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:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,277 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Owner Comments (Page 2 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #81

Jun 012019

Tucson

  • 35,000 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 that while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitated. The contact stated that there was a temporary hesitation and then the vehicle would lunge forward and then return to operating as intended. Williams Hyundai located at (2845 E saginaw St, lansing, mi 48912 517-484-1341) was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the hesitation was normal due to the dual clutch that was installed in the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

- Lansing, MI, USA

problem #80

Feb 142020

Tucson

  • 47,000 miles
Coming from a stop or very low speeds, I press on the gas pedal and the car doesn't move. Sometimes it actually slows down. When it does engage, the car will lurch forward at a higher speed. This has happened multiple times. Other 2016 Tucsons are under recall for this issue. They need to expand the recall. This has happened on multiple dates and times, so the issue is ongoing.

- Farmington, PA, USA

problem #79

Feb 172020

Tucson

  • 42,500 miles
Hello, I bought a used 2016 Hyundai Tucson eco less then a month ago from autonation that had only 40,000 miles on it. Within 2 weeks of buying the vehicle, the check engine turned on for a P259F trouble code for a turbocharger position sensor that I had got from using autonation's vehicle app. Naturally, I called autonation to have my car fixed, but the engine light had gone off before I brought my in vehicle in for repairs. When I did bring my vehicle in to the dealership, they confirmed that there was a check engine light on from my turbo, but that it had gone off and that the car was functioning normally, and to go to a Hyundai dealership for a special diagnostic if the issue consisted. On the same day of getting my car back, I started noticing engine performance issues, my acceleration would be affected by 1 to 2 seconds where the car would not go, and when it would finally notice the throttle it would jump kick the car. Also the worst of all, it also cut out at one point where it did not want to give any sort of throttle at all, I needed to have my foot all the way down on the pedal to just go 30 mph. During that time I noticed that the engine would be revving high while no speed was being gained, and no check engine lights where going off either. Because of that, I was almost involved in an accident where I could not accelerate out of an intersection when making a turn. What makes me believe this is the turbo electrical problem, is that the way I got my car to accelerate normally is that I parked it and restarted it, after that it started accelerating normally, but at times the acceleration would still be affected.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #78

Jan 062020

Tucson

  • 60,000 miles

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

This issue recur after the first incident that made us go back and forth to the dealership 3yrs ago. Hyundai of seattle should have a full record of this issue. Recently then, our car shows similar issues. The car is slow to accelerate from stop to go. Does not pick up accelerations when you step on the gas. On inclined or climb, engine has a hard time and seems to shake a bit then steady itself after 2 mins as you step in the gas to keep it in motion

- Federal Way, WA, USA

problem #77

Jun 012019

Tucson

  • 32,000 miles
Even after reprogramming of my 2016 Tucson dual clutch transmission (dct), I still worry about the safety of the car. Transmission is still herky-jerkey when creeping along in traffic. On a couple of occasions at higher speed (say merging into traffic at 50-70 mph) the transmission has been slow to change gears, and on at least one occasion the transmission temporarily went into a "neutral' state temporarily disconnected from power transfer from the engine. If that were to happen say when crossing traffic it could be very dangerous.

- Sharpsburg, MD, USA

problem #76

Oct 012019

Tucson

  • miles
I cannot accelerate into traffic. There is a hesitation in the accelerator. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes it chugs first then goes. I have trouble merging and getting into traffic. It is unreliable from a stationary to movement.

- Wrightstown, NJ, USA

problem #75

Sep 242019

Tucson

  • 50,000 miles

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

When accelerating from an idle position, car struggles to shift gears automatically. When making a turn, usually left turn, vehicle stalls and struggles to accelerate making it very dangerous.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #74

Sep 172019

Tucson

  • miles
My vehicle stalls when I hit the gas. Has trouble switching gears.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #73

Aug 142019

Tucson

  • 58,000 miles
My daughter has a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. She has taken it to the dealership a few times because when she steps on the gas it does not wanna go. I'm afraid she is gonna her in an accident with her vehicle not want to move when it is stuck in an intersection. I really feel that they need to look at it and check it again because there is definitely something wrong with it. It always feels like it wants to stall out and just does not want to go anywhere. Thank you this has happened more than once it happens every single time she drives her car

