2008 Hyundai Tucson problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Engine (4) · Steering (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Tucson model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
38 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2013-04-01 · campaign 13V113000 · 1,712,336 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, m
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Service bulletins (42)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operatio
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DL · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn). these inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehi
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DCS · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn), that have been identified in u.s. vehicles following prior
Exterior Lighting 2025-11-06 · 25-BD-012H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (drl), or fog lamp. this tsb illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. lamp assembly replacement is not necessary
Showing the 6 most recent of 42 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-07-21 · Wheels · 🔥 fire“#1. the airbag light comes on saying the passenger airbag is not connected (something like that). #2. braking lights did stop working and stayed on while the car was turned off. i never received any recall notice of this and we fixed it ourselves. #3. and most important and dangerous! the back driver's side wheel froze up and started to catch on fi…”
2023-06-30 · Service Brakes“i took the car to my mechanic to get brake pads because car was pulling to the left upon braking and he informed me the abs module was bad and was not distributing brake fluid to the right front wheel. i called customer care center for hyundai and they informed me tuscan models are not included in the abs module recall event. yet the information pr…”
2023-06-02 · Suspension · 134,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 hyundai tucson. the contact stated that a section of the rear sub frame was extremely corroded. the contact believed that a welding failure might have caused the severe corrosion on the subframe. the contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that he had approximately a year before the sus…”
2023-02-10 · Structure:body“the driver side door will not unlock. it will not unlock with the key fob. it will not unlock with the key. it will not unlock manually. the locking piece that should flip back and forth (from lock to unlock) is stuck in the locked position. this should be safety issue as you cannot operate the driver side door. you cannot enter or exit the…”
2021-12-30 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“in october of 2020 i was pulling into a parking space and my car accelerated and crashed into a light pole resulting in injury to both my husband and myself. he is 91 years old and shattered his upper arm. we had the vehicle fixed and checked out and was told all was fine. about june of 2021 i took the car in for a recall on the brake lights to …”
2021-05-07 · Unknown Or Other · 125,000 mi“my elderly mother inlaw purchased a car at a buy here pay here place. her grandson immediately noticed it was skipping when it got over 40. his grandmother took it back they said it was fine then his grandmother and others noticed the skipping. she called the dealer and they sent it to a transmission shop we are unable to get in touch with. it ha…”
2021-04-21 · Suspension · 168,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai tucson. the contact stated while driving at the various speeds, the passenger's side rear wheel was wobbling causing the vehicle to not drive in a straight line. the contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the v…”
2020-10-27 · Engine · 188,000 mi · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owned a 2008 hyundai tucson. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, other drivers on the highway alerted her to an issue with the vehicle. the contact was unaware that there was a fire under the hood at the time. the contact stated that then noticed orange flames coming from under the hood of the vehicle. the contact stated that h…”
2020-09-14 · Engine · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai tucson. the contact stated that while driving about 55 mph, the engine caught on fire without warning. the contact jumped out of the vehicle and called 911. the fire department came and extinguished the fire. the vehicle was towed on the flatbed to the contacts residence and from there to an independent mechanic.…”
2019-11-26 · Unknown Or Other · 46,000 mi“i received a letter in the mail that my staten island hyundai said they completed all the recall notices on my car in the mail.i never brought my car there!…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.