What breaks most · 2005 to 2019 model years
Hyundai Tucson problems by year
Owners have filed 1,410 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Hyundai Tucson across model years 2005 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2016 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2017 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2005 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2008 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2017, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2008, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 14102005 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2016478 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 8523 fires · 74 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 21kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 48Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 10 | 8 | Electrical system (28) | |
| 113 | 14 | 5 | Air bags (35) | |
| 48 | 6 | 5 | Air bags (10) | |
| 32 | 4 | 1 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (3) | |
| 36 | 3 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (20) | |
| 53 | 4 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 105 | 9 | 3 | Engine (62) | |
| 85 | 13 | 3 | Engine (51) | |
| 47 | 4 | 2 | Engine (25) | |
| 38 | 4 | 1 | Engine (19) | |
| 478 | 8 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (347) | |
| 184 | 4 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (110) | |
| 17 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (7) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (1) |
What fails on the 2016 Hyundai Tucson
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 73% |
347 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 17% |
82 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 14% |
68 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
52 | 1 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 9% |
43 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
23 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 2% |
11 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 1% |
7 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The car jumps when moving off from a stop. In some cases the car stops moving ahead and it feels like the car is not in gear. The car then transmission reengages and the car accelerates hopping some times. When you stop again this happens again but at the next stop it might not happen.
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There is a hesitation when the car starts out in the morning, first start of the day. I have had a new transmission put in, but after a few weeks the problem returned. It causes a safety problem when i try to pull out into traffic, because it feel like it is going to stall out and them it catches and moves.
-
Car takes 6 times to start car losses power on expressway almost causing accident codes come up and fix problem but issue always comes back was told wiring problem spent over 1000.00 to fix the problem and no mention priceless if not safe to drive
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Hyundai Tucson years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2005 carry the most filings on the Hyundai Tucson. The 2016 alone has 478 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Hyundai Tucson problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 347 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Hyundai Tucson problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Hyundai Tucson complaints that include mileage is about 21,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.