Hyundai Tucson Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 142 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Tucson across 20 model years. The 2016 model year has the most (29). The words owners use most often: “turn signals” (8% of reports).
- 142exterior lighting complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 6related recalls
- 34%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Turn signals: mentioned in 11 of 142 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 71 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 142 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Hyundai Tucson exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Tucson | 3 | 5% | — |
| 2025 Tucson | 17 | 6% | 3,940 |
| 2024 Tucson | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Tucson | 5 | 4% | — |
| 2022 Tucson | 8 | 2% | 25,800 |
| 2021 Tucson | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2020 Tucson | 4 | 2% | 70,000 |
| 2019 Tucson | 6 | 2% | 3,618 |
| 2018 Tucson | 13 | 3% | 18,000 |
| 2017 Tucson | 15 | 1% | 29,000 |
| 2016 Tucson | 29 | 2% | 47,000 |
| 2015 Tucson | 2 | 1% | 50,000 |
| 2014 Tucson | 2 | 1% | 8,900 |
| 2012 Tucson | 2 | 1% | 6,825 |
| 2011 Tucson | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2010 Tucson | 3 | 5% | 89,346 |
| 2009 Tucson | 1 | 6% | 1,000 |
| 2007 Tucson | 5 | 8% | 104,305 |
| 2006 Tucson | 9 | 7% | 69,099 |
| 2005 Tucson | 13 | 7% | 61,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (6)
Electrical system:software; exterior lighting
Model years: 2022
Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Tucson vehicles. The software installed in the Integrated Central Control Unit (ICU) may be incompatible with the vehicle, which could result in inoperative headlights and/or taillights.
Risk: Inoperative headlights or taillights can decrease visibility for both the driver and surrounding traffic, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers updated the ICU software, free of charge. All affected vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be mailed. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 214.
Exterior lighting:tail lights
Model years: 2016
Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Hyundai Tucson vehicles manufactured May 26, 2015 to January 15, 2016 and equipped with an accessory trailer hitch harness either included with the accessory trailer hitch or sold as a service part. In the affected vehicles, when the vehicle's engine is running and the brake lights are illuminated, if the turn signal is activated, the trailer turn signal lights will either turn off or remain continuously illuminated (not flash). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Failure to illuminate the trailer's turn signal lights would prevent the communication of the driver's intent, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the tow hitch harness, free of charge. The recall began on May 2, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9640. Hyundai's number for this recall is 142.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Problem: 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.
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.
Exterior lighting
Model years: 2010
Problem: Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2010 tucson vehicles manufactured from february 27, 2010, through april 17, 2010 for failing to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment," for the photometry requirements of the rear reflector assemblies installed in the rear bumpers.
Risk: This could lead to reduced visibility of the rear of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear reflector assemblies, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during june 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.
Exterior lighting
Model years: 2005, 2006, 2007
Problem: 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.
Risk: Any of these malfunctions could lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on september 2, 2009. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico customer service at 1-787-999-4310.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2005, 2006, 2007
Problem: 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.
Risk: Any of these malfunctions, alone or in combination, may lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on june 29, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Issues: 1. Stop lights failure light turns on and off. 2. Engine light failure notification turns on and off. 3. Headlights low bims failure notification turns on and off. Actions taken: 1. Headlights low bims bulbs were changed. 2. Engine light codes reviewed and updated as report showed; however…
loss of info system loss of all dash lights when I turn the engine off most of the time I loose all electrical systems (will not start for at least 15 minutes) if doors lock I can only unlock the drivers door with the auxiliary key. Has tried to shift in to park while driving (one time) Lost all…
I own a 2026 Hyundai Tucson Limited and am reporting extremely poor daytime visibility of the entire lower row of touch-sensitive controls on the center dashboard. The illuminated symbols and status indicators are so dim in normal daylight, and especially in bright sunlight, that they are difficult…
Two instances of the center screen malfunctioning. One was an intermittent blip of the screen turning black and then turning back on while driving. Additionally, during this same instance of the intermittent blip of the screen turning off for about 3 seconds, my headlights which are set to auto…
This problem was observed about 1 month ago: While driving and headlights set on AUTO, during the day, and the light switch NOT on, the dashboard would indicate the lights were ON, for just a second or two, and would go off. At night with the headlights set on AUTO and the headlights ON, while…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Hyundai Tucsons have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 142 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the Hyundai Tucson. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Hyundai Tucson exterior lighting?
Yes: 6 safety recalls list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Tucson?
The most frequent phrase is “turn signals”, in 11 of 142 complaints.
Other Hyundai Tucson problems
- Engine problems (2,381)
- Power Train problems (1,215)
- Electrical System problems (730)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (388)
- Structure problems (384)
- Service Brakes problems (379)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (359)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (341)
See all Hyundai Tucson problems.