Powertrain and engine issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
As SUVs continue to grow in popularity, enthusiasts flock to the 2022 Hyundai Tucson. It’s the perfect size for the busy family and the automaker claims it is “built for the modern adventure.” However, its defective engine, faulty exterior lighting and malfunctioning powertrain are keeping it from being a winner.
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The most common problems owners of the 2022 Hyundai Tucson are experiencing relate to the engine and powertrain. Complaints about exterior lighting also rank high.
Even though many complainants describe these as safety issues, many dealerships cannot recreate the problems. As a result, they commonly say there is nothing they can do.
There are other safety issues too, most of which are filed under the Unknown or Other category. They include sunroofs exploding, windshields cracking, a range of software issues, burning smells, and airbags not deploying. One complaint involving airbags not deploying describes how the owner’s Tucson caught fire after a collision. A check engine warning had flashed shortly before the accident.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Air Bags | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
Without an engine providing reliable power, there’s no ride that can be enjoyable. The customer’s main complaint falls back on this essential component.
One Edmunds review states, “Love the SUV, but the main component (the engine) is horrible. When accelerating, especially uphill, the engine sounds like it’s about to come apart. This problem started all of a sudden at about 1,000 mi (6 weeks into ownership). It came about with a bang driving under 10mph in a parking lot. No trouble codes thrown so Hyundai says nothing wrong. Google it, several others have complained about the same pinging-like action when the engine revs above 2,000 rpm and driving under a load. It’s annoying to the point you have to turn up the radio to drown out the sound. Such a disappointment and Hyundai’s warranty is useless when they say they can’t find anything wrong.”
While there are no manufacturer communications yet, there will be many coming down the pipeline. There’s no way that this SUV is going to skate by without major repairs being performed. It wasn’t that long ago that Hyundai was under fire for installing defective engines. The way things are looking, the same could be true about the 2022 Tucson as well.
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By mid-2022, there were 11 complaints about the 2022 Hyundai Tucson engine. Most follow the same theme. Here are a few examples:
“Traveling at 50 MPH when (my) vehicle began to lose speed and would not accelerate when I stepped on the gas pedal. EPS warning light came on. Was able to pull off the road and turn off (the) vehicle. Waited a few minutes and restarted (the) vehicle which drove without problems.” The owner then took the car to the dealer who indicated the system was not showing any malfunction codes and they could not replicate the problem. The dealer, Claimed to reset the system back to factory settings, but the owner stated he would “also be notifying Hyundai via certified letter due to history of engine recalls.”
A complaint issued in early 2022 states: “At highway speed (the) engine began stumbling and shaking (the) car and stalled the car within 5 seconds bring car to halt. Engine would not restart properly, would not settle at idle rpm with rapidly inconsistent rpm shaking the car, and then stall within 5 seconds. Any attempt to place (the) car in drive immediately stalls (the) car. After attempting 50-60 bump starts to get (the) car off road the check engine light and error message about engine control system error eventually showed.”
Hyundai reportedly refused to tow the car. The dealer said because they were “swamped” with repairs they couldn’t deal with an “inoperable” car for at least 2-3 weeks. No loaner cars
Another complaint describes the engine problems as “a safety issue.” And it is something that occurred three times during April 2022.
“When I am driving, I will get a message, “Check Hybrid System, Stop the car safely,” in the middle of the freeway. The car will lose power prior to getting the message and trying to merge to the right on a freeway when everyone is driving fast is quite the safety challenge. Once I pull over on the side of the freeway for (a) few minutes, I can start the car again and keep going as if nothing happened. Each time it happened, it was unpredictable.”
This owner opened a case with Hyundai and asked for a buy-back or replacement vehicle. But after more than a month, nothing happened. “They continue to drag me on and I do NOT feel safe driving my car.”
While there are no manufacturer communications yet, there will be many coming down the pipeline. There’s no way that this SUV is going to skate by without major repairs being performed. It wasn’t that long ago that Hyundai was under fire for installing defective engines. The way things are looking, the same could be true about the 2022 Tucson as well.
Seeing clearly at night is a top priority if safety is to be maintained. Yet, behind the wheel of the 2022 Tucson, customers are having trouble with visibility.
Another Edmunds review says, “By far, the number one problem is that the headlights are horrible on this car. The main headlights sit low, and are underneath a protruding piece of trim. This causes a severe line between light and dark. But, even worse, because of the triangle shaped upper lights, you end up with this black ‘bow tie’ in the middle of your field of vision.”
