Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Hyundai Tucson owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle began to stall and he saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and quickly exited the vehicle. The contact waited several minutes. The contact stated that upon opening the hood of the vehicle, he saw flames. The contact was able to extinguish the fire by shutting the hood closed. The contact stated that in the process of exiting the vehicle, he bumped his knee and twisted his ankle and received care from his caregiver. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced under an unknown recall. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that a week after purchasing the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the warning light would be reset. While performing a final test drive, the mechanic became aware of smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The mechanic pulled over and attempted to open the hood but was unable to do so. The mechanic then noticed fire coming from underneath the vehicle. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. No one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard by the police. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at 65 - 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and there was smoke coming from the bottom of the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds. Upon the vehicle being placed onto the tow truck, there was oil leaking from underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with rod bearing failure in the lower part of the engine, which caused a hole in the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle entered drive-safe mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was discovered that the engine was extremely low on oil. The contact was informed that the knock sensor and spark plugs needed to be replaced. Upon retrieving the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change and the mechanic informed him that the oil consumption issue was related to an unstated TSB. The mechanic referred the contact to the manufacturer to report the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The manufacturer then referred him to another dealer for an oil consumption test. …
On [redacted], I purchased a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Sport, at the Landover-Jaguar South Hills dealer in Canonsburg, PA. On [redacted] the "check engine" light came on. Since I was 2 hours from home, I purchased a code reader to assess the issue. It read "A P0420 code". I researched potential reasons for this code but returned the car to the dealer who performed additional checks and gave the car a "clean bill of health". On [redacted], I was driving home from about 16 miles away and lost power. A slew of dash lights came on, and I was forced to pull over. I smelled something burning. As I stopped, the smoke from the engine became apparent. The car right behind me pulled up and asked if I knew my car was on fire. Another bystander pulled over and extinguished the fire in my engine. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and there was a ticking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, where a mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a knock sensor failure. The knock sensor was replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the vehicle was included in Manufacturer Campaign: CS966 for the transmission control module (TCM). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed that the vehicle was included and the software update was performed. After the vehicle was repaired, the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated; however, approximately 30 minutes later, the vehicle failed to exceed 35 MPH, and the check engine warning light started flashing. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several dealers. The contact was informed that the unknown hoses and the dipstick melted inside due to the engine overheating. The contact stated that the catalytic converter was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the catalytic converter had been replaced three times since the first failure. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was adding engine oil every two weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, he and his wife observed a faint knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the noise grew louder while attempting to exit the highway. The contact stated that the oil, check engine, and unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact observed smoke coming from the engine compartment however, there was no fire. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and the hood was opened. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was awaiting a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 55-60 mph, she heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she was able to park on the side of the road before the vehicle was seized. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, started to experience failure with the brakes. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that the VIN was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V543000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics). The dealer completed the recall repair however, the failure with the brakes recurred. Additionally, the rear driver's side door failed to open. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and attempting to accelerate, there was a grinding noise coming from the vehicle. Additionally, if the accelerator pedal was not depressed a certain way, the vehicle would stall. The oil light would illuminate upon starting the vehicle and would disappear after a while. The contact would restart the vehicle 3-4 times before the vehicle would regain proper functionality. The failure occurred again while driving 50 mph. The doors failed to open from the inside or the outside except for the driver side door. However, for the driver's door the contact had to lift the handle twice before the door would open. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. …
NHTSA investigations
Loss of Motive Power
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.
Engine complaints in other Tucson years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2016 Hyundai Tucson?
NHTSA has 430 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, 26% of the model year's 1,625 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › emission control › catalytic convertor (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Hyundai Tucson engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, though it has 5 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 2016 Hyundai Tucson engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 17 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling 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.