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
1,620 reports, newest first.
Other or unspecified, May 22, 2024
Drivers side rear passenger door will not open most times. In an emergency situation a rear passenger would not be able to exit.
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.
Engine, May 16, 2024
Engine is being replaced due to excessive oil consumption. First sign was engine knocking in November 2022, which resolved with oil change. July 2023, engine knocking was heard again, Hyundai dealer said car came in with no oil. Had oil changed / filled, was advised to bring car back in 1000 miles. December 2023, brought car back to dealer after ~1000 miles, no knocking but oil was 2 quarts below spec. Ladder frame was resealed and ladder frame o-ring replaced. Oil was refilled, oil pan and oil dip stick both sealed for oil consumption test. Feb 2024, car brought back to dealer after ~1000 miles, no knocking but oil was 1.8 quarts low. Combustion chamber cleaning was performed and oil refilled. Oil pan and oil dip stick both sealed for another oil consumption test. Early May 2024, car brought back to dealer after ~1000 miles, oil still apparently quite low (no details provided by dealer). Engine replacement approved by Hyundai corporate in mid-May 2024.
Engine, May 13, 2024
I was driving to work Tuesday and noticed that my car wasn't accelerating and losing speed, pulled over and as soon as I came to a stop, it dies. I got it towed to my mechanic, they said I was out of oil and throwing a p1326 code for the ksds. I'm not sure how that is possible, cause I changed the oil a month prior on April 6, this happened May 7. Mechanic put more oil in and I was taking it home. I noticed a funny noise and took it back to my mechanic; got there and it started knocking and cut off as soon as I stopped again. Mechanic did another diagnostic and it threw the code again. Got it towed to the dealership and I'm now waiting on them. Apparently it's the engine, they have been having lots of issues with them.
Vehicle speed control, May 12, 2024
The car did not accelerate after pressing gas pedal all way down. Encountered this while idling and trying to accelerate from a steady speed as well.
Steering, Exterior lighting, May 8, 2024
When driving All the warning light is on. Also when you reduce speed or stop at the light the steering wheel turn hard to turn or move. The battery seem to be low voltage, because when you lock the car the sound of the horn sound weak. And wouldn't start.
Other or unspecified, May 4, 2024
There is no power when accelerating, especially up a hill. The rpm's hover over 4k for a long time before downshifting, hence, eating up gas like crazy. Also, the passenger side back door does not open at all, the driver's side back door takes several pulls before opening, the driver's door takes 3 pulls to open, and the front passenger door takes a minimum of three pulls to open. The no power just recently started happening. The door issue started in late 2023 and has gotten progressively worse just recently.
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.
Other or unspecified, Apr 24, 2024
The back door latch does not unlock so neither back passanger doors will open at all. If something were to happen where we need to evacuate quickly this puts people in the back at a huge risk. I have taken it to get repaired and they want at least $250 for each door. There were no warnings one day the door just stopped opening and then the other stopped. It’s been over a year now. There are multiple videos on youtube on how to “fix” it for this specific vehicle so I don’t understand how this hasn’t been recalled already.
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.
Engine, Apr 19, 2024
My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has been experiencing sudden engine failures for about 10 months now. Driving at 70 mph on a freeway and experiencing a loss of torque is terrifying. Glad I was able to pull off safely. Engine lights came on for a few seconds and then turned off. Visit to the dealer showed... nothing. The engine is under warranty, but Hyundai dealers continue to dismiss the issue. Also, this engine has been excessively burning oil during the very same timeframe. There are no leaks - confirmed by Hyundai dealers. I have to put in about a quarter every other 2-3 weeks. Hadn't I done this, my vehicle would not make it to the next oil change. Really frustrating! Reading thru complaints to NTHSA, there a lot of us facing the same issues, with faulty engines and excessive oil consumption. This must be investigated, and a recall notice settled. Hyundai must be held accountable.