Despite a recall for inoperable headlights and/or taillights in December 2021, consumers continue to complain. According to the recall, which Hyundai maintains only affects about 12 vehicles, software installed in the Integrated Central Control Unit (ICU) may be incompatible with the cars. This could result in inoperative lights that can decrease visibility for the driver and other traffic on the road, increasing the risk of a crash.
There are at least 5 complaints filed with the NHTSA about exterior lighting problems. They include these:
“Headlights have a mechanical flap that blocks a significant portion of your view at night. In the mountains where I live I am unable to safely drive the car at night. I almost had a serious accident driving up the street to my home when a car coming (in) the opposite direction caused my headlights to go into the low beam mode blocking the majority of my sight. Terrifying to say the least.”
“The headlights on the 2022 Hyundai Tucson are a road safety hazard and should be outlawed from US roadways. Turning on the headlights creates a dark shadow covering over half of the windshield from top to bottom with a triangle at the bottom of shadow at each end. The triangles can be seen on each headlight lens. Driving the Tucson at night is like wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. The bottom of the shadow moves with every movement of the vehicle which is distracting, hazardous, hypnotizing and not safe. If I would have driven this vehicle at night, I would not have purchased it.”
Another complaint describes the same kind of shadow and says, “It causes visibility issues that are a safety hazard. The dealership can’t seem to see what I see or don’t have any information on this issue.”
The powertrain is an essential system needed to ensure that the momentum from the engine is transferred to the wheels of the SUV. Yet, this system is also defective.
An early NHTSA complaint reads, “Purchased a new 2022 SUV Tucson on 5/22/21. While driving on a busy street 6/7/21 during work traffic the vehicle just cut off without warning. With horns blaring I managed to coast to the right blocking traffic leaving one lane open for moving traffic. Vehicle after a couple of tries would start but would not move when gear was placed in Drive or Reverse. Hyundai Roadside Assistance notified vehicle towed to closest Hyundai Dealership. This was dangerous vehicles were almost running into the back of my SUV while abruptly stopping. I exited the vehicle while waiting for the tow truck in fear of vehicle being hit placing myself and others at risk of an accident. Informed by Asst. Service Manager at Hyundai Dealership that no one was trained to work on the 2022 TUCSONs at the Dealership. As a Public Safety measure at least some employees at each dealership should be trained to work on all newly released vehicles before they are placed on the market. Notified on June 15, 2021 that the vehicle has a limp mode/ limp node problem.”
The complaint goes on to state: “June 16, 2021 I was informed by Hyundai dealership that the 22 TUCSON has a mechanical defect, transmission fluid was leaking which now the Transmission needs to be replaced. The newly purchased vehicle currently has only around 370 miles on it. I thought vehicles go through an inspection before leaving (the) factory and after they reach the dealership before being sold. This I consider to be another safety issue anything can happen during transport.
“A repurchase/buyback from Hyundai wasn’t approved. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Vehicle is ready and will be picked up from the dealership requesting an invoice of the repair work completed for viewing. This vehicle could have caused a catastrophic deadly occurrence.”
The automaker has issued two service bulletins related to the powertrain, one about the shifter and #21-AT-007H that references trouble with the eight-speed transmission. It appears that DTCs are being set, requiring service from a technician. The only “modern adventure” being experienced by owners is the struggle trying to keep this SUV out of the dealership’s service department.
There are 11 complaints on file with the NHTSA about the Tucson powertrain. A recent (July 2022) complaint says the transmission fluid tank of their car was replaced, but the failure recurred.
A lot of them mention gears not shifting. One states: “Tucson Hybrid SEL Conv Vehicle made whining noise, slow take off, gears seem not to shift. Dealer service department said it needs a new transmission. Vehicle was 8 weeks old when (it was) starting to have issues.”
One of the earliest NHTSA complaints (June 2021) states that “after less than a month I started feeling harsh shifting in the transmission. I looked underneath the vehicle and noticed immediately a red oil dripping from the transmission. I took it back to the dealership and they told me you can drive it until we order a new transmission from Hyundai !!!”
The owner, concerned about safety issues, refused to drive the car and demanded a replacement. “After tons of fighting, they agreed to give me a new car. I am reporting this incident to get you familiar with that kind of car because maybe (a) bunch of Tucsons have the same issue and I am the only one (to) detect it.”
