2023 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Owner Complaints

Unintended acceleration and brake failure. While in the parking lot at [XXX]. The check brake warning light came on and prior to this when pressing the gas pedal the car was not responding or going very slow. I stopped looking for a place to park and when I took my foot of the brake pedal the car surged ahead at full speed. I slammed on the brakes but there was no response. Steering the car through the parking lot and across [XXX]. (a very busy, I was lucky not striking other cars or people) and crashed into a metal storage building. The car was totaled and my Wife was treated at ECMC hospital for 12 days(5 in the trauma unit) and the DMV is blaming me for the accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11755864

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

Car is PhEV and it failed 4 times in 3 years due ac compressor failure, main reason identified was due to high voltage it was failing EV and other systems. Car stopped two times in the middle of highway. All 4 times Hyndai kept the car with dealers for major part replacement. Reported to Hyndai consumer affair for replacement and request denied with reason Lemon law.

NHTSA ID

11741127

Incident

May 29, 2026

My car is a 2023 hyundai tucson plug-in hybrid with approximately 75,455 miles on it. The car is stuck in neutral and will not switch to any other gears. The car also will not turn off fully. I basically got stuck/stranded and could not move. Had to be towed.

NHTSA ID

11679231

Incident

Aug 7, 2025

While driving my 2023 Hyundai Tucson PHEV with limited trim the Emergency Braking function activated for no reason at all. This has happened 5 times during the last 9 months and each time it was about the same conditions. Road was dry my speed was from 55 to 75 mph it was during daytime hours and no cars were in front of me or on either side of me. 3 of the times there was a car behind me that had to check up I guess because my brake lights came on. I reported the problem to the dealer and was told no other owner has ever reported than problem. Instead of preventing an accident the activation of the emergency braking system in this situation could have caused an accident with the cars around me reacting to my sudden braking at high-speed resulting in a chain reaction.

NHTSA ID

11632216

Incident

Dec 15, 2024

Automatic Emergency Braking deployed without any external threat. I was driving 55 mph on the freeway and the automatic emergency braking engaged. The dash lights flashes, there was an audible alarm and the car braked. There was no danger in front of the vehicle and this action put me at risk of being hit from the rear by the car behind me. My safety was put at risk as my acceleration was greatly diminished compared to the traffic around me. There was no warning of the problem prior to the failure. It has not been confirmed by the dealer.

NHTSA ID

11613662

Incident

Sep 9, 2024

On Tuesday August 6th 2024 car was put in the shop for an automatic DTC notification/check engine light. Our car is less than a year old with less than 10,000 miles on it. Our car was in the shop for a full 5 days and was given to us on the evening of Monday August 12th with assurances that it was safe to drive. While in the shop, our car grounding pump and numerous fuses were replaced. On Friday August 16th, we received a jarring "Check Hyundai system. Stop Safely." message while driving a short distance. We were given roughly 5-10 seconds before the car braked and stopped, causing us to almost be rear ended from the car behind us. This put not only me and my passenger's safety at risk, but the safety of the cars nearby us at that time, at risk. We shudder at the thought of what could have happened if we were traveling on a highway or congested roadway. There were no warning lamps or symptoms that would have suggested this would happen. We received a tow to the shop early morning of August 17th and to date, the car remains in the shop. We are confident that the car will not pass it's upcoming inspection and have requested that the service dealership perform an inspection before they attempt to give it back to us. I feel strongly that we are not safe driving this vehicle. Our local Hyundai service dealership employees have implied that they feel a recall of this car is forthcoming because they have begun to identify this issue in many cars. Given Hyundai's recent track record with recalls, I am extremely concerned for my safety.

NHTSA ID

11609713

Incident

Aug 16, 2024

Car was completely dead. Because it is a PHEV, wheels were locked and the vehicle needed special equipment to be towed. Tow drivers (3 trucks eventually came) couldn't jump or charge the 12v battery. Traction batteries had a good charge. Locked wheels and sudden loss of all power makes this a safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11559713

Incident

Dec 4, 2023

New 2023 Hyundai Tucson purchased 9/9/2023 from Curry Hyundai in Cortland NY. On several instances of highway driving during the first 1,000 miles, on highways and at highway speeds, the forward collision avoidance system activated without any reason and applied the brakes at highway speed. This happened 6 or more times in only 6 or 7 highway trips during the 1,000 break-in period, and happened after the first visit to service for this problem, during which the dealer reset the system and sent me on my way, only to leave me driving a vehicle with the same, continuing defect. After the third service attempt, dealer and Hyundai have been unable to repair the vehicle (now with the dealer for over a week). Hyundai fails to even acknowledge its warranty or any other obligations to me, and all its communications show that it doesn't take these problems seriously, it has no standard process for dealing with them, and it offers basically nothing to the frustrated car owner. All its "customer care" department has done is check with the dealer, only to leave the problem with me for an unlimited timeframe.

NHTSA ID

11557085

Incident

Sep 30, 2023

The Hybrid system has twice now failed on this vehicle shortly after starting it up. The second incident, I drove not even 300 feet, got onto a main, very busy road, and the system made a loud grinding noise, error messages came on the infotainment system and dash and the car stopped moving. It basically stalled without stalling. I was nearly hit from behind but thankfully a quick thinking pedestrian noticed and flagged the car behind me to stop. It took 5 minutes to get the car to reset and move but meanwhile it kept saying I need to hit my brake pedal to shift gears. I was in drive and I attempted to use my brake, to park, reverse, etc and nothing happened. As I attempted to drive to turn my vehicle around and get home it kept telling me I needed to hit the brake pedal to shift the vehicle (an automatic). This is the second time this vehicle stalled in three weeks and it has already once been repaired.

NHTSA ID

11549790

Incident

Oct 13, 2023

Since the day I took possession of the car there is a bad visibility situation with the windshield. It happens only when the sun is low in the sky and shining directly toward the windshield. Under those conditions the entire windshield has millions of dense specks or sparkles that impair visibility. I have already determined that this is NOT due to any contaminants/sap/dirt on the inside or outside of the glass. This is NOT due to any sandblasting of the outside of the glass. It is IN the glass, perhaps in the lamination. The dealer, once he determined that it is not due to any pitting, denied any responsibility, warranty, or concern. It is impossible, as far as I know, to reproduce this problem once the sun is high, so I cannot prove it to the dealer.

NHTSA ID

11545046

Incident

Jun 26, 2023