Defect Alert – Hyundai Tucson Transmission Problems

April 02, 2012
By: Robert Silverman


The lemon law attorneys at Kimmel & Silverman have received word from several distressed drivers that Hyundai is having recurring transmission problems with its Tucson model, resulting in a number of vehicles having their transmissions replaced, while others are continuing to go back to the shop repeatedly with no fix in sight.

Hyundai Tucson drivers are complaining on message boards of vehicles failing to go into reverse, transmission fluid leaks, fluid changing colors, and parts on back order.

If you are having Hyundai Tucson transmission problems, it is essential that you hold on to all repair invoices. If you find that you are having to return to the shop repeatedly for your Tucson transmission issue, or if you find that your Hyundai Tucson is in the shop an extended period of time, it is essential that you look into your State Lemon Law or Federal Warranty rights. You could be looking at a repurchase, a new vehicle, or significant monetary compensation. Best of all, Lemon Law help is completely cost-free.

For more information, call 1-800-LEMON-LAW (1-800-536-6652) or fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form.


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37 Responses to “Defect Alert – Hyundai Tucson Transmission Problems”


  1. #1 Sofia G says:

    I have the same problem with my Tucson!!!
    refuses to go into reverse and it stopped in the middle of the road on the highway! my friends Tucson just did it as well.

    • #2 Anna says:

      I have had nothing but problems with my 2011 Tucson! It stopped in the middle of the road on my way to work. It only has 18000 miles and shouldn’t be doing this!

      • #3 LemonLaw says:

        Anna: Call us at 1 800 LEMON LAW to see how we can help.

        • #4 s.f.swanepoel says:

          i got a 2 litre tuson he dont go in revers or foword if go in foreword only stay in 3rd gear and here in klerksdorp no one want to work on it

          • #5 LemonLaw says:

            Contact Hyundai corporate if you are getting the runaround with dealers.

            • #6 David says:

              I have brought in my Tucson for the clunking transmission issue 5 times now. Each return to the service center results in a “cannot duplicate” response.

              At first I indicated it might be a bad inboard CV joint due to the small clunking sound, but it has gotten louder and bigger. While under the car I checked CV play, and there was none.

              Any tips would be great. The dealer has repeatedly stated nothing is wrong, and they cannot duplicate this.

              It happens when cold. A smaller clunk can be heard when I shift into reverse (from a complete stop), while backing into my drive way up a small incline….Sounds exactly like a bad CV joint click.

              2011 Hyundai, Tucson GLS 2wd.

              27,000 miles,
              Location: Guam, USA

              1. On the morning of 28 March 2013, approximately 20 seconds after starting the vehicle the transmission was shifted into drive, a loud mechanical “clunk” was heard and FELT from the driver’s seat, the transmission did not respond, the vehicle would not move when the gas pedal was depressed, and the P,R,N,D indicator in the dash board display went blank. The car was shifted into P, a loud mechanical “clunk” was heard and felt followed by a loud “crunch”. The ignition was turned off, and the vehicle was restarted with no issues once the vehicle was warmed up.

              2. Upon receipt of the vehicle from Recall service for the transmission cooling line coupling, the vehicle began exibiting the transmission disengage and reengage symptom while driving under acceleration. This occurs approximately once a day under any incline or flat condition while accelerating.

              3. In the last 2-3 days while accelerating up hill, specifically up the route 16 under pass road while accelerating up to 45 mph the vehicle will down shift to climb the hill. Under 2 conditions 1. cruise control engaged, 2. Constant accelerator pedal application….the vehicle will not re-upshift once the hill has been completed and keeps an elevated RPM range of approximately 3000 rpm even while on level ground while passing Tax and Revenue. The RPM’s do not lower and the transmission will not up shift until either the brake pedal is depressed (to disengage the cruise control), or the accelerator is lifted. NOTE: the entire time this situation is occurring the ECON green light is illuminated..

              • #7 Johnnie Godwin says:

                Acceleration/hesitation defect on Hyundai 2013 Tucson: Rented July 9-15 from a car rental. Brand-new Hyundai Tucson [and I own a 2007 Hyundai I love] became my vehicle for a week. Sudden power surges from braking or being still and then no response or movement forward without pumping and then getting jerked occurred. Part of this time I was in stop-and-go interstate traffic construction. Dangerous enough to risk serious harm or death. I tried to return the car from another rental car location. No luck. I returned the car on time with severe reports of the defect and danger.

