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Research · Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD

2006 Hyundai TucsonRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 135 owner complaints for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson. Most complaints involve air bags (37) and electrical system (16). The EPA rates it 19–22 mpg combined.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
19–22mpg
EPA · 5 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
5campaigns
Latest Apr 2013
Owner complaints
135
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$2,850est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

5 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Exterior lighting: switch

Free remedy

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, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Exterior lightingReported Apr 1, 2013NHTSA 13V113000

Exterior lighting

Free remedy

HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 3,011 MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELANTRA, TUCSON, SONATA, AZERA AND ACCENT VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.

Exterior lightingReported Jul 21, 2009NHTSA 09V280000

Exterior lighting: switch

Free remedy

HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 532,633 MY 2006-2007 ACCENT, ENTOURAGE, SONATA, MY 2007 AZERA, ELANTRA AND SANTA FE, MY 2005-2007 TUCSON AND MY 2007-2008 VERACRUZ VEHICLES. THE STOP LAMP SWITCH IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A STOP LAMP SWITCH MALFUNCTION MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.

Exterior lightingReported Apr 15, 2009NHTSA 09V122000
See all 5 recalls with remedies
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 9, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

135 complaints filed with NHTSA · May 2006 – Dec 2025
  1. Air bags37
  2. Electrical system16
  3. Structure13
  4. Suspension13
  5. Steering13
  6. Engine12
  7. Vehicle speed control9
  8. Exterior lighting9
  9. Engine and engine cooling9

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Tucson model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2005185
2006135
200765
200843
200918
201059
2011124
2012255
2013266
2014203
2015229
20161,626
20171,096
2018398
2019385
2020179
202180
2022389
2023136
202499
2025295
202664
Crashes reported
15
Fires reported
3
Injuries reported
17
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

37 reports11 crashes
“The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with the air bag module needing to be replaced. The independent mechanic cleaned the contacts for the seat sensors however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 2, 2021Air bagsODI 11419362

Electrical system

16 reports2 fires
“When it rains my steering wheel locks up when I drive thru a puddle I have brought my car to used car dealer where I bought it from and they say nothing is wrong but steering wheel locks when driving that to me is major problem they checked belt water is getting somewhere and causing a short hence power steering to lock it only happens when it rains”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 2, 2021Steering, Electrical systemODI 11442393

Structure

13 reports1 crash
“The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the rear subframe had become inoperable and the contact noticed that the rear subframe was corroded. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 28, 2024StructureODI 11622348
All 2006 Tucson problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

5 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD
Engines
2.0L 4-cyl · 2.7L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic 4-spd · Manual 5-spd
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 9, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Tucson 2WD
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
192522$2,850404
Tucson 2WD
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
202522$2,850404
Tucson 4WD
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
192421$2,950423
Tucson 2WD
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182420$3,100444
Tucson 4WD
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
172319$3,300468
  • Tucson 2WD
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L
    19 city · 25 hwy · $2,850/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
  • Tucson 2WD
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L
    20 city · 25 hwy · $2,850/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
  • Tucson 4WD
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.0 L
    19 city · 24 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Tucson 2WD
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L
    18 city · 24 hwy · $3,100/yr
    20
    mpg comb.
  • Tucson 4WD
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L
    17 city · 23 hwy · $3,300/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 9, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

1 tested variant
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson as of Nov 9, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 9, 2026Vehicle 1924
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2006 Tucson questions

How many recalls does the 2006 Hyundai Tucson have?

5 safety recalls as of Nov 9, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2006 Hyundai Tucson problems?

Owners filed 135 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (37), electrical system (16), structure (13). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2006 Hyundai Tucson get?

The EPA rates the 2006 Hyundai Tucson at 19–22 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (5 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 9, 2026