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2016 Hyundai Tucson: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
54%
860 of 1,617 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

54% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Hyundai Tucson are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 71% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
860
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
1,617
this model year
Fires reported
24
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
5
14 crashes · 7 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN516 · 32%
ENGINE423 · 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER261 · 16%
STRUCTURE227 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM215 · 13%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES157 · 10%

The years either side

2010
58%
29 of 58
2011
52%
64 of 124
2012
74%
184 of 255
2013
67%
172 of 266
2014
61%
121 of 202
2015
58%
128 of 226
2016
54%
860 of 1,617
2017
79%
840 of 1,084
2018
80%
305 of 393
2019
58%
214 of 378
2020
47%
77 of 176
2021
63%
47 of 78
2022
65%
234 of 381
2023
35%
44 of 132

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other compact SUVs with no elevated signal in 2016

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM10/27/2025FIRE1 INJURED
As I was driving I was stopped & told my car was on fire. I immediately stopped & hopped out & less than 30 seconds later half of the hood caught heat/fire & flew into the windshield breaking it. At least half The car is burnt to ashes
ENGINE10/25/2022FIRE1 INJURED
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle began to stall and he saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and quickly exited the vehicle. The contact wai…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PRO08/28/2022CRASH1 INJURED
While back out of my driveway in my 2016 hyundai tucson, it suddenly accelerated on its own out of control rendering me helpless and just along for the ride. Finally stopped while in reverse the car went across the street crashing violently into my neighbors boat and engine was still reving until I shut it off after th…

Three of 860 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (5)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 20, 2015 through May 31, 2016 and equipped with a 7-speed EcoShift D…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Tucson vehicles manufactured May 19, 2015, to November 14, 2016, and 2017 Santa Fe vehicles manu…
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Hyundai Tucson vehicles manufactured May 26, 2015 to January 15, 2016 and equipped with an accessory …

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2016 Hyundai Tucson

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.