                • #8 David DUnn says:

                  2011 Hyundai Tucson GLS 2.4L Update -17 Aug 2013

                  Just got the 30K miles service completed 2 months ago, and low and behold I go over 31K miles and the slippage begins again followed by the HUD going blank and the car being immobilized until the key is turned off and back on to reset everything.

                  The TCU was replaced, the brake light switch, the ECU and the shift linkage. Now a TSB for the transmission inhibitor switch has my Tucson in the shop for the last month….looking to be there until Sept 2013 for the part to come in.

                  The clear coat on my roof also began to exhibit spot bonding loss (small air bubbles under the clear coat), dealership is getting the top resurfaced and clear coated under warranty.

                  The dealership requested to return my car broken to me, my response was if it leaves my wife stranded at 0200 in the morning, you can either find it in flames on the side of the road or driven through your showroom window in the morning….I was given a brand new demo car until my Tucson is returned.

                  I also offered a Memorandum for record stating if the same incident comes up again and requires a 5th visit for the same symptom I would pursue Lemon Law buy-back efforts..They refused to sign.

                  • #9 Michelle says:

                    I purchased a brand new 2013 Tucson this summer and for the last 2 months I have had nothing but problems. First, the engine light came on. I was told by the dealership they could not find anything wrong with the SUV. Next I experienced “chugging” to the point the SUV would not accelorate. Again, back to the dealerhsip. That was blamed on low quality gas purchases. So I went on to the good quality gasoline as advised and the “chugging” has continued, albeit, not as bad as it was. Now, on the first real cold snap of the winter, my car wound not start. I am waiting to hear what the problem is, but I am a very unhappy Tucson owner.

                    • #10 LemonLaw says:

                      @Michelle: Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/state-lemon-laws/ to read about your State’s Lemon Law.

                      • #11 Tonya says:

                        My 2013 Hyundai Tucson Transmission has gone out twice and I have been with out my car for 3 days now, my car has 38,000 miles on it. The first time it went out they had the car for 3 weeks and returned to car to me and then 10 days later the car went out again.

                        • #12 Tonya says:

                          I meant I have been without my car for 30 days now

                          • #13 Jonathan says:

                            Just purchased used 2012 yesterday and having slight hesitation issues already. Nothing serious yet but should i be worried? Any advice?

                            • #14 LemonLaw says:

                              @Jonathan: If the problem persists, continue to bring it back to the authorized manufacturers dealership to address. Make sure you hold on to all of your invoices and if you are back in the shop repeatedly, visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a firm in your state that can help you.

                              • #15 karan sharma says:

                                I hav a 2007 tucson ..
                                when I ride it in 3rd gair its axle cross makes some rude noise
                                & don’t know how to fix it du u hv any suggestions. .????

                                • #16 Mark says:

                                  The transmission on my 2007 Tucson jammed this morning in the drive position. I was able to turn off the engine but not remove the key. Apparently it fell apart within the casing. It hasn’t felt right since it came back from it’s state inspection at the dealership 3 weeks ago. Now they want $650 to fix it and asked me what is stuck
                                  In there to cause this, which I found quite shocking. Not covered under warranty they said.

                                  • #17 BobD-Mobile2 says:

                                    The transmission on my 2012 Tuscan Limited 4/cl seems to “slip” or otherwise does not engage after I let off the gas then re-engage the gas pedal. This has been a continuing problem since I purchased the car and was looked at shortly after with the mechanic resetting some control that apparently adjusts to the driver’s actions. It is especially dangerous when crossing multiple lanes of traffic and could lead to an accident. The strange thing is, every once in a while the transmission works as it should, smoothly shifting through the various gears and, seemingly, to have more power.

                                    • #18 holyKal says:

                                      Our 2012 Tucson started slipping when applying the throttle 2 months ago. It has 62k on it. Many people have gotten good results from replacing the AT fluid temp sensor. I am having a hard time finding a replacement part, besides I think Hyundai should pay for it. This is our 4th Hyundai and the first we’ve had a problem with.

