2023 Hyundai Tucson: What to check before buying

Horns that short out and stop working are the most repeated problem. Drivers often find out only when they need the horn to warn another car. Dealers call it a known issue tied to where the horn sits and its exposure to water. Some cars have had the horn replaced three times. Other reports describe several warning lights coming on together, the car shutting off while driving, and drivers left stranded. One complaint involves an engine fire. Another describes the car surging forward and crashing while parking.

Sudden loss of acceleration is the main pattern. The engine revs or the gas pedal goes dead and speed drops. Some cars show a "Limited to 20 MPH" message, and restarting usually clears it. Hybrid owners describe a delay of several seconds while the gas engine restarts from EV mode. Transmission shudder and missed shifts also appear, and one transmission was replaced at 23,600 miles. Three complaints involve crashes, including unintended acceleration where the brakes did not stop the car. One owner reports waiting on parts for a recall repair.

The most common complaint is automatic emergency braking that activates on an open highway. Drivers have to swerve or risk being hit from behind, and in one case passengers were thrown forward. A second pattern is warped front rotors that cause shaking under braking. Repeated pad and rotor work does not last. Single reports describe a brake pedal sinking to the floor, the car rolling away in park, and brakes that failed to stop the car, including one crash. Dealers often cannot diagnose these intermittent faults.

Misfires and failed fuel injectors cause stalling, loss of power, and a fuel smell, sometimes leaving the driver stranded with little warning. Dealers replace parts one cylinder at a time, and reported failures fall around 8,000 to 15,000 miles. Oil loss is a second pattern. Owners get low-oil alerts soon after purchase, one engine was found empty of oil at 49,000 miles, and others report oil pan leaks. Some hybrids hesitate to deliver power at low speed when leaving EV mode. One crash involved the car lurching backward.

The most serious pattern is unintended acceleration while parking or slowing down. Owners report engines revving to 8,000 RPM, and two crashes are on file, one with an injury and airbag deployment. Other reports describe a sudden "Limit 20 MPH" limp mode that clears after a restart, the car slipping into neutral at a green light, and cruise control going past the set speed. Some cars also show forward radar "blocked" warnings that switch off adaptive cruise. Dealers usually cannot reproduce these faults.

Failed fuel injectors are the main problem. The engine shakes, loses power, or dies, often on the highway, and some cars will not restart for several minutes. Owners report repeat injector repairs, some on a third or fourth visit, because dealers replace only the injector that failed. Failures cluster between about 14,568 and 31,000 miles. Tows and days without a car are common. Dealers describe the injector problem as known, though one owner notes there is no recall. One crash involved sudden acceleration into a garage.

Automatic emergency braking activates with no vehicle or object ahead, usually at 55 to 75 mph and often with cruise control on. The sudden slowdown nearly causes rear-end collisions, and one driver felt the car start to skid. Reports begin early, around 2,000 to 2,500 miles, and the problem tends to come back. Dealers recalibrate the sensors or cannot duplicate the fault. One dealer turned the system off while waiting on a diagnosis, and some owners switch off the braking function themselves.

Panoramic sunroofs shatter on their own with a bang like a gunshot, sometimes at highway speed. Glass falls into the cabin and gets trapped in the headliner. Windshields are the other complaint. Owners report repeated cracks from small rocks, small chips that spread into large cracks, a crack from a light tap, and a sparkle inside the glass that blocks vision in low sun. One car went through three windshields in seven months. Hyundai declined warranty coverage in at least one windshield case.