2012 Hyundai Tucson: engine knocking or ticking

Filed May 6, 2026 · Engine · FL

Engine started knocking luckily I was right by my mechanics place. They said needs new engine. Not to drive as a rod might go right through the engine. Only 98000 miles on it. Maintenance always done on time.

Filed Nov 27, 2024 · Engine · FL

Car suddenly stalled on the interstate (sudden deceleration, could barely make it to the shoulder; engine and oil lights, loud knocking sound, burning smell); per Hyundai dealership, it is sudden engine rod failure. Hyundai recall 181 described this exact situation. If not for quick thinking and moving to the shoulder/shutting down the engine immediately, there was a high chance of either being hit by other vehicles or engine fire. I could have been killed or severely injured. Yes, problem was confirmed by Hyundai dealership. No warning prior to sudden deceleration. Engine and oil warning lamps did not appear until after sudden drop in speed, followed by burning smell.

Filed Dec 4, 2023 · Engine · NJ

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made abnormal knocking sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was referred to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact received a notification for Hyundai Campaign Number: 966. Additionally, the contact received an unknown the federal safety agency Campaign Number however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was eligible for repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 7, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · WI · fire

I was driving down the interstate, going approximately 70mph, and my 2012 Hyundai Tucson started having difficulty maintaining speed. The engine started revving up while the car was still slowing down. Suddenly, I felt a knock and smoke started bellowing out of the engine bay. I pulled over immediately, opened the hood to inspect, and was almost burnt by the flames. There was a fire near the back of the engine block which I was able to put out with some water. I had my vehicle towed to the Hyundai of West Allis in Wisconsin. The dealership and a corporate Hyundai inspector determined that the cause of the fire was a thrown engine rod. There were no signs of issues or engine lights prior to this event. My Tucson has been at the dealership for nearly two months. After tens of hours dealing with Hyundai customer service and the dealership, both entities decided that they will do nothing to remedy the situation. My Hyundai vehicle has the 2.4L Theta II engine which is clearly implicated in the recent class action lawsuit against Hyundai for faulty engines. There is a recall for the rod bearing which was the direct cause of my engine throwing a rod and causing the fire.

Filed Jun 23, 2022 · Engine · MA

Driving home doing about 70 mph, i perchased this vehicle directly from a Hyundai Dealership, (112,445 at time of perchase) I had the vehicle for about a month and half, the vehicle did not give me any warnings until it randomly started to rev high while on the highway and very quickly after that I heard a clanking noise and my dash lights came on and my car filled with white smoke I had to pull over and there was oil all over the back of my car, the dealer never told me exactly was was wrong (after it was fixed) with it besides it happened near the engine block, there have been reports of this engine breaking (Hyundai Theta II 2.4L) due to faulty connecting rod bearing in the engine that may starve themselves of oil (there is actually a pending lawsuit for oil consumption) I believe this is what caused my engine to go. They gave me a different engine with 16,000 miles less (it has yet to break) At the dealership (where I bought it from)it took about a month and half to get it back it was “inspected” by my extended warranty and Hyundai mechanics, I was left without a loaner for two weeks and paid 106$ out of my pocket for a faulty engine, the dealership was kind enough to cover a big portion of it.

Filed Nov 9, 2021 · WI

At 139k miles, my wife was on her way to work when she stated she heard a knocking coming from the engine. On her way home the engine stalled out 3 times where she had to pull over and shut it off completely for a minute. By the time she made it home the vehicle was making a really bad knocking/ticking sound with the oil warning light flashing. I have not heard back from the dealership where it was towed to, but this is the same sort of rod bearing problem that plagued other vehicles from Hyundai in that 2012 range.

Filed Jul 19, 2021 · Engine · OR

Noticed a knocking had started and soon after the car stalled on the freeway. Towed to mechanic and then dealership. Engine failure. Metal shavings found in oil. Failed rod bearing.

Filed Feb 25, 2021 · Engine · 113,000 miles · OH

I was driving down the highway going about 70 miles and hour and for no reason I lost power , the oil light and battery light flashed briefly and thankfully I was able to get to the side of the road off the highway. It turned off. I was able to get it started agin and baby it to the nearest gas station less than a mile down the road. My husband told me to just baby it home and he would take a look at it. It started making a ticking sound. I did get it home and my husband said my engine was shot. Now I don't even know how this is possible for a car that was running just fine and then all this werid stuff happens. Please look into this. I could have been killed. Now we have a dead car that we still have to pay for. And we can't afford a new engine plus the labor to put it in. Now we are trying to find a new car.

