CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2016 Tucson comes with a dual-clutch, 7-speed transmission. But Hyundai forgot to tell you about one key phrase – zero-move. That's right, an alarming number of owners have said their SUV wouldn't accelerate after a stop.

Turns out that's because the transmission's application logic has been stumbling all over itself. Hyundai recalled the issue in September 2016, but it's difficult to say if owners are out-of-the-woods, or if this is just a sign of things to come.

7.1

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$580
Average Mileage:
11,050 miles
Total Complaints:
30 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (27 reports)
  2. replaced thermistor. (not the thermostat) (2 reports)
  3. replace actuator (1 reports)
2016 Hyundai Tucson AC / heater problems

AC / heater problem

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #30

May 012019

Tucson SE V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

All last summer I took my Tuscon into the dealership because the AC blew hot air. If I turned it off and then on again it would work for awhile but then start again. The replaced a valve, recharged it but it still went on. They could never get it to do it when they drove so implied it was just me! Now that we need AC all the time it is doing it again. Or course, I'm past the 60000 miles so this will be my problem to pay, I would not recommend Hyundai again even though I love the style and comfort of my car.

- Denise V., Clovis, NM, US

problem #29

Mar 092020

Tucson

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

Really awful car. When we thought one problem was fixed, another came up. The AC vent on driver side started blowing hot air suddenly , while the AC vents on passenger side were fine. The problem persisted, so took it to service center. The mechanic said he fixed the actuators because the connection was loose. The AC started working fine, but only for a day, so took it back the next day, and they said they have to replace the actuators, and the cost is $580. Really sh*tty car. Also, they said the drive train is faulty, so Hyundai is replacing it for free.

- sag, Phoenix, AZ, US

problem #28

Sep 152018

Tucson Limited 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,000 miles

A/C airflow seems "obstructed" and cooling is inadequate after driving more than 3 hours. First time I took it to dealer, advisor said don't use automatic setting. Didn't I pay for AUTOMATIC climate control? Even when set at 79 or 80, the cooling essentially stops on any long drive.

Only solution is to turn of the system or park the car for 30 minutes, as others have said.

Last visit the advisor said they were not aware of the problem and there was no Hyundai bulletin on the issue. Apparently Hyundai does a very poor job of acknowledging that there is an issue. Does not inspire confidence in the manufacturer!

I will let the dealer have the car this spring for diagnostics. Of course the issue is difficult to duplicate since it only happens after 3-4 hours of A/C operation. LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER.

- Martin M., Springfield, MO, US

problem #27

May 012017

Tucson Sport

  • Automatic transmission
  • 15,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I've been having intermittent a/c problems since the summer of 2017. The local Hyundai dealership can't find anything wrong and says there is nothing they can do to fix it and this is after multiple trips to the service department. I now have another appointment for next Tuesday as the a/c finally just quit working on my way home from work today. I'm so frustrated and actually looking at trading in this vehicle because of this problem. It is truly sad that Hyundai won't admit there is a problem and try to find the correct solution and do a recall. Next week you can bet my car will be fixed and the a/c is working properly or I will have a new car and it won't be a Hyundai.

- Deborah C., Sherwood, US

problem #26

Mar 302017

Tucson 1.6T Limited 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 12,000 miles

The A/C failed again and I reported to the service manager. The next day I got a call from Tipton Hyundai service manager and told me that he gives up, they can not fix it.

I do have a warranty of 100,000 bumper to bumper and this dude tell me it can not be fix!!! I called, emailed the case manager several times and this guy does not reply !!! Does not pick up the phone!!! Hyundai is turning its back on this. I really need help!

- Bernardo J D., Brownsville, US

problem #25

Jul 032017

Tucson Limited 2.0L

  • CVT transmission
  • 17,398 miles

Bought this vehicle brand new from a local dealership in Trinidad and Tobago in May 2016. After one year and two months of owning this vehicle (28500 km/17710 miles), the air-conditioning unit started blowing warm air intermittently when operating at a temperature of normally 21 degrees celsius at the minimal fan speed (which is usually a satisfactory operating temperature for tropical climate). The problem is most noticeable when the vehicle is parked or idling or driving at slow speeds. When driving speed increases, the air gets cold again for about a minute or so and then returns to warm air again and it does this repeatedly throughout the journey. At first I ignored the problem thinking that it was just really hot outside or maybe it was just my body. After about three weeks, it became too obvious that this wasn't something in my head and that something was definitely wrong.

