← 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

Power Train complaints

100 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2023
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

I have only owned the car for 1 month. I had gotten an oil/filter change and a new oil pressure sensor at ~80,100 miles. I had requested the oil sensor be changed because it would flicker on and off when the car was idling/low RPMs once it had heated up fully. This had fixed that issue seemingly. At ~80,700 miles the car had sta…

Read full complaint

I have only owned the car for 1 month. I had gotten an oil/filter change and a new oil pressure sensor at ~80,100 miles. I had requested the oil sensor be changed because it would flicker on and off when the car was idling/low RPMs once it had heated up fully. This had fixed that issue seemingly. At ~80,700 miles the car had started riding a bit "rough", especially at higher speeds, so I decided to have a look under the hood. I was terrified to see that my dipstick was bone dry. There was never any evidence of any noticeable leak underneath the car on the driveway nor any evidence of blue smoke coming out of the exhaust. After some research (Hyundai corporate was telling me over the phone multiple times that there was no known issues with my specific car/engine) I was appalled to see I was essentially lied to. I found multiple official TSBs, NHTSA notices, and hundreds if not thousands of other customers noting the exact same experience. I had tried to take it to Hyundai for the oil consumption tests laid out in multiple TSBs but I was denied "due to the original warranty expiring". To my knowledge this exact issue has caused Hyundai and Kia to extend to 150k miles for all owners. This is my only mode of transportation and I am so worried my car will stall/seize/catch fire on the highway. This is beyond unsafe and unacceptable but I assume I may have to wait until the final litigation hearing in September for official recalls to be issued. If my car makes it that long.

NHTSA ODI #11527064

Mileage unknown · May 3, 2023
Power Train

Purchaseing the vehicle two months ago, the engine service light started blinking. Taking the vehicle to several shops including two hyundai dealers, I was informed the vehicle had an off market catalytic converter. I asked the dealership several times if there was any issues with the vehicle and they stated there was not. The …

Read full complaint

Purchaseing the vehicle two months ago, the engine service light started blinking. Taking the vehicle to several shops including two hyundai dealers, I was informed the vehicle had an off market catalytic converter. I asked the dealership several times if there was any issues with the vehicle and they stated there was not. The engine first came on two weeks after the purchase of the vehicle. It is not safe to drive.The warranty nor the dealership will cover or assist.

NHTSA ODI #11520358

Mileage unknown · Mar 25, 2023
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

Acceleration issue, from a stop position on a red light or stop sign, when the gas pedal is pressed the engine revs but does not move immediately, after a couple of seconds it lundges forward, also when trying to merge you must wait for a very big gap to safely merge, the car does not respond and this is very dangerous, Hyundai …

Read full complaint

Acceleration issue, from a stop position on a red light or stop sign, when the gas pedal is pressed the engine revs but does not move immediately, after a couple of seconds it lundges forward, also when trying to merge you must wait for a very big gap to safely merge, the car does not respond and this is very dangerous, Hyundai need to rectify this issue before someone dies.

NHTSA ODI #11513769

Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2023
Exterior LightingPower Train

When driving at night and low-beams are on, there is a black void (looks like a black bar horizontally across the headlight projected area on roadway). Black void is eye level with driver’s view of the roadway. With the black void present, driver is unable to see the roadway clearly at night, which inhibits the drivers visibilit…

Read full complaint

When driving at night and low-beams are on, there is a black void (looks like a black bar horizontally across the headlight projected area on roadway). Black void is eye level with driver’s view of the roadway. With the black void present, driver is unable to see the roadway clearly at night, which inhibits the drivers visibility and ability to see road hazards or animals crossing the road. Low-beam and high-beam bulbs have been replaced and checked for any burn spots or malfunction in the bulb itself; with brand new bulbs installed professionally, the black void is still present. Hyundai repair stated it is a known issue that has yet to be addressed by Hyundai Manufacturers. Issue has been present for 2-months now. While driving on interstate, went to pass a vehicle and while accelerating the vehicle would not increase in speed. The RPM needle jumped to 5-6 and a “whiny” noise was coming from engine area. Pressed harder on the accelerator so the car would speed up and with the pedal to the floor, the vehicle speed increased 1 mph in 5-sec intervals. Exited the interstate and was traveling on road with 60mph speed limit. Tried to accelerate again, and the vehicle would make the whiny noise and would not increase speed or shift. Let off of the accelerator and the RPM drops instantly to 2-3. RPM’s need does not smoothly increase or decrease, but instead jumps or drops instantly. When accelerator is pressed or when trying to increase speed, the whiny noise comes from engine. The vehicle sounds and acts like it is not shifting. Took to dealership and they said there are no recalls on transmission, but will not fix my transmission. 10-year/100000 mile warranty is still active, as it is a 2018 w/ 89500 miles. Safety concern as the vehicle will not accelerate or shift when needed and could cause serious accident if in a situation where evasive action is required.

