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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,292 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Hyundai Tucson drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Owner Comments (Page 1 of 25)

problem #488

May 162024

Tucson

  • 140,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that when the vehicle was stopped, after depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then lunged forward. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V628000 (Power Train, Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Pauls Valley, OK, USA

problem #487

Aug 072024

Tucson

  • miles
Vehicle started to shake and lost acceleration. Gave engine Code P073F Unable to engage gear 1. Hyundai shows Recall Campaign for this issue but dealer refuses to acknowledge it, and says it needs new transmission. They state transmission damaged clutch rather than clutch damaged transmission.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #486

May 122024

Tucson

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tuscon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would begin sputtering and the transmission would begin slipping. The transmission would also slip when attempting to accelerate after being parked or idle. There were no warning lights. While driving approximately 45 MPH the vehicle suddenly began going in reverse. The contact immediately placed the vehicle in park to turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle the contact attempted to drive it but failed to accelerate. The vehicle was only able to be driven in reverse. The contact reversed into the nearest parking lot. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Berlin, NJ, USA

problem #485

Jul 032023

Tucson

  • miles

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

The vehicle intermittently fails to accelerate without warning or notification. The throttle pedal goes to the floor without the engine stalling or rev'ing but also fails to propel the vehicle. This has occurred when crossing lanes of on-coming traffic placing the operator in an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS situation. In addition, the vehicle also intermittently fails to go in reverse. These issues are most prevailant in warmer summer temperatures. Neither of these issues directly triggered a MIL light. MIL lights did occur independent from the cited issues but would typically self clear. On one occasion I was able to get a scan of the vehicle with an active MIL that yielded a P1921 Gear 2 System Motor Thermal Damage. Shortly after the scan, the code cleared and MIL went off. The conditions were NOT able to be reproduced by the dealership. They were also not able to clearly diagnose what would cause the P1921 fault. Their recommendation was to replace the entire transmission. ALL of the issues experience closely align with a issues cited in a class action law suit despite the vehicle not having any open recalls or TSBs.

- Shelby Township, MI, USA

problem #484

Jun 282024

Tucson

  • miles
Oil consumption is excessive it has caused the engine to have a knocking noise even though routine oil changes have been up to date. Yes available for inspection. This may cause the engine to seize at any given point while in motion. No, I have not been able to take the vehicle to a dealership yet. No, vehicle has not been inspected. No, no check engine/warning light has turned on. Knocking noise began June 28th 2024.

- El Cajon, CA, USA

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problem #483

Jun 282024

Tucson

  • miles
Oil consumption is excessive it has caused the engine to have a knocking noise even though routine oil changes have been up to date. Yes available for inspection. This may cause the engine to seize at any given point while in motion. No, I have not been able to take the vehicle to a dealership yet. No, vehicle has not been inspected. No, no check engine/warning light has turned on. Knocking noise began June 28th 2024.

- El Cajon, CA, USA

problem #482

Feb 152024

Tucson

  • miles

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

Vehicle transmission prolongs shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, and from 2nd to 3rd gear. Vehicle only has 55000 miles on it and we are second owners of the vehicle. This has been on ongoing issue with the vehicle that we attributed to design but a month ago, the check engine light came on. We took is the Ray Skillman Hyundai who diagnosed that the transmission was the cause of the check engine light and that the entire transmission will need to be replaced at a cost of a little over $7000 to us. The original warranty on the car offered a 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty but Ray Skillman Hyundai nor Hyundai Corporate will replace the transmission without charge. We also know of many other issues related to transmission components of other Hyundai vehicles. The vehicle puts at risk because the unexpected pause puts the drivers behind us at risk of running into us.

- Greenwood, IN, USA

problem #481

Mar 022024

Tucson

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that after the vehicle came to a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lurched forward but hesitated to accelerate immediately. An unknown warning light illuminated, and the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC Code: P073F (Unable to Engage Gear 1), but no repair was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V628000 (Power Train, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #480

Feb 042020

Tucson

  • miles
My 2016 Tucson Sport with Eco Shift has a dangerous problem with the transmission. Intermittently It will not move when I give it gas. The RPMS go up to 6000 but the car wont move. Its the DCT transmission. Today I took it in for the 3rd time and I don't want it back until its fixed.?This is a very unsafe vehicle to drive since you would not know when it would just stop shifting and driving. Have registered a complaint with Hyundai Motors as the service department does not know when the vehicle will be repaired.?

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #479

Jan 252024

Tucson

  • miles
The engine sign keep blinking on the dashboard, I went to auto zone, they scan it and say that the power train system with code P1326 Glow relay short circuit is the problem. This would be the second time it comes on. The first time it came on but then stopped in a few days but it-??s on back again.

- Hyattsville, MD, USA

problem #478

Oct 052022

Tucson

  • miles

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

Car shuddering going from full stop to 1st gear, not fixed by software update. Clutch replaced under drive train warranty at no cost to me.

- Orange, CA, USA

problem #477

Dec 282023

Tucson

  • miles
A/C failure & Heat Failure which resulted in an accident. Was not the thermostat. ACCEDENT was unable to defrost/defog windows, causing the driver to crash

- Clinton Township, MI, USA

problem #476

Jan 102024

Tucson

  • 53,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately accelerate as intended, before suddenly lurching forward. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was functioning as expected. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 53,000.