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Hyundai pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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I have a 2019 Tucson. It had catalytic converter replaced then the engine and after the engine the catalytic converter again (which they lied about and said it was something else so I had to pay labor) but it was the same thing. Today on busy NYS Thruway it literally did a quick braking out of nowhere my radio screen went black and I got a message to check the system. It was scary I was in the left lane passing. Thank God it didn’t totally die or stall in the lane. It did continue on but I was so scared it would/could happen again. Is this something others have experienced?
I am having a problem with my 2022 se since I bought it in Aug of 2021 since I bought the car when I go on a trip to Beaumont Texas state highways. My car stalls with nothing in view side or in front. Car will not accelerate until you pull over, turn the motor off, restart. It has done it from purchase I reported it time it happened they can’t duplicate so they can’t fix it . Reported the issue to Hyundai headquarters same they tried to duplicate same thing can’t duplicate so they can’t fix it. I have had a person with me each time. what do I do they say turn the forward assistant off. That is not a fix because each time you turn the motor off you have to turn it off again. I know one day I will be rear ended and it will be my fault because my car stalls with no warning.
I had a 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid which I had purchased new in August 2021. In July 2023, I turned right into my driveway at a slow speed. As I went onto the driveway, the car surged forward. To avoid driving into the garage door, I turned to the left to drive along the side of my house thinking I would be able to stop it. I kept hitting the break but the car kept going. When the vehicle did not stop, I steered to the right because I thought it could be possible that my neighbor’s dog could be in the adjacent yard (to the left of my house) The ground between the houses is pitched down (to the right) towards my house and I side-swiped the back half of the right side of my house. My car continued after sideswiping the side of my house and went into the house behind my house causing damage to that house. My car stopped when it went into the house behind my house. I had 13,700 miles on the car.
11,000kms and the car stop moving due to oil leaks in the engine. Had to be towed to the dealership and I am awaiting their response. I had the first service (1 year) done last month so the vehicle is only 13 months old.
2022 hyundai tuscan hybrid: going 60 down the interstate and the car started shaking and wouldn’t accelerate. I was able to pull into the shoulder thank god. Hyundai service claims to have fixed the problem, I believe they said it was a cylinder issue. I’m going to request my records from the service department to look into it further. It’s now almost one year to the day later, and my SUV is back in service because an engine light came on. Just sharing to add my name to the list.
I drive a 2022 Hyundai Tucson with 20,000 miles. While driving my car yesterday I stopped at a light and my car revved up and zoomed forward. That brakes did not work and the car would not go into park. I had to shut the car off to stop it. This happened approximately 15 times yesterday…I was scared to death. I took my car to the dealership first thing this morning. They test drove the car and checked it and said it probably was a glitch in the computer system. I am so scared when driving now. I also had the problem two times where I was going approximately 45mph and my car suddenly went to 10mph and would not accelerate past 10 mph. I had to shut the car off and turn it back on for it to run normally. I also had a problem were I hit a pothole and my brakes went out. I by the grace of God just missed hitting a car in front of me.
I have a Subaru Forester 2019. Subaru is reliable car that’s what I know, but I am having engine sign issue since 2021. I repaired it four times but it still keeps coming. All together it came on around 8 times, not sure what I can do about it.
Same issue with us. Brand new 2022 Tucson hybrid had problems within one week. It will shut down in the middle of the highway or the road. You can push the pedal all the way it goes 20mph. It tells you to pull over and service the car. Happened frequently, bought the car in October 2022 it’s mid March and we have barely had it, don’t want it frankly, been treated horribly by the dealer Foundation Hyundai and ignored by corporate the Hyundai Motor Group (HMV). Would’ve been my 5th Hyundai will certainly be my last. Never been put in so much risk and treated so poorly by a company. It’s awful, avoid at all costs.
Just bought a used 2022 yesterday and driving it home in the dark, had the same issue with the headlights. The whole upper part is dark with a triangle. Wish I had test driven at night as I would of never purchased. Drove through dark curvy roads and had to slow almost to a stop several times due to poor visibility. Very scary and dangerous. Not sure what I can do at this point, I am going back to dealer today to discuss.
We have had our 2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited for about 18 months and it has just over 12,000 miles. There were never had any significant issues until today when I experienced the same issue reported on January 18, 2023. I was turning into my driveway and removed my foot from the brake pedal to move into proper parking position when the SUV suddenly lurched forward and hit a concrete pillar attached to my home. I did not hit the accelerator pedal. No warning lights came on and I was unable to stop the car. Now I have significant damage to both the car and my home which is not the worst of it. My husband was in the driveway and also hit. By some miracle, his injuries were not serious, but based on what the car did, he could have been killed.
