2023 Hyundai Tucson Reliability Report

The most common complaint is automatic emergency braking that activates on an open highway. Drivers have to swerve or risk being hit from behind, and in one case passengers were thrown forward. A second pattern is warped front rotors that cause shaking under braking. Repeated pad and rotor work does not last. Single reports describe a brake pedal sinking to the floor, the car rolling away in park, and brakes that failed to stop the car, including one crash. Dealers often cannot diagnose these intermittent faults.

Misfires and failed fuel injectors cause stalling, loss of power, and a fuel smell, sometimes leaving the driver stranded with little warning. Dealers replace parts one cylinder at a time, and reported failures fall around 8,000 to 15,000 miles. Oil loss is a second pattern. Owners get low-oil alerts soon after purchase, one engine was found empty of oil at 49,000 miles, and others report oil pan leaks. Some hybrids hesitate to deliver power at low speed when leaving EV mode. One crash involved the car lurching backward.

The most serious pattern is unintended acceleration while parking or slowing down. Owners report engines revving to 8,000 RPM, and two crashes are on file, one with an injury and airbag deployment. Other reports describe a sudden "Limit 20 MPH" limp mode that clears after a restart, the car slipping into neutral at a green light, and cruise control going past the set speed. Some cars also show forward radar "blocked" warnings that switch off adaptive cruise. Dealers usually cannot reproduce these faults.

Failed fuel injectors are the main problem. The engine shakes, loses power, or dies, often on the highway, and some cars will not restart for several minutes. Owners report repeat injector repairs, some on a third or fourth visit, because dealers replace only the injector that failed. Failures cluster between about 14,568 and 31,000 miles. Tows and days without a car are common. Dealers describe the injector problem as known, though one owner notes there is no recall. One crash involved sudden acceleration into a garage.

Automatic emergency braking activates with no vehicle or object ahead, usually at 55 to 75 mph and often with cruise control on. The sudden slowdown nearly causes rear-end collisions, and one driver felt the car start to skid. Reports begin early, around 2,000 to 2,500 miles, and the problem tends to come back. Dealers recalibrate the sensors or cannot duplicate the fault. One dealer turned the system off while waiting on a diagnosis, and some owners switch off the braking function themselves.

Panoramic sunroofs shatter on their own with a bang like a gunshot, sometimes at highway speed. Glass falls into the cabin and gets trapped in the headliner. Windshields are the other complaint. Owners report repeated cracks from small rocks, small chips that spread into large cracks, a crack from a light tap, and a sparkle inside the glass that blocks vision in low sun. One car went through three windshields in seven months. Hyundai declined warranty coverage in at least one windshield case.

The main concern is power steering failing while driving, which makes the wheel very hard to turn. In one case this followed a string of warning lights, and the car would not restart. One report, with an injury listed, describes the steering wheel coming off the column while driving. Another describes a grinding sound from inside the car when turning. With only 4 complaints on file, there is no mileage pattern.