2020 Hyundai Tucson
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 178 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 12th highest complaint count among 21 Tucson model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 5 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 5 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: engine
74 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Nov 18, 2025
the engine failed without warning. While going up a hill the car lost power. Yes, the dealership said it was a known problem. Yes, the dealership fixed the problem by putting in a new engine which I was responsible for 5% of the cost which was 739.66. The only warning that was given was after the car failed, the engine light and the oil light went on.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the vehicle unintendedly shut off while driving. The vehicle was restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 14, 2025, fire
My adult son was driving and under the hood started to smoke. He pulled over and opened the hood to take a look and then a fire started under the hood! The fire department was called and they put out the fire, cut the gasoline and duct taped it up so the fuel line would not further ignite the hot engine. My insurance is looking into what would have caused a random under the hood fire. Luckily no one was injured. However the engine section of the car is melted beyond belief. My insurance has not told me if the car is repairable or not.
Engine, Nov 13, 2025
My engine is burning excessive amounts of oil, which is a "known issue" of Hyundai Tucsons. After an oil change with full synthetic oil, I cannot drive my vehicle more than 4,000 miles without reaching dangerously low oil levels. Most importantly, there is no clear indicator of this low oil level—no light that comes on and STAYS on to tell me as the driver to check the oil and see if there is a problem. Instead, if I brake too hard or take a turn to sharply a red oil light will turn on for 1-2 seconds and then turn off again. It is easy to miss. The first few times this happened in May I thought perhaps there was a loose wire on the sensor. After it appeared 3 or 4 times I took it to a mechanic who told me the oil level was so low that they had to add 2 quarts of oil just to have it register on the dip stick. The excessive oil burning is a known issue that Hyundai fights tooth and nail to avoid correcting. But to not have a warning indicator that the oil is at a dangerously low level is reckless on Hyundai's part. The engine could have seized up, thrown a rod, or any number of consequences. I had my oil replaced by Hyundai in May as part 1 of their oil consumption test. My car passed their 1000-mile test and 4,000 miles later I was in dangerously low oil territory again. Thankfully, I knew what to look for this time. Cars should not consume oil at this rapid of a rate but even if they do drivers should be notified about low oil levels via car sensors to keep them and their passengers safe.
Engine, Nov 5, 2025
Car was fine and I get regular oil changes. Last week all the sudden the car started making noise and just shut off. When my husband checked there was no oil on the dipstick but I park on concrete and the car is not leaking oil. Apparently the motor is blown and completely locked up.
Engine, Nov 4, 2025
High oil consumption leading to costly repairs outside of warranty.
Engine, Oct 21, 2025
Vehicle is burning an extreme amount of oil between regular oil changes. We are having no help from our local dealership in Tuscaloosa, AL where we purchased the car to resolve this issue without first spending a lot of money to diagnose an issue we certainly already have. Long before it was due for routine oil change, we checked it and it was COMPLETELY EMPTY of oil. NOTHING IN IT. We have to put oil in it three times before its next routine service. We have always had the vehicle serviced, on schedule, by our local Hyundai dealership and are the only owners of the car.
Engine, Oct 16, 2025
In between my last 3 oil changes I have “lost” all of my oil in my car. Checked my oil randomly and there was NO OIL at all on the stick. After this last change I have checked it every week. I did not check for 2 weeks less than 1,000miles and it was below the low on the mark. Obviously running out of oil while driving is not safe and can cause the engine to blow. This can cause a crash or fire. There have been numerous issues with this and the cars need recalled. This is ridiculous.
Engine, Oct 16, 2025
Engine oil excessive consumption/burning oil
Engine, Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light briefly illuminated. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine was not consuming oil and that an oil change was needed. The dealer advised the contact to return after 1,000 miles to inspect the oil level. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer; however, it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
Engine, Oct 7, 2025
the car started using a little oil around 80,000 mile, and its just gotten worst , to the point that's it using 1 quart per 150 miles the car runs ok but its ridiculous the amount it is using. and from what I've found researching there is a lot of complaints
Engine, Oct 2, 2025
Engine run hot smoke from engine car cut off wouldn't restart had totaled to Hyundai company in Lithia Springs Ga was told by service guy that engine locked motor needed replaced. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Sep 28, 2025
Heavy oil consumption problem - burns through oil completely every 300 miles. Replaced catalytic converter once already.
