Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Hyundai Tucson submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 56 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 56, in the owner's own words
As I was driving I was stopped & told my car was on fire. I immediately stopped & hopped out & less than 30 seconds later half of the hood caught heat/fire & flew into the windshield breaking it. At least half The car is burnt to ashes
1. "Transmission or ECU" 2. There is a lag and sometimes almost stall when accelerating from a stop. I was turning into a lane from a stop sign and the car decided to not move for 3-4 seconds after pressing accelerator. If people had come around the blind corner when that happened I would have been T boned. 3. All four people living in my house...... and our mechanic. Yes 4.No, because were not paying for something that has had a recall. 5. We inherited this car from my grandmother and she knows nothing about cars so she never thought anything was wrong. Since the day we got it, it has been doing the same thing "DCT CONTROL LOGIC UPDATE & P0128 DTC LOGIC UPDATE (RECALL 149)" #17-01-023
I have been dealing with ongoing engine performance problems for over a year. My Tucson consumes oil at an abnormal rate, and I constantly have to refill it. There is also sluggish acceleration, and the Check Engine Light has stayed on despite multiple inspections and maintenance efforts. I’ve seen hundreds of complaints about this exact issue from other Hyundai owners. I also found that an NHTSA investigation is ongoing, yet Hyundai continues to deny responsibility, often blaming the issue on the owner. I believe this is a safety concern and a manufacturer defect that needs to be addressed before more drivers experience full engine failure. Please investigate this further and include my VIN in any future action or recall.
The vehicle does not accelerate entering roadway, transmission replaced in 2022, catalytic convertor replaced in 2024. Several instances occurred when entering highway vehicle lost power and failed to merge safely, ultimately requiring hasty exit to roadside to avoid collision. The vehicle was purchased used but has been a safety risk since purchase date. Originally diagnosed transmission, then catalytic convertor, then knock control sensor. Engine oil is replaced more often than routine maintenance and refilled in between oil changes. Autonation Hyundai Mall of Georgia originally assisted with transmission replacement Feb 2022, catalytic convertor was replaced in Mar 2024. The vehicle has been parked for considerable time while insurance and car payments continue. In Feb 2025 my daughter was driving and was nearly rear ended when vehicle failed to accelerate, it has primarily parked since that time while exploring repairs. Car fails [XXX] enroute to game. Last quote to repair catalytic convertor was Total Automotive in Gainesville Ga. around 19 May 2025. I believe this vehicle poses a significant safety risk due to acceleration delays, all attempts to resolve have been unsuccessful. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Misfire, excessive oil consumption, engine knocking, loss of power/acceleration, gas smell, excessive gas consumption
Car started to not accelerate when pressing on gas pedal the RPMs would not raise or lower during this time it could be on a hill or on a flat surface at any type of stops whether it was a stop sign or a stoplight it didn't matter how much gas you gave the car it would not move and then it would start bouncing what I would describe as hopping the car would start jerking constantly until you released off the gas and gave it more gas until it would finally go this was happening on highways or on city streets while driving down a highway my engine made a funky sound and it turns out my engine rods blue I went to the dealership they told me my car was safe to drive I continued driving my car until it started not shifting this was 3 days after going to the dealership. I called the dealership back told them I was bringing my car to them due to the issues it was having. After several weeks the dealership told me my car needed a brand new engine and transmission due to engine rods breaking transmission went out and metal in the oil filter. Not even 6 months later my car is have the exact same issues and my dealership is not want to do anything to fix my car even with having a warranty to cover everything they fixed.
Fuel injectors no warning…went to get breaks checked, while they were checking them the engine light turned on after that they couldn’t get my car to start again.
Engine is burning oil and has been for sometime. Won’t Accelerate and sputters Tie rods are worn out. This car is a lemon and dangerous to drive
All my doors stick and sometimes I have to fight with my car to even get a door open. Also, when trying to accelerate sometimes my throttle response is slow and i will not move for a few seconds.
Over the last 5-6 years, the 2016 Tucson has experienced an acceleration issue. When making a turn after a stop, the car will not accelerate above 30 mph. The RPMs will go up to 3000-4000, but the car will not go above 30 miles per hour. This has happened 5 times. I have had my mechanic look at the car, but because it was intermittent, they could not determine the cause. The fuel pump as well as the purge solenoid have been replaced on the car. If I turn the car off and let it sit for a few minutes, the issue seems to resolve. Only once has the check engine light gone on. Because the car will not accelerate this is causing a safety issue.
There is a lot of oil consumption, and the turbo is shot. It sits in the back of the engine, which is not collecting air.
