2012 HYUNDAI TUCSON — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 254 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (146 complaints · 57.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 12
  • Fires 13
  • Injuries 9
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2011 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 146 of 254 owner complaints (57.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 146 complaints, 57.5% of reports ENGINE 146 · 57.5% · 1 crash reports 10 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 32 complaints, 12.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 32 · 12.6% · 2 crash reports 2 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 16 complaints, 6.3% of reports POWER TRAIN 16 · 6.3% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 4.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 · 4.3% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 8 complaints, 3.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 5 complaints, 2.0% of reports STRUCTURE 5 · 2.0% · 1 crash reports AIR BAGS: 4 complaints, 1.6% of reports AIR BAGS 4 · 1.6% · 3 crash reports WHEELS: 4 complaints, 1.6% of reports WHEELS 4 · 1.6% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 1.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 3 · 1.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 51 complaints, 20.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 51 · 20.1% · 1 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 146 57.5% 1 crashes · 10 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 32 12.6% 2 crashes · 2 fires
POWER TRAIN 16 6.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 4.3% 1 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 5 2.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 4 1.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
WHEELS 4 1.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 3 1.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 51 20.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2011; the first recall shown was reported in May 2014. 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2019-Q2: 33 owner reports 33 2019-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2019-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2024-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2024-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jul 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 14V245000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V245000 Recall campaign 19V063000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V063000 Recall campaign 23V651000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V651000 Investigation EA21003 ● Investigation EA21003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003 Investigation AQ23002 ● Investigation AQ23002
  • Campaign 19V063000 was reported 2,709 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V651000 was reported 4,140 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 3
2013-Q3 Owner reports 3
2013-Q4 Owner reports 3
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 4
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 6
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 5
2018-Q1 Owner reports 3
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q3 Owner reports 5
2018-Q4 Owner reports 5
2019-Q1 Owner reports 16
2019-Q2 Owner reports 33
2019-Q3 Owner reports 22
2019-Q4 Owner reports 11
2020-Q1 Owner reports 4
2020-Q2 Owner reports 5
2020-Q3 Owner reports 11
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 5
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q3 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 3
2022-Q3 Owner reports 4
2023-Q2 Owner reports 5
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 11
2024-Q1 Owner reports 14
2024-Q2 Owner reports 10
2024-Q3 Owner reports 3
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 14V245000
Recall campaign 1 19V063000
Recall campaign 1 23V651000
Defect investigation 1 EA21003
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
Defect investigation 1 AQ23002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V245000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    An air bag assembly that is not properly mounted may result in an increased risk of injury to the driver in the event of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the bolts that secure the driver's air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 118.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V063000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai has notified owners, and dealers will inspect for an oil pan leak, replacing it if necessary, and install an updated oil pressure switch, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 181.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V651000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024 through October 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 251.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 254 complaints · page 1 of 11

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources