Hyundai Tucson Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2016 and 2022 At least twice the 146 complaints of a typical Tucson year. Most described: door lock problems (2016), loss of power (2022).
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2018, 2020, and 2021 drew under three quarters of the 146 complaints of a typical Tucson year since 2016. The 2018 and 2021 each have a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 38 mpg combined, arrived in 2022 and has held since. Includes the Tucson Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

Tucson problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Tucson year drew 146 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (45.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (146), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2016 Tucson Avoid Most described: door lock or latch problems	449	1,626	5
2022 Tucson Avoid Most described: loss of power or limp mode	304	511	3
2017 Tucson Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	253	1,097	3
2019 Tucson Most described: the check engine light coming on, then engine failure or replacement	155	386	1
2023 Tucson Most described: loss of power or limp mode, hesitation or slow acceleration, and the check engine light coming on	137	184	2
2020 Tucson Most described: excessive oil consumption	73	179	1
2018 Tucson Most described: engine failure or replacement	64	399	1
2012 Tucson Most described: engine failure or replacement	27	255	3
2021 Tucson Most described: engine failure or replacement	27	84	1
2011 Tucson Most described: stalling or shutting off and engine failure or replacement	25	124	5
2013 Tucson Most described: engine failure or replacement	17	266	3
2014 Tucson Most described: engine failure or replacement	17	202	2
2010 Tucson Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting and shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	15	59	4
2015 Tucson Most described: engine failure or replacement	14	229	2

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Tucson for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	6	102
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	7	459
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	4	158
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	2	184	4 to 5 stars
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	3	511	4 to 5 stars
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	84
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	179
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	1	386
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	1	399
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	3	1,097
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	5	1,626
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	229
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	202
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	3	266
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	3	255
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	5	124	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	59	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately, and the 2015 to 2017 hydrogen fuel-cell version. Each year's MPG page lists every version.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2016: 1,626 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Tucson
Model year	Complaints
2010	59
2011	124
2012	255
2013	266
2014	202
2015	229
2016	1,626
2017	1,097
2018	399
2019	386
2020	179
2021	84
2022	511
2023	184
2024	158
2025	459
2026	102

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 25 to 29 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2022. Hybrid: 38 mpg (2022 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 28 mpg · hybrid 38 mpg

Show as a table

Hyundai Tucson best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	26	–
2011	25	–
2012	25	–
2013	25	–
2014	25	–
2015	25	–
2016	28	–
2017	28	–
2018	27	–
2019	26	–
2020	25	–
2021	25	–
2022	29	38
2023	28	38
2024	28	38
2025	28	38
2026	28	38

Every Tucson year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Hyundai Tucson years should you avoid?

The 2016 and 2022 Tucson are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 146 owner complaints of a typical Tucson year in its first three years. Owners of the 2016 most often describe door lock problems. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Hyundai Tucson years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2018, 2020, and 2021 drew under three quarters of the 146 complaints of a typical Tucson year since 2016. The 2018 and 2021 each have a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. If you are shopping for one, check by VIN that the repair was done. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Hyundai Tucson years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2016 (449) drew the most, then the 2022 (304). Owners of the 2016 most often describe door lock or latch problems.

Which Hyundai Tucson years have the most recalls?

The 2025 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (7), then the 2026 (6). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Five recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired, covering 2010 to 2024 models. Each year's recalls page lists them first.

What are the most common Hyundai Tucson problems?

In the 6,320 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (786 complaints); hesitation or slow acceleration (734 complaints, most of them for the 2016 and 2017); and stalling or shutting off (683 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Hyundai Tucson year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 38 mpg combined, first reached by the 2022 hybrid version and matched by every year since. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 35 mpg on gas alone and 80 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.