Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Hyundai Tucson owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into the rear of another stopped vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle was damaged, and coolant started leaking due to the collision. The contact's son and the other driver did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle could not be driven and was towed to an auto collision shop. A police report was filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The contact's father was driving the vehicle at approximately 65 MPH when numerous warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that her father had observed smoke being emitted from under the hood. The father pulled the vehicle off the highway and stopped the vehicle. The contact stated that her father opened the hood and saw that a fire had started in the engine compartment. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames with water. The fire was confined to the engine compartment. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the front driver's side window failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic and a diagnostic test showed that the window motor had become damaged due to the electrical solenoid overheating which caused a breakage in the mounting between the spool assembly and the driver's side window module motor. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to a local dealer to have a diagnostic test performed. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …
The contact called on behalf of his father who owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his father was taking the vehicle out of the car wash, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and was not able to restart. The vehicle was left at the location until the following day. The next day the contact attempted to connect a new battery to the vehicle; however, there was white smoke coming from the battery compartment. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact's father received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the contact stated the local dealer refused to repair the vehicle under the recall. The contact stated the local dealer was in active communication with the manufacturer to find a solution. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, all warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel, at which point the contact observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, he observed a small fire on some electrical wiring. The contact was able to extinguish the fire on his own. Neither a fire nor a police report were filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that ABS fluid was leaking onto the electrical wiring, resulting in a fire. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics); the VIN was included but parts were not yet available. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start, and the battery failed to hold charge. The contact stated that the engine, oil, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the battery. The battery was replaced by the mechanic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while her grandmother was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a rubber smell emanating throughout the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000. The VIN was not available.
I was driving on the highway and was notified by passing motorists that there was smoke coming from my vehicle, I proceeded to pull to the shoulder and parked my vehicle. When parked, I noticed flames coming from the engine compartment and under the vehicle. I proceeded to get as far away from the car and that when the fire became enraged and fully engulfed my vehicle. The fire department arrived and distinguished the fire.
I am writing to express my serious concern regarding a safety issue with my Hyundai vehicle, and the apparent lack of resolution from Hyundai despite repeated attempts to seek assistance. Last year, I received a notification from Hyundai about a critical safety issue concerning the EMERGENCY FIRE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ("ABS") MODULES, which could potentially leak brake fluid internally and lead to an electrical short over time. This electrical short poses a significant risk of engine compartment fires, both while the vehicle is parked and during operation. Naturally, upon receiving this alarming notice, I expected Hyundai to promptly address and rectify this potentially life-threatening issue. Unfortunately, my concerns have only heightened as my local mechanic recently discovered a leakage in my vehicle, which aligns with the exact problem outlined in the aforementioned notification. …
While this Recal has been announced since August, the Manufacturer and Dealerships have not fixed this issue nor do they have a projected date for a fix. In the mean time, they have stated that the vehicle could catch fire and should be parked outside away from structures. This has placed our family at risk, devalued our vehicle and has us considering purchasing another safer vehile putting our family in a financial strain. Furthermore, the only "fix" we are hearing about is to install a smaller value fuse that will not allow excessive current to ignite the leaking brake fluid. IN other words, they do not appear to bee fixing the rooot cause of the the issue: Leaking Brake Fluid! Leaking brake systems are a saftey concern of the highest magnitude, right up there with Tires and Steering. This is just insane. …
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Sonata Hybrid, 2012-2015 Accent, Azera, Veloster, 2013-2015 Elantra Coupe, Santa Fe, 2014-2015 Equus, 2010-2012 Veracruz, 2010-2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, and 2013 Santa Fe Sport vehicles.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando.
Brake complaints in other Tucson years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2013 Hyundai Tucson?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Hyundai Tucson, 15% of the model year's 266 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Hyundai Tucson brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 23V-651 (control unit/module, Sep 22, 2023). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Hyundai Tucson brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 140,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to brakes 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.