Hyundai Tucson steering lock-up problems

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Airbags, Electrical · TX · crash · 1 injury

On March 13, 2026, I was operating my 2015 Hyundai Tucson when the steering locked up, causing me to crash into a tree head-on. In the course of this head-on crash, my airbags failed to deploy. As a direct result of my airbags not deploying in a serious car crash, my head hit the steering wheel, causing a confirmed concussion diagnosis of Post Traumatic Headache and Post Concussion Syndrome in a hospital emergency room. There were no lights or symbols on the dashboard prior to the accident. My car had a prior repair for a front end collision in a body shop and a replacement of the engine in a Hyundai dealership prior to the accident. My car is currently in a tow yard. There has been no inspection of my car by the manufacturer. I have since discovered that there are a number of complaints filed with the federal safety agency ("the federal safety agency") from other Hyundai Tucson owners for the model years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2019, and 2023 complaining of the same defect in their Hyundai Tucsons – the failure of the airbags to deploy in serious car accidents. I believe this represents a systemic safety defect in the Hyundai Tucson airbag system that has not been addressed for the 2015 model year. This failure put my safety at serious risk and resulted in significant injuries that could have been prevented had the airbag system functioned as designed.

Filed Mar 13, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · CO

Wife was driving car and the steering locked up and she could not turn it for about 5 seconds. second issue was put it in reverse and it would not come out of reverse, she had to turn car off and on 3 times to get it to put it in park or drive. I ran this through my Claude AI and it says this is an ongoing problem with the Hyundai Tucson. Please make them fix this before selling anymore vehicles as both are major safety hazards.

Filed Sep 11, 2025 · Electrical · CA

While driving, without warning, all malfunction lights came on the dashboard and stayed on, including check engine light. The speedometer and rpm show as zero even though I’m moving. The power steering locks up. Scary as hell! This has happened 5+ separate times within the past 2 months. The first time I had it towed to the dealer and they said it was caused by a Karr alarm that was pre-installed by the dealer prior to my new purchase which I never authorized and was never activated. They said it was causing a short even though it happened 2+ years after purchase. It was removed by the dealer for free and the electrical issue happened again the next day while driving. It was towed to the dealer again and after a week the car was returned to me with no diagnosis as they were unable to replicate. It happened 2-3 more times and I got it towed to the dealer for a third time as I don’t feel safe driving this car at all. I am scared the car will die while on the highway. Car still at dealer.

Filed May 20, 2024 · Electrical, Steering · SC

2020 Hyundai Tuscon May I have had numerous incidents where my stereo navigation screen goes black, and then instantly comes back. This happens frequently; whether or not my phone is plugged in. I have stopped plugging my phone into the car. May 1, 2024 As I was backing into my garage this afternoon I started the turn to get into my driveway. I turned the steering wheel tight and it seemed to lock up just like the car had turned itself off. My vehicles main screen went blank along with the stereo navigation. May 16 2024 As I backed into my driveway and straightened my steering wheel position to get into the garage the vehicle screen went black along with the navigation stereo screen I felt the steering wheel tug a little bit along with a knocking noise All lighting quickly came back and then the same exact thing happened again. I then finished backing in and turned the car off. May 18 My husband and I went to the market 1 mile away and as he was backing into the driveway at home the steering wheel locked up then the stereo navigation screen went black and we heard bumping sounds same as before. This happened numerous times in a row going in reverse and forward and we were able to get two videos. After we got the car parked in the garage we tried to open the back hatch to get the groceries out and we were unable to do so manually or with the key fob. At that time, we then noticed that the entire electrical system was down. I then sat in the front seat, tried to turn the car on and it was completely unresponsive. A few seconds later, we were able to open the back hatch along with turning the car on. At this point, we decided to have the car towed in as opposed to driving it in to have it looked at. We have videos of the issue as it happens. But cannot upload to your site

