7.3

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,502 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.

2020 Hyundai Tucson engine problems

engine problem

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2020 Hyundai Tucson Owner Comments

problem #15

Jun 272024

Tucson

  • miles

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

Had for a year. 6 months ago, started sputtering, surging, slowing and dying on a regular basis. Have had it shop at Chapman used in Tucson, AZ and Lawley Hyundai in Sierra Vista Arizona 3 times. Chaan couldn't repair, so we went to Lawley. The mechanism there keep saying they cannot reproduce! The engine malfunctions 3-4 time during any drive we do. Has been going on for 6 months.

- Willcox, AZ, USA

problem #14

May 242024

Tucson

  • miles
The vehicle is a 2020 Hyundai Tucson with AWD. Current mileage of the vehicle is 58,309. In the last 10K miles, there have had 4 separate instances of a sustained flashing check engine light that has put the car into limp mode. Since the first instance, a knock sensor, catalytic converter, and spark plug coil, among other things, have been replaced. However, the issues persist and have yet to be resolved. The engine continues to misfire, resulting in dangerous driving situations. Most recently (XXX) the car went into limp mode on an interstate highway where the vehicle was unable to accelerate and could not exceed 2000 RPMs. The code scanner read P1326 - Glow Relay Short Circuit. This was just a week after the vehicle was towed to McGovern Hyundai in Brockton, due to the car being in limp mode (XXX) and the vehicle was given a clean bill of health. I was told that there was no cause for concern and the code was cleared. I-??m extremely concerned about this issue with the vehicle and don-??t feel that it is safe to drive, especially when it loses power on the highway. The vehicle is insured, but has not been inspected by an insurer. Nor has the vehicle been inspected by police. The car has been inspected by the dealership, but that have not produced any findings. The car is certainly available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #13

May 102024

Tucson

  • 101,196 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently decelerated. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a knock sensor failure. The contact was informed that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,196.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #12

May 062024

Tucson

  • miles

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

I was driving home last week when I came across a large crash on the highway. Traffic was backed up for a mile. I decided to turn around through one of those crossovers and head a different way home. I accelerated to catch up to the oncoming traffic when my car suddenly sounded more loud like it was struggling to accelerate. I got onto the off ramp and my car slowed from 70mph to 40mph and would not go any faster. It began lurching and I decided to try to get off the highway and get as close to home as I could as it was 9pm. My car slowed to a stop and the oil light and engine light and battery light came on. A few moments later the whole dashboard lit up and the car died. I popped the hood and to my horror there was literally no oil in my car. My oil light never came on and my oil change service notice never came on at any point. I took it to a dealership where they told me my engine has blown and needs replacing. This engine experienced the same issues as listed in the lawsuit earlier this year, only my 2.4L was not included as an affected model. This car only has 88,000 miles on it and has had at least 9-12 oil changes. My car was working normally until it shut down, no warning, no lights, and no other issues this entire time I-??ve had it. I was broken down on a country road in the middle of the night with no phone service. Hyundai claims my car was not one of the engines affected by the recall or lawsuit, yet my car did exactly what others stated happened to theirs.

- Spring Hill, TN, USA

problem #11

Aug 212023

Tucson

  • miles
The "check engine" light has come on at least three (3) times. The first time, the car went into slow down mode. We stopped at a mechanic, who reset the computer so that we could drive it. We then had it towed to our mechanic, who told us about the problems these Hyundai engines are having. He told us that engine replacement was inevitable. It happened two (2) more times. This time, we had it towed to a Hyundai dealer. The first time, they kept the car for two weeks, only to tell us that they could not "replicate the problem". We opened a file with Hyundai USA [Hyundai Case Management #: [XXX]. It happened again. Same message: "Could not replicate the problem." The blogs are full of horror stories about the engines failing during high speed travel. [XXX] The Virginia Lemon Law does not apply until at least three (3) attempts have been made to repair it at a Hyundai authorized service provider. Our only options appear to be suing Hyundai, or continuing to drive it, running the risk of an engine failure/shutdown at high speed, or trying to sell it to CarMax with a known safety issue. The attached documents show when the incidents occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #10

