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Total NHTSA Complaints
176
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Engine & Cooling
69 reports (39.2%)
Crash Incident Reports
5
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
6
2 fire • 4 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 176 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 69 complaints (39.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 5 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 176 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Engine & Cooling accounts for 39.2% of submissions (69 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Brakes & Traction Control (44), Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (24).
  • • Crash Incidents: 5 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 2 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2020 Hyundai Tucson

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Engine & Cooling
69
39.2%
Brakes & Traction Control
44
25%
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
24
13.6%
Electrical System
19
10.8%
Air Bags & Restraints
9
5.1%
#1 39.2% SHARE

Engine & Cooling

69 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

🔥 1 Fire
#2 25% SHARE

Brakes & Traction Control

44 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#3 13.6% SHARE

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

24 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
#4 10.8% SHARE

Electrical System

19 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
Deterministic Text Analysis

Recurring Symptoms Identified in Owner Reports

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

Powertrain & Transmission 5.1%

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

9 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Engine & Cooling 4%

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

7 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Federal Oversight

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

ODI Action #AQ23002 OPEN Audit Query (AQ)
Opened: 2023-11-17 • Active
Subject / Subsystem
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
Affected Component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Recall Linkage
No direct recall linkage
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2020 Hyundai Tucson

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engine & Cooling ODI #11758267
Filed: 08/20/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while the vehicle was receiving a routine oil change, the contact was informed that the oil pan was empty. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The contact was informed about a possible oil consumption test. The..."

Fuel & Propulsion System ODI #11755723
Filed: 08/09/2026
Defect Report

"Dealer completed update 9C2 Theta 2 emissions update. After update, the car sputters slightly and increased noise is heard from the tailpipe. Customer returned to dealer after driving the car in different temps and noted the above complaint. Dealer verified the complaint but continues to take no..."

Engine & Cooling ODI #11753365
Filed: 07/28/2026
Defect Report

"The engine lost power while driving, and the vehicle entered a reduced-power mode. The check engine light began flashing, and the engine made a loud knocking noise during acceleration. A diagnostic scan showed code P1326 (Knock Sensor Signal Range/Performance). The knock sensor was replaced, and..."

Engine & Cooling ODI #11752334
Filed: 07/23/2026
Defect Report

"High excessive oil consumption and premature piston ring failure leading to excessive oil consumption"

Engine & Cooling ODI #11751269
Filed: 07/18/2026
Defect Report

"Tried passing someone on the thruway, as I was about to the car jerked a bit then started decelerating. The check engine light started flashing and so did the oil light. Read the code as cylinder 3 misfire and a knock sensor. Changed the spark plugs and coil packs then checked the oil and saw there..."

Multi-Year Trend

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 389 13 1 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Hyundai Tucson 372 14 1 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Hyundai Tucson Current Page 176 5 1 Current
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 →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2020 Hyundai Tucson

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 45 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 55 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 16 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 15 2 1 1 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 12 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 6 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 5 2 0 3 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 4 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 3 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC; AUTOHOLD BRAKE SYSTEM/BRAKE HOLD 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson

What are the most common reported problems with the 2020 Hyundai Tucson?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 69 records (39.2% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Brakes & Traction Control (44) and Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (24).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2020 Hyundai Tucson a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 176 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson.

Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2020 Hyundai Tucson?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson, 5 filings cite a crash, 2 cite smoke or fire, and 4 report one or more injuries.

Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs

Has NHTSA formally investigated defects on the 2020 Hyundai Tucson?

NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2020 Hyundai Tucson (1 currently open).

Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Registry
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.