Latches/locks/linkages, Apr 18, 2024
The driver side door will no longer open from the outside. I have to crawl through the passenger side to open the door from the inside. According to a Google search, this is a common issue with this car.
Visibility, Apr 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at various speeds, the four windows rolled down independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the front driver’s side window was replaced; however, the three remaining windows failed to operate as needed. Recently, the rear passenger’s side window was locked in place by a mechanic to prevent the persistent failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Engine, Apr 15, 2024
My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has had power and acceleration issues since I purchased it brand new in 2016 from the dealership. When trying to accelerate onto the freeway, or trying to turn onto busy traffic the engine would rev but not pick up speed causing a dangerous situation when traffic is present. I have had all the updates to my vehicle, but the issue did not improve. At first I thought it had something to do with the transmission, but recently I have discovered that it was probably something wrong with the engine all this time. I currently have 111,070 miles on my vehicle, and I have kept up with routine maintenance. I had noticed in the last couple of years that my engine oil was burning at an extremely high rate, and I had to keep replenishing it between oil changes. I never saw any oil leaking on the ground though. About a month ago while I was entering a freeway, my check engine light started flashing and I could not accelerate. The vehicle’s engine started misfiring and the vehicle was having a hard time switching gears. Fortunately it was early in the morning before rush hour traffic otherwise I would have been hit by oncoming traffic. I had the codes read and they came back as P0300, P0302, and P0304. I had already had the spark plugs replaced less than 10,000 miles prior to this, so we tried changing the ignition coils. That did not help, so we changed the spark plugs too. This still did not solve the problem. A mechanic ran a compression test and determined there is a problem with the engine. I have read numerous other complaints online now about similar issues with the 2016 Hyundai Tucson engine failure with less than 150,000 miles that put people in harms way while driving down the road. The engine failure is occurring even with regular maintenance.
Steering, Apr 6, 2024
Hi, I am an owner of 4 Hyundai vehicles and all had the steering wheel coupler failed before 100,000 miles. 2 sonata and 1 Elantra coupler was replaced under the 100,000 miles extended warranty but my 2016 Tucson with 80,000 miles is not covered. All Hyundai and Kia vehicles have this problem. Why only some models are covered and not others? The problem is the same across the board. I think Hyundai should be compel to honor repairs on all models for this common steering wheel coupler problem and not on selected model.
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.
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
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.
Power train, Mar 15, 2024
Vehicle transmission prolongs shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, and from 2nd to 3rd gear. Vehicle only has 55000 miles on it and we are second owners of the vehicle. This has been on ongoing issue with the vehicle that we attributed to design but a month ago, the check engine light came on. We took is the Ray Skillman Hyundai who diagnosed that the transmission was the cause of the check engine light and that the entire transmission will need to be replaced at a cost of a little over $7000 to us. The original warranty on the car offered a 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty but Ray Skillman Hyundai nor Hyundai Corporate will replace the transmission without charge. We also know of many other issues related to transmission components of other Hyundai vehicles. The vehicle puts at risk because the unexpected pause puts the drivers behind us at risk of running into us.
Other or unspecified, Mar 9, 2024
Driver side door latch won't open after unlocking with key fob. No warning from inside the car. Have not been to a dealer or independent service center so have not had any inspections. Not necessarily a safety issue at this point but could be in the future. As part of my work, I'm in and out of my car a lot so locking the car is necessary. I should not have to climb over the shift/middle console to unlock it. Should be part of a recall to fix.
Engine, Mar 5, 2024
Loss of power while driving thru heavy traffic causing car to go into a low speed. No warning lights until after turning off and back on. Hyundai dealership confirms no compression cyl 3, metal shaving in engine block, oil full. Engine in car 1.6L GDI turbo, not under hyundai recall. Hyundai denying claim to replace because vin not included in recall but does admit engine is same as in other recalled engines for same issue. Losing power in heavy traffic with no warning was safety issue. Only light to come on was engine light after the fact.
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.
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.