2016 Hyundai Tucson Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
In April of 2024, I bought my 2016 Hyundai Tucson for a certified dealership in FL. Within 2 months the car began shaking and I had to take it to have spark plugs replaced which cost several hundred dollars. Shortly after that in November 2024, I was driving on the highway to school when I got an āengine overheating alertā and immediately pulled over to turn off the car. After waiting for a few minutes to let it cool down and noticing that the coolant was very low, I added some more coolant in and tried to restart the car, but it would not turn on. I had to get a tow truck to a repair shop to which they informed me that the headgasket had blown and it would cost about $12,000 to replace it. Ever since, my car has been towed to multiple Hyundai dealerships and repair shops when I sought after answers as to what happened and one told me that the engine was known for eating oil too quickly, causing it to blow. I bought the car only for $16,000 and would have to pay about the same amount just to fix the engine and reading multiple reports online have shown from other others having the same exact issues with no answers and being stuck. We have had it sitting in our garage ever since and still do not know what to do.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shook abnormally with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact noticed an oil odor. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact's father, who is an independent mechanic, inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the vehicle with oil consumption and engine failure. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to monitor the exhaust for smoke and add oil daily. In addition, two days later the contact attempted to start the vehicle, and the vehicle started after several attempts. The was an abnormal oil odor entering the vehicle through the vents. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
I reported the vehicle to Dealer for above oil consumption, which they confirmed with service check of oil level. Vehicle often stammered and failed to accelerate upon purchase. This vehicle stammered and Engine began to smoke. Vehicle could started first, turned unit off. Vehicle is being towed to shop for diagnostic results.
Was driving down busy city road when engine suddenly knocked violently and shut off rendering car inoperable as traffic had to go around my disabled vehicle. Inspection revealed low oil, despite filling 4 weeks prior after change and no visible/identifiable leaks. Investigation by mechanic resulted in being told that numerous Hyundai engines like this are having the same problems and need total engine replacements. They said that they "see this at least once a week in these Hyundai's and Kia's". There were no warning lights or anything prior to the event.
Engine ran out of oil with no indication on instrument panel that it was happening. Engine now knocks and needs replacing. My independent service center has determined a failure. It is available for inspection.
Was driving down busy road when engine suddenly knocked violently and shut off rendering car inoperable. Inspection revealed low oil, despite not being due for an oil change after and no visible/identifiable leaks. Investigation by mechanic resulted in being told that numerous Hyundai engines like this are having the same problems and need total engine replacements. The call only had 70,000. Dealership said they see one a week.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,994.
9/11/24 the 2016 Hyundai Tucson had a knock in the engine, the car was towed to beaverton Hyundai for inspection and I was told that it was Rod Bearing failure that caused engine failure and that this was a known issue for Hyundais Theta II engines and it would be $18k repair. Hyundai just settled a billion dollar class action lawsuit for rod bearing failure where check engine and oil lights failed to illuminate. I asked for a PA to be submitted to Hyundai motors America, as suggested by my usual shop Dickās Hillsboro Hyundai(whom didnāt have availability soon enough). The PA was denied stating āthis is normal wear for a vehicle at 70k miles and itās out of warranty.ā This repair is not a cause my the consumer, but by a manufacturer defect. And I should not be expected to replace the engine at $15k after paying $20k 3 years ago when I bought the car. Hyundai is being negligent.
There two incidents where I was driving in the highway and my car died mid driving. It put my life on risk twice. Took it to the mechanic and was told that my car was leaking oil and caused my car to have an engine misfire. My car is un drivable. There were no engine or oil lights that appeared prior to the incident and I always got my regular oil changes and had put in more oil myself. Hyundai refused to pay to the engine replacement even through this is a known issue. Iāve only had the car for two years and itās under 100k miles.
Ongoing engine problems with an oil consumption issue for the duration of first having the car (2021-2024). That is common with this year of Hyundai. Hyundai Dealership wonāt replace engine until warranty is up and you are left with a car that doesnāt run and a quote for a $14k engine.
