2026 Hyundai Tucson
Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas Compact SUV
The 2026 Hyundai Tucson is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid, hybrid and gas compact SUV with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Tucson Hybrid Blue, is EPA-rated at 38 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 82 complaints, most often about forward collision avoidance. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 72 kW AC PMSM | 35 | 35 | 35 (51 MPGe blended) | 32 mi electric | 44 | 2 h | $1,800 |
| Tucson Hybrid Blue | Hybrid | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 270V Li-Ion | 38 | 38 | 38 | — | — | — | $1,650 |
| Tucson Hybrid | Hybrid | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo + 270V Li-Ion | 36 | 37 | 36 | — | — | — | $1,750 |
| Tucson FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.5L 4-cyl | 25 | 33 | 28 | — | — | — | $2,250 |
| Tucson AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.5L 4-cyl | 24 | 30 | 26 | — | — | — | $2,400 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (5)
Electrical System
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 22, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 304. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 25, 2026.
Forward Collision Avoidance
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Santa Cruz, Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. Software in the front cameras may cause the forward collision avoidance system to activate prematurely and unexpectedly apply the brakes.
Risk: Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the front camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 302. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 20, 2026.
Air Bags
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Elantra N, 2026 Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), and Elantra vehicles. The B-pillar impact sensors may have been misassembled, which can delay air bag deployment.
Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the impact sensor(s), as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 11, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 299. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 22, 2026.
Electrical System
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
Owner complaints
82 complaints filed
18 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 7 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2026: 82
Most-cited components
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 48
- Electrical System — 16
- Service Brakes — 14
- Unknown Or Other — 13
- Back Over Prevention — 3
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Compare the 2026 Tucson with
Other Tucson model years
2025 Tucson
7 recalls · 416 complaints
F2024 Tucson
4 recalls · 143 complaints
C2023 Tucson
2 recalls · 174 complaints
C2022 Tucson
3 recalls · 499 complaints
B2021 Tucson
1 recalls · 78 complaints
B2020 Tucson
1 recalls · 176 complaints
B2019 Tucson
1 recalls · 377 complaints
B2018 Tucson
1 recalls · 394 complaints
D2017 Tucson
3 recalls · 1,084 complaints
F2016 Tucson
5 recalls · 1,616 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 49764, 49499, 49498, 49453, 49500). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.