NHTSA ODI #11500485

Mileage unknown · Dec 1, 2022
Power Train

Leaving a parking lot, vehicle was hard-shifting at 10mph, 20mph, 30mph and was not gaining typical acceleration. Every slow down or stop sign/stop light this behavior continued with automatic hard shifting between gears and lethargic acceleration to the point where I felt this may cause an accident or cause another vehicle to …

Read full complaint

Leaving a parking lot, vehicle was hard-shifting at 10mph, 20mph, 30mph and was not gaining typical acceleration. Every slow down or stop sign/stop light this behavior continued with automatic hard shifting between gears and lethargic acceleration to the point where I felt this may cause an accident or cause another vehicle to have an accident due to lag response of my vehicle. Upon home arrival, I attempted to back vehicle into my parking spot but after shifting into Reverse, the R indicator on console was flashing but vehicle would not move. I drove back around the complex parking circle and again attempted to back vehicle in to a different parking space but experienced the same issue where R indicator was flashing but vehicle would not back up. My daughter and 2 grandsons then had to push my vehicle back in to the parking spot. I turned vehicle off, waited approximately 90 seconds and restarted the engine. When I shifted into Reverse gear, the car abruptly and harshly shut down. At that point, I put the vehicle back into Park gear and turned off ignition. Had the vehicle towed to closest dealership on Nov 28th - they have not been able to replicate issue nor find any fault codes when running diagnostics. No dashboard errors appeared, only the flashing Reverse indicator light on shift console. No prior issues earlier in the day when using vehicle, nor has this issue occurred in the 4 years I have owned it. It was severe enough I wasn't sure the vehicle would clear intersections in a timely manner, and worried it may leave myself and my daughter and grandsons stranded on the 20 minute ride to home.

NHTSA ODI #11495720

Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 2022
EnginePower Train

Vehicle stalls when accelerating at low speeds. It appears to be a delay when the car transitions from 1st to 2nd gear. This creates a safety concern, especially when taking turns into traffic due to delays/stalls when turning.

NHTSA ODI #11494844

Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2022
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

I’ve been having an issue with the car “jerking rapidly” when in traffic and rolling slowly and when climbing relatively small hills, it began about 2 months ago but have become progressively worse over the last month. I was told by someone with a similar vehicle that it is the “lower arm control. Need help with is or if there i…

Read full complaint

I’ve been having an issue with the car “jerking rapidly” when in traffic and rolling slowly and when climbing relatively small hills, it began about 2 months ago but have become progressively worse over the last month. I was told by someone with a similar vehicle that it is the “lower arm control. Need help with is or if there is a recall

NHTSA ODI #11493043

Mileage unknown · Nov 2, 2022
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

While driving my car normally 9 dashboard lights came on suddenly including the check engine, ABS, brakes while at the same time the dials on the dashboard including the rpms, speedometer, oil temperature and more all stopped working. This happened suddenly while the car was in drive and also caused issues with the transmission…

Read full complaint

While driving my car normally 9 dashboard lights came on suddenly including the check engine, ABS, brakes while at the same time the dials on the dashboard including the rpms, speedometer, oil temperature and more all stopped working. This happened suddenly while the car was in drive and also caused issues with the transmission as the car stopped shifting gears properly and was driving very rough. With this sudden onset of many different issues out of nowhere driving the vehicle was very dangerous when trying to get to a safe location. After parking this electrical issue would not allow me to take the car out of park or use a OBD reader do to the electrical issue. After researching this problem I found several reports online describing nearly identical symptoms all of the sudden resulting in the car being undrivable and in a dangerous state. These owners said they took the cars to the dealer who tried replacing several components without fixing the issue with hours of diagnosis charges. Eventually after having the vehicles for several days they replaced the reverse camera which it turns out was shorting a significant amount of other critical car electrical components. With no prior damage to the camera or these electrical components the abrupt and random onset of this issue pose a significant safety risk to Hyundai Tucson drivers (at least in 2016 -2018 models) . My experience with the Hyundai Dealership was very similar to them even after I had diagnosed the issue to the camera the dealer said they had contacted the manufacturing engineers who took several days to determine what was causing these electrical issues. This is not an isolated issue as multiple hyundai tucson owners have reported this to Hyundai and their dealerships yet they fail to recognize the risks associated with the faulty cameras they install in their factories. They need to recall their vehicles prone to having this issue. This has cost me $1000 to fix and put me at risk on the road

NHTSA ODI #11492001

Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2022
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

While driving the vehicle, while accelerating the vehicle would lose power or disengage from gas pedal at 17 mph and then again at 26 mph. After about 3 miles the check engine light came on and a TCM warning appeared on the radio screen. Immediately took the car to the dealership and was turned away since I didn’t have an appoin…

Read full complaint

While driving the vehicle, while accelerating the vehicle would lose power or disengage from gas pedal at 17 mph and then again at 26 mph. After about 3 miles the check engine light came on and a TCM warning appeared on the radio screen. Immediately took the car to the dealership and was turned away since I didn’t have an appointment. On my way home from the dealership I made a stop at a store. I reversed out of the parking spot with no issues. When I put the vehicle in drive, it would not accelerate. I could drive in reverse but not forward. Vehicle was towed to the dealership. Diagnostics revealed it was a failed TCM. Further research revealed this same issue occurred in 2016 models. How was this not fixed or prevented in later models?

NHTSA ODI #11467907

Mileage unknown · Apr 23, 2022
Power Train

Powertrain issue. Multiple times the after stopping the engine revs for a few seconds and then the vehicle will lurch forward. It acts like the CVT transmission has a delayed response to the accelerator. The condition comes and goes and sometimes it happens multiple times in the same trip.

NHTSA ODI #11461870

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