Filed Feb 23, 2021 · Engine · 86,000 miles · MA

I have a 2012 hyundai tucson awd with 86,000 miles on it. While driving it recently could hear engine rattle/knocking noise. Brought it into the dealer and after two days looking at it, they said the engine needs to be replaced. They said the damage is in the lower part of the engine. They said since I am the second owner, manufacturer warranty does not apply. $9000 to replace engine. Recall for this engine in the 2012 kia with the manufacturer pays to have replaced, but not for same issue under the hyundai brand??

Filed Jul 7, 2020 · Engine · 100,320 miles · CO

In october 2019 I took my car to hyundai to have them service for the engine and engine cooling recall. They replaced the part and I was on my way. I serviced my car regularly, and just two weeks after my last oil change I was driving 70mph down the highway and the car started sputtering and then completely died. Luckily I was able to get pulled over where I attempted to start it again and it made a loud knock and then wouldn't start. I had the car towed to a nearby mechanic who said the engine had a huge hole in it. I asked if it could be that the folks who changed my oil messed something up, but he said it was unlikely because there was oil in the engine and that it was more likely something faulty in the manufacturing of the car or potentially due to the recall service not being done properly. So I did some research and there are tons of other 2012 hyundai tucson owners who have experienced the same exact issue. I then saw there is a class action lawsuit for similar issues, however the 2012 models weren't included in the lawsuit. This is clearly something that hyundai needs to take responsibility for and include this model in the lawsuit, or at the very east make right and fix these engines at no cost and pay for the inconvenience and expenses incurred for rentals, towing, and time away from work.

Filed Mar 12, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 77,100 miles · NC

Driving along the interstate when engine had reduced engine power for a moment, then stalled around 70mph. Made it to an exit ramp luckily. Engine hesitated to restart, once it did start engine started knocking and had next to no power. Towed to hyundai dealer, hyundai dealer stated that hyundai has had major problems with these engines and hyundai should cover it fully. Dealership proceeded to pull oil pan and valve cover without our consent and with no communication for days. Confirmed the engine was bad, metal shavings in oil pan, rod bearings failed. Common problem. Waiting on hyundai for approval. Service advisor quit, we were informed 6 days later that hyundai is only willing to cover 65% of cost and we would have to pay 35% ($3,500.0) out of pocket. We refused to pay; they stated we would have to pay diagnosis, but they ended up waiving that. Technicians did not fully secure oil pan or valve cover. Oil under car where it was parked, have photos and videos to back this claim up. Have rental car and many tow bills in to the mix now. Why would the dealer tell us hyundai fully cover this but they don't? We need this issue fixed. Many other tucson owners deal with the same problem, with the same engine as the other cars, but theirs get replaced free or charge and expenses paid by hyundai.

Filed Jan 28, 2020 · Engine · 80,000 miles · VA

We had the car towed to our mechanic because the engine light came on. The mechanic tested the car and heard a tapping noise when stepping on the accelerator. The mechanic noted that there were large metal shards in oil pan. The shards were not present in the oil when oil was drained out. The metal shards were only visible once the oil pan was removed. The mechanic completed additional inspection to ensure there were no other issues. After removing the oil pump, he found all the rod bearings had play. This appears to be a manufacture defect. I spoke to the service advisor and he told me that a number of their customers were having the same problem, but the 2012 hyundai engine was not on recall. Based on research, we discovered that this is a common problem with all 2.4 liter engines on all platforms for kia and hyundai. We took the car to the hyundai dealer and were told we needed to purchase a new redesigned engine. During this conversation, we were notified the new engine has engine rod bearings that are more sturdy. Hyundai currently has a recall for the oil pan and also has recalls for engines in other car models but not this model. A new engine should not be required for an 7 year old car with 80,000 miles. As a car professional, I suspect this is due to the issues with a defective rod bearings that wear prematurely and result in catastrophic engine damage so the engines should be covered in the recall.