Engine oil excessive consumption/burning oil
2020 Hyundai Tucson
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2020 Hyundai Tucson do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 180.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tucson years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 31 of 176 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
71 reportsThe contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light briefly illuminated. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine was not cons…
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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light briefly illuminated. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine was not consuming oil and that an oil change was needed. The dealer advised the contact to return after 1,000 miles to inspect the oil level. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer; however, it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
the car started using a little oil around 80,000 mile, and its just gotten worst , to the point that's it using 1 quart per 150 miles the car runs ok but its ridiculous the amount it is using. and from what I've found researching there is a lot of complaints
Engine run hot smoke from engine car cut off wouldn't restart had totaled to Hyundai company in Lithia Springs Ga was told by service guy that engine locked motor needed replaced. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Heavy oil consumption problem - burns through oil completely every 300 miles. Replaced catalytic converter once already.
MOTOR IS CONSUMING A LOT OF OIL. I need to CHANGE EVERY month, which IS VERY EXPENSIVE
Excessive oil consumption. Confirmed by Strickland service centers on last 2 oil changes. Engine is at risk of failure if oil level drops.
Car broke down first time about 2.5 months ago. It was towed to Fred Beans Hyundai of Doylestown PA and they did oil testing on it and I was told that the car was burning oil too fast. They told me under warranty they needed to do a carbon combustion cleaning. So that was down, and less than 24 hours of having the car back, the …
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Car broke down first time about 2.5 months ago. It was towed to Fred Beans Hyundai of Doylestown PA and they did oil testing on it and I was told that the car was burning oil too fast. They told me under warranty they needed to do a carbon combustion cleaning. So that was down, and less than 24 hours of having the car back, the check engine light came back on, the car wouldn’t drive above 50 miles per hour, and was jumping forward (the same thing that happened the first time) I had the car towed back to the dealership and they told me there was still leftover carbon and it needed to cleaned out again. The car was fine for about 2 months, however just today it broke down again. Same problem, check engine light came on and started flashing, the car will not go above 50 MPH and it jumps forward. I have now been given back a car that is unsafe to drive and put my family and 2 times. Clearly the dealership is not fixing the actual problem at hand and continues to put my family and i’s safety at risk. Each time the car has broken down I have been on the pa turnpike and been put in an extremely dangerous situation.
Car is burning through oil at a rate of 5L per week.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. While the contact’s daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle before the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of th…
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The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. While the contact’s daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle before the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 83,500.
Official recalls
120V543000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Sep 4, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) recalled certain 2019-2021 Tucson vehicles on September 4, 2020. On December 30, 2020, Hyundai expanded the recall population, and added certain 2016-2018 Tucson vehicles. The Anti-lock Brake Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) could corrode internally and cause an electrical short, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine compartment fire can increase the risk of injury or crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HECU fuse. For 2019-2021 model years, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) software will also be updated. Recall repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures as a precaution until the recall repair is complete. The recall began November 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 195.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1AQ23002 · Hyundai And Kia Abs Module Fires
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.
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