                                      • #19 Fuad Hassan says:

                                        Bought new 2013 Tucson
                                        Problem with gear transmission
                                        Problem to accelerate
                                        Just repaired

                                        • #20 Linda Oreilly says:

                                          Bought a 2012 Tucson in 2014.I noticed the transmission is slipping into neutral.It happened 3 times now.I worried about it because it happened when I was making a left hand turn.And cars were coming at me.

                                          • #21 marie says:

                                            Bought a 2013 Tucson about a year and a half ago. Hubby was driving it the other day when he said something didn’t feel right. That night when he went to drive it to the dealership to get looked at the car wouldn’t move forward only in reverse! They looked at it and said i need a new transmission. My car only has 50,000 miles on it . This should not be happening. Im very disappointed as I do love my Tucson, but now Ill be worrying every time I drive it that something like this doesn’t happen again.

                                            • #22 Steve Yurka says:

                                              My 2008 Hyundai Tucson, manual shift, won’t go into gear…i was told that it is probably a clutch problem. It is now in the shop being diagnosed….I purchased this vehicle 4 months at the Auto Nation Ford dealership here in St. Petersburg, FL. Is this a recall problem?
                                              Thanks…Steve

                                              • #23 robb says:

                                                We have a 2015 Tucson that we bought new and we are having transmission issues. My wife had it slip a couple months ago but we didn’t think a lot of it. Today it would not go into reverse. Towed to Hyundai and they found nothing. Drove it home with no issues but now we are resigned that we will have to drive it until it breaks so they can no longer claim nothing is wrong. Won’t be covered under warranty I’m sure.

                                                • #24 LemonLaw says:

                                                  @Robb: Why would it not be covered under warranty? If you are not getting satisfaction at your dealer, take it to another one. And take your smart phone out and make a video when it happens.

                                                  • #25 Val says:

                                                    My 2016 Tucson has transmission issues and dealership can’t find anything. About a week ago I stopped at the traffic light on a red and couldn’t move from that spot when the light turned green. The car was in a drive mode and was making loud noises like if it was on a racing track and was about to race, but wasn’t moving. I had to put it in a Parking mode, then back into Driving and pushed the gas again, but it still wasn’t going anywhere. Then I put it back in Parking, turned it off completely, started it again and pushed the gas, hoping that full restart would fix the issue. There was no change in my car’s behavior even after the restart. I kept on pumping the gas pedal and after 30-40 seconds, something happened and my car finally started moving. It slooooooowly rolled over the intersection on already yellow light but it wasn’t going any faster than 5 mi/hr no matter what I tried. Then I pulled into the parking lot and turned my car off again. After this restart it was acting normally again as nothing had happened, so I was able to get to work and back. When I dropped my car at the dealership at the end of the week, they weren’t able to find any issues besides just saying that Tucsons are known for “slow gear switching issues” like the teeth not griping fast enough to switch to the next level or something like that. This is not slow switching, this is not switching at all!

                                                    • #26 NITZA GONZALEZ says:

                                                      Leased my Tucson on May 20, 2016 and on July 4th experienced the 1st set back was stuck in traffic and the message came on saying “Transmission temp. is high! Stop Safely” which is hard to do when you are stuck on a highway in traffic.

                                                      2nd time it happened on Sunday July 17th again stuck in traffic and the same message came on.

                                                      The other problem is stopped at a STOP SIGN and couldn’t move. The car was in a drive mode and was making reving up like if it was burning wheels but wasn’t moving. Smelled like something burning.

                                                      Because I have only had the car for 40 days happy to say HYUNDAI is purchasing the car back so I can go ahead and lease something else instead.

                                                      Guys you have to call Hyundai because if you leave it under the repair shop they will never fix it because the issue is bigger than a simple fix. Good Luck to all and be SAFE!

                                                      • #27 Julie Bray says:

                                                        Purchased 2007 hyundai used. check engine light reads P741, P700 codes. stating tcm issues and need to replace transmission?

                                                        • #28 Vicky M says:

                                                          Purchased a 2016 Tucson in the middle of July-it has stalled numerous times, doesn’t always go when you hit gas pedal, and today “Transmission Temperature High-Stop Safely” light came on. Called service dept. where I bought vehicle-they told me they are aware of this problem-then why isn’t Hyundai doing something about this dangerous and life threatening problems. The thrill of having a new vehicle has turned into fear of driving it. Any one else having these issues.

