Sep 27, 2021
Rear passenger door will not open from inside or outside despite being unlocked. Previously it could be opened after pulling handle several times, now it will not open at all despite being unlocked. I have small children in the back seat in car seats and would not be able to get them out through that door in an emergency. The front driver's door also requires pulling the handle several times in order to open it.
Structure, Sep 15, 2021
The lock actuator on the driver's side door failed. The door cannot be opened, even when the car is unlocked. This creates a hazard if one is required to exit the vehicle in an emergency. There have been numerous owners reporting the same issue on different door in the 2016 Tucson.
Structure, Sep 15, 2021
Both front doors no longer open from outside. Started off as intermittent and has gotten progressively worse sometimes I cant get them to open from inside either. This is a huge safety problem.
Structure, Sep 9, 2021
Both back doors fail to open from the inside or outside and the front doors are starting to fail as well.
Structure, Aug 31, 2021
The latch mechanism in all doors is malfunctioning. The rear doors do not open at all and the front drivers side door only opens sometimes. This is a known defect in the design of the Hyundai Tuscon door latch mechanism. This is a safety issue because the doors are inoperable, possibly trapping a person in a vehicle.
Structure, Aug 19, 2021
Issue: The rear passenger door will not open from inside and outside. We had set the Child-Lock to enabled, so diagnosing/troubleshooting from the inside is not possible. Frequent and consecutive pulls on the exterior door handle do not provide any opening results. Listening to the door panel when using the key fob or door lock toggle, it appears to be disengaging and engaging the lock; or at least it sounds the same as the other doors when locking/unlocking. We have two children we transport that are still in car seats. -- Situation or events that could have caused this issue: None. Was working the morning before. The vehicle has not had any minor impacts to any part of the body (no accidents or bumps, etc). -- Risk of Safety/Death in an Emergency: We believe this to be a safety issue in the event of an emergency (flooding, door collapsed on its side, etc.) -- Inspection: Pending via Dealership -- Warning Lamps: None
Structure, Aug 5, 2021
Brakes feel like ABS is always on. Feel unsafe to drive. Was told by Hyundai dealer that I need a new Steering Column and no explanation on how something like this can just break. Less than 60K miles when this issue started with brakes. I'm the first and only owner of this vehicle. The other safety issue is the doors not opening. 3 out of 4 doors have problems opening from inside and outside. This forum explains exactly what is happening to my doors. https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/rear-passenger-door-wont-open.603329/
Electrical system, Structure, Jul 27, 2021
The left passenger door wont open from inside and outside. I have a child that is still in a car seat and this is a huge safety issue. I have to make sure he sits on the right side so I can open the door if there became an emergency.