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #72

Aug 042019

Tucson

  • 93,000 miles
While my vehicle was in motion, driving down a mountain highway at approx. 40 mph the RPM revved up to 5 RPM and would not come down even when coming to a complete stop and putting it into park. I also have constant hesitation with the engine when stopping at a light in town and then moving forward from a complete stop. The car jerks and their is delay to go when pressing the gas pedal after being stopped at a light. The car will at times not go into reverse when trying to back out of a parking space. I have found that when this happens I have to completely put car in park and turn the car off, then restart the car and put it into reverse before I can back it out successfully.

- Jasper, AR, USA

problem #71

Jul 282019

Tucson

  • 84,000 miles

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

The car when at a stop, you go to press the gas pedal to take off and there is a delay in the car actually acknowledging and taking off to accelerate. It has happened a few times periodically and it is now becoming more frequent

- De Soto, WI, USA

problem #70

Jun 272019

Tucson

  • 30,000 miles
I've owned my 2016 Hyundai Tucson for less then 1 month now. On 3 occassions after coming to a stop and trying to accelerate the gas pedal seems to fail. My rpms go up but the vehicle doesn't accelerate until pushing the gas pedal 3 times or more very hard. My vehicle only has 30K miles on it. I will be bringing it to the dealership. This is very dangerous especially when turning and on coming traffic is coming but the vehicle won't move. This could potentially kill me if struck while merging on to the freeway. I'm now afraid to drive and fear for my safety. A recall should be made out to pull these off the roads!!

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #69

Jun 222019

Tucson

  • miles
Bought certified 2016 Hyundai Tucson turbo ltd with eco and dual clutch transmission. I've had it for 5 days. I bought it for my son and daughter to attend high school. The car kept acting like it was going to stall at every stop, it kept stuttering, and when you are accelerating and take your foot off the pedal the rpms keep rising, and doesn't switch gears. It refs and RPM goes up but it doesn't switch gears up or down shift either. The engine revs high and won't switch gears. It's like it wants to accelerate when you want it to slow down and when stopped it wants to stall. Today it happened. We came to a stop so we could turn left onto an onramp on highway, (have to cross over other lane to go on on ramp), and it stuttered and stalled on opposite oncoming traffic side, before we could reach the ramp. My son was driving and I was in front seat and daughter was in back seat, I got scared, as you can't see what coming over the hill on side we stalled (oncoming traffic). The guy saw we had stalled and ran out and started waving something down. It was an oncoming semi. Thankfully he was able to redirect him or we would have been struck. We got the car started again and were able to get home. I looked up what had happened and saw that there was a mass recall of my exact car model, in the exact time frame of vehicle being made. The recall was for the exact things that are and did happen to us. I contacted the dealer and asked them why they never divulged this information and they said the didn't know. I read on the NHTSA site that my exact SUV, made the same date, Hyundai had recalled, but mine for some reason is not. Problem is when I put my VIN in, nothing comes up for a recall. I don't want to put my kids back in this car. I just dropped $24,000 5 days ago in a car loan. Please help.

- Milford, PA, USA

problem #68

Dec 122017

Tucson

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. While making a left turn and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to lehman Hyundai (located at 21400 nw 2nd ave, miami, fl 33169, (866) 647-4751) where it was determined that the vehicle performed as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

problem #67

Dec 082018

Tucson

  • 58,000 miles
Once per day, while driving on flat ground, the car displays the message "steep grade! press brake pedal" (page 5-20 in the owners manual). When this happens, the car completely dies and can not accelerate. I have to put my hazards on and coast to the side of the road! this is extremely dangerous! I have taken it to the dealership 3 times, however they claim they cannot reproduce it. The problem happens for me once per day! I opened a case with Hyundai corporate but the case is open and unresolved because the problem is intermittent and only happens once per day. An intermittent problem is still a safety hazard, especially when it causes the driver to lose the ability to control the vehicle! it is a safety issue that could directly cause an accident. The NHTSA needs to be aware of this and Hyundai and their dealerships need to take ownership and make corrective actions before someone gets seriously injured by this defect. I have a video of the issue occurring that I'm happy to share as well.