On [XXX], I purchased a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Sport, at the Landover-Jaguar South Hills dealer in Canonsburg, PA. On [XXX] the ācheck engineā light came on. Since I was 2 hours from home, I purchased a code reader to assess the issue. It read āA P0420 codeā. I researched potential reasons for this code but returned the car to the dealer who performed additional checks and gave the car a āclean bill of healthā. On [XXX], I was driving home from about 16 miles away and lost power. A slew of dash lights came on, and I was forced to pull over. I smelled something burning. As I stopped, the smoke from the engine became apparent. The car right behind me pulled up and asked if I knew my car was on fire. Another bystander pulled over and extinguished the fire in my engine. This happened on one of the busier roads in the area and if the vehicle exploded it could have been much worse for all of us. This vehicle is currently sitting at Bowser Hyundai in Pittsburgh and is available for inspection. This engine fire and fail is not a maintenance issue but is clearly a result of a manufacture issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
-FIRST DIAGNOSED AS ROD BEARING FAILURE BY INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER. SECOND DIAGNOSIS OF ROD BEARING FAILURE MADE BY HYUNDIA DEALERSHIP. -COULD NOT ACCELERATE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, COULD NOT MOVE MY CAR TO SAFETY, TOW TRUCK HAD TO BE CALLED TO MOVE VEHICLE TO SAFETY, FURTHER TOWED TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THEN TOWED TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. WAS REQUIRED TO PUT MYSELF IN DANGER (IN MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC) TO GET HELP. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND NO LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON. -CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. -MANUFACTURER DECLINED TO HELP SINCE NO RECALL LISTED FOR MY VEHICLE AND SINCE OUTSIDE WARRANTY PERIOD, THOUGH ALMOST ALL OTHER ENGINE MODELS FOR MY VEHICLE HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE EXACT SAME DIAGNOSIS (ROD BEARING FAILURE). -NO WARNING LAMPS WHATSOEVER TO NOTIFY ME OF ANYTHING BEING WRONG-BEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER MY CAR LOST ACCELERATION.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle then entered LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to drive to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized due to rod bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about an Extended Warranty coverage. The manufacturer was contacted and declined to authorize the repair. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB Number: 22-01-023H-2 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the low oil and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine oil had been totally consumed. The contact was made aware of coolant intrusion into the engine and that the pistons were misfiring. The mechanic stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the Extended Warranty on the vehicle did not cover excessive oil consumption. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the engine overheated. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact opened the hood and became aware that the coolant cap had detached and there was coolant covering the engine. The contact stated that the engine failure had occurred previously, and the failure was persistent. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.
I was driving in the main road with my grandkids and the vehicle just shut down . I bought it in November of 2023. I brought it back to carmax because it was hesitating and not acting properly and it was within my 90 day warranty and they said nothing was wrong . Motor seized and turbo no good a few months later and I owe 19000 on this car and they refuse to replace the motor since Iām second owner without a warranty they were suppose to give me . I had to get people to push my car to the side and wait 2 hours for a tow and now the garage says itās 10-11000for a motor . Carmax just said they would pay for labor charges but that still leaves me with a hefty bill on top of what I owe . I told them to just take the car and give me another or pay for the motor and they refuse . My cars now sitting at my house because I canāt afford a motor . Itās a 1.6L motor with turbo . That price is a used motor :(
While stopped at a traffic light trying to make a left turn. I pressed the gas pedal and I did not move. The engine revved up then kicked into second gear. The delay in shifting gears almost caused a crash. This has been an ongoing issue since I purchased the vehicle and surprisingly has not caused an accident yet. It always seems to happen when I am waiting to make a left turn, stopped at a traffic light or stopped at a stop sign. There has to be a underlying issue with this type of engine. I am not the only one that complains about this issue. I feel like it is only a matter of time until this causes an accident. I do anticipate this happening while I am driving and try to give myself enough time when making a left turn for a slight delay in shifting into first gear.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to cease driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who determined that there were metal fragments in the oil, resulting in damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000.
The car started making noises. There were no warning lights and we drove to the Hyundai dealership in South Charleston, WV, where we were told it needs a new engine. The car is under warranty and Hyundai has denied the claim. Luckily we made it to the dealership before the car stopped. We had no indication there was a problem. We were traveling from out of state when this happened. An engine should not suddenly die with no warning. We have all the maintenance records.
Engine is being replaced due to excessive oil consumption. First sign was engine knocking in November 2022, which resolved with oil change. July 2023, engine knocking was heard again, Hyundai dealer said car came in with no oil. Had oil changed / filled, was advised to bring car back in 1000 miles. December 2023, brought car back to dealer after ~1000 miles, no knocking but oil was 2 quarts below spec. Ladder frame was resealed and ladder frame o-ring replaced. Oil was refilled, oil pan and oil dip stick both sealed for oil consumption test. Feb 2024, car brought back to dealer after ~1000 miles, no knocking but oil was 1.8 quarts low. Combustion chamber cleaning was performed and oil refilled. Oil pan and oil dip stick both sealed for another oil consumption test. Early May 2024, car brought back to dealer after ~1000 miles, oil still apparently quite low (no details provided by dealer). Engine replacement approved by Hyundai corporate in mid-May 2024.