I have a 2022 Tucson Hybrid. I have had many issues with this SUV. On accouple occasions while driving at 30km and slowly accelerating the car started to shake and sputter violently. Pushing on the gas and it eventually drove properly. While accelerating up a hill the engine makes so much noise like its wanting to switch gears but can’t. Another issue is from going into drive form parking. I park on a steep hill and when I put my car in drive it rolls backwards until I put the breaks on, which can take some time for it to finally hold and go forward. I sure wish I had never bought this car.
Just bought a 2022 Tucson Urban . At 800
KM the head unit started to act up. Could not set temp and it stated beeping on and off. Dealer ordered a new head unit
I just bought a 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited yesterday and I want to return it. When I first drove it at night, I realized it has those blind spots that were apparently recalled. This car is awful!!! I’m hoping to get a refund through the Lemon Law in Colorado because even though I just bought it yesterday, Red Rock Hyundai in Grand Junction won’t let me return it!
My 2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL is suddenly having a lot of electrical problems at 2300 miles. The entertainment/navigation screen went black on and off unpredictably. Then this weekend the car suddenly decelerated from 40 to 25 and would not accelerate. I stopped the car, and it accelerated fine but once it got past 25, it’s as if a governor kicked in and decelerated to 25 again. I had to go home. I called the dealership, and they said they couldn’t get it in for 2 weeks, so I told them I’m dropping it off tomorrow. It sounds like perhaps soon I’ll be hiring Lemberg Law about this vehicle.
Bought a 2022 Hyundai Tucson Sel. In January. Barely has 20,000 miles and it completely died. Shaking violently and not starting. It’s been at the Hyundai Dealership for almost a full month now. I need help. I need to get this issue fixed about getting my money back and more. The tech said that they couldn’t recreate the issue with another vehicle and that they don’t have a clue as to what’s wrong with it. Clearly they do. Especially now I know the do reading the other complaints on this page. Please help me. Thank you.
I just bought a 2023 Tucson SEL. The first day ride home I noticed that when I stop the car is jerking. I am mortified & scared. What the hell did I just get myself into!
I have a 2022 Tuscon 1.8 manual. The auto release brake sometimes does not release when trying to move from a stations position. The brakes stay locked on, eventually, I have to switch the engine off, restart, engage first gear and then release the clutch.
My brand new 2022 Tucson SEL stopped accelerating on highway 2 weeks ago. Was towed to dealership I bought car from. Was told it needed new fuel pump . After two days I was told they Hyundai Field Engineers want to come look at my car that they can’t fix it u til they come . Over a week later engineers showed up and they have been driving my car using all the gas putting mileage on my car and dealership says that they are doing all test because this has become a problem with other vehicle and Hyundai chose my car to basically be the Guinea pig!! They gave me a car from dealership to use that has a rear end collision and the dashboard is all lit up! The dealership said that They had to order another part and will hopefully have my car back next week. Won’t tell me anything else. What is going on here??
I have 2022 Tucson, I purchased it brand new . The first day I took it off the lot I started having problems with apple play. The system would blink and then reboot. The emergency waring stop would encage with no other cars around while driving on the freeway. One day I can out and my rear hatch was open. this has happen a couple of time’s. Taken it to the dealer 3 times , same thing can not recreate the problem. When at the dealer the car automatically lock itself. they called me to unlock it. The car now has 2,000 miles. contacted Hyundai America, I am taking it to the dealer the 4th time, they said they would work with the service manager. No the air-conditioned drops out while driving.
I literally bought the 2022 Tucson Hybrid yesterday. Now I’m rethinking my purchase. Can I still get out of this car deal?
I bought a 22 Tucson Limited Hybrid. I also bought a 22 Tucson SEL convenience Hybrid. The Limited was leaking oil and gets worse MPG than the SEL Convenience Hybrid. Brought the Limited into a Hyundai Dealer. They reported back today. It has a ” cracked valve” cover. I’ve never even heard of such a problem. The service writer called today and told me he ordered a replacement valve cover on an emergency basis and it should be there in a day or two. Just as told me that, he said hold on a second. As I’m holding, another guy, whom I assume was his parts guy told him “that valve cover is backordered and a month out” The service writer didn’t know he hadn’t put me on hold. He says hello sir, I’m sorry, that part is backordered. I’ll get you a loaner car and let you know when you can come by and pick it up tomorrow.