I had my top engine block (not sure why not a full engine replacement) replaced under warranty June 2023. Shortly after the fix my AC unit stopped working. Once I got my AC unit fixed, about 1.5 months after my engine was not performing. My car would not turn over and when it did, it was in limp mode and would not run properly. I had it towed to dealership who could not find the issue until after they took out of the bay and went to move it, it wouldn't start. They replaced the crankshaft positioning sensor and it wasn't covered under the extended warranty. The top engine block only has 10k warranty which is fast approaching. Took car home and when accelerated past 60 car shakes and when i brake car shakes. Now car cabin smells of gas. All cars with KM are having multiple issues. Dealership not calling back regarding gas issue and has not responded to if they touched my tires. Local Mechanic said all my wheels were unbalanced.
At certain times my car doesn’t want to start. Like when there were carburetors in cars way back in the day, I literally have to pump the gas to make it start. And then once it does, it’s very hesitant to go on the road like it has no power. And then another time my car totally just shut down in the middle of traffic and would barely go, like it had no speed ability. This happens often my car is not under warranty. And it is not included in the recall with some kind of fuel pump situation. I had a mechanic look at it. He seems to think it’s something to do with the fuel pump. But unfortunately, I cannot afford the cost of repairing that, and he didn’t seem quite certain as well.
Vehicle has 101k miles on it, just over the 100k Hyundai warranty. Vehicle began shaking and sputtering while driving, and check engine light illuminated, I was able to get it to a local mechanic. Mechanic said it had multiple codes (P300, P302, and P304). They did a compression test and said the engine has internal failure and should be replaced; quoted 13k to replace. I had it towed to the Hyundai dealership where I bought it, and they are investigating it. The service manager told me even with perfect maintenance records, Hyundai will likely deny a goodwill claim to replace the engine. Looking at all these engine failure complaints for this year model, it is clear this is an ongoing problem and Hyundai needs to issue a recall.
There are four safety concerns I have with the 2016 Hyundai Tuscon: 1.) The Check Oil light failed to illuminate indicating the need for more oil. 2.) The excessive oil consumption may have caused my catalytic converter to misfire and melt. 3.) The Check Engine light failed to illuminate when my catalytic converter misfired and melted. 4.) The Knock Sensor (if it is bad), which is installed on my vehicle, could fail and not warn me about any engine problems. On 7/3/23, my vehicle was having a difficult time accelerating up a mountain. My brother and I also heard a rattling noise, so my brother drove to a safe place. I had my vehicle towed to a local auto service garage, where I was told the catalytic converter melted due to misfiring and that I needed to replace it. On 7/5/23, I had my vehicle towed to the closest Hyundai Dealership, where they confirmed that the vehicle's catalytic converter was melted due to misfiring. After researching the causes catalytic converters misfiring, I read several complaints about the said vehicle's oil consumption and poor acceleration. I suspect there might be a connection to the catalytic converter misfiring and melting. Incidentally, I have had two other incidents where my vehicle lacked acceleration and started shaking. One occurred on 12/28/22, while I was entering an intersection. The other happened on 4/1/23, while I was attempting to pass another vehicle. All three incidents could've ended tragically. The Check Engine light did illuminate during two of the incidents, but not the incident that occurred on 7/3/23. Additionally, the catalytic converter was previously tested on 12/31/22 and it didn't have any bad codes. Sparkplugs were also replaced on 12/31/22, and a 3-Step Fuel System Cleaning was done on 6/12/23. The Check Oil light only illuminated once since I have owned the vehicle, but failed to illuminate when my oil was getting low in between oil changes. My SUV is still in service waiting for a Catalytic Converter.
CAR IS USING MORE THAN ONE QUART OF OIL PER 1,000 MILES. CAR IS NOT LEAKING OIL AND OIL CHANGES ARE DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP EVERY 3500 MILES. HAVING TO CHECK OIL LEVELS CONSTANTLY AND KEEP QUARTS OF OIL IN CAR TO FILL IN CASE IT IS LOW. HYUNDAI ST AUGUSTINE DEALERSHIP SAYS THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM.
Similar to other owners my car has been burning oil at a higher-than-normal rate. Because of this, there has been a carbon build-up causing my engine to start misfiring and stop working while driving on the interstate.
The Hyundai engine is defective and consumes oil at a rate of 5 quarts every 3,000 miles. It ran completely out of oil and left me stranded on the highway in rush hour traffic 3 hours from home. Several people were put at risk! No warning lights; no check engine and no oil light until the car stalled completely. I was able to add oil and get the car in limp mode to the dealership where they ran oil consumption tests, and it failed due to being 106k miles. The car was returned to me and I was told to watch the oil. Weeks later the car broke down again in the middle of the road. The spark plug tips were burnt completely off and there was a dime sized hole in a valve. Multiple mechanics outside of Hyundai agree that both the plugs and the valve damage are a direct result of the defective engine. Again, Hyundai has denied all claims and refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing on their part, despite the amount of claims, lawsuits and upset customers stacked against them.
The contact’s daughter owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that his daughter took the vehicle for routine maintenance for an oil change however, the contact’s daughter was informed that gasoline was seen in the oil. No warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that he took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that no fuel was seen in the oil. The contact then stated that he took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that gasoline was in the oil. The contact was concerned for his daughter’s safety while driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. The VIN was not included.
There have been several incidents where my Hyundai Tucson could have caused a major accident with another vehicle. The first time, I was driving down a hill and I barely could control the car. It began to jerk and I had to gradually steer it into another lane out of traffic. Another time, the oil just began to spout out from under the car while I was driving. It's still difficult keeping oil in the car, but the mechanic says there's no leak. Lastly. my engine light has been blinking off and on , and the mechanic changed the spark plugs and a number 2 coil, but I am still having engine problems. I was given the engine code P1326 from their diagnosis. Since purchasing the car with only about 43000 miles, I have had to replace the transmission, catalytic converter. get a tune up, spark plugs and a coil, and get the drivers side window fixed. All of this has come to over $5000, and now I'm told the engine needs to be replaced. Something about the camshaft.
Car is burning engine oil at the rate of one quart a week after normal city driving. Usual and frquent oil changes and almost dry when going in for every 3000 miles oil change. Took to a private (non-Hyndai) mechanic shop Christian brothers in Colorado and told that perhaps that my car had some engine damage or problems due to burn of engine oil and not leaking. Next car began to have engine check light go on and off with never staying on for more than one day. Called Hyundai dealership and told that light had to be on solid and complete for inspection. This week car starting misfiring and dragging when acclerating. Black smoke coming out of exhaust and check engine light illuminated and stayed on. Could not get into delaership until November of 2022 and currently September of 2022. Once again took car to Christian Brothers for diagnostics and told car was full of carbon and misfiring and told unsafe to drive and would not work on car as they believed that engine was damaged/defective and needed to be replaced. Made appointment with PLanet Hyundai in Golden, Colorado where I purchased the car brand new. October 20th is my appointment and car will need to be towed. Undriveable and needing car to work to see my autistic clients in their homes. Final event with engine and misfiring happened at 104,000 just past the warranty time even though no one would look at the car despite my former complaints and concerns prior to the warranty expiration.
While back out of my driveway in my 2016 hyundai tucson, it suddenly accelerated on its own out of control rendering me helpless and just along for the ride. Finally stopped while in reverse the car went across the street crashing violently into my neighbors boat and engine was still reving until I shut it off after the crash. Both my car and neighbors boat had major damage.
3 safety concerns with the vehicle- 1) - the front passenger side door will not open from time to time when unlocked- you need to crank on the out side and inside handle at times to get the door to open. This is a concern if I were to ever get into an accident. The locking mechanism has had to be repaired on both rear doors for the same issue- potentially keeping a passenger from exiting the vehicle in the case of an emergency. 2) the car jerks when accelerating from a complete stop every single time you drive - and you have to put your foot way down (like slamming down) on the gas pedal in order to get up to the right speed… (I have never had to do this in the other 4 vehicles we own - only in the Hyundai) 3) oil consumption concern. The car is using way too much oil then it should. I change the oil every 5000 miles and it is going into Hyundai 2/4/2022 in West Allis, WI for an oil change - (and to get the passenger door fixed) I had to add oil on 2/2/2022 because the oil level warning light came on - and it was almost empty. I’ll be requesting an oil consumption test. This should be covered by Hyundai due to this being a safety concern with the engine. This has been the worst vehicle e have ever owned. I have 3 daughters that drive this vehicle and it scares me thinking that if one were to ever get into an accident that they or one of their friends would be seriously injured - for either A- not being able to get out of the vehicle or B- the engine starting on fire due to the oil consumption problem.
On May 17th my engine locked up as I was pulling out of a driveway. Check Oil light came on a split second before the car locked up. It was not even enough time for me to safely turn off the engine. Upon my own inspection there was no oil on my oil stick even though car receives regular maintenance. Car is now at the closest dealership for TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT. Problem was confirmed to be an issue with the bearings. Communication with the dealership has been poor but I believe inspection is available. They have not completed the repair as they are waiting on a back ordered part. I was about 1.5 hours away from home about to head over a very dangerous 2 lane bridge with no shoulder. I think I would have lost it if I broke down on the bridge.
SOMETIMES CAR DOES NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE COMPLETELY AFTER MAKING A COMPLETE STOP. IT MAKES OVER 5 SECONDS SOMETIMES TO START ACCELERATING. WHICH IS QUITE SCARY WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. WHEN PRESSING ON THE GAS, THE CAR WILL SLIGHTLY MOVE (MAYBE 5MPH) THEN GET STUCK IN THAT GEAR FOR A LACK OF BETTER WORDS. MAKING YOU STUCK IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC SOMETIMES.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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