The vehicle was taken to the dealership where it was inspected and scanned and the technicians indicated that their inspections did not show that anything was wrong. However, after driving the vehicle they did acknowledge that they recognised the warm air problem as I indicated. They tightened some kind of wire on the compressor claiming that it could sometimes get loose and cause that problem. They returned the vehicle to me that same day and told me to come back if the problem recurred. The problem started back the same day and I will be returning to the dealership again.

I am very worried about this problem since I have invested all of my life savings towards the purchase of this vehicle that cost me TTD 325,000 (USD 48,000) and I'm still owing for it too. However, I am a bit relieved to know that my case is not the only one and I'm eagerly awaiting to hear how Hyundai is going to address this. I also own a 2008 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 CRDi and thankfully I have not had any air conditioning issues except for having to change the A/C compressor bearing twice.

After reading all the other complaints on this 2016 Tucson here, mine seems to be very similar. I'm wondering how much more complaints Hyundai needs to get before they recall these Tucsons and have this A/C problem resolved.

- rm21, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago

problem #24

Jun 032017

Tucson SE 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Same as other users here. AC occasionally starts to blow warm air. The workaround is to turn off the AC for about 15 minutes, or turn off engine and restart. I will investigate getting the thermostat replaced.

- P M., Philadelphia, PA, US

problem #23

Jul 222016

Tucson Limited 1.6L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,100 miles

On July 22, 2016 we drove our newly purchased (June) 2016 Tucson from Richmond, VA to Charleston, SC. After driving continuously for the first 250 miles of the 400 mile trip the air conditioner started blowing hot air. We drove for approximately 50 miles with no cold air in 90 plus temperatures. After stopping for lunch and refueling, the air conditioner started working again. The remaining 100 miles were driven without any problems. We initially attributed this problem to a one-time glitch.

However, on Friday, July 29, 2016 after driving for only 45 minutes in the Charleston area, the air conditioner started blowing hot air again and continued for another 15 minutes until we stopped at our destination. Upon returning to our vehicle an hour later, the air conditioner started working again.

Although we were concerned about the air conditioner not working properly on our trip back to Richmond there was no issue. After reading about the experiences of others on this site, I realize that this is not an isolated incident and have scheduled the Tucson for service this Friday.

- Steven W., Richmond, VA, US

problem #22

Apr 012017

Tucson Limited 1.9L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles

We noticed that it was blowing warm air intermittently. when the AC was workingWhen the problem first occurred it was right after we bought the vehicle, we immediately took it to the dealer who said "we cant duplicate it". The next time it happened we called and said it is now blowing cold air again and we were told to monitor it since if they cant duplicate it they cant work on it. I then found this web site with other owners having the same problem. We had the problem again except this time it was over an hour before cold air came on so we took it in and was told again "we cant duplicate it and we have never heard of this problem before". Based upon advice from other owners here on this site we called Hyundai Customer service and a week later we were contacted by the dealer to bring it in and they would give us a loaner car. Days later they said it was the compressor. So they replaced the compressor and right after we drove out of the lot it started doing it again. So we went back to the dealer who again told us "we cant duplicate it", when we mentioned that we had just brought it in there because of our call to Hyundai Customer service they sat down with my wife and she told them about this site and other owner problems and that the thermoster might be the problem. They ordered one and a week later we were told it was back ordered so we called Customer service again to help expedite the part (they told us there was no such part, until we explained to them there was)....another week (car was in the shop for two weeks) the thermoster came in and they replaced it and now the car has been working for a few days with no problems. We cannot thank the other owners here enough about posting their problems and the fixes as this car has been in the shop for this issue almost 4 weeks total since we bought it and we were just about to file a lemon law complaint though our lawyer.

- John R., Desoto, US

problem #21

Sep 012016

Tucson ECO 1.9L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles

IT'S FIXED!!! Like everyone else, my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Eco 1.9Turbo was doing fine until about 8000 miles. Then the a/c started intermittently blowing hot air. Between living in Florida and having hot flashes - this was enough to make me want to throat punch someone. Took it in to the dealer twice and was told the pressures and temps were fine and they couldn't recreate the problem. I started recording outside temp, speed, driving mode, temp dial settings, etc every time it happened. The only consistent factor was idle RPM's under 750.