                                                          • #29 Brittney Silver says:

                                                            My 2010 Hyundai Tucson was purchased new. My transmission went out at 101,000 miles and I had to pay for it out of pocket because my 100,000 warranty was over by just 1,000 miles. This is unjust, considering that the mechanic told me himself that the transmission is supposed to last the life of the car and he has never seen this happen before. Now, after paying over $3,000 to get the car fixed, it is now making a strange noise when I back up. There is no way this car is not a lemon. I need help!!!!!!!!!

                                                            • #30 Ron says:

                                                              I just leased a 2017 Tuscon not even 4 days in my possession I only started the car to back in to my garage and I got the same message transmission temp high and the the car would not move,on day 6 this Monday I have an early appointment with the service people and after reading all these blogs I think I have no faith in the transmission problem being repaired. What good is a brand new car to worry if it will run I will have to try to get out of this lease

                                                              • #31 JOHN MAHER says:

                                                                I am the owner of a 2012 Hyundia Tuscom ,This car has given me nothing ut rolems such as a brake caliber falling out,some small oil filter shutting down the car on the highway,but the best won was just the other day,it seems that the car was going down the highway when all of a sudden there was no power to get control of the car,I was forced to my a sudden move where I was almost in an accident with a tractor trailer,upon that NH State Police pulled in behind and ask if I was alright I told him the car lost power to the wheels after a quick look he thought it might be the transmission,So I called the dealer and he new who I was,i guess its from being there so many times with this car.I hope anybody who has a Hyundia Tucson will take what has happened to me will look into this problem before somebody is killed. John Maher

                                                                • #32 Susan mcauliffe says:

                                                                  2007 Tucson bought in 2007. Has less than 44,000 miles on it. So far got 4 new tires, a new battery about 2 yrs ago and I am now getting a new transmission.
                                                                  Brought car in for service because getting a thud noise from car every time I stopped and then accelerated from a full stop. They did a test run and reset car to when it was built. Worked for 9 months. Now doing it again. Got the okay for new transmission. Seems like every time I bring car in for normal service, other problems found which ups the cost of the service.

                                                                  • #33 Ruth Ann Matyas says:

                                                                    Had to have front drive shaft replaced in 2012hyundai Tucson. Ever since having problems with car shifting. Brought to dealer put new module transmission flush ok for a couple weeks now car doesn’t back up . Going forward stays in 4 gear wont shift. More and more money each time .heading back 3rd time

                                                                    • State: Vermont
                                                                  • #34 Chris says:

                                                                    My wife purchased a 2016 Tuscon AWD Turbo with all the bells and wissles. Her Tuscon is beautiful car, and we’re long time Hyundai drivers. Her Tuscon trans has been acting crazy ever since she hit about 40k miles. It will stop dead in middle of traffic anywhere daying over heated. It will sit at a stop sign and not move at all when tou give it gas. Turning in a parking lot it will start slipping, and doing a start and stop.
                                                                    They suck… stay away from the new Tuscon.

                                                                    • State: WA
                                                                  • #35 John says:

                                                                    Wife bought 2012 Tucson used in 2013 with 22K miles on it. The transmission just gave out on us this morning on my 20 minute drive home. I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden there was a loss of power and the car wouldn’t accelerate over 60mph. The rpm gauge seemed to have shut off as the needle stayed at 0 as I was driving. I did make it home, but barely. On the way home it would barely shift gears and was shaking and making a faint noise when at idle. Current mileage 109K. Started noticing transmission issues at around 60K (rough shifts, jerk when put into gear, slipping gears), but the issues would come and go.

                                                                    • State: IL
                                                                  • #36 Caryn Smith says:

                                                                    Purchased a 2019 Tucson a week ago and when I go in reverse it begins shaking really bad. There is not even 1000 miles on the car yet. Should I be concerned

                                                                    • State: Missouri
                                                                  • #37 Andrea Banks says:

                                                                    My 2005 Tuscon just started doing this and I cant afford to fix it! I need it to go to work. I need help! It wont go past 3rd gear, even in manual. I cant go more that 40kmph (25mph) without it revving to over 5000rpms and my check engine light is on. I’m literally broke and cant afford to fix this right now!

                                                                    • State: SK

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