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
178 reports, newest first.
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.
Exterior lighting, Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the "Check Brake Light" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the screen indicated that the rear brake light bulb was defective. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the brake light bulb was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the brake light bulb had failed because the bulb was an aftermarket part. The contact had the brake light bulb replaced with an authorized Hyundai part; however, that part also failed soon after the bulb was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer but was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
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.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 11, 2025
At times, this vehicle will refuse to go. You will get an alert in the dash that the emergency braking system has engaged. It may be a door is not completely shut, or sometimes it's just that I don't have my seat belt on. It seems to be inconsistent, because I often times put my seat belt on after I finish backing out, and am ready to go forward. If there is any kind of incident that requires a fast escape, this "feature" could cost somebody their life, or cause them to deal with a carjacking. The car needs to go when I tell it to go.
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.
Engine, Mar 10, 2025
This engine been consuming tons of oil in it and I keep having to add more oil to it and it doing same thing with the coolant causing the engine to heat up a lot and smoked too
Exterior lighting, Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while reversing, the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake light needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the brake light housing case had melted. The dealer was contacted to purchase a new housing case. The contact purchased the part, and the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the A/C was blowing warm air. The contact lives in a hot climate and was concerned for the safety of her 2 minor children. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, three A/C compressors were used to attempt to repair the vehicle at a service center however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed at the owner’s expense due to the warranty being invalid. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V543000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Engine, Feb 27, 2025
The oil pump failed, causing the car to die while on the interstate. There was no prior signs nor warnings to this issue, and it caused the engine to lock up, meaning that the engine now needs to be replaced. This is not unheard of with Hyundai’s.
Engine, Feb 25, 2025
2020 Hyundai Tuscon engine continually consumes an excess amount of oil on a weekly basis causing cylinder knocks. This vehicle has been routinely maintainanced and continues to experience this issue which is an issue known by the manufacturer and has yet to be addressed seriously by the manufacturer. The vehicle is just out of warranty; however, the issue stems from known engine faults that are the responsibility of the manufacturer.
Power train, Engine, Feb 16, 2025
The check engine light became flashing and the vehicle went into limp mode while occupied by two adults and one minor child as they were merging to access the freeway
Air bags, Jan 29, 2025
For about three weeks, my airbag warning light appeared intermittently, lasting 1–3 minutes at a time. I have not taken it to the dealership because I was unsure if it was covered by the warranty, and they had no availability. Now the warning light is off, but I am worried that the airbags will not deploy if needed.
Other or unspecified, Dec 20, 2024
When it rains water droplets from back door impair rear view back up vision. round spots are obstructing the view on back up camera
Service brakes, Nov 7, 2024
Our daughter was notified by another driver at a stoplight that her brake lights were not working. The car's brake sensors indicated the brake lights were not working, while driving the light went off and the lights worked again momentarily. The Hyundai dealership refused to address the problem when it was taken in for maintenance because the light did not appear for them they said it wasn't possible to a fix it. After an online search, there are instructions on what to do if you are a DIY person. They are very basic if you know your way around the electrical system in the auto. Our daughter lives and works in the Phoenix metro area putting her at risk from collision and being in violation of local ordinance regarding vehicle operation. There were no earlier indications of a problem until 5 days ago.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Lane departure, Aug 31, 2024
I went to Thompson Automotive to finance a vehicle and within a month and half my engine blew. There were no engine lights, no lost of oil, no warning, no signs of any error, before this series of malfunctions took affect. I was on my way to the dealership and my car being slowing down to a complete stop as I was getting off the highway ramp. I was traveling at the speed of 25mph, when the car started to make loud noises that I never heard before that day, and completely shut down in front of a huge tractor trailer in traffic. The dealership has had my car since 6/7/24. Now the car has about 85,000 miles on it. I have to pay another $3,000 for my portion to get a new engine. Which is outrageous considering I just agreed to pay $19,990. I am highly disappointed that I lost my job and everything behind this horrific situation that actually feels like a set from the beginning. Now that I’m reading all the comments and unfortunate but very similar situation everyone is suffering from with the particular car. I can’t fathom why it’s still on the market to be purchase for consumers with these major and potentially deadly problems.
Engine, Aug 23, 2024
I was driving 45mph on a major road when, the vehicle with out warning lost power, I heard rattling, lost power. I turned it back on by the power button, drove into gas station where the check engine light flashed, oil light flickered and didn't turn back on. Car was rattling, turned it off. Got out, checked engine under hood and components. Dip stick had oil. Car had no signs of anything else. Vehicle would not start, called tow. Waited 5 hours for tow. Did not hear back from Hyundai dealership in a month. Submitted all articles of maintenance. Going on two months and was told to resubmit. Three months prior, engine over heated due to original hose component coupler piece melting.