Took it to another dealer and told the service advisor I was going to go grandma crazy on someone if they don't figure this out. He had me talk to the service tech. He said - jump in we're going for a ride. Finally someone with a brain!! We drove around until it started blowing hot air. He instantly knew what the problem was. He said Tucson's used to have a problem with bad thermostats a few years back. He replaced the thermostat (under warranty) and I've had ice-cold a/c ever since. Every drive mode, highway, stop and go traffic, cold engine, warm engine, high idle, low idle, all day every day. You can hang meat in my car now. I couldn't be happier!

Replace the Thermistor and enjoy the summer!

Update from Apr 16, 2017: - The problem is with the Thermistor (not the thermostat). My complaint is being auto-corrected to thermostat in error. The Thermistor was replaced under warranty.

- Karen D., New Port Richey, FL, US

problem #20

Jul 102016

Tucson 1.6T Limited 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This car is a lemon. The geniuses at Tipton are completely clueless they have tried more that 6 times to get it fixed. They keep replacing parts at random hoping to get lucky. I'm tiring to get the Lemon replaced. I'm filing a complaint with the Texas BBB and soon a Texas Lemon complaint with the DMV. The dude from Hyundai takes more than 2 weeks to reply a simple email. BTW I prefer emails so I have documentation of all talks. Last week they replace yet another "PART" and I placed a thermometer on the vent and got a temperature variance of more than 20 degrees. As soon as the forward motion stops the airs warms up, as soon as forward motion starts it cools again.

I've come to really hate Hyundai and the Tipton from Brownsville.

- Bernardo J D., Brownsville, US

problem #19

Feb 072017

Tucson Limited 1.6L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,000 miles

Love the car, fun to drive, big yet small. ANNOYING A/C problem! this is the 2nd time im having it "fixed". Same as last time it generally blows warm air when stopped (ie: getting kids from school in the car line as I inch along, or in Orlando i4 traffic) then shortly after that starts the check engine light come on and also on the radio screen says "A possible condition with your Engine Control System has been detected. A full system check is recomended with a dealer... blah blah blah"

- ezrarribbit, Davenport, US

problem #18

Oct 032016

Tucson Limited 1.6lturbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 11,000 miles

I bought this car in June with almost 6k miles. (It was a demo) While I was sitting in the car with the salesman, programming the radio, etc, I noticed the AC was blowing hot air instead of cool. The salesman had a service tech pull it back to take a look, and I drove home in a loaner. The next day when I picked up my brand new car, the guy at the service desk said they had looked it over, couldn't find a problem, but it is now working fine.

And it was fine for about a week or two. Then mid way into a 4 hour road trip, the AC quit working again. One minute it was on & cool; the next minute it was blowing warm air. Since I was several hours from home and it was late, I turned off the air, opened the windows & continued on my trip. When I stopped for gas & got back on the road, I tried the AC again. It worked just fine.

This has now happened several times since that day. Almost every weekend I am on the road for a long period of time, and almost every time, the AC quits working at least once.

Here are some observations: - It usually happens when I have been driving for more than an hour - When the cool air stops, and warm air starts, the warm air doesn't seem to flow out as forcefully as the cool air. - One night when it happened, I actually heard it before I noticed the temperature change. If you have it on max & this happens, the fan behind the dash sounds strained and louder than usual. - I have tried lowering the temp all the way down, raising the temp all the way up. Turning the AC on and off, etc. If you try this enough times, it will usually re-start. - If you turn the AC off for a while, then try it again later, it will work normally again.

I have had Hyundai check this 4 times now, and they have no solution. On my 3rd visit, they said that the first time this happened, the service tech logged the fix as 'loose fan plug'. They didn't mention that when I picked it up on day 1 of ownership, and the problem has not stopped. Evidently it doesn't log as an error and they can't do anything about it unless they see it in action. Since this generally happens while I am far away from home, I don't see how this will ever get resolved. Maybe I will spend this weekend doing laps around the dealership so I will be close to them when it happens again.

I am beyond frustrated that I paid $32k and cannot get this resolved.

- Keesha G., Mason, OH, US

problem #17

Sep 012016

Tucson Limited

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,500 miles

Started having air problems in about August/Sept and took it to the dealership with no resolution. Continues to happen, made another appointment and called dealer. Dealer said they can't fix if they can't replicate the problem. I cancelled the appointment and have been taking videos of the problem. The air blows cool until you stop or park and have the car running, stuck in traffic, then it gets luke warm. No solutions so far. Very frustrating.

