Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
470–25K
2125–50K
1750–75K
1375–100K
12100–150K
2150K+
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
What owners actually said
395 reports
46,000 miles · Sep 29, 2022
Engine
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 65 MPH, she heard a noise coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine services and the mechanic was made aware of the fa…
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The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 65 MPH, she heard a noise coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine services and the mechanic was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that while the mechanic was test driving the vehicle at 40 MPH, the engine blew out. The vehicle was towed back to the facility. The contact was made aware of Service Campaign: 966 (Engine Monitoring Logic Update). The manufacturer was not made aware of failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
NHTSA ODI #11487155
Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2022
EngineFire
The engine caught on fire, it was considered totaled loss. I settled with the insurance and not sure if the car is still available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because I was driving the car when it happened. I did not get injured because I was able to get out of the car. There was no recall from what I know. The car…
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The engine caught on fire, it was considered totaled loss. I settled with the insurance and not sure if the car is still available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because I was driving the car when it happened. I did not get injured because I was able to get out of the car. There was no recall from what I know. The car was inspected by GEICO which is why it was considered totaled loss. There was no warning before the fire. The car was in great condition.
NHTSA ODI #11485893
Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2022
Engine
ENGINE LIGHTS continues to turn on every other day or so I took my car to get its regular Oil change and expressed this to one of the service reps about this issue they told me They couldn’t do anything about it because once they turned on the vehicle the light came off. A few days ago my engine started Blinking and I started pa…
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ENGINE LIGHTS continues to turn on every other day or so I took my car to get its regular Oil change and expressed this to one of the service reps about this issue they told me They couldn’t do anything about it because once they turned on the vehicle the light came off. A few days ago my engine started Blinking and I started panicking since I was on a highway from a road trip my car started making this awful cackling noise and I had To call a tow to then get told That this can take WEEKS TO FIX and NO RENTALS CAN BE PROVIDED WHEN I AM CLEARLY IN A DIFFERENT STATE THEN WHERE I LIVE! Hyundai IS ONCE OF THE WORST AUTO I HAVE EVER DELT WITH! Absolutely not Help I was practically stranded on an issue that Had nothing to do with me! The engine light came Out of no where
NHTSA ODI #11483602
Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2022
Structure
The paint is chipping in large patches on various places throughout the body of the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11482298
92,622 miles · Aug 31, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that if the steering wheel was not exactly positioned at 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock, the vehicle would fail to start. The steering wheel would lock-up and the vehicle would lose power. The contact stated that when turning off the vehicle, the steering wheel had to be positio…
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The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that if the steering wheel was not exactly positioned at 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock, the vehicle would fail to start. The steering wheel would lock-up and the vehicle would lose power. The contact stated that when turning off the vehicle, the steering wheel had to be positioned at the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position or the vehicle would not start-up. The contact would tow the vehicle whenever the failure would occur. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 92,622.
NHTSA ODI #11482189
Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2022
EngineUnknown Or Other
check engine light comes on bout 25 times a week i plug my scanner into it and it reads knock sensor faulty I seen a RECALL for these cars why doesn't my car have a recall of this on going issue?
NHTSA ODI #11481551
Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2022
Engine
Aug 9, 2022 ~1pm. Driving ~60 mph south on highway 18, 30 miles north of Lusk, WY. Heard 30 seconds of slapping noise from engine, follow by oil pressure low light. Accelerator also ceased to function. Pulled to side of road and waited for tow. Towed to Ken Garff Hyundai in Cheyanne, WY. Inspected on Aug 25, 2022 by technician a…
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Aug 9, 2022 ~1pm. Driving ~60 mph south on highway 18, 30 miles north of Lusk, WY. Heard 30 seconds of slapping noise from engine, follow by oil pressure low light. Accelerator also ceased to function. Pulled to side of road and waited for tow. Towed to Ken Garff Hyundai in Cheyanne, WY. Inspected on Aug 25, 2022 by technician at Ken Garff two weeks after incident. Hyundai authorized engine replacement. Hyundai also stated twice that there was a recall on the car. No recall appears in the NHTSA database. Problem is very similar to Part 573 Safety Recall Report 21V-727, which includes the 2017 Hyundai Tucson.
NHTSA ODI #11481209
Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2022
Engine
The vehicle has 81,000 miles with regular oil changes. We purchased as a certified pre owned with 45,000 miles on the vehicle. The car had been running perfectly. Last weekend the car was making an awful noise. Today the mechanic tells us the lower unit is knocking and the motor will need replaced. There is no way this should be…
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The vehicle has 81,000 miles with regular oil changes. We purchased as a certified pre owned with 45,000 miles on the vehicle. The car had been running perfectly. Last weekend the car was making an awful noise. Today the mechanic tells us the lower unit is knocking and the motor will need replaced. There is no way this should be happening at this mileage especially since the car has been regularly serviced. Hyundai is not even interested in repairing the vehicle, went straight to trying to get me to trade it in. We could have been stranded or killed on the highway and with all of the other complaints about this motor, I can’t believe there hasn’t been a recall.
NHTSA ODI #11472814
78,000 miles · Jul 6, 2022
Engine
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. Additionally, the vehicle was making a ticking sound which became a loud knocking sound. Additionally, the engine was revving however, the vehicle was decelerating. The contact stated that…
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The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. Additionally, the vehicle was making a ticking sound which became a loud knocking sound. Additionally, the engine was revving however, the vehicle was decelerating. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway safely and then drove the vehicle to her residence. The contact's husband then drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that water had entered the engine cylinders and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed by the independent mechanic that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V727000 (Engine). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
NHTSA ODI #11472514
Mileage unknown · Jul 1, 2022
EngineUnknown Or Other
I have a Hyundai 2018. I bought it in 2019 with about 64,000 miles on it. I keep up with all the maintenance on my SUV. I noticed once I moved from Illinois to Florida, after having the car for a year, it started consuming a lot of oil. I've never had an oil leak anywhere on the car. In November of 2020 I went to Take 5 to get m…
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I have a Hyundai 2018. I bought it in 2019 with about 64,000 miles on it. I keep up with all the maintenance on my SUV. I noticed once I moved from Illinois to Florida, after having the car for a year, it started consuming a lot of oil. I've never had an oil leak anywhere on the car. In November of 2020 I went to Take 5 to get my oil changed and the mechanic said make sure to check my oil often because my truck burns a lot of oil. I'm find myself putting oil in my truck once a week. Every 500 miles it needs oil. The crazy thing is, is that the oil light never once came on. The engine light will come on. I went to a recall appointment 2 weeks ago, which was the same day I got my oil changed June 11, 2022, and I told them about this issue and they did nothing. By June 23rd I needed more oil! I see California has a lawsuit about this issue. I want to trade in my truck because this is costing too much money feeding this truck gas and now oil!
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.