- Takoma Park, MD, USA

problem #475

Dec 142023

Tucson

  • miles
The engine began to make a knocking noise. Upon our inspection, the vehicle had lost all oil. Vehicle was towed to our local dealership. Dealership informed us a bearing had become worn causing rapid oil loss and a rod to break, sending metal shards into the engine compartment. Engine could have seized up or caught on fire, had the vehicle continued to run. Dealership informed us of other Hyundai recalls for the same issue, however we were told our year/make/model was not included. Vehicle had been at same dealership 2 months prior for a heat/AC issue and a complete inspection was completed. No indication of bearing, oil, or engine issue was noted. No warning lights came on at any point.

- Flagstaff, AZ, USA

problem #474

Nov 052023

Tucson

  • 158,103 miles
Engine heating problems, electrical problems and now engine failure, the vehicle is no longer safe to drive. The vehicle is available for inspection. Other vehicles of same make, model, and year have been recalled for these issues however mine has not. I feel it has the same types of issues and safety concerns which should be recalled. The issues began with electrical problems inside the vehicle, random check engine lights coming on then off and other lights popping up in the dash board, the car was not accelerating properly, took the car in and they could not find a problem or fix it. The engine began heating and the speed of vehicle was also being affected. The car would randomly slow down quickly while on the highway at 70 MPH which happened a couple of times and was not safe at all, it could have caused a horrible accident. I could not accelerate enough to stay on the highway. That issue was fixed when we took the vehicle into the dealership to fix and should have been a recall as other cars where having the same issue. Hyundai should be held responsible for issues such as this that are affecting many other Hyundai Tucson drivers. Oil keeps depleting and the engine is burning through fast, also another concern and safety issue as that causes the engine to over heat and potentially cause a fire. A loud noise is coming from the vehicle, sounds like a helicopter it happened suddenly with no check engine light or warning. I'm concerned this car could catch fire, many Tucson's have had warning of catching fire. I don't park in our garage or even in the driveway for fear of that happening although they state ours is not supposed to be affected all these vehicle issues are telling me otherwise. Engine is now dead.This is unacceptable. Windows cannot be rolled down after multiple fixes that I paid for. Hyundai's poor production, manufacturing and quality control is unacceptable, please hold them responsible. Too much money has been spent on issues with no real results.

- Winter Garden, FL, USA

problem #473

Nov 302023

Tucson

  • miles
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.

- Sharpsburg, GA, USA

problem #472

Nov 012023

Tucson

  • miles
Failing Transmission including inability to engage reverse and slipping gears while shifting.

- Montour Falls, NY, USA

problem #471

Nov 122023

Tucson

  • miles
51k miles and engine went out on the highway. No lights or warnings until afterwards. We were able to safely pull over onto the shoulder and had the vehicle towed to the dealer for servicing.

- Abingdon , MD, USA

problem #470

Aug 222023

Tucson

  • miles
I already had a recall scheduled 4 days before this accident but 2 days before the engine failure I heard a ticking in the engine, didn-??t think much of it because the engine was still running ( 93k miles on the car) so I was going to tell the dealer the problem when I took it for the recall fix appointment but on the way home my car instantly went from 70-30 in the middle of the highway I had the car towed to the Hyundai Dealer and they said rod had broke and said also something about the oil being dirty when I literally had the oil changed days before, but end result my 2nd owners warranty didn-??t cover the vehicle even with rod failures being a recurring problem with my trim. They told me a new engine would be 13,500k while still owing 10k on the vechile has but me in a difficult situation

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #469

Sep 032023

Tucson

  • miles
I bought a used 2016 Hyundai Tucson locally. Had the car 3 days, & both rear window actuators had to be replaced. Had the car a week, oil pump/pan seal failed. Then the rear seal fail. Then the boot on the right CV joint failed. The aAC started blowing hot on the passenger side, while cold on the driver side, but I DON-??T have dual controls for the temperature & it-??s full. Bluetooth randomly connects/disconnects. Gas gauge is inaccurate says 40 miles left & then suddenly your light is on & it says you-??ve 20. REPEATEDLY replaced my brake light bulbs/front turn signal bulbs, several times within a few months of each other, often on the same side. Having my phone plugged into the charging ports, the phone often overheats to the point of being too hot to touch. Even placed out of the sun-??s rays, & shaded. Must pull front passenger door 2x externally before it will open. RR passenger door you can pull all day/push from inside /outside, doesn-??t matter, WON-??T OPEN.The car is equipped with a CVT, which allows you to shift manually if needed. Then the transmission refused to shift automatically. No codes would show. Today car died on me in the middle of the road, while I was turning, check engine is on, & car refuses to start. I was almost hit by cross traffic from both directions. A few people drove around me, before two very nice young men pushed my car out of the middle of the road onto the shoulder of a county road, on a holiday weekend. If not for a Good Samaritan, I-??d have been walking 6 miles home in the dark. I-??m almost 50, & a woman, & diabetic. The car has plenty of oil & coolant. Tried putting the car in neutral, still won-??t start. Air filter is clean. Battery is good. Says it has gas; 40 miles til empty. Car tries to turn over but won-??t catch. Tachometer will barely register to the line above zero, & even giving it gas makes NO difference. Have been told it is the timing & transmission. Dealer won-??t honor extended warranty. Car has -??just-?? passed Hyundai warranty.

- New Boston , TX, USA

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