Engine, Sep 13, 2025
MOTOR IS CONSUMING A LOT OF OIL. I need to CHANGE EVERY month, which IS VERY EXPENSIVE
Engine, Sep 10, 2025
Excessive oil consumption. Confirmed by Strickland service centers on last 2 oil changes. Engine is at risk of failure if oil level drops.
Engine, Aug 25, 2025
Car broke down first time about 2.5 months ago. It was towed to Fred Beans Hyundai of Doylestown PA and they did oil testing on it and I was told that the car was burning oil too fast. They told me under warranty they needed to do a carbon combustion cleaning. So that was down, and less than 24 hours of having the car back, the check engine light came back on, the car wouldn’t drive above 50 miles per hour, and was jumping forward (the same thing that happened the first time) I had the car towed back to the dealership and they told me there was still leftover carbon and it needed to cleaned out again. The car was fine for about 2 months, however just today it broke down again. Same problem, check engine light came on and started flashing, the car will not go above 50 MPH and it jumps forward. I have now been given back a car that is unsafe to drive and put my family and 2 times. Clearly the dealership is not fixing the actual problem at hand and continues to put my family and i’s safety at risk. Each time the car has broken down I have been on the pa turnpike and been put in an extremely dangerous situation.
Engine, Aug 25, 2025
Car is burning through oil at a rate of 5L per week.
Engine, Aug 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. While the contact’s daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle before the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 83,500.
Engine, Aug 6, 2025
High oil consumption. Car shaking , sputtering, Shutting off in traffic. Replaced spark plugs 3 times in a year. Having to top oil off every other week because there will not be any oil in engine. Stopped in traffic.
Engine, Jul 29, 2025
Engine is consuming 3+ quarts per 1000 miles. There is no low oil warning light or notification, just a low oil pressure light which could be caused by many things that would not cause a vehicle fire like low oil would. Hyundai was contacted and we were told that all we need to do was get our oil changed with them, come back in 1000 miles to check the level, if it was consuming greater than 1 quart per thousand miles we would be scheduled for a combustion chamber cleaning (service tech said this would do nothing to solve the issue), drive 1000 more miles and check level again, and if it was greater than 1 quart per thousand we would be scheduled for a new engine. They were informed that we were the second owner and we were told that shouldn’t be an issue. After completing the oil change and going in after 1000 miles we were told that the engine consumed approximately 3 quarts of oil. That information was apparently submitted to Hyundai and they said we were not approved for the combustion cleaning because we were the second owner. The safety of the vehicle was not taken into account at all and Hyundai did not show any concern of vechile fires even though low oil is a contributing factor to many scenarios that can cause injury or death.
Engine, Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact called a towing service to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft bearing failed due to foreign material in the engine and oil consumption. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
Engine, Jul 1, 2025
Excessive oil consumption in the engine. 1 Qt every 900 to 1000 miles. This has been going on a while.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 17, 2025
This call actively has a recall on engine rods any Hyundai and some Kia models ranging from 2011 all the way until 2022. They are known for having a faulty motor with active oil consumption and are currently facing several lawsuits and my car is one of these cars facing this issue however, the manufacturer doesn’t want to Fully create a recall on the motor claims that are causing this rapid oil consumption issue I would like this to be investigated as well as it be investigative why you don’t already have their current active recall listed on your website . but if your website was correct and listed the engine, Roddery call, and if my engine rod were to blow, then they would actually address this issue however, some people are getting this issue addressed under their manufacturer warranty however it is becoming extremely difficult because they want us to pay out-of-pocket for a pointless test as newer vehicles should not be burning oil with no active problems. Clearly, the states there is a problem which there is as of all the active lawsuits.
Engine, Jun 17, 2025
Car had check engine light come on and found out that it had been using oil. Engine started using more than 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles. Catalytic converter had to be replaced because it was plugged. Car had less than 80,000 miles on it when this started happening.
Engine, Apr 9, 2025
Excess Oil consumption cause the engine to die and the car to stall out in the middle of the road. Engine needs completely replaced.