I was driving to work Tuesday and noticed that my car wasn't accelerating and losing speed, pulled over and as soon as I came to a stop, it dies. I got it towed to my mechanic, they said I was out of oil and throwing a p1326 code for the ksds. I'm not sure how that is possible, cause I changed the oil a month prior on April 6, this happened May 7. Mechanic put more oil in and I was taking it home. I noticed a funny noise and took it back to my mechanic; got there and it started knocking and cut off as soon as I stopped again. Mechanic did another diagnostic and it threw the code again. Got it towed to the dealership and I'm now waiting on them. Apparently it's the engine, they have been having lots of issues with them.
Loss of power while driving thru heavy traffic causing car to go into a low speed. No warning lights until after turning off and back on. Hyundai dealership confirms no compression cyl 3, metal shaving in engine block, oil full. Engine in car 1.6L GDI turbo, not under hyundai recall. Hyundai denying claim to replace because vin not included in recall but does admit engine is same as in other recalled engines for same issue. Losing power in heavy traffic with no warning was safety issue. Only light to come on was engine light after the fact.
My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has been experiencing sudden engine failures for about 10 months now. Driving at 70 mph on a freeway and experiencing a loss of torque is terrifying. Glad I was able to pull off safely. Engine lights came on for a few seconds and then turned off. Visit to the dealer showed... nothing. The engine is under warranty, but Hyundai dealers continue to dismiss the issue. Also, this engine has been excessively burning oil during the very same timeframe. There are no leaks - confirmed by Hyundai dealers. I have to put in about a quarter every other 2-3 weeks. Hadn't I done this, my vehicle would not make it to the next oil change. Really frustrating! Reading thru complaints to NTHSA, there a lot of us facing the same issues, with faulty engines and excessive oil consumption. This must be investigated, and a recall notice settled. Hyundai must be held accountable.
My 2016 Hyundai Tucson has had power and acceleration issues since I purchased it brand new in 2016 from the dealership. When trying to accelerate onto the freeway, or trying to turn onto busy traffic the engine would rev but not pick up speed causing a dangerous situation when traffic is present. I have had all the updates to my vehicle, but the issue did not improve. At first I thought it had something to do with the transmission, but recently I have discovered that it was probably something wrong with the engine all this time. I currently have 111,070 miles on my vehicle, and I have kept up with routine maintenance. I had noticed in the last couple of years that my engine oil was burning at an extremely high rate, and I had to keep replenishing it between oil changes. I never saw any oil leaking on the ground though. About a month ago while I was entering a freeway, my check engine light started flashing and I could not accelerate. The vehicleās engine started misfiring and the vehicle was having a hard time switching gears. Fortunately it was early in the morning before rush hour traffic otherwise I would have been hit by oncoming traffic. I had the codes read and they came back as P0300, P0302, and P0304. I had already had the spark plugs replaced less than 10,000 miles prior to this, so we tried changing the ignition coils. That did not help, so we changed the spark plugs too. This still did not solve the problem. A mechanic ran a compression test and determined there is a problem with the engine. I have read numerous other complaints online now about similar issues with the 2016 Hyundai Tucson engine failure with less than 150,000 miles that put people in harms way while driving down the road. The engine failure is occurring even with regular maintenance.
I have joined the millions of disappointed Hyundai customers who have faulty engines in their cars. Hyundai is refusing to replace my engine or provide any assistance because there is no formal recall for my vehicle. In May of 2023, my engine failed after starting to have oil consumption issues and Hyundai diagnosed it as failure due to maintenance neglect. When I opened a case with Hyundai, I gave all maintenance records, including a January full-point inspection done by Hyundai, showing no engine issues or anything engine-related to be addressed. In follow up after providing the records, Hyundai determined it was actually not due to neglect of maintenance, but a dirty valve train, and therefore there was nothing they could do since I was out of my warranty period. However, when I asked how I was to know my valve train was dirty if all my inspections came back with no issues, I was told that it just happens and there is no way to prevent. I asked them to re-open my case and they again asked for maintenance records, the ones I already provided, to try and say again that it was maintenance related. I kept getting different stories from the case manager, the service manager at Cool Springs Hyundai, and the GM at Cool Springs Hyundai. I have since joined a group on Facebook with thousands of others encountering this same issue - random engine failure and case managers requesting maintenance records in the hopes Hyundai can find a way to blame it on the consumer. Itās no secret that Hyundai makes vehicles with faulty engines as seen by the multiple recalls over the past few years, including the recent one regarding engine fires affecting 3+ million customers. Hyundai needs to be held accountable. In research of my engine, the 1.6L GDI, I see that this engine is under recall for the Hyundai Veloster for the same exact issue that I have had, but for some reason that same engine in my vehicle has yet to be recalled. I plead for your assistance and resolving.
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The 2016 Hyundai Tucson has 215 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.