Problems · NHTSA complaints
2023 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid problems
Owners filed 11 complaints about the 2023 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid with NHTSA between Sep 2023 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (6).
Complaints
11
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system6
- Power train4
- Forward collision avoidance3
- Service brakes2
- Engine2
- Air bags1
- Structure1
- Visibility/wiper1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 14, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
3
1
3
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 3 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
6 reports
“Car is PhEV and it failed 4 times in 3 years due ac compressor failure, main reason identified was due to high voltage it was failing EV and other systems. Car stopped two times in the middle of highway. All 4 times Hyndai kept the car with dealers for major part replacement. Reported to Hyndai consumer affair for replacement and request denied with reason Lemon law.”
Power train
4 reports
“The vehicle was already running and in Drive. When I pressed the accelerator pedal to accelerate further, the vehicle would not accelerate. The RPMs did not increase and vehicle did not respond. No warning lights appeared. I had to press hazard lights coast to shoulder and turn vehicle off and on to regain power]. This created a hazardous situation as traffic was behind me and could not anticipate my sudden loss of speed. We just got this vehicle on October 1, 2026 and vehicle has been maintained per schedule. This was the first time it happened. I am concerned this is related to recall affecting 2023 Tucson models, and request investigation as this is a safety defect that can occur without warning at highway speed.”
Forward collision avoidance
3 reports
“While driving my 2023 Hyundai Tucson PHEV with limited trim the Emergency Braking function activated for no reason at all. This has happened 5 times during the last 9 months and each time it was about the same conditions. Road was dry my speed was from 55 to 75 mph it was during daytime hours and no cars were in front of me or on either side of me. 3 of the times there was a car behind me that had to check up I guess because my brake lights came on. I reported the problem to the dealer and was told no other owner has ever reported than problem. Instead of preventing an accident the activation of the emergency braking system in this situation could have caused an accident with the cars around me reacting to my sudden braking at high-speed resulting in a chain reaction.”
Service brakes
2 reports1 crash
“Unintended acceleration and brake failure. While in the parking lot at [XXX]. The check brake warning light came on and prior to this when pressing the gas pedal the car was not responding or going very slow. I stopped looking for a place to park and when I took my foot of the brake pedal the car surged ahead at full speed. I slammed on the brakes but there was no response. Steering the car through the parking lot and across [XXX]. (a very busy, I was lucky not striking other cars or people) and crashed into a metal storage building. The car was totaled and my Wife was treated at ECMC hospital for 12 days(5 in the trauma unit) and the DMV is blaming me for the accident.”
Engine
2 reports
“On Tuesday August 6th 2024 car was put in the shop for an automatic DTC notification/check engine light. Our car is less than a year old with less than 10,000 miles on it. Our car was in the shop for a full 5 days and was given to us on the evening of Monday August 12th with assurances that it was safe to drive. While in the shop, our car grounding pump and numerous fuses were replaced. On Friday August 16th, we received a jarring "Check Hyundai system. Stop Safely." message while driving a short distance. We were given roughly 5-10 seconds before the car braked and stopped, causing us to almost be rear ended from the car behind us. This put not only me and my passenger's safety at risk, but the safety of the cars nearby us at that time, at risk. We shudder at the thought of what could have happened if we were traveling on a highway or congested roadway. There were no warning lamps or symptoms that would have suggested this would happen. We received a tow to the shop early morning of August 17th and to date, the car remains in the shop. We are confident that the car will not pass it's upcoming inspection and have requested that the service dealership perform an…”
Air bags
1 report1 crash
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 14, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.