Problems · by component
2020 Hyundai Tucson service brakes problems
26 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2020 Hyundai Tucson cite service brakes, 15% of all 179 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
26
15% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“In August/September 2025 my mother's Tucson would randomly shut down on her (completely stall while driving) and she would not be able to turn it back on. If she waited a little while, then she would be able to turn the car back on but it was unknown when the issue would happen again. We took it to the dealer several times after each shutdown and the dealer stated it was not throwing a code and they could not diagnose the problem. The last time we took it to the dealer, the vehicle shut down while they were test driving it and they discovered it was a rear wheel sensor which is part of the ABS system. When the car would stall, lights on the dashboard would start flashing and the car would shudder to a stall. Since repairing that rear wheel sensor, the car has not exhibited the issue until 3 days ago when it again shut down randomly while she was in traffic. This, of course was terribly frightening for her as cars were honking at her and whipping around her vehicle. She was not able to get the car started. A police officer came and parked behind her car, calmed her down, and got her to try the car one more time and it did start up and she was able to proceed to…”
“Component: Engine / Electrical System / Fuel System Incident Date: February 9th, 2026 Vehicle Speed: 45-50 MPH Description: While traveling at highway speeds on a major roadway, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic and sudden engine stall without any prior warning or dashboard indicators. The engine shut off completely while in motion, resulting in an immediate and total loss of power steering and power-assisted braking. I was forced to perform a high-effort emergency maneuver in heavy traffic to reach the shoulder and avoid a collision. This vehicle is used to transport myself, my coworker and my family whose lives was placed in immediate danger by this failure. Since the start of the financing agreement, this vehicle has a documented history of recurring sensor issues and failed repair attempts at the dealership (Route 1 Hyundai). The dealership has previously attempted to address electrical/sensor malfunctions, but the root cause remains unresolved, leading to this life-threatening stall. I believe this is a significant safety defect in the vehicle’s electrical or fuel management system that poses an unreasonable risk of accidents and injury.”
“I have experienced 4 repeated issues within 4 months with my vehicle. Starting in September 2025 and the 4th and current issue today 1/12/26. Driving when all of a sudden all of my brake components lamps come on dash oard, forward collision alert, and check engine, my vehicle struggles to accelerate accurately. Blue Link diagnostic throws various codes such as ECM, Transmission Control System, even "multiple possible issues". Each time my vehicle has been at Hyundai dealership for repair. Each time they repair something different 1st- replace ABS module and hydraulic brake, 2nd - happened out of state at my mother funeral and replaced my ECM, 3rd couldn't figure it out and guessed it was my Forward collision camera and replaced it, 4th - is today and awaiting dealership diagnosis. This issue has left me stranded several times local and long distance, occured in middle of driving including on highway, and overall uncertain of the safety and reliability of the vehicle as each time it has been the same type of issue. I have been in communication with Hyundai Corporate since October and they stated that even tho I only have 24k miles on the vehicle that it is…”
“At times, this vehicle will refuse to go. You will get an alert in the dash that the emergency braking system has engaged. It may be a door is not completely shut, or sometimes it's just that I don't have my seat belt on. It seems to be inconsistent, because I often times put my seat belt on after I finish backing out, and am ready to go forward. If there is any kind of incident that requires a fast escape, this "feature" could cost somebody their life, or cause them to deal with a carjacking. The car needs to go when I tell it to go.”
“Our daughter was notified by another driver at a stoplight that her brake lights were not working. The car's brake sensors indicated the brake lights were not working, while driving the light went off and the lights worked again momentarily. The Hyundai dealership refused to address the problem when it was taken in for maintenance because the light did not appear for them they said it wasn't possible to a fix it. After an online search, there are instructions on what to do if you are a DIY person. They are very basic if you know your way around the electrical system in the auto. Our daughter lives and works in the Phoenix metro area putting her at risk from collision and being in violation of local ordinance regarding vehicle operation. There were no earlier indications of a problem until 5 days ago.”
“Electrical rear brake system. My rear driver side brake like sometimes fails to operate properly. Brake warning light on dash comes on. This happens on and off. After researching the issue I found numerous owners are having the same issue. Some replace the bulb multiple times while others have had dealerships replace the harness. Both solutions only temporarily fixed the problem for a short time”
Showing 6 of 26 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.