2018 Hyundai Tucson
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 396 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 21 Tucson model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 13 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 10 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
Representative owner complaints
396 reports, newest first.
Engine, Feb 6, 2025
I own a Hyundai Tucson 2018 model and recently it started making the noise. i got it check with the private auto shop and they said it the engine issue so i took it to dealership as it was under the 100,000 power train warranty. The dealership ask me about the invoice of regular oil change invoice which i provided to them but they simply denied it. the dealership is located on route 1 south Brunswick new jersey.
Power train, Engine, Jan 29, 2025
Me my wife and our dogs were driving from California to Las Vegas when we experience loss of power in the engine we managed to Coast downhill to State Line Nevada and got to the off ramp and then had to push the car to the nearest gas station it was towed the next day to Centennial Hyundai in Las Vegas, case # [XXX] this happened while on vacation just before Christmas they were not able to look at it till after Christmas but they found that one of the valves had broken and was sitting on top of the piston we were told that the engine the turbo the exhaust and the catalytic would all have to be replaced also later they discovered a leak in the transmission on the Dual clutch which also needed replacing we were just told that they have finished the work and we would be responsible for about $5,300 worth of the work I have all maintenance records on this vehicle it had all scheduled maintenance done at the dealership including oil changes and any other repairs that or needed including engine cleaning once the car reached about 100,000 MI it started consuming about a quart of oil every oil change I'm [XXX] old and have had many new and used cars and have never ever had an engine failure happen at such a low mileage when this occurred the car had approximately 122,000 miles on it I have a claim with Hyundai customer care, case # [XXX] and they have not been very cooperative they don't seem to be able to contact the dealership to get any kind of resolution for the costs that I don't feel are my responsibility this is unbelievable I will never recommend anybody by a Hyundai or a Kia I will tell them buy a Honda or a Toyota not a Hyundai or a Kia they have horrible engines and Transmissions it should not be failing at less than 100,000 miles or before the car is even paid off unbelievable don't know how we're going to cover the cost the dealership wants to get our car back I guess they'll just have to keep it for a while. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Jan 17, 2025
Had oil consumption problems for a while started around 60,000mi. I got regular and frequent oil changes and the engine seized up at 94,000mi while driving. Hyundai refused to take accountability.
Exterior lighting, Jan 10, 2025
In the beginning of December 2024, the low headlight warning light started coming on for the right light, intermittently. I took the car to the dealership to get the light fixed, I was told there were some loose wires and they fixed it. 2 weeks later it started happening again, I returned with the car and got another appointment, before the appointment date, the left low headlight warning light came on. I returned with the car and was told that the harnesses and wiring are damaged and need replacing. I have had the drivers side light replaced on 2/26/21 and was back on 4/16/2021. The passenger side light has been replaced on 11/10/2022 and 9/21/23 all been preformed at the Towne Hyundai in Denville NJ.
Engine, Dec 15, 2024
On Saturday, November 23rd, while driving down the highway the check engine light came on and the car would not accelerate past 40 mph. When accelerating from a stop, the car's acceleration is greatly diminished. The car was checked out be a local Hyundai dealership. After running a diagnostic, the mechanic reported the following: the car has a knock sensor code, valve stem seals are leaking a little bit, compression test showed low compression on all four cylinders (between 130 and 140) normally it is 185. This indicates wear in the rings and losing compression that way. Dealership says only option is to replace the engine. Currently have 95k miles on the car. I believe we are the second owners of this car.