Filed May 13, 2024 · MD · crash · 1 injury

•What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I am not sure exactly what system was involved. But I was pulling in to a parking space on a Washington DC street on Saturday [XXX] when my car suddenly accelerated the steering locked, the brakes didn’t respond and the vehicle mounted a curb and struck a tree. •How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car went out of my control for a few moments, making it impossible to steer or brake. My wife and I were slightly injured when the car struck the tree and if the tree wasn’t there it could have continued on the sidewalk and struck a pedestrian or of the houses beyond the tree. •Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. I reported it to the dealer the day it happened. They said I needed to take it to their service department to be looked at. The facility is closed on weekends – and I will take it in for inspection today, [XXX]. •Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, it has not. •Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, there was no warning that indicated there was a problem. After the incident, the car reported the front passenger side parking camera was obscured or broken (this was from the impact with the tree). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 21, 2024 · CA

My car was parked under the parking lot of my apartment. on Thursday morning 11am some one came in without any special took just with screwdriver within in 10 second they broke in my driver side door lock and damaged my door lock cylinder. and no alarm system turn on. this is completely unacceptable that the door lock is so fragile that anyone without any special equipment or tool can break in my car in 10 seconds.and if car is opened without the original key how come the alarm system dosent go on. it cost me 550 to fix the door lock cylinder and the central lock system plus i bought manual wheel lock and steering wheel lock because i dont trust security of hyundai.

Filed Sep 28, 2023 · Electrical · OR

the federal safety agency should have a non-official recall warning for Hyundai vehicles that have this software based Safety Defect, which is some models don't have a Passive Engine Immobilizer, and the vehicles can be easily stolen by starting the engine with a USB cord. Thankfully Hyundai(recall) offered a free Anti Theft Software Update, and a steering wheel lock. I checked my VIN number with the Hyundai Dealership in Oregon, and they said my car already received the Anti Theft Software Update. The only reason I knew my 2020 Tucson had this issue, is because State Farm cancelled my insurance a month after I started paying for it. State Farm and Progressive currently deny new policies for vehicles without a Passive Engine Immobilizer. Also State Farm still denied my insurance after I got the software update. Affected Hyundai models from 2011 to 2021 that have standard “turn-key-to-start” ignition systems/without a Passive Engine Immobilizer, are the Accent, Elantra, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucson, Genesis Coupe, Palisade, Kona, Venue.

Filed Mar 28, 2023 · Electrical · OK

2016 Hyundai Tucson was stolen on 3/23/2023 in Denver, CO. We were just at the dealership on 3/15/2023 in Edmond, OK and we were not notified of the issue of the vehicle being susceptible to being easily stolen due to the negligence of Hyundai. We were not offered a computer update or steering wheel lock. The dealership was negligent in not informing us of the issue with the engine immobilizer. Now we’re dealing with the aftermath of a stolen vehicle that was recovered damaged due the the negligence of Hyundai. They should have to cover expenses associated with their negligence. They knew about the issue with the lack of engine immobilizer.

Filed Feb 4, 2023 · Driver assistance, Electrical · NY

I was driving and as I tried to turn a corner the steering wheel locked and became extremely difficult to steer. A few warning symbols came up on the dashboard. All of the lights for the advance driver assistance systems came on. I could not steer the car.

Filed Jan 5, 2022 · Driver assistance, Engine · KY

While driving down a busy road at 10:00 pm on New Years Eve, my vehicle's engine completely shut off. Immediately prior to the shut off, the vehicle's dash displayed the oil and battery lights. The vehicle's automatic emergency brake and steering wheel lock were both engaged, not allowing me (or the tow truck company) to move my vehicle out of this busy road. My car remained in this location for 3 and a half hours. The hazard lights stopped working after the first hour, making it extremely difficult to see that the vehicle was stopped. After the second hour, an officer parked behind my vehicle with their lights flashing as he said it was an extremely dangerous situation and my car was sure to be hit. He was able to get a tow truck to me before Hyundai. For hours, numerous people were forced to brake quickly/swerve into other lane to avoid hitting my car. This occurred right before an intersection, putting 4 directions of drivers at risk of collision. I stood in the rain, near my car, attempting to help direct drivers away from the lane until the police officer showed up. The vehicle is now at the dealership which confirmed engine failure, pending replacement. Possibly related, this vehicle had the catalytic convertor replaced 3 months prior. It is not yet confirmed if this contributed to the engine failure.