Owners have filed 5,929 complaints on the Hyundai Tucson, covering 2005–2026. The system named most often is Engine (997 reports). Worst years by volume: 2016, 2017, 2018; cleanest: 2009, 2008, 2026. 222 reports describe a crash, 134 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 4.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Hyundai Tucson
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 5,929 Tucson complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 997 Read
I experienced sudden unintended acceleration which propelled me over a curb, up an embankment, over a boulder and into a fence. I could have been killed or I could have killed others because I had no control of the car. The Hyundai corporation will not acknowledge this. The car was inspected and declared a total loss…
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…
The contact called on behalf of his girlfriend who owned a 2021 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH in the driveway, there was steam coming out from under the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle. The contact stated that as he opened the hood, flames came out.…
Power Train 833 Read
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while in reverse, several warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel, and the vehicle suddenly reversed without depressing the accelerator pedal and crashed into a light post. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained. The…
While sitting in stopped traffic on the interstate in the dark in the rain on 11/25/2024 my car was in drive; my foot was on the brake. Twice the car rolled away despite my attempts to brake or put the car in Park (I shoved the shifter into Park and the car continued to roll). I rolled into the back of a semi because…
The contact owned a 2023 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from an unknown location of the vehicle, after which the vehicle began to accelerate on its own. The driver attempted to stop the vehicle, but the brake pedal…
Electrical System 402 Read
I rear ended a car infront of me that had stopped abruptly, I was going about 30 mph and the impact was so hard I slammed my chest on the steering wheel, it ended up doing 13,000 dollars of damage to the front end but not one airbag deployted
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 111 regulates rear visibility systems. It requires backup cameras to shut off within a specific time or distance after moving forward to prevent driver distraction. A screen stuck on the reverse camera means the vehicle failed to comply with federal safety safety standards…
There was an accident involving this vehicle where another vehicle pulled out in front causing a collision. There was damage only to the front of the vehicle which caused several malfunctions. Prior to the impact the break assist did not operate which may have prevented the collision but when the impact happened the…
Service Brakes 317 Read
The contact owned a 2019 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while the contact's wife was driving and parking the vehicle, the contact's wife depressed the brake pedal and the service brakes were inoperable. In addition, the contact stated that the anti collision braking system was inoperable and did not function…
The brakes pushed down to the floor before the collision and wouldn’t stop the car my passenger was injured no warning system on the collision prevention and nothing engaged my foot was on the floor and there was about a 10 second delay before the brakes kicked in it’s all on dash cam
Was slowing down for traffic in front of me and my brakes were applied automatically from the crash impact sensor and I was rear ended
Structure 215 Read
Hit a deer on highway and when impacted the hood flew up and smashed the windshield. I was unable to see where I was or if I was headed into the ditch or on coming traffic. The hood latch is metal the bar that the latch is attached to is plastic and broke completely off which allowed the hood to fly up and shatter the…
I crossed red light, truck coming from my left , I hit his car side , he hit my front car , my airbag didn't open although it is totally loss , despite the other car air bag opened
We purchased a 2016 tucson limited on black friday of 2016. This vehicle was equipped with the autonomous emergency braking (aeb) safety option, as is advertised and demonstrated on the hyundai website with video. We experienced a minor front-end collision at approximately 8-10 mph while merging into traffic at a…
Vehicle Speed Control 131 Read
Component or system that failed or malfunctioned: The electronic throttle control system and/or the powertrain control system malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to accelerate automatically and involuntarily. How safety was put at risk: The malfunction caused a collision with another vehicle and a structure. The…
On XXX, my vehicle unexpectedly activated its automatic braking system while driving, resulting in a rear-end collision. My infant daughter was in the vehicle at the time. While we were fortunate to avoid catastrophic injuries, the incident placed both of us in significant danger and could easily have resulted in a…
The forward collision avoidance system made me have accident. I was driving on the expressway, the forward collision made the car stop abruptly, then accelerate. As I was veering to the right, the car stopped again in the middle of the expressway causing me to have an accident. This is unacceptable and very unsafe.…
Forward Collision Avoidance 129 Read
I was in stop and go traffic on the highway. The car in front of me started going and I did as well. At this point, I was at least 3 car lengths behind them. They braked fairly quickly and I was as well. When I was braking, the FCA emergency braking enabled super prematurely. The result of the emergency braking caused…
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Forward Collision Warning How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car braked on the highway and caused me to get rear ended. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent…
Updated software. The vehicle stated that while driving, there was a vehicle in from, the vehicle was slowing down, the contacts vehicle unexpectedly stopped with causing the collision alert to prematurely activate and the vehicle behind rear ended. The incident occurred in bumper to bumper traffic. The bumper, trunk…
Fuel/propulsion System 115 Read
I was driving down the street and other driver flag me down, the car behind me honk when I look back I realize that the car was smoking when I come out at the car the whole car caught fire
The car suddenly and unintentionally accelerated. To avoid going through the back of my garage, I turned slightly and hit the frame of the garage. It continued to accelerate for a few seconds until I managed to stop it. I then backed up. Again, the car suddenly unintentionally accelerated. I managed to stop it. I…
This 2022 Hyundai Tucson stalled in the middle of a busy highway with my wife in the vehicle. The car suddenyly stalled while going 75mph and she was almost killed and got rear ended. Later we were informed by the dealership that there is a inherent issue with the fuel injection system on these vehicles and the fuel…
Tucson years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System | 12 | — | |
| 2025 | Air Bags | 30 | 1 | |
| 2024 | Air Bags | 11 | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags | 11 | 1 | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 23 | 4 | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 5 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 13 | 10 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 13 | 9 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 13 | 24 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 14 | 24 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 5 | 8 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 4 | 3 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 12 | 15 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 11 | 13 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 4 | 3 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 4 | 5 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 15 | 3 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 12 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,163 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.1 |
| Worst single series | 61 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.4 years |
A model average of 5.1 hides a worst series at 61. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Tucson?
By complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2018 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Tucson years are the cleanest?
2009, 2008, 2026 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Hyundai Tucson have?
5,929 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2005–2026. Of those, 222 describe a crash and 134 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.