Structure, Nov 25, 2024
My car has paint chipping away in several areas. In my opinion, there is an issue with the type of paint used on my car. I am so hurt that I had to spend all this money on a new vehicle and when it was almost paid off, the paint was coming off. It is no fault of mine because there are toooo many areas all over the vehicle where there are chip areas forming. The biggest, most noticeable area01 is on my hood.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the floorboard was vibrating, and the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact was depressing the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle was not responding as needed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring for several years. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The contact stated that the dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine control software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. In the most recent failure the contact was able to drive to the same dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,211.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 18, 2024
A few months back my car started to loose its ability to accelerate on the highway. I stopped to get my oil changed to see if that would help but the acceleration was still very limited. Now a month ago, my car started pouring smoke out of the exhaust. It was brought to a mechanic who said it was a turbo and or engine issue. I took it to a Hyundai near me for a clear diagnoses and they diagnosed it as needing a new turbo. I got a new turbo put into the car. My car worked for 1 day before pouring oil out of the bottom of it. I then had a new turbo put in. My car worked well for 1 week but now is leaking oil from the exhaust and making loud knocking, go kart noises. Most people I have talked to say it's the engine and that these problems are way too common in Hyundais well before 100k miles. My car has also been peeling white paint from the hood of my car for 2 years. I have passed hundreds of white hyundai's with the same paint problem.
Engine, Oct 16, 2024
We were consuming about a quart of oil every week and a half. I drive over 60 miles a day. We added oil until we could check it out. First dealership said that no visible exterior leaks so they told us to take to Hyundai. Once at Hyundai we were told compression was down and we needed a new engine, Catalytic converter, and turbo. Our extended warranty only approved a short block. Said we have sludge and we have to cover the rest of the parts that have sludge but we proved our oil changes and used synthetic oil. They will not give us proof of anything. Hyundai is known for this and won’t cover anything. Hyuandai Beaverton and Ethos is being horrible.
Engine, Oct 12, 2024
my mechanic and I noticed that motor oil engine is running out too fast that is normal. I take my suv to do oil change every 5,000 miles, I can't even wait the 5,000 miles because the oil level is low, he double check for any dripping of oil. my mechanic told me that it is not safe drive the car in low level of oil because it can cause a fire in the engine. I went to the hyundai dealer to explian them the problem and they told me there is nothing they can do to fix the issue because my manufacture guarantee is over, I don't feel safe to dive my car in that condition so thats why I'm here making this request to hopefully you guys can help me. the most important thing is the safe of my family.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 10, 2024
On 10/5, after exiting the highway, check engine light began blinking. A loud cranking noise was present and the car began “puttering.” I immediately pulled over to find a parking spot. As I parked, the car seemed to stop running and the oil light turned on. I called a tow truck but since this occurred on the weekend, the dealer wasn’t open. Local mechanic stated it was the engine. I had it towed to Hyundai and it’s awaiting diagnosis.
Other or unspecified, Oct 9, 2024
When accelerating from a stop (particularly when taking a left turn across traffic, and uphill), the car often will hesitate and near-stall. It does not respond to driver “punching” the accelerator even to the floor, the car won’t respond, then suddenly catches and lurches forward. This problem has occurred since the purchase time in 2020 as a certified used vehicle from a Tucson dealer. I have reported the issue multiple times and ask the dealer frequently about it. They tell me no issue, never heard of it, no recall or repair. Online I see many people have reported this as a problem. It is definitely unsafe as drivers evaluate distance of oncoming cars in taking a left turn. When the car hesitates and doesn’t engage, time is lost to make the turn in time to make it.
Engine, Oct 7, 2024
My vehicle is burning engine oil within a short period of time. I was told my several mechanics that a part was recalled on my vehicle to fix this issue.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Oct 2, 2024
car would not speed up no matter how hard i pressed accelerator, vehicle wouldn't speed up kept going at slower speed had to have towed to dealership. Don't know what is wrong. I was scared someone would hit me, or my speed would cause an accident. Only after issue started did engine light come on.
Engine, Sep 19, 2024
My oil is being consumed for no apparent reason. I checked it one time and there was no oil in there. I keep checking it and adding oil. There is a recall for the issue but my vehicle is not on the recall list. I was not in a accident but the issue could cause bigger problems.