Nov 082022

Tucson

  • miles
I turned on a road that the speed limit is posted 55mph and I accelerated up to about 50 and suddenly my speed dropped back to about 10mph and the car began shaking and the engine light was flashing. There was absolutely no warning at all. I had left my house about 15 minutes prior and everything was fine while I was driving up until then. My engine failed. If I had entered an busy highway I would have most likely caused a Major Accident and been killed and/or killed others. It happened around 5:00 A.M. in the dark which was bad enough as I was alone on my way to work. I had it towed to the Dealership and they replaced the knock sensor and assured me that the car was perfectly safe now. But on Dec. 1,2022 I was driving on a 35 mph road and the car did exactly the same thing and I had to be towed again.This time after much arguing the engine was condemned and replaced.

- Hanover, PA, USA

problem #9

Feb 102024

Tucson

  • miles

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

The oil is burning up so fast. Every oil change that is within the mileage limits they tell me my car is bone dry. If the oil in my car runs out my car engine can blow up or it can stop working. The only way it has been reproduced is that every oil change for 2 years now they have told me it-??s bone dry. It has not been inspected by manufacturer. They told me it would cost about $400 for them to even just check it out. There are no warning lights at all.

- Grapevine, TX, USA

problem #8

Nov 162023

Tucson

  • miles
Jan '22 - Reported check engine light had begun to turn off and back on when gas tank was low. Feb '22 At 19k miles catalytic convertor reported failed for code (P0420), 3 way catalyst, upper and lower gaskets, and manifold all needed to be replaced - took 4 days Aug'23 called to request service for check engine light because it was coming off and on over periods of time. Scheduled for Sep'23 Sep '23 service reports new cat quoted for code P0420, I was not verbally informed by service advisor. 16 Nov '23 driving home and car starts to shake and is slow to accelerate, check engine light started to flash, car enters limp mode, could not drive safely on highway and waited hours for a tow. Codes P0420(cat convertor), P1326 (Knock sensor) 25 Nov '23 picked up car, had catalytic convertor, manifold gasket, knock sensor replaced. Drove 27 miles and car check engine light begins flashing again (P1326) on freeway while merging. Car hesitates, starts to slow, had to merge over to shoulder from far left lane as car had no acceleration. I felt unsafe to exit vehicle being 9 months pregnant. Waited 2 hours for tow back to service dept the same day I picked up vehicle. 8 Feb '24- picked up car from service department. They performed engine combustion chamber cleaning and reported excessive cylinder wall scoring. Service advisor feels confident this fixed the problem. I feel unsafe driving a car that has left me stranded multiple times on busy highways and freeways, especially with children. The manufacturer keeps replacing parts and cannot seem to diagnose issue, they keep repairing problems caused by a major issue that has not been diagnosed.

- Enumclaw, Wa 98022-2628, WA, USA

problem #7

Nov 272023

Tucson

  • miles
While driving down the interstate to go back to my college, I noticed a cloud of white smoke coming out of my exhaust. Seconds later, I no longer could accelerate and white smoke was also coming out of the engine. There were no lights on my dash at this point or at any point before this day. I quickly tried to get off of the road when I noticed my car was no longer going. I managed to get to the side of the road where finally my engine and oil light came on. I waited 2.5 hours for a tow truck on the side of the interstate, where I was barely off of the road. It was taken to the dealership where I bought it (since the car only has 32k miles on it) for a "hole in the engine" which is what I was originally told by the service department. Two days later, I received a phone call that there actually was no hole in my motor, and that the drain oil plug disappeared from my engine while driving, causing all of the oil to spill out of my engine that day on the interstate. Despite getting an oil change only 1500 miles ago from this exact dealer, they stated that the plug would have fallen out immediately after their service if it was placed back incorrectly. Hyundai stated this is now an "owner's problem" and that I was to call my insurance company to get an estimate from them because the dealership would not cover it since it was no longer a warranty issue. I called my insurance company who then got pictures from the dealer of the engine and a video. They then called me stating this type of damage is not covered under my policy, and that they would not pay for it. So here I am, stuck with Hyundai refusing to pay for a damaged engine even though the oil drain plug fell out, which inherently caused the damage, and despite having a 10 year/100k mile warranty on the motor. I found out there is an open investigation through the NHTSA about this exact issue and was hoping to receive clarity on what I can do.

