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Hyundai Tucson sudden acceleration problems

78 of the 6,347 owner complaints about the Hyundai Tucson describe sudden unintended acceleration, most of them for the 2016 model year.

owner complaints
78
worst model year
2016
typical mileage
14,700
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

  • 2026
    1
  • 2025
    3
  • 2024
    3
  • 2023
    3
  • 2022
    8
  • 2019
    5
  • 2018
    4
  • 2017
    16
  • 2016
    18
  • 2012
    2
  • 2010
    3
  • 2009
    2
  • 2008
    1
  • 2007
    2
  • 2006
    4
  • 2005
    3

What owners say

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · NJ · crash

We were driving 10-15 mph on a local road approaching a red light. The brakes stopped working so we couldn't stop at the red. When we pressed the brakes more, we had unintended acceleration and had to go on the sidewalk to avoid cars. Then had to swerve and zigzag to avoid cars coming out of an intersection and oncoming traffic. We were going around 60 mph while pressing the brake. It was horribly dangerous for us and others. We hit signs and poles for avoid cars and sustained significant damage to the car. The manufacturer states the recorder does not show anything prior to the sudden acceleration. It only confirms that the brake was being used and not the gas, as we had already known. Contrary to what they report, the emergency braking system is not what helped us as it did not work as intended. Driver ended up putting the car in neutral when we got away from traffic, and that is how we were finally able to stop. Since we don't have a dependable assessment from the investigation, we are guessing this was a computer/electrical malfunction.

Filed Oct 23, 2026 · Transmission · 133,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle jumped forward and then stopped. The contact stated that the vehicle was stuck in the middle of a busy highway. The vehicle was coasted to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a dual clutch failure. The contact was informed that the dual clutch needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under a special coverage program. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · WA

My 2018 Hyundai Tucson Limited equipped with the 1.6T engine and 7-speed EcoShift Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) is suffering from severe, dangerous clutch judder, slippage, and sudden acceleration hesitation. This vehicle matches the exact manufacturing defects and symptoms outlined in Hyundai Technical Service Bulletin TSB 21-AT-014H, but the defect has never been properly resolved by the manufacturer.The primary safety defect occurs when accelerating from a complete stop or during low-speed maneuvers (such as yielding at a roundabout or turning at an intersection). When pressing the gas pedal, the transmission violently shudders, hesitates, and fails to properly engage the clutch pack. This creates a severe, unpredictable time lag where the engine revs but the vehicle experiences a total loss of motive power and fails to move forward.This unexpected loss of propulsion has caused multiple near-miss situations where oncoming traffic had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting my vehicle because it stalled or lagged while pulling out. It is an immediate physical safety hazard to myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. The failure is completely unpredictable and significantly worsens in warm weather or during stop-and-go driving conditions.I previously presented this vehicle to an authorized Hyundai dealership to complain about this exact transmission hesitation and shuddering while the vehicle was still covered under the factory warranty window. The service department failed to properly log, diagnose, or repair the failing double clutch pack at that time. Because the defect was reported within the warranty period and never corrected, the safety hazard has persisted and deteriorated to the point where the vehicle is now unsafe to operate in normal traffic. Hyundai is currently refusing to cover the full cost of this safety-related transmission failure.

Filed May 19, 2026 · Brakes · UT

Unintended acceleration, brakes unable to stop vehicle. Almost hit a car stopped at red light. I was able steer right avoiding hitting the stopped car and quickly put the car in neutral and then applied the brakes again. I was able to drive home another 10 miles. I had the car towed on 5/18/2026 to the car dealership for inspection. This put the car stopped and me and my wife at risk of injury. Car dealership has inspected the car and can not duplicate the problem. No warning lights before the event.

Filed May 7, 2026 · Engine · NJ · crash · 1 injury

I experienced sudden unintended acceleration which propelled me over a curb, up an embankment, over a boulder and into a fence. I could have been killed or I could have killed others because I had no control of the car. The Hyundai corporation will not acknowledge this. The car was inspected and declared a total loss and is being moved to a location where it can be stored at no cost. There was no warning. Also this exact incident occurred with a Hyundai Kona I owned. That incident occurred on January 8, 2026.

Filed Apr 29, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · NY

Sitting at a red light the vehicle seemed to almost stalled then lunged forward about eight feet almost colliding with the vehicle in front of me. To my knowledge the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer nor has the problem been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center. To my knowledge there were no warning lights, messages or symptoms. I am somewhat unfamiliar with this vehicle since I've only owned it for 5 days. I picked it up on 4-25-26.

Filed Apr 28, 2026 · Acceleration · 26,100 miles · AZ · crash

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while maneuvering into a handicap parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle climbed over a concrete parking bollard and struck a handicap sign, resulting in unintended acceleration. The vehicle was damaged in the undercarriage. No air bags were deployed. No injuries were reported. Property damage was a handicap sign. The vehicle was occupied by 2; the driver and passenger. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but has not been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,100.

Filed Feb 13, 2026 · Brakes · 4,500 miles · CA · crash

The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed attempting to park in front of a building, the brake pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward and independently accelerated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle crashed into the building. The crash caused damage to the interior and the exterior of the building. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later taken to a collision center. The contact was informed to bring the vehicle back at a later date. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. No police report was filed. No injuries were sustained. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced some electrical issues six months after owning the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,500.

Filed Jan 14, 2026 · Acceleration, Airbags · CA · crash

As I was pulling into a parking space in a parking garage, the vehicle's engine revved, tires squealed and then the vehicle propelled forward on its own, without my foot being on the accelerator. The vehicle only stopped when it hit a support column and the wall of the parking structure. There was extensive damage to my vehicle and to the parking structure wall. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk due to the car accelerating on its own. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by the dealer, but we did take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and they said they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle that would have caused the unintended acceleration. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer, the insurance company and an investigator for Hyundai. Hyundai infomed us that they are not taking any responsibility for anything that occurred and that they will not share their investigator's report with us. There were no warming lamps or messages related to the problem prior to the failure. However, there have been other occasions while driving on the open road when the engine has revved on its own and I told Hyundai about that. In doing our own research, we have found that there are other 2023 Hyundai Tucson drivers who have had this exact same problem (unintended acceleration causing a crash) while pulling into parking spaces. Additionally, the air bags did not deploy during the collision and therefore the incident was not recorded by the EDR.

Filed Jan 9, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · MO · crash

My wife was slowly pulling into a parking spot, when at about 10ft from curb the car suddenly accelerated faster than she even thought the car even was capable of (the AWD likely helped). It hopped the curb and hit a tree. She backed it up to the parking spot (it acted normally) and had it towed to dealer. In hindsight, the car had been having a progressive amount and frequency of delay in normal acceleration, sometimes having a pause of up to second or two from pedal input to car response. We asked the dealer to check the EDR (event data recorder). The tech first said he didn't even know what that was, then that he checked with all his fellow techs and they didn't know either, then the story changed to the model not having an EDR. We politely told him which page in the Hyundai manual he can find it, and he refused to look, as did his boss. Car was transferred to a body shop, and disposition was to total the vehicle. While the body shop was still evaluating the car, we contacted a second dealer, who said they don't have a reader. I inspected the floormats before the car was towed, as that was an initial suspect, but it was locked in and clearly there was no obstruction. She was wearing tennis shoes and doesn't recall ever having an instance of hitting the wrong pedal in any vehicle. She thinks she was only coasting, not even touching the brake yet.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Hyundai Tucson sudden acceleration

Which Hyundai Tucson years have sudden unintended acceleration problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2016 (18 complaints), 2017 (16 complaints) and 2022 (8 complaints).

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