AutoUtility currently tracks 389 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Tucson. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 224 complaints (57.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 13 filings cite a crash, 9 cite a fire, 8 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 389 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (224 reports • 57.6% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (100), Brakes & Traction Control (42)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 13 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 9 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 8 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Hyundai Tucson
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Powertrain & Transmission
Brakes & Traction Control
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #20V543000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Electrical System
Fuel & Propulsion System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Hyundai Tucson
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Hyundai Tucson
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"My 2018 Hyundai Tucson with the 2.0L engine has suffered catastrophic engine failure. The engine lost compression in cylinder 4 and now requires a full replacement . This is part of a broader pattern—the 2016–2018 Tucson is known for excessive oil consumption that leads to engine failure, with over..."
"On Thursday, August 6, 2026, while driving my 2018 Hyundai Tucson on Interstate 81, the vehicle experienced sudden, severe engine vibration and a loud metallic ticking sound before losing power and stalling completely on the highway. I was stranded on the side of the highway in a high-speed..."
"My 2018 Hyundai Tucson Limited equipped with the 1.6T engine and 7-speed EcoShift Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) is suffering from severe, dangerous clutch judder, slippage, and sudden acceleration hesitation. This vehicle matches the exact manufacturing defects and symptoms outlined in Hyundai..."
"My car had a lot of trouble accelerating it’s delayed"
"The engine has been consuming oil, where we were adding at least a quart of oil between oil changes. We noticed the vehicle would shake like it was going to die while idling at a stop light or in a drive through. Recently my husband was driving home from work on a busy highway and the vehicles..."
Complaint History for Hyundai Tucson
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Hyundai Tucson | 226 | 7 | 1 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Hyundai Tucson | 1616 | 14 | 5 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Hyundai Tucson | 1083 | 13 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Hyundai Tucson Current Page | 389 | 13 | 1 | Current |
| 2019 Hyundai Tucson | 372 | 14 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Hyundai Tucson | 176 | 5 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Hyundai Tucson | 77 | 2 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Hyundai Tucson | 490 | 31 | 3 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Hyundai Tucson | 173 | 15 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Hyundai Tucson | 136 | 17 | 4 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Hyundai Tucson | 408 | 36 | 7 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Hyundai Tucson | 0 | 0 | 5 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Hyundai Tucson
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 60 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 145 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 44 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 13 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experienc...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.