2016 Hyundai Tucson: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
1,616 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
1,616 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 161.6
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
This problem was observed about 1 month ago: While driving and headlights set on AUTO, during the day, and the light switch NOT on, the dashboard would indicate the lights were ON, for just a second or two, and would go off. At night with the headlights set on AUTO and the headlights ON, while driving, the headlights go OFF and ON briefly (1-3 seconds) causing a dangerous situation as visibility of road is lost. Thi…
Door latch issue. Driver's side door has to be pulled multiple times after unlocking to open from the exterior. Passenger side door latch has become completely inoperable and does not open from the interior or exterior now. To have multiple doors fail at the same time seems like a true design failure / flaw and an inoperable door a true safety hazard.
While stopped at a traffic light, the engine began producing a loud metallic clattering and clanking sound, consistent with connecting rod bearing failure (rod knock). There was no prior warning light or indication of this specific failure. When the light changed, the vehicle would not accelerate normally, leaving me stalled in a lane of moving traffic. I was forced to make an emergency turn to get the vehicle out of…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 20V543000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Tract | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) recalled certain 2019-2021 Tucson vehicles on September 4, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Hyundai expanded the… |
| 16V147000 | 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 a… |
| 16V842000 | Electrical System:Wiring | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, a… |
| 16V348000 | 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 af… |
| 16V628000 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Contr | Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 20, 2015 through May 31, 2016 and equi… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (516 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 24/100, computed from 1,616 NHTSA complaints and 5 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Hyundai Tucson, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 04/09/2020. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.