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Before you buy a used Hyundai Tucson (IV).

2020–2026 · Petrol / Hybrid / Plug-in hybrid / Diesel · 4 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Hyundai Tucson (IV), real photo of this generation
Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

All versions

Sheets the catalogue links to all 4 of its engines.

1.6 T-GDi / 48V

Petrol

1.6 T-GDi Hybrid · 1.6 T-GDi Plug-in Hybrid

1.6 T-GDi Hybrid (Hybrid) · 1.6 T-GDi Plug-in Hybrid (Plug-in hybrid)

These also apply, described above: Carbon on the injectors and intake of the T-GDi petrol engines

1.6 CRDi

Diesel

  • Weak points of the small CRDi diesels (U family) from Hyundai and KiaInjection / turbo
    Period mentioned
    Approx. 2005 onwards
    Mileage mentioned
    What the sheet says: German guides rate these engines as robust if maintained: the faults are the typical wear of a modern diesel. Specific points: a stretched chain on some 1.7s (ix35), cracked heads cited by the TÜV on the i30 I, the 1.1 silencer (Rio III), diesel clutches at 60,000–100,000 km (Cee'd I) and a recall of the 1.7 CRDi vacuum pump (5/10/2010–30/4/2011).

    Applies if: U-family CRDi diesel; the specific points were documented on other models with the same engine.

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Hyundai Tucson (IV)
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
1.6 T-GDi / 48VPetrol43 with conditions5
1.6 T-GDi HybridHybridFewest documented32 with conditions6
1.6 T-GDi Plug-in HybridPlug-in hybridFewest documented32 with conditions6
1.6 CRDiDieselFewest documented33 with conditions5

According to the data we have, the engines with the fewest documented faults are: 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid (Hybrid), 1.6 T-GDi Plug-in Hybrid (Plug-in hybrid), 1.6 CRDi (Diesel).

By fuel type, the ones with the fewest documented faults are: Hybrid, Plug-in hybrid, Diesel.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Hyundai dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Hyundai airbag and seat-belt recalls (2003–2026)Airbags and seat belts

How to check it: Check by VIN whether any of the recalls is outstanding (at the dealer or on the DVSA website) and carry out the inspection or replacement it requires.

View full entry
Hyundai brake recalls (2004–2024)Brakes

How to check it: Check by VIN whether any of the recalls is outstanding (at the dealer or on the DVSA website) and carry out the inspection or replacement it requires.

View full entry
Hyundai engine, transmission and software recalls (2013–2026)Powertrain and engine management

How to check it: Check by VIN whether any of the recalls is outstanding (at the dealer or on the DVSA website) and carry out the inspection or replacement it requires.

View full entry
Hyundai electrical, lighting and electronics recalls (2016–2026)Electrical and electronic systems

How to check it: Check by VIN whether any of the recalls is outstanding (at the dealer or on the DVSA website) and carry out the inspection or replacement it requires.

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Hyundai body, seat and fitting recalls (2017–2025)Bodywork

How to check it: Check by VIN whether any of the recalls is outstanding (at the dealer or on the DVSA website) and carry out the inspection or replacement it requires.

View full entry
Intake that freezes and EGR valve corroded by condensation (Tucson and Santa Fe 1.6 T-GDI hybrids)Exhaust and emissions

Engines: 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid (Hybrid) · 1.6 T-GDi Plug-in Hybrid (Plug-in hybrid)

How to check it: Ask the dealer to check whether campaign 9C7 or an equivalent one is outstanding before replacing the EGR valve or the thermostat.

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On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 5 checked

Injection / turbo

  • Look out for: Loss of power, higher consumption, hesitation or rough idle, usually at high mileage.

    Ask them to check: Read misfire and fuel-trim codes; inspect the injectors and valves with a borescope; clean the intake if there are deposits.

  • Look out for: At high mileage or with short trips: carbon in injectors and EGR, a clogged particulate filter, dual-mass flywheel and turbo; isolated cases of a stretched chain (1.7) and cracked heads (early 1.6); a clutch that wears early; on some cars, a cracked silencer (1.1) or the brake-servo vacuum pump (1.7 campaign).

    Ask them to check: Drive long trips to regenerate the filter; listen to the chain when cold; test injectors and EGR; check the vacuum-pump campaign by VIN on the 1.7.

Visibility / electronics

  • Look out for: When switched off, the front wipers do not go back down: they stop halfway up the glass or in a different place each time. They sweep normally while working.

    Ask them to check: Tell the garage that they stop in different places when switched off and ask them to check the tightness of the motor crank arm nut before replacing the wiper motor. The warranty extension is for the US; in Europe, ask the dealer.

Known weak points

  • Look out for: Rattles from badly fitted trim or wheel-arch liners, water leaks after heavy rain and, on the 48 V system, stop-start that only works with a well-charged battery.

    Ask them to check: Check outstanding recalls by VIN (manufacturer, KBA or ADAC website) and have a garage inspect the points listed before buying or before the roadworthiness test.

Automatic gearbox

  • Look out for: Abnormal vibration or shudder when pulling away and at low speed, especially in traffic.

    Ask them to check: At the dealer: run the judder test with the diagnostic tool, install the latest gearbox software and replace the dual clutch only if the judder remains.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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