2016 Hyundai Tucson
The Verdict
The 2016 Hyundai Tucson has 1,616 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (571 complaints) and engine (452 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 5/100, it earns a "Total Klunk" rating. If you're shopping for a Hyundai Tucson, consider the 2009 model year which has 98% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2009 has 98% fewer complaints
View the 2009 Hyundai Tucson dashboard →
Klunk Score: Total Klunk
Among the most complained-about vehicle years on record. Strongly consider alternatives.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 5
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015 to March 14, 2016. In the affected vehicles, if the primary hood latch has been relea...
Risk
If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch cannot secure the hood, the hood may unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary hood latch, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. H...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015,...
Risk
If the trailer brake lights stay illuminated while being used, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected accessory trailer hitch wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hy...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 20, 2015 through May 31, 2016 and equipped with a 7-speed EcoShift Dual Clutch Transmission. C...
Risk
Inability to move the vehicle while in traffic may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Transmission Control Module software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 28, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai custo...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) recalled certain 2019-2021 Tucson vehicles on September 4, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Hyundai expanded the recall population, and added certain 2016-2018 Tucson ve...
Risk
An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury or crash.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HECU fuse. For 2019-2021 model years, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) software will also be updated. Recall repairs will be perform...
Reported Apr 9, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Hyundai Tucson vehicles manufactured May 26, 2015 to January 15, 2016 and equipped with an accessory trailer hitch harness eithe...
Risk
Failure to illuminate the trailer's turn signal lights would prevent the communication of the driver's intent, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began on May 2, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9640. Hyundai...
Reported Oct 3, 2016
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 59 | 12 | 54 | 49 | 11 |
| 2006 | 36 | 15 | 50 | 27 | 7 |
| 2007 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 11 | 4 |
| 2008 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 2 |
| 2009 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 22 |
| 2011 | 26 | 25 | 4 | 46 | 19 |
| 2012 | 27 | 23 | 13 | 170 | 16 |
| 2013 | 36 | 34 | 18 | 161 | 11 |
| 2014 | 20 | 46 | 9 | 118 | 3 |
| 2015 | 26 | 52 | 12 | 123 | 6 |
| 2016 | 571 | 36 | 149 | 452 | 408 |
| 2017 | 159 | 35 | 50 | 637 | 200 |
| 2018 | 36 | 32 | 20 | 250 | 55 |
| 2019 | 35 | 111 | 18 | 203 | 8 |
| 2020 | 40 | 42 | 16 | 74 | 3 |
| 2021 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 45 | 2 |
| 2022 | 77 | 24 | 42 | 207 | 29 |
| 2023 | 49 | 16 | 22 | 34 | 10 |
| 2024 | 45 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 1 |
| 2025 | 154 | 37 | 64 | 12 | 12 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
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See how the 2016 Hyundai Tucson stacks up against rivals.
Complaints
This problem was observed about 1 month ago: While driving and headlights set on AUTO, during the day, and the light switch NOT on, the dashboard would indicate the lights were ON, for just a second or two, and would go off. At night with the headlights set on AUTO and the headlights ON, while driving, the headlights go OFF and ON briefly (1-3 seconds) causing a dangerous situation as visibility of road is lost. This condition was initially observed at night, after using the turn signals (left/right), but is now happening with greater frequency while driving without using turn signals. I Will schedule a visit with dealership to report/confirm problem.
Door latch issue. Driver's side door has to be pulled multiple times after unlocking to open from the exterior. Passenger side door latch has become completely inoperable and does not open from the interior or exterior now. To have multiple doors fail at the same time seems like a true design failure / flaw and an inoperable door a true safety hazard.
While stopped at a traffic light, the engine began producing a loud metallic clattering and clanking sound, consistent with connecting rod bearing failure (rod knock). There was no prior warning light or indication of this specific failure. When the light changed, the vehicle would not accelerate normally, leaving me stalled in a lane of moving traffic. I was forced to make an emergency turn to get the vehicle out of the way of oncoming and crossing traffic. The engine would not hold an idle afterward and has not run since. The vehicle was towed to a Hyundai dealership, where a service department employee stated by phone that this 1.6L turbocharged engine family has a known, documented history of severe factory defects affecting the connecting rod bearings.
All the warning lights in the day lit up. Brake, LDWS, AEB, outside air temperature won’t read and the a/c blows hot. $486 to diagnose at dealer and they state that it’s an electrical issue due to a bad vacuum pump. I can’t get an answer as to whether the vacuum pump safety campaign was completed or not. Dealer wants $1500 to replace.
The engine is failing at 128,000 miles. The car is burning so much oil that it is impossible to drive more than 500 miles without the oil running dry. The problem has been inspected by the Hyundai dealership nearest me. The vehicle notified me of the oil issue by illuminating the oil light. The issue started after the turbo failed at 127,000 miles. The turbo was replaced at a cost $3,500 and immediately afterwards the vehicle which previously did not burn oil now does. It doesn't just burn oil it consumes it like a black hole.