Our Limited Hybrid engine makes way more noise than our SEL Convenience Hybrid engine. It sounds terrible. We bought the Limited Hybrid a few months after the SEL Convenience Hybrid. I’m furious and frustrated. How does a 40K car pass Quality Control with a cracked valve cover. My opinion of Hyundai, a brand I’ve been 100% loyal too since 2007 has gone down exponentially. I can’t blame the dealership, they’re bending over backwards to try and make this right. I’m contacting my local attorney tomorrow and taking action against corporate. I don’t care if it costs me as much as the car did, I’m really mad. There’s no excuse in the modern age of precise robotics manufacturing for this to have occurred. None. I’m officially done with Hyundai too. 7 new Hyundai’s since 2007. These two are my last.
Yes I’m on the budget and every time I turn around my Hyundai Tucson needs a rear shocks it hasn’t even been a year and I replaced them three times already
I purchased the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (Limited) on April 30, 2021.I noticed it was only getting 27-30 mpg on the interstate, so I quit using the cruise control and steering assist. I then noticed it having issues with automatically switching gears in the cold weather. The engine and peddle felt like they were caught or jerky all winter. It barely ran the EV all winter as well. However, my complaint starts around 8,000-10,000 when it couldn’t get over 27.5 mpg at any speed. It started averaging ~17mpg going 30-35mph in city (stop and go) driving, down from 36-45mpg when I first got it on the same work drive. I took it to the dealership where they insisted I “just used bad gas stations” and “27mpg is great for the hybrid!! It’ll only get above 30mpg if I drive on a flat surface on a warm, non-windy day” They went as far as to try to say the hybrid isn’t supposed to get better gas mileage than the non-hybrid until they looked up the sticker on them. They resynced the computer, after much debate and them having a similar issue with an ionic. It went back to getting 34-42mpg on my city work drive. I filled it up and took it on the Highway again. That tank averaged around 27mpg. The next interstate tank averaged 22-25.5mpg. This is with no cruise control, no steering assist. I turned off the AC/heated seats. No extra cargo or trailer. Also, the headlights are a whole other concern. I refuse to drive the vehicle outside city lighting at night due to not being able to see. The headlights create an unlit blind spot at night that is extremely unsafe.
Do not buy a 2022 Tucson. I have had mine since November 2021 and have had nothing but issues. The quality is the worst I have ever experienced in a vehicle. There is rattling all over the interior coming from the liftgate and the Hyundai dealership is “unable to find the problem.” The hood latch has come loose at just over 4000 miles so it causes a rattle at over 60 mph and trim pieces came broken from the factory. I am also now starting to notice the transmission slipping when going only 10 mph in a parking lot and am just waiting for all the engine issues everyone else keeps talking about. I would steer clear of anything related to Hyundai.
I am looking at purchasing a 2022 Tucson Limited. Now I am rethinking this purchase. Are my concerns legit?
We have engine problems with our 2022 Tucson Hyrbrid as well. The engine ran fine for the first two months after buying it, and then we heard a sudden noise come from the engine at low speed and the vehicle began to limp along that day until it cooled down. Since then, the engine has never been the same, sounding like pinging from watered down gas when accelerating up hills. Dealer says they can’t find any problem. We were life-long Toyota loyalists and we’ll be going right back to their products. Hyundai can claim all they want about their warranty. It’s worthless if they can’t fix issues and it’s expensive and time consuming to take off work to deal with it.
I bought a Hyundai two months ago, 2022 Hyundai tuscon. I paid 6,000 over the msrp for the limited availability issue. Tuscon only has 3182 miles. The suv crested a very unsafe breakdown on 12/22 at 9:00 pm on interstate. It just stopped accelerating while in traffic. I was not offered another means of transportation as there was none available. I was contacted December 27 by Hyundai dealership that it needed a new engine. I called on 12/23 corporate requesting a buy back. Still wasn’t offered a rental or another means of transportation as of 12/27 either. I work in Baltimore city which is 43 miles from home each way. I received an email in 1/4 just advising engine was approved gt corporate still no acknowledgment of request for a buy back which was emailed as well as the call on 12/23. This is no longer a new vehicle nor is it reliable and defeated whole reason for trading on a 2019 Hyundai to ensure I have a reliable vehicle as I commute to work and 95 percent is on the interstate. Once engine work is done that is Not a new vehicle and looses value. I was only offered 1/4 13 days later to pay for a rental and get reimbursed. If I am expected to pay a $680 payment a month how can someone afford a rental car and hope to get reimbursed. I need help and not sure where to reach to request a buy back from Hyundai.