39 of the
589 complaints filed about the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
are about the transmission —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2022.
39
Complaints
7%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
System/Component Failed & Inspection: The vehicle suffers from recurring failures across the engine, powertrain, electronic throttle control, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) control systems (DTCs P0524, P0642, P2118, P022100). The vehicle is fully available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: While driving, the vehicle suffered a complete, sudden loss of motive power on an active highway entrance ramp. The engine stalled in moving traffic with zero throttle response, creating an immediate collision hazard before requiring a tow. Confirmation by Dealer: Technicians formally confirmed these defect patterns. In May 2026, diagnostics logged major engine and emission/EGR control codes, but corporate refused goodwill repair. In August 2026, the highway stall recurred. Diagnostics confirmed active low oil pressure and throttle failure codes, which the dealer resolved by applying 4 factory ECU software updates under TSB 25-01-010H. Service personnel explicitly confirmed these engine control issues are manufacturing defects, not wear-and-tear or mileage-related. Inspections: Inspected, diagnosed, and serviced by authorized dealership service department technicians during both the May and August 2026 failure events. Warning Symptoms & History: Engine issues began at 341 miles when purchased new (settled). In May 2026, check engine lights returned with diagnostic codes for engine and EGR/emissions systems. In August 2026, total power loss occurred, preceded by check engine, forward collision camera, and radar sensor warnings.
NHTSA complaint #11758103 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On XXX the vehicle lost motive power while my wife was accelerating to merge onto a highway with our two young children aboard. It would not accelerate and she was forced to pull over in an active merge area. Simultaneous warnings illuminated: Electronic Parking Brake, ESC, Forward Collision Avoidance, Blind Spot Detection, and hybrid system, with "Check Hybrid System" displayed. No crash or injury occurred, but loss of propulsion during a highway merge created serious collision risk. This is a recurring defect documented since early 2023: Hyundai's own Blue Link telematics auto-flagged an Engine Control System DTC on XXX; a jump-start was required XXX (dealer RO #XXX); check engine light and stored CAN-bus codes U100387, U100100, U004600, U010100 on 08/10/2023 (RO #XXX); and a September 2023 incident in which the center display shut off during reverse, disabling the backup camera. Hyundai performed Service Campaign 9B4 (BMS software update, DTC P1BB20, TSB 25-01-010H-1) on this VIN on XXX; the same failure category recurred 84 days later. The vehicle was towed to Safford Hyundai of [XXX] onXXX and has remained there 65+ consecutive days. The dealer replaced the 12V battery (defect persisted) and the Hybrid Power Control Unit (HPCU); per Hyundai Consumer Affairs' own written email ofXXX, the check engine light returned after the HPCU replacement and the cause "remains unidentified." The dealer states it cannot determine the root cause. The vehicle IS available for inspection at Safford Hyundai of Springfield, [XXX]. Five Hyundai Consumer Affairs cases exist on this VIN (current: #XXX). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11753579 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle exhibits a dangerous 2-to-3-second delay/total loss of accelerator response at low speeds or rolling stops (5–15 mph). When stepping on the gas pedal to pull into traffic or make a turn, the vehicle hesitates completely before engaging power, even when the pedal is fully depressed. This creates an extreme crash risk when entering oncoming traffic or merging.
NHTSA complaint #11751741 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid has lost drive/propulsion three times at freeway speed within the first month of ownership. The loss of power is sudden, and the vehicle does not re-engage drive for approximately 15–20 seconds. On July 5, 2026, at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost propulsion entirely and went limp in live freeway traffic, forcing me to coast off the freeway. Drive was only restored by shutting the engine off and restarting it. Two earlier occurrences happened on July 5, 2026 (earlier in the same drive) and on June 14, 2026. The vehicle is currently at the dealer service department; no fault codes were found and the technician could not reproduce the condition. This is an intermittent but repeatable loss of vehicle control at highway speed and I consider it a serious safety hazard with crash potential. Hyundai Consumer Affairs case #xxxxxxx is open on this vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11748907 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After purchase, I drove home on the highway and noticed an obvious rattle/vibration. I returned the vehicle 3 times before it was finally discovered that there was a defect in the drive shaft. To hide the defect, during manufacturing multiple balance weights were installed on the same side of the drive shaft to allow it to pass safety checks, despite posing a major safety risk. The vehicle has been declared a Lemon and they must repurchase, but I suspect this problem will extend beyond my one vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11746828 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The issue involves the vehicle’s drivetrain and hybrid/electronic control system, where the car suddenly jerked forward in stop-and-go traffic on the freeway as if it had been struck from behind. Immediately following this event, the vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 40 mph, indicating a loss of normal power. This created a significant safety risk, as the sudden jerking could have led to a rear-end collision, and the inability to accelerate properly made it difficult to keep up with traffic on the freeway. I was barely able to safely pull off the freeway while surrounding traffic continued at higher speeds, increasing the risk to myself and other drivers. The problem appeared to resolve after turning the vehicle off and then back on; however, this raises concern about intermittent failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealership for inspection, but they were unable to reproduce or identify the issue. The vehicle remains available for inspection upon request. The vehicle has been inspected by a dealer but not by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Prior to the failure, there were no warning lights, messages, or noticeable symptoms indicating an issue. Based on similar reported experiences, this event may be consistent with a “limp mode” condition or a malfunction in the transition between the electric motor and gasoline engine, potentially involving the transmission or hybrid control system.
NHTSA complaint #11736420 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car is a Gas Hybrid (not plugin). 3 occurrences over the last couple of months. Car emits a warning sound and a message on the dash says "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safely". Basically right after this message the car starts losing power and stops. Doesn't matter if on freeway or not. You need to find a place to pull over or you stop traffic wherever you are. Looks like Hybrid Battery is completely drained. Can not be re-created. Dealer has it now for the 3rd time. Dealer in the past have not been able to find cause/cure since this issue is not posting any errors to the onboard diagnostic system. Temporary 'fix' is to power off car, and power back on. Looks like this is a 'known' issue though as its being reported by quite a few people online.
NHTSA complaint #11728364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I’ve experienced repeated electrical and mechanical issues with my 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. These include full battery drainage without engine activation (leaving me stranded), multiple warning lights, and recently a heater failure that remains unresolved. I’ve had over 8 service visits in two years, and Hyundai has not responded to my formal letter. A detailed timeline is available if needed.
NHTSA complaint #11700602 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased a brand new vehicle with only 12 miles on it. Less than 72 hours later I had to have it towed. I turned the vehicle on and tried to put it in drive and 2 error messages came up. One was the check hyrid system and the other was a check engine. The diagostic tool on the car says it is related to transmission. The dealership doesnt have time to look into it yet and the Manager from the dealership I bought it from offered no solutions since I travelled home to another state.
NHTSA complaint #11691080 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I recently purchased this car and just took it on our first highway trip of about 1100 miles. I experienced Three Problems that are a safety concern. 1. "Need to take a Coffee Break Notification." This comes on frequently and is distracting. No need to have that come on. When driving in heavy traffic at speed, this is too distracting. There is no way to turn it off. 2. Camera focused on the driver. If I take a drink from my water bottle, looking around the water bottle to see the road, the camera can not see my face/eyes. It then shuts off my cruise control, makes a noise, scares my wife, and distracts me from driving. This has happened to me in heavy urban traffic going through cities on my last trip. 3. The cruise control is linked to communication from outside the car. When driving in the mountains, there are times when the signal is lost, the cruise control stops working, the car emits a noise signally a problem, my wife screams, I lose concentration on what is going on as the car decelerates quickly and the semi truck behind me comes very close to the rear of the car. Potential accident caused by this silly system. There is no way to disable "adaptive cruise control" and resort to a system that does not rely on outside communication. The car has about 3000 miles on the odometer and I am ready to trade it in/get rid of it. I am greatly disappointed.
NHTSA complaint #11679664 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On June 3, 2025, I experienced a terrifying and dangerous incident while driving my 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid on a three-lane road at approximately 50 mph. Without any warning, the gas pedal became completely unresponsive, and the car abruptly decelerated from 50 to 20 mph. This sudden loss of acceleration was incredibly frightening, especially with vehicles close behind me that nearly collided with mine. There were no warning lights or check engine alerts. Fortunately, I was able to safely cross all lanes and pull over before having the vehicle towed to a local Hyundai dealership. I shudder to think what might have happened if this had occurred on a highway at higher speeds. This is not the first time I’ve experienced serious issues with this vehicle. In February 2024, at about 17,000 miles, I received an urgent alert recommending a system check. At that time, the car was revving while idle and would occasionally lurch at low speeds. The dealership had difficulty diagnosing and resolving the issue, and my vehicle remained in the shop for over a month before they ultimately replaced the oxygen sensor. Since then, the car has continued to lurch intermittently — for example, when backing out of a parking space or in stop-and-go traffic. In fact, approximately 10 minutes before the June 3 incident, the vehicle lurched several times while moving slowly in traffic. When the car began to lose speed during the most recent incident, I pressed the gas pedal all the way down, but it failed to respond at all. I believe the current issue may be related to the unresolved problems from last year and represents a significant and recurring safety concern. I’ve also read in Tucson owner forums that other drivers have experienced similar issues, suggesting this may be part of a broader, systemic defect. At this point, I do not feel safe driving this vehicle. I truly believe this car is a lemon. This vehicle is still at the dealership, but they have not given me any updates yet.
