2017 Hyundai Tucson problems
The 2017 Hyundai Tucson has 1,475 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (42%) concerns engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (20%) and cruise control (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,475 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 23 and 38
- Injuries and deaths
- 24 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 23,000 miles 592 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 265 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 105 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 65 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 75 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 46 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 28 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 592 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 23,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 60,000 miles (197 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 23 complaints mention a crash; 38 complaints mention a fire; 24 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 21 model years of the Hyundai Tucson with enough data (881 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owned a 2017 hyundai tucson. While driving 20-25 MPH down a road preparing to merge, the vehicle stalled and continued to roll forward. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but failed. The contact noticed white smoke and stopped the vehicle by engaging the emergency brake. The contact gathered some of her belongings as the smoke turned gray and got 20 feet away from the vehicle. There were flames noticed coming from under the hood.
On [July 4, 2025], while driving, my vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power followed by smoke and flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire required emergency response and caused significant damage to the vehicle. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident posed a serious risk to my safety and others on the road. I had not received any prior warning signs such as engine knocking or warning lights. The fire appears to be directly related to the known defect outlined in Recall 209.
After backing out of my garage, I left the car running in my driveway. The car was stationary in the driveway for about 5 minutes. After which time the car accelerated through my garage and hit me, pinning me against the wall of my garage for about 5 minutes. The acceleration then subsided and the car slightly backed up and remained stationary giving me enough room to wedge out between my car and the garage wall. I've been having intermittent issues with acceleration.
My daughter was driving her car up a hill on hwy 2 and it slowed to a stop. She pulled over and it started smoking. The engine caught fire and burned her car. It was a total loss.
While vehicle is being driven, in motion on a street and needing to accelerate, especially when making a turn, often the accelerator pedal will seem to stall or falter when being depressed, causing the vehicle to slow, then the pedal continues downward and the vehicle lurches forward. Hyundai service advisor on july 6, 2018 politely said "all tucson turbo models do this, no problem". To me this is scary. Does NHTSA think likewise and could there be a safety issue?