- Betty F., Orlando, FL, US

problem #16

Jul 262016

Tucson Limited Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,500 miles

Was on vacation on way to Colorado and temp was near 100. 2.5 hours into the trip the AC started blowing warm air which lasted for several hours. We stopped and asked a dealer in Amarillo who said he had had 50 this summer with the same and believes it to be the evaporative cooling sensor and expected Hyundai to have a recall soon, but he has no proof. His solution was to stop the AC totally for 30 minutes, open the windows, and let the unit defrost. This actually worked although it was quite hot. After 30 minutes it was cool again for the rest of the trip.

We continued on to Colorado Springs, where at the dealer we were told there was nothing wrong, but that we had to keep both dials at exactly 63°, keep all vents totally open, and that would fix it. He was condescending and treated me like an idiot.

The AC worked fine during rest of time in Colorado, but we never drove for more than 2 hours. BTW, this trip was first occasion we drove more than 2 hours since we bought the car. New complaint will be filed separately, but know that the exact same time and same thing happened on the way home.

- Nancy T., Fort Worth, TX, US

problem #15

Jul 292016

Tucson Limited Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,500 miles

Second occurrence of exact same thing and second report here. Driving home from vacation, 2.5 hours into trip, AC blows warm air once again. This is even after going to the dealer and being told I was crazy, essentially.

We turned the air off for 30 minutes, opened the window, and after that the AC worked fine. Took it to the purchasing dealer when we got home, he ran the car standing still for 3 hours and said nothing was wrong, he has heard of others with same problem, but said with no recall from Hyundai he could do nothing. When I suggested lemon law he gave me the number and did not argue with me at all, just like he had been through this before.

Decided we will wait for short period to see if Hyundai acts, research the web, and maybe turn it back in for refund.

I will not keep a car that I cannot take on vacation without AC. That's just ridiculous.

- Nancy T., Fort Worth, TX, US

problem #14

Aug 032016

Tucson Limited Turbo 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,500 miles

Bought my 2016 Tuscon in May 2016 in Spartanburg, SC. Started having air problems in about July and took back in to the dealer ship 3 different times with no resolution so far in October. The air blows cool until you stop and then it gets luke warm. Very frustrating, a new car with no solutions to this problem. You should'nt have to get sweaty every time you stop and idle. Lemon laws do not allow this

- mscruggs, Inman, SC, US

problem #13

Sep 012016

Tucson Sport 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,900 miles

I have a 2016 Hyundai Tucson and a few weeks ago I left it running in the parking lot of a store with my wife and kids in the car on MAx air. I was in the store about 5 minute and when I came out the air conditioning was blowing hot air. It would not stop blowing hot air until I turned the car completely off and turned it back on. Yesterday while driving home on the highway the air conditioning again got warm on Max for at least 10 minutes. When I turned the car off and on it started working again. I had the car in the dealer once already and they could not find a problem and this time I called them and they said to turn the Eco mode off. It didnt fix the issue, but why would it anyway? I wrote Hyundai customer service about the engineering issue of the AC and they replied back with a generic response about sorry you had a bad experience with the dealership. This is not a dealership issue.

- mws813, Trenton, OH, US

problem #12

Aug 222016

Tucson LX 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,220 miles

About 3 1/2 weeks ago, my ac starting blowing cool air, then back to cold. After a couple weeks I took it to Hyundai, just bought this car in May 2016. They said couldn't find anything wrong, but recharged the ac and added Freon. 1 1/2 weeks later I brought it back, they repeated same, left it running in the mechanics bay for an hour, no temperature change. They told me to create a log of times/temps/m/hr, etc if it did it again. I didn't even get home and it was fluctuating a lot. 4 days later, I called and asked to take the technician for a drive, he did, hooked up the computer, and it showed the ac shutting off multiple times in the 5 mile drive. That was Tuesday, they are still doing tests on it???? It's Friday, I've had a rental car and no explanation yet of what's wrong with my ac. Are the engineers the shop contacts really in Korea? That would explain why she told me sometimes they don't get an answer back for two or three days on what they need to do to fix the car.

- jsanta, Chandler, AZ, US

problem #11

Jul 292016

Tucson Limited 1.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,680 miles

So, everything worked fine until suddenly this evening, the A/C blows warm air for 10-15 minutes, as many others have experienced. Just as suddenly, regardless of what buttons I pushed or temperature I tried, it blew cool again. I haven't called the dealer yet, but it doesn't appear anyone has gotten it resolved. Just wanted to add my issue to the list.

- Jenelle V., Temple, TX, US

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