There are 50 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Tucsonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The transmission system failed. The vehicle had previously been serviced at a Hyundai dealership for a transmission-related issue and was returned to me as repaired; however, the problem persisted. Shortly after the repair, the transmission failed again, indicating that the issue was not properly resolved. The vehicle is currently available for inspection upon request. The failure occurred while I was actively driving, creating a serious safety risk due to the potential loss of power and reduced ability to safely control or maneuver the vehicle. At the time, my [XXX] child was in the car, placing both of us, as well as other drivers on the road, at risk. The issue was confirmed by the Hyundai dealership following the initial repair attempt. Despite being advised that the vehicle was repaired, the transmission failed again, and the dealership acknowledged that the transmission remains defective. The vehicle has been inspected by the Hyundai dealership’s service department but has not been evaluated by police or insurance representatives. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure. The transmission failed unexpectedly after the vehicle had already been serviced and returned as repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My specific Tucson is equipped with 1.6L Turbo and a 7 speed Dual-Clutch Transmission. I see there are recalls for the 2016 models equipped with the same transmissions, so I'm concerned as to why there hasn't been a recall for the newer models. My transmission was replaced by Hyundai when the car only had approximately 15,000 miles (give or take) and now at 73,000 miles, I'm experiencing the same issue again! The delayed engagement when accelerating from a stop has been stressful, to say the least. I hope this can be taken more seriously and investigated further. Just take a Tucson, like my version, through a Starbucks drive-through and you'll understand just how awful the shudder is. It gets so bad, I worry that the vehicle will shut off.
Hyundai Tucson has been jerking and shaking for over over 4 years now and either when taking to the dealership they reset the dual clutch and have replaced the same part twice in the dual clutch. This shaking has been happening since the car was bought brand new like a year after. The vehicle now will get stuck in gear and while driving will go down to 20 mph and get stuck in that speed. This is a serious safety issue. The dealer could replicate the shaking but not the gears being stuck. It has happened on more than one occasion and they just reset something but this continues to happen. There are no warning lights when the gears get stuck it just happens while driving and it has happened twice now in the last 3 weeks.
The engine and engine management system of my 2018 Hyundai Tucson experienced repeated failures resulting in loss of propulsion and unsafe drivability. In November 2025, while traveling approximately 75 mph on a freeway, the vehicle suddenly entered limp mode without any prior warning, causing an abrupt loss of power in active highway traffic. No warning lamps or messages appeared before the failure. After the loss of propulsion occurred, the check engine light, battery light, and oil light illuminated sequentially. Diagnostic trouble codes P1326 and P0326 were recorded. Initial inspection indicated severe oil consumption despite a recent oil change less than 2,000 miles earlier. A Hyundai dealership replaced knock sensors under warranty. Shortly after release (30 miles), the vehicle again exhibited severe drivability issues, including a flashing check engine light, and required immediate towing. A second Hyundai dealership replaced the short engine block under warranty. Approximately 180 miles after the engine replacement, the vehicle again developed unsafe drivability symptoms, including delayed throttle response, failure to accelerate unless the accelerator was fully depressed multiple times, jerking or lugging when slowing or stopped, and a faint whining noise. The check engine light illuminated again. These failures represent repeated loss of propulsion and unsafe operation following manufacturer-approved repairs, including full engine replacement. The vehicle has been out of service for approximately 57 days and remains in the custody of a Hyundai dealership awaiting diagnostics. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The sudden and unpredictable loss of power at highway speed created a significant risk of collision and serious injury to the driver and surrounding motorists.
My car on the expressway wouldn't go over 40 and this was happening intermittently so my car was unsafe. No check engine light but it was just at the dealership for an oil change. Has. been an ongoing problem since I bought the car! Smells, gets hot!
I was driving on the highway, about to change lanes, when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw black smoke coming from my appeared to be my exhaust. I immediately started to pull over, and that is when the oil light first appeared on my dashboard. By the time I had put the car in park, the check engine light had also appeared. After calling my boyfriend and a tow truck, I exited the vehicle and noticed a large pool of oil by my front tire. With the car on the tow truck, I could see oil continue to drip out. The car was towed to the local Hyundai dealership. Since this occurred on a Saturday afternoon, the service dept. was closed, and Hyundai called me on Monday, Aug 11, 2025 to explain that i should contact the auto mechanic that last changed my oil, as the oil plug had fallen out, and my engine had seized. (Had I not noticed the smoke right away, I could have been in an accident on the highway when the engine seized.) I explained to Hyundai that I had my oil changed 3,000 miles ago, and hadn't seen any indication of oil leakage, nor had the oil light come on prior to the incident on Aug 9, 2025. Hyundai insited I contact the oil change mechanics as it was clearly a craftsmanship defect, not the fault of Hyundai parts or material. Hyundai provided photos showing the oil plug was still laying on the block. I visited Superior Auto (mechanics that did the previous oil change) and they also deny responsibility due to the fact that the car drove fine for 3,000 miles without any indication of oil leakage, so there is no proof of fault craftsmanship.