Exterior lighting, Engine, Sep 16, 2024
Back in March 2024 I had a tow beam stock replaced to the car. Couple of months after this check engine light started coming on until it stayed on. Took SUV to mechanic shop in July 2024, and they informed of a r&r knock senor needing to be replace. A couple days after this had to go back as check engine light was back on. they informed of needing to replace a wire harness. It wasn't a week after this that when starting the car you hear a very loud knocking sound. Like something is rattling around inside. After this no longer able to drive car as not sure what will happen next.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Aug 23, 2024, crash
In May 2024 my Hyundai Tucson died in a middle of an intersection with no warning. Worse than that is Hyundai motor USA informed me that the car was on a recall list for an engine failure issue that was apart of class action suit . Ans further told me that that were obligated to have the highway transportation safety dept notified first consider cause of the issue. They told an inspector from your department was required to inspect vehicle before repairs could be started and or returned fo me. That has not happened and they are using your office as the reason for delay on my vehicle. They have systematically m supplied the same answer to my case with no resolution. I have done everything I can as a consumer to handle my case and believed that they were going through the correct process but the dealer has informed me their own manufacturer and corporate is not following guidelines and handling recalls. This is soo dangerous as this vehicle was Already on a list for recall repair and they did NOT inform me the customer when it was brought in for repairs before this incident.
Engine, Aug 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was not accelerating beyond 40 MPH. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that an engine knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was returned to the dealer who determined that the knock sensor needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact had not taken the vehicle back to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
Engine, Aug 12, 2024
The vehicle has been burning oil at over 3 quarts every 800-1000 miles. Hyundai has denied all claims to do anything about it after testing and seeing that it is burning the oil. This is a safety issue as it can clog the Catalytic converter and/or lose power while driving. The vehicle has 90,000 miles on it.
Engine, Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact became aware of a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,824.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change where it was determined that the vehicle was almost out of oil and there was an oil consumption failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that an oil consumption test, engine combustion cleaning, and an oil change was needed to be completed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Engine, Jul 1, 2024
I was traveling on the freeway at Highway speed, heard a loud knocking sound coming from the engine that got progressively worse. No warning lights, began to loose power as I exited the freeway. Had vehicle towed to dealership, they were able to replicate knocking noise coming from bottom end of engine. Diagnosed as catastrophic engine failure and needs engine replacement, outside of standard warranty. Engine is a 1.6L GDI and model was not included in recall for KSDS sensor. Safety was compromised due to engine failure at high speed with no warning or previous engine problem. Vehicle is available for inspection as of current date
Engine, Jun 17, 2024
The engine consumes a quart of oil every 1,000 - 1,500 miles with no signs of leakage or burning.
Engine, Jun 9, 2024
Car had been burning oil very quickly. I took it for an oil change, before it was due, and they said it was very low. They changed it, and I was leaving to visit my parents in Florida the next day. I checked the oil when getting there, and it was good, and I also checked it prior to heading back home, and it was still good. I was in a really bad/unsafe area at 10pm, on my way home from visiting my parents, and my car began to stall. Engine light came on. It would stall really bad when going slow, and almost died a couple times at lights when stopped, but we made it home. We got it to a mechanic, and they stated it was the engine, and it needed to be taken to the dealership. I have read that Hyundai/Kia are notorious for engine issues. My car was towed to the dealership, and they supposedly requested to see if Hyundai would cover for a replacement engine. My car is unfortunately 10,000 over the warranty mileage (100,000), but 110,000 is still not enough to be already having engine problems. Supposedly, according to the dealership, Hyundai declined, and the quote for a new engine is $7,693, which I cannot afford, especially on top of my car payment, which I still owe a good chunk on.
Other or unspecified, Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while in a drive-through line and turning the steering wheel, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle was violently shaking and lunging forward. The contact stated that the vehicle felt like it was running out of fuel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent, who stated there was no engine light illuminated, but the mechanic replaced the coils, oil, and spark plugs. The contact called the local dealer and left a message. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.