Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Hyundai Tucson owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This car accelerates while unattended. Most likely due to an ECM malfunction and unable to properly respond/send signals to the motor. On 4 occasions, the car has accelerated, even if in park. It will go 25mph on its own and to stop I had to put it in neutral. I've seen that my car isn't the only one experiencing this. Considering it's an ECM issue there should be a recall because that is not a part you change during the life of a car.
"Takata recall" on April 8th approximately 6 o'clock in the morning I was awaken out of my sleep to my car on fire in my yard. I called the firefighter department they came out and said it was from bad electrical wires. My car was in my front yard...I last drove it that night to pizza hut
Vehicle locks and unlocks doors at random, with or without keys in the ignition. Causes battery to fail as it will continue this when not in use. This is the second Hyundai I owned that had this same problem and looking through carfax on used vehicles there are numerous vehicles with repeated electrical problems. The vehicle can be moving or in parked in a garage overnight. Vehicle had me locked inside so long at one point that I was late for a meeting and was about to crawl out a window when I was actually able to use a door. This is a definite safety issue for any type of accident. Rescue could not take place as door could not be opened. This is an on going problem that has not been solved by dealership.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the brake lights failed to illuminate. In addition, the contact stated that the ignition key was stuck in the ignition and the shift interlock failed to shift properly without warning. In addition, the air bag warning indicator had failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 09V280000 (exterior lighting) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.
3 outside and 3 inside door handles have broken off. Motor for electronic windows [driver, front passenger and rear passenger] all quit working within a week of each other. And no, it wasn't fuses. Headlight housing, passenger side is breaking inside the housing.
Car takes 6 times to start car losses power on expressway almost causing accident codes come up and fix problem but issue always comes back was told wiring problem spent over 1000.00 to fix the problem and no mention priceless if not safe to drive
Car stalls in stop and go traffic, happened twice in hot weather, the first time resulting in being towed from george washington bridge in ny 9/16 date given below was second incident driving from philadelphia to kennett square pa in heavy traffic
ESP off ligh comes on and off have to turn suv off to ture light off Had report it to nhtsa twice but no one replied 2/28/22 # 05V119000 2/14/22 #11454471
In 5 months of owning this 2 year old car I had so many problems with it. Within 2 weeks after I purchased it the car started dying on me for no reason/ after I was finally able to get an appointment at dealer a few weeks later they fixed it somewhat as they claimed the air filter hose was loose and caused the problem. A week later vehicle continued to die. So I brought it again to dealer, and no problem was found. Then I took it home and it died every few days on the freeway , on street, and making turns left or right or idling at a stop sign. The last time on 6/28 I brought it to dealer as it had died 7 times on 6/27. I left it and apparently on 6/29 it was taken to Hyundai for a few hours. Then I received a call after 5 pm that it was ready. I called back and said I was not coming to get it until it was tested further. …
My 2005 Hyundai Tucson (2.7l v-6 4wd) has for the last 1.5 years has been: 1.stalling out 2. Running very rough with no power (especially when raining or after several days of rain) 3. Cranks over but doesn't start 4. Engine quits running on highway (leaving us stranded on route I-80). All intermittently! I have had the car in a repair shop where they replaced the ignition coil pack assembly (6/2011). Then it failed again but not long enough to get something diagnosed, so I drove it just knowing someday it was going to happen again. Finally it failed again (1/1/2012) this time long enough for me to get the code/s from the ECM. It had a hard crankshaft position sensor failure. Then it ran fine. I replaced the crankshaft position sensor and upon removal and inspection the sensors three wires were bare. …
Electrical complaints in other Tucson years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Hyundai Tucson?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Hyundai Tucson, 16% of the model year's 185 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Hyundai Tucson electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 Hyundai Tucson, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Hyundai Tucson electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.