29 days after I bought a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The vehicle started making a ticking noise and stopped accelerating. I called the dealership and they said we didn't get a warranty. I said no that isn't correct, no warranty was offered and after seeing ALL the known engine problems I understand why ken ganley in medina wouldn't offer one. Now not even a month into having this vehicle, I have a brand new 5 year loan and a vehicle that won't move until I put a new engine in it and the dealership won't do anything for me. This is the worst experience I have ever had purchasing a vehicle
My 2018 Hyundai Tucson 2.0L GDI engine with only 79,000 miles was "knocking" and wouldn't accelerate. We pulled over and towed the vehicle to the local Hyundai Dealer who declared "oil level good but failed bearing clearance test". Diagnosed with a rod and bearing failure. They submitted to Hyundai Motor Warranty the vehicle needed new engine. They declined. I know this is covered under the Hyundai Engine 2 Class action lawsuit with the extended 15 year/150,000 mile warranty as a result of the catastrophic engine failures. I have all oil change service records for every 5,000-6,000 miles while I was the second owner, as well as, have obtained another from the dealer who bought it from a rental/lease company starting at 14,000 miles. Hyundai Corporate is claiming "exceptional maintenance neglect" because of one missing oil change record from the rental company that I may not be able to obtain as the paper trail for the rental car company only states first owner was rental/fleet
Won’t shift so that I can gain speed
While starting and accelerating my 2018 Hyundai Tucson, I began hearing abnormal engine knocking and noticed rough performance. I took the vehicle to an authorized Hyundai dealership, where they diagnosed an internal engine defect. They confirmed the engine issue but refused to cover the repair, citing that I’m not the original owner—despite public information stating that Hyundai’s extended engine defect warranty (related to known bearing failures) applies to all owners for up to 15 years/150,000 miles. This creates a major safety concern, as I drive long distances on highways daily and fear the engine may seize or fail at high speeds. The vehicle remains at the dealership and is currently undrivable. I’ve submitted proper maintenance records, and the issue has been escalated through Hyundai Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau. This appears to be a widely reported engine defect that Hyundai is not consistently addressing. The lack of coverage and delay in resolution places drivers at unnecessary risk.
On April 12, 2025, my 2018 Hyundai Tuson which only has 99,000 miles started stalling out at random speeds. The vehicle stalled going up a hill and would not accelerate it would also not go past 55-60 miles per hour on the highway. There were no check engine lights or codes on the dashboard. The vehicle is also burning oil on 2 occasions when having the oil changed. I feel like my life and others is in danger because the vehicle is stalling at random speeds which could cause a major accident due to this issue. I could be hit by another vehicle while trying to accelerate or merge on the highway. I reported the oil consumption last November and I contacted Hyundai customer care who issued a case number in May 2025 for the stalling issue, they instructed me to take it to the Hyundai dealership to be diagnosed. There is a recall out, but they said my vehicle is not included in it. I took the vehicle to the dealership, and they confirmed the vehicle was stalling and would not accelerate and were able to reproduce the issue. They informed me the vehicle needed a new transmission, and the vehicle only has 99,000 miles. Hyundai and the dealership declined to add the vehicle to the recall campaign for stalling vehicles. I had to cover the cost of $3,000 for a new transmission. I picked the vehicle up on June 6,2025 with the new transmission installed and it is still stalling and won't accelerate past 45 miles per hour.
Over the past nine months, I’ve been experiencing ongoing issues with my 2018 Hyundai Tucson engine and transmission. After four consumption tests and a flush confirming that the engine is burning between 0.8 and 0.3 liters of oil for every 1,000, I was informed Hyundai refuses to either repair the issue or conduct testing to determine the cause. The timeline is summarized below: •February 2025 – I was told by [XXX] my vehicle simply did not have enough oil after the last oil change; •March 2025 – I was informed an initial consumption test needed to be completed; •May 2025 – a second consumption test revealed the engine was burning more than 1 liter per 1000 and a flush was completed; •July 2025 – a third consumption test was completed, revealing that while the engine was excessively burning oil, it was not currently at 1 liter per 1000 based on that test; August 2025 – the oil light came on & I was instructed to put a liter of oil into my vehicle to make it to the certified dealer for next steps. The next steps were another consumption test. Unfortunately, because I was told to add oil to make it to the dealership, I was then informed that this added oil would alter the testing, and we had to start over. •September 2025 – I am now awaiting the results of the fourth consumption test. I have receipts for every 6 months or 7,500 of service since purchasing the vehicle., Despite the engine and transmission being under warranty, the dealership has refused to conduct testing to determine the cause of the issue or remedy the excessive consumption. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Me my wife and our dogs were driving from California to Las Vegas when we experience loss of power in the engine we managed to Coast downhill to State Line Nevada and got to the off ramp and then had to push the car to the nearest gas station it was towed the next day to Centennial Hyundai in Las Vegas, case # [XXX] this happened while on vacation just before Christmas they were not able to look at it till after Christmas but they found that one of the valves had broken and was sitting on top of the piston we were told that the engine the turbo the exhaust and the catalytic would all have to be replaced also later they discovered a leak in the transmission on the Dual clutch which also needed replacing we were just told that they have finished the work and we would be responsible for about $5,300 worth of the work I have all maintenance records on this vehicle it had all scheduled maintenance done at the dealership including oil changes and any other repairs that or needed including engine cleaning once the car reached about 100,000 MI it started consuming about a quart of oil every oil change I'm [XXX] old and have had many new and used cars and have never ever had an engine failure happen at such a low mileage when this occurred the car had approximately 122,000 miles on it I have a claim with Hyundai customer care, case # [XXX] and they have not been very cooperative they don't seem to be able to contact the dealership to get any kind of resolution for the costs that I don't feel are my responsibility this is unbelievable I will never recommend anybody by a Hyundai or a Kia I will tell them buy a Honda or a Toyota not a Hyundai or a Kia they have horrible engines and Transmissions it should not be failing at less than 100,000 miles or before the car is even paid off unbelievable don't know how we're going to cover the cost the dealership wants to get our car back I guess they'll just have to keep it for a while. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil with the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a dealer to be inspected and two oil consumption tests were performed by the dealer. The oil consumption tests showed no defects with the engine. The dealer performed an engine flush; however, the failure persisted. The contact was advised to have oil changes performed every 3,000 miles instead of the recommended 5,000 miles. The contact stated that recently, after having an oil change, the dealer recommended a transmission fluid flush. The contact stated that after the transmission fluid flush was performed, the vehicle jerked and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
In late September of ‘24 my husband was driving our oldest to school when my 2018 Hyundai tuscon seized mid drive with our son in the back seat with no oil or engine light warning. Husband inspected the oil and I was still full. A Hyundai dealer towed at their expense in October, diagnosed an engine failure. Denied me service since my extended warranty expired and I didn’t have the KSDS update. I wish they would as I still owe on the vehicle and I’m out of work. Making this complaint is to only spread awareness that 2017 Tucson with the 2.0 L engine had an engine failure connecting to rod bearings. My 2018 has the same engine type and failure as the 2017. Hyundai Corp fails to recognize the problem. My 2018 didn’t fail due to lack of oil changes as I can I prove that. My 2018 failed on Hyundai’s fault. Now my car sits at the dealership in Anchorage, Alaska and I still owe 9k and I live in Fairbanks, Alaska. 360 miles away from me.
car would not speed up no matter how hard i pressed accelerator, vehicle wouldn't speed up kept going at slower speed had to have towed to dealership. Don't know what is wrong. I was scared someone would hit me, or my speed would cause an accident. Only after issue started did engine light come on.
In May 2024 my Hyundai Tucson died in a middle of an intersection with no warning. Worse than that is Hyundai motor USA informed me that the car was on a recall list for an engine failure issue that was apart of class action suit . Ans further told me that that were obligated to have the highway transportation safety dept notified first consider cause of the issue. They told an inspector from your department was required to inspect vehicle before repairs could be started and or returned fo me. That has not happened and they are using your office as the reason for delay on my vehicle. They have systematically m supplied the same answer to my case with no resolution. I have done everything I can as a consumer to handle my case and believed that they were going through the correct process but the dealer has informed me their own manufacturer and corporate is not following guidelines and handling recalls. This is soo dangerous as this vehicle was Already on a list for recall repair and they did NOT inform me the customer when it was brought in for repairs before this incident.
End of April/beginning of may, driving down highway check engine light flashing loud knocking and loss of power. Got it towed by AAA. Wasnt able to make appt until May 9th. Got it towed to the Hyundai dealership. Got phone call that is filed the bearing test and need a total engine replacement. Was told by the dealership that it could take 3 months or more to get an engine in and get it replaced. They have no loaners, and hyundai expeacts me to pay out of pocket for a rental for work to keep my job as well as my independent contracting job accounting/taxes. I have to have a vehicle. A rental is easily 1200+ a month. Hyundai refuses to give me a trade in value for my vehicle until the new engine is in. Hyundai also refunded to reimbursement me for a rental until all work is completed and a work order is in hand ( which can be many many months) I dont have money to pay 1200+ a month for a rental and also pay by car payment every month for a vehicle that is stuck at the dealership undrivable because Hyundai installed faulty bad engines. I am stuck and all Hyundai can tell me is that it takes months for the engines. Purchased the vehicle in Feb 2022 and have perfect maintance records, service records and everything else for upkeep. Still owe 15545 on the vehicle and its undrivable. So im paying a car payment on a vehicle that Hyundai made undrivable
ABS SENSOR, downhill light, traction control light stays on. In August 2023 the transmission had to be rebuilt from slipping. After work there is still transmission slipping. Media display goes blank often and will not show all of display sometimes.
While on the highway going 70mph the check engine light flashed on the immediately off out of nowhere and car started aggressively shaking before loosing temporary power. My wife and toddler were in the car and we were all pretty shaken up. Luckily I was able to gain control of the car but I'm concerned that another issue may occur. I immediately took my car in to the shop and they were unable to replicate the issue. Spark plugs, oil, transmission fluid and coolant fluids were all as regular maintenance but no real issue was addressed. My car has also had issues with struggling to accelerate from stop, causing jerking motion and my oil seems to be burning faster than usual.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026