Engine complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2025 | 12 | 4% | — |
| 2024 | 14 | 14% | 18,000 miles |
| 2023 | 23 | 17% | 27,000 miles |
| 2022 | 116 | 30% | 34,000 miles |
| 2021 | 42 | 53% | 45,000 miles |
| 2020 | 74 | 41% | 80,000 miles |
| 2019 | 204 | 53% | 51,000 miles |
| 2018 | 250 | 63% | 61,000 miles |
| 2017 | 616 | 56% | 60,000 miles |
| 2016 | 430 | 26% | 60,000 miles |
| 2015 | 122 | 53% | 70,000 miles |
| 2014 | 113 | 56% | 93,000 miles |
| 2013 | 159 | 60% | 87,000 miles |
| 2012 | 168 | 66% | 99,000 miles |
| 2011 | 45 | 36% | 100,000 miles |
| 2010 | 7 | 12% | 159,000 miles |
| 2009 | 1 | 6% | 106,000 miles |
| 2008 | 9 | 21% | 30,000 miles |
| 2007 | 9 | 14% | 106,000 miles |
| 2006 | 21 | 16% | 71,000 miles |
| 2005 | 38 | 21% | 50,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I leased a brand new 2025 Hyundai Tucson on March 15, 2025, with fewer than 10 miles on the odometer. Shortly after driving an additional 10 miles, the vehicle's screen malfunctioned, displaying burn-in and becoming non-functional. This issue significantly affects safety, as it renders the backup camera unusable during operation. The vehicle was first brought in for service on March 17, 2025, but the issue was not resolved. Subsequent service attempts were made on March 20, April 9, and most recently on April 11, 2025. As of today, the problem remains unresolved. The vehicle has been in the service center for approximately 15 days since the date of purchase. In addition to the defective screen, the vehicle failed to start on one occasion, leaving me stranded alone in a parking lot, stuck in accessory mode with the brake locked. …
The cars speedometer screen and radio screen go black and sometimes flicker on and off. This makes it impossible to see the speed. Also the car stalls sometimes when this happens in traffic. The autonomous braking applies the brakes even when there is a large distance from other cars and objects to the point where it has almost caused me to get into an accident on numerous occasions. The driver attention alert comes on and off over and over again even though I'm fully focused on driving and well aware of what is going on and this sometimes happens in a sequence where all of the warning lights illuminate on dash. Sometimes all of the warning lights display on cluster after it goes black and then car says to shift to park when display goes back on causing safety concerns for me in traffic. In addition my sunroof glass is making a loud noise like it's going to crack.
The contact owned a 2024 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that his wife was reversing out of the work parking space, the brake pedal was depressed, and when the gear shift was shifted into drive(D), the vehicle then accelerated independently. The contact stated that the engine revved, hit a parked vehicle, bounced off that vehicle, and continued to accelerate independently, abruptly veered the steering wheel to the left to avoid hitting a tree. The contact's vehicle then hit a second parked vehicle, where it came to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated, and none of the warning alarms sounded. The driver's and passenger's side air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The insurance company was notified and towed the vehicle to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that before the vehicle stalled, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated before the instrument cluster went black. The contact pulled over and shifted to park(P) and was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure had occurred intermittently and at various speeds. The vehicle also occurred while stopped at a traffic signal. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed while merging onto a highway, but the vehicle lost forward momentum. The contact stated that the message "Limited to 20 MPH" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the engine was not revving. The contact pulled off the highway and into a parking lot. The contact turned the vehicle off and on, and normal driving was resumed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and was occurring while accelerating. Additionally, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in the morning, the vehicle would jump forward while still in park (P). …
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and then lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, a fuel odor was detected while driving. The vehicle was able to be restarted, and the contact drove to a nearby gas station to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced two fuel injectors due to water in the fuel tank. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
The contact owned a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact's neighbor knocked on the contact's residential door and informed the contact that the contact's vehicle was on fire. The contact stated that when she went outside, the contact noticed that the entire front of the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was called, and the fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was burned all the way to the rear seat of the vehicle. The fire burned another vehicle that was parked in the contractor's yard. In addition, the contact stated that the fire burned a good portion of the contact's residential yard. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned a total loss by the insurance company. …
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, she collided with an Elk. The engine caught fire and the vehicle was engulfed in the flames. The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely. The contact stated that prior to the crash, the check engine warning indicator light was illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no reported injuries. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to an independent lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000.
Related recalls (3)
Engine and engine cooling › Critical fasteners
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
Engine
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Tucson and Sonata Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which can result in engine damage.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine. If bearing damage is found, the engine will be replaced. Dealers will also install a software update containing a new Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS).
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Tucson vehicles. The engine oil pan may leak and, if not addressed, the loss of oil may result in engine damage.
Remedy: Hyundai has notified owners, and dealers will inspect for an oil pan leak, replacing it if necessary, and install an updated oil pressure switch, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2019.
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 Fires
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
Which Hyundai Tucson years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2017 (616), 2016 (430), 2018 (250), 2019 (204) and 2012 (168) model years. Engine complaints make up 56% of all complaints for the 2017.
Is there a recall for Hyundai Tucson engine problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 25V-549 (critical fasteners, Aug 25, 2025); 21V-727 (engine, Sep 17, 2021); 19V-063 (engine, Feb 5, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Hyundai Tucson engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles; 33% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the exhaust system › emission control › catalytic convertor (11 mentions), followed by the engine (7).
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.