NHTSA complaint #11665014 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
📌 NHTSA Complaint Description (Modify as Needed) 🚨 Safety Issue: I purchased a brand-new 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid on March 3, 2025, and within 5 minutes of driving and less than 20 miles, the vehicle stalled three times on a busy highway without warning. 🚨 Component/System Failure: The vehicle suffered a complete power loss, rendering it undrivable in the middle of the highway. The gas pedal became unresponsive, and I had no control over the vehicle’s movement. 🚨 Immediate Safety Risk: The sudden stalling on a highway put my family and other drivers at serious risk of a collision. We were left stranded for over 3 hours while waiting for assistance. The vehicle was inspected by Hyundai’s roadside assistance and later towed to the dealership. 🚨 Inspection & Confirmation of the Issue: The dealership and Hyundai’s technical team later diagnosed the issue as a failure in the electric oil pump and the oil pump control unit. Hyundai has not provided a clear resolution and is pushing for repairs, despite the vehicle failing immediately after purchase. The manufacturer and dealership have not provided a pre-delivery inspection report confirming whether the vehicle was defective before delivery. 🚨 No Prior Warning Signs: There were no warning lamps, error messages, or any prior symptoms before the failure. The issue occurred suddenly and repeatedly within minutes of taking delivery of the vehicle. 🚨 Request for Investigation: Given the severity of this mechanical failure and its potential to cause serious accidents, I am reporting this to the NHTSA for further investigation. This issue needs to be addressed immediately before it leads to a fatal accident for another Hyundai Tucson Hybrid owner.
NHTSA complaint #11648012 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The hybrid powertrain system, transmission, or engine appears to be malfunctioning. The vehicle hesitates or stalls when pressing the gas, losing power as if it doesn’t recognize when to transition between EV and gas mode. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The issue caused the vehicle to lose power unexpectedly, particularly while driving at highway speeds, which forced me to pull over multiple times for safety reasons. This happened on [XXX] before the [XXX] Tunnel, creating a hazardous situation in heavy traffic. If the vehicle stalled at the wrong moment—such as in an intersection or while merging—it could significantly increase the risk of a crash. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. I have taken the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership, but no official errors or diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) have been detected. The dealership has not confirmed the issue unless I agree to high-cost diagnostics that may not guarantee a resolution. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been looked at by a Hyundai dealership, but no official findings or resolutions have been provided. The issue persists, and no recall or technical service bulletin (TSB) has been mentioned to me as a possible cause. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lights, error messages, or dashboard alerts appeared before or during the power loss. The issue first started occurring at approximately 35,000–40,000 miles and has continued to around 50,000 miles. The first time I noticed the problem was during a long-distance drive from Los Angeles to CO INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5
NHTSA complaint #11640554 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On Jan 5th, with odometer reading of 1747 miles, while driving on a busy highway, the car's speed decreased until the car stopped without warning. After pushing the car into a gas station to get out of harm's way, we contacted Hyundai roadside assistance. The car was towed to a nearby Hyundai dealership. The problem was diagnosed the next day - the car needs a new transmission. The transmission is on backorder and will not be delivered to the dealership until the middle of March. Our new 2025 Tuscon Hybrid will be out of service for at least 10 weeks after breaking down on a major road without warning. The code is the bluelink app is P177700 -Powertrain transmission
NHTSA complaint #11636579 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, car suddenly slowed and would not accelerate as normal with accelerator depressed. A dashboard warning "check hybrid system" appeared and acceleration was unable to power car up hill. Driver forced to pull over on shoulder. After turning off and turning on vehicle, issue seemed to temporarily resolve itself. Dealer was unable to identify any faults in the car 3 days after this incident, and returned car to owner. A week later, the same issue occurred. Car would not accelerate after stop sign. When pressing accelerator, car coasted forward a a few mph. Turning off vehicle and turning on again resulted in normal performance resuming.
NHTSA complaint #11630845 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Automatic transmission started malfunctioning at about 23,600 miles. Seemed unable to shift into higher gears and made strange noise. No warning lamps, signs, or malfunction codes appeared. Dealer confirmed bearing noise from transmission and said new transmission needed. New transmission installed 10/11/24 under warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11620349 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The hybrid system flashes "Check Hybrid System" then the check engine and check HEV lights are illuminated. The vehicle loses power and even with the gas pedal pushed firmly to the floor the engine isn't producing power. This is a safety issue because I've lost power while driving on busy roads and can't clear the intersection, etc. This was reproduced at the dealership and Hyundai is performing a warranty replacement of the "hybrid system". I wanted to make NHTSA aware of the issue because on the Hyundai forums I'm seeing similar reports made. There is an open campaign to update the software for the hybrid system, 9B4, but this software update did not fix the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11603250 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, my vehicle suddenly lost all power and didn't respond to the accelerator. The "check engine" and "hybrid system failure" lights came on, jeopardizing my safety and that of other road users. The car overheats significantly, to the extent that the air conditioning only blows hot air. This situation forced me to pull over on the highway shoulder, creating an additional risk for everyone involved in traffic.
NHTSA complaint #11581051 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while attempting to drive through a yellow light, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The same failure occurred soon after while on a highway ramp. The contact attempted to merge onto the highway, but the vehicle failed to accelerate with the accelerator pedal depressed to the floorboard. The contact pulled off to the shoulder of the highway and restarted the vehicle; the vehicle resumed normal operation after the engine restart. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was made to have the vehicle serviced. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 32,340.
NHTSA complaint #11576861 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds and attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated before the contact was able to regain control of the vehicle. The following day while driving away from a stop light, the vehicle briefly shuddered and was unable to exceed 20 MPH, prompting the contact to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 3,000.
NHTSA complaint #11555047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.