Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2016 Hyundai Tucson: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,612 safety complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Tucson with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved July 14, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

1,612
Complaints
5
Recalls
1
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 14 crashes, 24 fires, 7 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 515 of 1,612 complaints, followed by Engine & cooling.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 142 of the 1,612 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 5 years after the model year (318 filed in 2021) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 1 NHTSA defect investigation is associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,612 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
515
Engine & cooling
427
Body & structure
384
Other / unspecified
264
Electrical
212
Speed control
111
Visibility & lighting
68
Fuel & propulsion
56

"All dash warning lights are on and dash lights have a intermittent bright light surge. Hard to shut off engine and have to disconnect battery for electric power to shut off. Very noticeable hesitation in acceleration starting to drive"

Owner complaint filed March 2026 · Power Train,Electrical System · NHTSA ODI 11727692

"Engine or transmission The vehicle has stalled randomly multiple times on the freeway, business roads and intersections, not accelerating and burning through oil Dealership says they cannot figure out or replicate the issue No check engine light or warning of any kind given"

Owner complaint filed September 2025 · Power Train,Vehicle Speed Control,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11690448

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2016 Hyundai Tucson peaked later than usual, in 2021.

Complaints filed per year — 2016 Hyundai Tucson
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
1
260
115
73
112
142
318
171
176
121
76
47
151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through July 14, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

Recall history: 5 recalls

5 recalls apply to some or all 2016 Hyundai Tucson vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Mar 201616V-147
Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Hyundai Tucson vehicles manufactured May 26, 2015 to January 15, 2016 and equipped with an accessory trailer hitch harness either included with the accessory trailer hitch or sold as a service part. In the affected vehicles, when t…

May 201616V-348
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015 to March 14, 2016. In the affected vehicles, if the primary hood latch has been released, and the vehicle is driven, the secondary hood latch may not hold adequately secure the hood to prev…

Aug 201616V-628
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 20, 2015 through May 31, 2016 and equipped with a 7-speed EcoShift Dual Clutch Transmission. Certain driving conditions and high temperatures may cause the vehicle to not move if the accelerator ped…

Nov 201616V-842
Electrical System:Wiring

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured November 28, 2015, to November 14, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring har…

Sep 202020V-543
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) recalled certain 2019-2021 Tucson vehicles on September 4, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Hyundai expanded the recall population, and added certain 2016-2018 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-lock Brake Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) could corrode internally and cause …

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2016 Hyundai Tucson have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 1,612 complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Tucson with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2016 Hyundai Tucson have?

The 2016 Hyundai Tucson has 5 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2016 Hyundai Tucson safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2016 Hyundai Tucson an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.