Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Hyundai Tucson owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The rear passenger door on my 2017 Hyundai Tuscon will not open from either inside or outside of the vehicle despite the door being confirmed as unlocked. This is a huge safety issue as my rear passenger, currently, my 6-year-old would effectively be trapped in the vehicle during an emergency. This also requires my son to climb up to the front seat to exit the vehicle at school as I am required to allow him to exit from the right side of the car for safety reasons. There were no warning indicators for this. The issue first appeared yesterday, 9/6/202, when I went to take my son to cub scouts and could not open the vehicle door to let him in the car. I am making an appointment with Hyundai but a basic Google search shows this is a widespread issue with Hyundai vehicles in this year range and given the grave concern for safety I do not understand why this is not a recall.
This is the second time this year one of the doors refused to open. In May the front passenger door would only open if outside handle was jiggled a few times. Two weeks ago rear door behind driver refuses to open at all - from inside or out! I have small children and this is a safety issue!! I'm terrified either the kids or I will become trapped in an emergency or other unsafe situation. In additional to the emotional impact of this is the financial. The interior door panel - which is plastic - most likely will break and need replacement. Vehicle needs to be in shop for nearly 2 weeks. I can't trust this vehicle and will never buy this brand again. In the interim a safety recall needs to be initiated. I would not want to dump this unsafe vehicle on someone else with children or elderly people they transport. PLEASE DO something soon!
two things....my back passenger side door just stopped opening...you cannot open from inside nor can you open from outside... won't open at all and now I notice the window 'sticks' I have to put it down and then it will go up slowly. 2nd this car burns through oil and I have seen other complaints regarding this from others online as well. I have to have an extra container of oil to use once every other week and now the muffler is smelling bad no oil can light ever when on but when I bought it used, about 3 weeks later the engine light came on and it started to knock. I went to a Jiffy Lube and they said "you have no oil" there are no spots at work or my driveway! This engine is a joke
Left rear passenger door latch failure to open either from inside or outside. This is a mechanical failure of the cables operating the latch. A passenger could not easily exit the vehicle in an emergency situation, also there is no way short of breaking the glass to easily access or if necessary extricate the passenger in an emergency situation. As evidenced from online searches and forums this failure is all too common and has been addressed with a narrow set of vehicles with an extended warranty applied to this failure. This is an issue of safety. There needs to be a recall to upgrade affected vehicles and their door mechanisms.
When attempting to open the passenger side door after unlocking the car, the handle must be pulled numerous times. The door opens from the inside of the car with no issues, but cannot be opened from the outside. It started as three pills would open the door, but now it's upward of 5-10 hard pulls to open the door from the outside of the vehicle. No warning lamps on the dash and only 37,000 miles. Not diagnosed by the manufacturer. This causes a major safety issue when needing to access the vehicle from the exterior and not being able to quickly or efficiently get into the vehicle.
Door actuator stopped working on passenger rear door so door can't be opened from inside or outside handles. Car is 2017 and under 55,000 miles but dealer says it is not a safety issue and can't work on it for 3 months. What?!!!!! I can't get my child out of the rear of the car. This is a HUGE safety issue and happening to a ton Of Hyundai vehicles of 2015-2018 timeframe. So many that there are Hyundai forums addressing this and no one is being helped. Dealers are not willing to fix this or cover as a warranty item. Should be a safety recall item immediately.
the door latches are no longer opening the doors from the inside of the vehicle. This started with the passenger rear and now is effecting the drivers door. The only way to get out of the vehicle is to crawl over the seat to get to a door that is still operational. No warnings, just doesn't open when you pull on the handle. Will be making an appointment with a local dealer/service dept but given the security concerns this is being reported here as well.
My front doors on the Tucson when first unlocked will not open from the outside, this is a huge safety issue as if there were a crash or fire where anyone in the front seats were unconscious then help would not be able to get them out quickly, this would endanger not just drivers and passengers but also first responders. This needs to be a Hyundai recall as this is one of thousands of reports on this.
Rear passenger door will not open without manually adjusting the internal door handle components with a screwdriver (or similar tool). This poses a huge safety risk, trapping a passenger in the vehicle. I am in the process of having the door repaired, but this issue has been recalled on other models and the cost of repair should not be on the consumer, since it is a known defect.
I bought the car with 83,000 miles 9 months ago. It had engine failure at 104,000. From the beginning the car stalled when trying to accelerate almost got hit several times. The car had major oil consumption issues with no leak. The car died without any warning lights almost causing an accident. I rolled into oil change place. Car was low on oil. It had engine failure.
Body complaints in other Tucson years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2017 Hyundai Tucson?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the body & structure of the 2017 Hyundai Tucson, 4% of the model year's 1,092 complaints. The component named most often is body (41 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Hyundai Tucson body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2017 Hyundai Tucson, though it has 3 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 2017 Hyundai Tucson body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 49,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to body & structure 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.