- Temperance, MI, USA

problem #66

Dec 012018

Tucson 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact stated that the same failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to first Hyundai (270 E Washington St, North attleborough, MA 02760) three times, but was never diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V628000 (power train). The failure mileage was 32,000. Consumer was advised by how to step on pedall to prevent dual clutch momentary freeze by the dealer employees.

- Cumberland, RI, USA

problem #65

Dec 282017

Tucson

  • 23,000 miles
When changing the car from reverse to drive it bucks/shudders (not every time, but frequently enough to be concerning). When first put into drive after sitting all day it'll boost forward and shudder and continue to do that if you roll along at slow speeds. Sometime if you are turning and press the gas it will either not move quickly enough or suddenly boost forward. Dealer has reset boost sensor, replaced boost sensor, and replaced terminal boost sensor plugs into. I'm still experiencing this issue.

- Attleboro, MA, USA

problem #64

Apr 012016

Tucson 4-cyl

  • 33,540 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. While driving at unknown speeds, the accelerator pedal was applied and the vehicle hesitated, shuttered, and failed to move. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (gerald Hyundai, 209 hansen blvd, North Aurora, il 60542, 630-907-8500) and was informed that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 33,540 consumer stated when accelerating from a stop ( 0-5mph), "operating nominally", "corrected by trans assy-auto add gds operation", as explained to us, car learns owner's driving habits and they reset to original factory values - which did nothing!! updated 10/29/18

- Winfield, IL, USA

problem #63

Feb 012018

Tucson

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while making a right turn when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that there was a delay and a sudden increase in speed moments after the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure occurred more than twice. The dealer (nashua Hyundai, 140 daniel webster hwy, nashua, nh 03060, 603-891-3511) diagnosed that a software update was necessary. The update was performed, but failed to provide a permanent remedy as the failure continued. The vehicle was then taken to autofair Hyundai (1477 S willow St, manchester, nh 03103, 603-634-0500) who also provided a software update, which failed to prevent the failure. The dealers indicated that the transmission may be the cause of the failures, but did not specifically diagnose the part that needed to be replaced. The manufacturer issued a recall for NHTSA campaign number: 16V628000 (power train, electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and instructed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for further diagnostic testing and repairs. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown.

- Windham, NH, USA

problem #62

May 072018

Tucson

  • 6,868 miles
My car has difficulty accelerating (7X), inability to reverse (2X), and a transmission error that limits my speed (2X). Trouble accelerating is present in all cases. I bought the car new in October 2015, and a recall on the dual clutch transmission (dct) was done in February 2016. The recall was to fix a known problem of the car's inability to accelerate after repeatedly pressing and releasing the accelerator. The problems started in May 2016 after the software update. I took my car to Hyundai and was told it was a normal operation of dct. In December 2016, the second part of the dct software update was done. Once the warmer weather came, my car had the same issues in April 2017, June 2017 (taken to dealer, update), September 2017, three times in October 2017 (taken to dealer, normal), and twice in May 2018. All occurrences were in warm weather (77 degrees to 82 degrees) after the car had been sitting outside all day. Prior to October, all incidences were trouble accelerating after stopping in traffic on the highway. However, one incident in October is also when my car wouldn't reverse, and the other had a transmission error that would not allow me past 51mph. For the second occurrence in may, the car was driven for about two miles, stopped at a store parking lot with the ac running for about five minutes, then had difficulty accelerating, the transmission error appeared again at 32mph limiting my speed, and I could not reverse. I called the dealership and drove the car to them. The mechanic believed my issue and did not want to drive it. My car has been into the dealer five times, and I was just told that my car is acting normally. They are ready to release the car to me; however, I have stressed the safety issue and refuse to take the car back. This car is not reliable and could cause an accident with injury or death. I filed a complaint with Hyundai corporate.

- Upper Arlington, OH, USA

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