- Millville, PA, USA

problem #6

Apr 202023

Tucson

  • miles
Traveling on the highway and the engine decelerated, oil pressure light came on briefly and then went off. The engine light went on. Was not able to accelerate past 50 mph. The car was hesitating and shaking. Had to change lanes and drive a distance to get to safe place. Engine starting knocking and got worse the longer it was driven. Was a safety risk as unable to go any faster than 50 miles per hour and hard to steer with car shaking. Car has 79,384 miles on it. Dealership states engine failure and that engine needs to be replaced. Car had burned up almost all the oil that had been replaced two months prior. Hyundai currently has a recall for this exact problem with their 2017 Tucson-??s

- Belvidere, NJ, USA

problem #5

Feb 152023

Tucson

  • miles

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

Check engine light came on for 2020 Hyundai Tucson; the vehicle has the 2.0 engine. I called Hyundai for service waited 3 weeks for service appt. Service ECM software update completed on 2/13/2023. On 2/15/2023 service light came on again. Advised Hyundai Service dept that the light was on again. There was a recall for 2019 2.0 engines for Exhaust Manafold Catalyst sensor. Advisor stated that bring it in 3 weeks and we will take it for a test drive.

- Pelham, NH, USA

problem #4

Dec 252022

Tucson

  • miles
Engine light was flashing on and off in September 2022 I took it in to a Hyundai dealer in September and was told it was the Catalytic convertor. The catalytic convertor was replaced in October 2022, 2 weeks later the engine light was flashing and the car would not accelerate. I took the care that day to Freehold Hyundai where after keeping it for 3 days they said it was an issue with the oil filter. I have taking the car on a regular basis for all oil changes since in my possession. On December 25th as I was driving to my families house for Christmas the engine light again started flashing and the car would not accelerate. I was able to get the car back to my house. No one was available to call that day due to the holiday. I contacted Freehold Hyundai 12/26/2022 and had the car towed to their facility. On 12/27/2022 I was told the cars engine is failing and that they need to obtain authorization from Hyundai in order to get approval. This is a leased vehicle and does have warranty coverage but they are not able to confirm it can be fixed and cannot offer me a lender car.

- Freehold, NJ, USA

problem #3

May 242022

Tucson

  • miles
The car engine completely shuts down without warning. This has happened over a dozen times since last summer. The only thing we can think of was the ABS module recall work, but the dealership says everything is fine with the car and they cannot replicate. This happens when the car is at a stop, or sometimes driving slowly or turning. The engine gets quiet, the lights flicker, and then gas no longer works to accelerate. To fix this, we have to shift the car back to P, then turn the car off, then turn it on again, and then put it back into D. Sometimes this happens in the middle of live traffic which is unsafe. We have an active case with Hyundai America open about this issue since the dealers cannot identify and fix the issue. This is a high safety issue for my family and other drivers. The car is available for inspection. The frequency of this occurs about once a week (it used to happen 1-2 times per month but recently has been increasing.)

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #2

Dec 012021

Tucson

  • miles
These vehicles I been noticing looks like they having issues with their staters or something I been seeing on Youtube everyone having same issue like I'm where on cold days you try to start the engine it just makes a clicking sound with a burning smell

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #1

Dec 312020

Tucson

  • 11,332 miles
Service recall 195 for ABS system and potential fire hazard. Hyundai says not to drive because of safety risk and that parts are not available nationwide. Apparently this is only for existing cars if you buy new they will fix the problem and have parts available immediately. How is that possible?

- Plymouth, MN, USA

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