NHTSA Complaints · Active Recalls · California Lemon Law Data
The NHTSA tracks consumer complaints, manufacturer recalls, and safety investigations for every vehicle sold in the United States. These publicly available records are a critical resource for California lemon law cases because they establish patterns of recurring defects.
As of June 2026, the NHTSA has logged 9 complaints against the 2026 Hyundai Tucson. Each complaint is filed by a vehicle owner or lessee through the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline or online portal at SaferCar.gov. You can review all 2026 Hyundai Tucson complaints directly on the NHTSA complaint database.
The 2026 Hyundai Tucson has generated 21 NHTSA complaints and has 2 active recalls. If your 2026 Hyundai Tucson has experienced a defect that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple visits, you may qualify for a full repurchase or replacement under California lemon law. Hyundai pays all attorney fees when we prevail. You pay nothing.
Advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) defects — including malfunctioning forward collision warnings, lane keep assist failures, and erratic automatic emergency braking — can create dangerous driving conditions. The 2026 Hyundai Tucson has 8 NHTSA complaints for this defect type. Owner reports include: “Purchase my new car December 2026. My car has done that with people are calling Phantom breaking three times since I bought the car within the first month and a half. I was doing [XXX] the first time and there was nothing there and it just dead stopped what if somebody had been behind me and I caused it big accident? It happened again when I was doing [XXX] and it just dead stopped with for no reason. I purchased this car because I have a concussion cuz my former car was totaled I feel like the safety feature is a safety hazard and I’m scared because I have a concussion and a neck injury that it’s going to cause more damage. I have to click the button to stop the front assist so it doesn’t happen. I took my car in to the shop where I bought it at Bud Clary in Auburn and they said that there was nothing wrong with it that maybe my good to go pass was in the way which I didn’t even have my good to go pass up yet at that time. I’m scared and I just bought this car. I wish I hadn’t but then I see that Honda is having the same issue. They need to come up with a fix. They said that the calibrated it and it was fine that they made some dang excuse but it’s scary and I’m afraid to even drive my car INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)” (NHTSA Complaint #11725289)
Brake defects affecting safety may qualify for California’s two-repair threshold under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, which applies to defects likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. The 2026 Hyundai Tucson has generated 2 NHTSA complaints related to braking, including ABS failures, grinding, reduced stopping power, and warning lights. Owner reports include: “I was parking my 2 month old car going only about 5 mph & had to press the brake all the way to the floor to stop. There were no warning lights. I had it towed to the dealership & the tow driver confirmed that there was a lot of play in the pedal. The dealership had it for almost a month & could not duplicate the issue or find the problem. I am afraid it will happen again. Hopefully, if so, it will be at a low speed again.” (NHTSA Complaint #11724487)
Electrical system failures are notoriously difficult to diagnose and repair, which often results in multiple unsuccessful repair attempts — a key element of a lemon law claim. Reported issues for the 2026 Hyundai Tucson include infotainment malfunctions, battery drain, warning lights, power window failures, and intermittent starting problems. 2 NHTSA complaints have been filed for this category. Owner reports include: “After 3 months and 840 miles, my 2026 Hyundai Tucson wouldn’t respond one morning. No power at all, including to unlock the car. Road side assistance struggled to jump out but finally the car started, but the cluster panel would not turn on. I had to drive to the dealership with no speedometer or other screen sensors, as well as a lack of blinker or lights. This is outrageous because I barely drive the car and it’s brand new.” (NHTSA Complaint #11724310)
Electrical system failures are notoriously difficult to diagnose and repair, which often results in multiple unsuccessful repair attempts — a key element of a lemon law claim. Reported issues for the 2026 Hyundai Tucson include infotainment malfunctions, battery drain, warning lights, power window failures, and intermittent starting problems. 2 NHTSA complaints have been filed for this category. Owner reports include: “Wife was driving car and the steering locked up and she could not turn it for about 5 seconds. second issue was put it in reverse and it would not come out of reverse, she had to turn car off and on 3 times to get it to put it in park or drive. I ran this through my Claude AI and it says this is an ongoing problem with the Hyundai Tucson. Please make them fix this before selling anymore vehicles as both are major safety hazards.” (NHTSA Complaint #11724165)
Brake defects affecting safety may qualify for California’s two-repair threshold under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, which applies to defects likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. The 2026 Hyundai Tucson has generated 2 NHTSA complaints related to braking, including ABS failures, grinding, reduced stopping power, and warning lights. Owner reports include: “The brakes pushed down to the floor before the collision and wouldn’t stop the car my passenger was injured no warning system on the collision prevention and nothing engaged my foot was on the floor and there was about a 10 second delay before the brakes kicked in it’s all on dash cam” (NHTSA Complaint #11721876)
The following 2 recalls have been issued for the 2026 Hyundai Tucson by the NHTSA or Hyundai. If your vehicle is affected, the manufacturer is required to provide a free remedy. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls.
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:CRITICAL FASTENERS
Defect: See NHTSA database for details.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Defect: See NHTSA database for details.
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.
Remedy: 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 March 27, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai’s customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai’s number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification
California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1790–1795.8) is one of the strongest lemon laws in the United States. It protects buyers and lessees of new and certified pre-owned vehicles that develop substantial defects the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, a lemon law presumption is triggered when any of the following apply to your 2026 Hyundai Tucson:
Once the presumption is triggered, the burden shifts to Hyundai to prove the vehicle is not a lemon. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), Hyundai must pay your attorney’s fees if you prevail — meaning qualified representation costs you nothing out of pocket.
If your 2026 Hyundai Tucson qualifies as a lemon under California law, Hyundai may be legally required to:
Step 1: Document every repair visit. Keep all repair orders, work orders, and dealer invoices. Each visit counts as a repair attempt, even if the dealer says nothing is wrong.
Step 2: Keep returning for repairs. You must give Hyundai a reasonable opportunity to fix the defect. Visit different authorized Hyundai dealers if needed and ask for written documentation of each visit.
Step 3: Contact a California lemon law attorney. Once you believe the threshold has been met — 4 attempts for non-safety defects, 2 for safety defects, or 30 days out of service — contact an attorney for a free case evaluation. Under § 1794(d), Hyundai pays your fees if you win.
Step 4: Send a demand letter. Your attorney will send Hyundai a formal demand letter. Most California lemon law cases resolve through negotiation without going to trial.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, four or more repair attempts for the same non-safety defect, or two attempts for a safety-related defect, triggers the lemon law presumption. Additionally, 30 or more cumulative days out of service qualifies regardless of the number of repair attempts.
Yes. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), Hyundai is required to pay your reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs if you prevail in a lemon law claim. This means qualified lemon law representation is free to you if your case succeeds.
Yes. A recall is not required to file a lemon law claim. The Song-Beverly Act covers any substantial defect that impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle that the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts. NHTSA complaints support the claim by establishing a pattern, but are not a prerequisite.
California lemon law claims are generally subject to a four-year statute of limitations from the date you discovered or should have discovered the defect. However, you must still be within the manufacturer’s original warranty period when the defect first appears. Contact an attorney promptly to preserve your rights.
If your 2026 Hyundai Tucson has a recurring defect, California’s Lemon Law may entitle you to a full refund, replacement vehicle, or cash settlement — at no cost to you.
Our attorneys answer the questions we hear most from California vehicle owners — fully updated for 2026.
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