The Used Car Index

2018 Hyundai Tucson problems

NHTSA lists 397 complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Tucson, 13 of them mention a crash and 9 mention a fire. 8 complaints mention an injury, with 10 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as HYUNDAI TUCSON.

At a glance

Complaints
397
With crash
13
With fire
9
With injury (complaints)
8
Injuries
10
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
652,024
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
167

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE24461.5%
POWER TRAIN10125.4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4310.8%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM276.8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM225.5%
SERVICE BRAKES215.3%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC205.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL164.0%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING123.0%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING82.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM4
EXTERIOR LIGHTINGHEADLIGHTS2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
LANE DEPARTUREBLIND SPOT DETECTION1
SEATSFRONT ASSEMBLY1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIRANTILOCK1
SUSPENSIONFRONT1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLACCELERATOR PEDAL1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure17844.8%0.79
loss of control10025.2%0.78
electrical electronic369.1%0.76
unclear235.8%0.88
fire or overheating215.3%0.80
fluid or fuel leak194.8%0.70
visibility or lighting71.8%0.90
structural or corrosion61.5%0.92
restraint or airbag41.0%1.00
noise or comfort30.8%0.72
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate26867.5%0.83
low10125.4%0.74
high215.3%0.86
critical61.5%0.79
none10.3%0.37

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 397 tagged complaints of 397 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

1 recalls.

20V543000

Date: 2020-09-04. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: 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 an electrical short, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire. (excerpt)

Consequence: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury or crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HECU fuse. For 2019-2021 model years, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) software will also be updated. Recall repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. The recall began November 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai custom (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

DP22003

Opened: 2022-09-12. Closed: 2023-12-12.

Loss of Motive Power

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i

Systems: ENGINE.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

167 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM60
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING42
EQUIPMENT39
ENGINE37
POWER TRAIN18
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER7
STEERING4

11037434

Date: 2026-09-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Some Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine may exhibit a continued DTC P132600 after an ECM logic update has been performed per TSB 24-01-068H, Engine Monitoring Logic (Service Campaign 966). This bulletin provides instructions to inspect and resolve other engine mechanical issues and if

11037233

Date: 2026-08-26. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Certain vehicles may exhibit excessive paint peeling or bubbling of the primer/paint film on the exterior metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. This warranty extension only applies to factory-applied paint and does not cover collision-related paint

11033699

Date: 2026-05-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. This bulletin provides instructions for updating the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address this condition.

11033700

Date: 2026-05-21. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. The California Air Resources Board has determined that these vehicles may be releasing air pollutants which exceed Federal and California stan

11033701

Date: 2026-05-19. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (Theta II Emissions Improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. If present, this condition is expected to occur only within approximately the first 1-3 minutes after engine start,

11033705

Date: 2026-05-19. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (Theta II Emissions Improvement), certain vehicles may exhibit a brief hesitation or rough shifting condition during cold start operation. If present, this condition is expected to occur only within approximately the first 1-3 minutes after engine start,

11032528

Date: 2026-04-28. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Some Hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. The paint warranty coverage for affected vehicles has been extended to 10 years/unlimited miles from the date of original retail

11032529

Date: 2026-04-28. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Certain Hyundai vehicles with exterior white paint may exhibit peeling or bubbling on metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. The paint warranty coverage for affected vehicles has been extended to 10 years/unlimited miles from the date of original ret

11031416

Date: 2026-04-14. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ENGINE.

Certain 2019 a 2020 model year Santa Fe, 2017 a 2018 model year Santa Fe Sport, 2015 a 2019 model year Sonata, and 2018 a 2021 model year Tucson vehicles may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. Hyundai is conducting a service campaign to update the Engine Control Module (ECM) Software for

11032523

Date: 2026-04-10. Type: Other. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous drivera s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the ve

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
TUCSON397

Same model, other years

All model years | All Hyundai models

Other Hyundai models, 2018

Sources

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