While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of motive power accompanied by a loud, catastrophic internal knocking sound from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Hyundai dealership (Piazza Hyundai of Limerick), where a certified diagnostic technician confirmed a severe internal connecting rod bearing failure (rod knock). This sudden engine failure creates a significant highway safety hazard due to the immediate loss of acceleration and power steering/brake assistance if the engine completely seizes while operational. Hyundai has issued widespread safety recalls and a 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty (TXXM) for this exact failure mode in other engine displacements (such as the 2.0L Nu GDI), yet they have excluded the 1.6L Turbo engine from identical coverage despite it suffering from the exact same manufacturing defect and presenting the same public safety risk.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger’s side door failed to unlatch as needed. The front passenger's side window failed to roll up or roll down. The driver's side rear door failed to unlatch or latch as needed. Additionally, the trunk switch failed to operate as needed. The dealer was made aware of the failures but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repairs were not covered under recall or warranty. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The contact feared being locked inside the vehicle and being unable to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
All the door locks and actuators/latches are failing. Hyundai claims there is no recall for it, and the price for one door repair is $1384... This is a safety issue since the passenger in the rear seat could not get out in an emergency!
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. While the contact’s daughter was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle was started after a while; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Goodyear Service Center to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had seized and needed to be repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,479.
Within the last month, the passenger side front door will no longer open from the outside even if the door is unlocked. The driver must lean over to open the passenger door from the inside. Then approximately one week ago, the passenger rear door began to have issues in that it would not open from the outside nor would it open from the inside. This is a known safety issue which puts passengers at risk. A Technical Service Bulletin 21-bd-006h extends the warranty coverage to 10 years/unlimited mileage, however my 2016 Hyundai Tuscon is six (6) months outside of this window. The local Hyundai dealership will not fix under this door latch warranty extension and quoted a cost of $885.00 to remove and replace both latches. I currently have a case opened with Hyundai USA Customer Affairs and am waiting to see if Hyundai will cover the cost of repairs and fix the two door latches. If they do not, I will consider legal remedies.
The vehicle severely shudders, jerks, and hesitates from a stop and while making a turn, during both acceleration and deceleration, making it entirely unsafe to drive. The vehicle has been completely un-driveable for the past 6 days. The check engine light illuminated, and on 4/9/26, the dealer documented a failed transmission judder test and kept the car, issuing a loaner. A temporary software patch failed after two weeks. Upon return, the dealer reported they were unable to recreate the problem, recommended returning when the vehicle demonstrates the problem more frequently, and refused to mechanically repair the dual-clutch transmission under my active original-owner 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, basically instructing me to continue to drive a seriously un-safe vehicle. Most recently, a yellow dashboard warning light illuminated, and the vehicle entered a dangerous 'limp mode,' severely restricting power and struggling to move before the light cleared after cooling down. The vehicle is completely un-driveable and parked.
Oil consumption engine ticking hesitate to change gears poor acceleration.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, where the contact restarted the vehicle. The contact drove to his workplace and parted the vehicle. However, the vehicle later failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer it was purchased from, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to Affordable Towing and Repair, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to 125,000.
Driver door does not open from the outside. Rear passenger door does not open at all.
Transmission previously replaced after failed Judder test. Transmission is failing again: Last few days the car will accelerate to 15 then it attempts to shift and power drops and pressing the pedal has no response or very little then it changes into what feels like 4th or 5th gear at 20 mph and acceleration is very sluggish and also switching into manual gear control is completely unresponsive. Power drop at 15 mph, the transmission jumping into what feels like 4th or 5th gear at 20 mph, and sluggish acceleration — is consistent with the clutch pack slipping and the TCM essentially giving up on lower gears and defaulting to a higher gear to protect itself. Manual mode being completely unresponsive is a significant red flag — it means the TCM may have entered a limp or failsafe mode where it’s overriding driver input entirely.
The power window motor and regulator on the drivers side failed to roll up the window. It was raining and made it stessful driving home . The window was stuck down and the rain was soaking the inside of the car. Very distracting while driving.
delayed response when accelerating from a stop
Oil drains very fast even with regular oil changes and maintenance. The vehicle began shaking and then completely stopped with very little warning. Check engine light flashed for under 60 seconds then vehicle would not move forward on the highway creating a major safety hazard. Engine smelled hot and like burning rubber.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle needed an oil consumption cleaning. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The engine in this 2016 Hyundai Tucson has experienced progressive failure symptoms consistent with the known rod bearing defect covered under Hyundai's engine warranty extension campaign. Symptoms include: excessive oil consumption requiring frequent top-offs over several months, severely degraded acceleration, failure to upshift under load, and an audible metallic crunching noise occurring around 4,000 RPM. A knock sensor fault code (P1326) was previously triggered (on 2/16/26), confirmed by a mechanic (on 2/17/26), and cleared. The dealer was visited (on 2/17/26) and refused to perform the campaign repair, stating no active code was present at that time. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem has not been confirmed by the dealer despite a visit; the dealer declined to act citing absence of an active code. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. Warning symptoms include the prior knock sensor code, oil consumption, loss of power, and the current mechanical noise. Symptoms first appeared several months ago and have progressively worsened. The dealer's refusal to act under the existing campaign despite documented symptoms has left this vehicle in a dangerous condition on public roads.
1616 total