← New search

2018 Hyundai Tucson

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Tucson years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Tucson are substantially higher than the model-year median of 180.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

112 reports with mileage · 283 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 243 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 100 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

13 crash reports9 fire reports8 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

8 reports
Clear category filter
99,400 miles · Feb 11, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder lane, engine oil was added, and the contact waited for several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. There was no warning light ill…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder lane, engine oil was added, and the contact waited for several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer suggested that the contact occasionally add oil to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced and that an oil change was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,400.

NHTSA ODI #11717223

78,563 miles · Oct 24, 2025
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact's sister owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his sister was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and jolted, prompting her to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but t…

Read full complaint

The contact's sister owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his sister was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and jolted, prompting her to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with all four fuel injectors and the injector assembly. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who then diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,563.

NHTSA ODI #11695439

102,000 miles · Sep 18, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, and slowing down to make a right turn, the vehicle almost stalled and lost power. The contact stated that the check oil warning light was flashing on and off. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, and slowing down to make a right turn, the vehicle almost stalled and lost power. The contact stated that the check oil warning light was flashing on and off. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to pull over and shift into park(P). The contact had not turned the vehicle off. The contact called her father. The father arrived, and the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that her father checked the oil dipstick and saw that the oil level was extremely low. The contact stated that two quarts of oil were added. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer. The dealer diagnosed and determined that a gasket on the oil filler tube was not correctly seated, and the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The contact stated that prior to the recent failure with the catalytic converter, the catalytic converter had been replaced approximately 1 year and 8 months prior. The dealer also recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI #11688209

61,211 miles · Oct 22, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 conta…

Read full complaint

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.

NHTSA ODI #11621318

59,000 miles · Jul 2, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 o…

Read full complaint

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.

NHTSA ODI #11598229

74,000 miles · Mar 19, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that an emissions leak was present causing the engine light to illuminate; however, the cause of the emissions leak was not yet …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that an emissions leak was present causing the engine light to illuminate; however, the cause of the emissions leak was not yet identified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.

NHTSA ODI #11578213

85,000 miles · Jul 31, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, prompting him to pull to the side of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the cata…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, prompting him to pull to the side of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was returned to the independent mechanic, who again diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The vehicle was repaired a second time, but the failure reoccurred a third time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was unable to provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ODI #11535618

80,000 miles · Feb 23, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that on various occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for a routine oil change, she was made aware of an oil leak; however, the vehicle was …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that on various occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for a routine oil change, she was made aware of an oil leak; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was stalling while depressing the accelerator pedal while driving at various speeds, and while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was a misfire in cylinder #1 and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for repair. The contact stated that after she made a local dealer aware of the failure, she was informed that the engine was discontinued and advised to contact the manufacturer for further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was made aware that the warranty had expired and that she was responsible for the costs of the repair. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #11508810

Official recalls

1

20V543000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

Sep 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power

Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing.  There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Go deeper into Hyundai Tucson problems