2006 Hyundai Tucson Problems, Recalls & Reliability
202 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 14/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 38,938 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2006 Hyundai Tucson has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2006 sits among all Tucson years
What owners report
“Air bag light came on and will not go off. Problem has been occurring for several months. Stationary and moving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Tucson
“My esc light comes on periodically, turn vehicle off and it goes out, drive some more, comes back on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Tucson
“2006 hyundai tucson gls 2.7l has leaking valve cover gasket causing oil to drip into the alternator causing failure of alternator.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Tucson
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 158 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 68,757 miles. Half of those reports fall between 30,000 and 121,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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,…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, STATIC AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT TESTING CONDUCTED BY NHTSA USING FIFTH PERCENTILE FEMALE DUMMIES INDICATED THAT A SMALL STATURE ADULT DRIVER NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT AND INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL OR NEAR FRONTAL CRASH, THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AIR BAG MODULE WITH ONE THAT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE AN INCREASED MARGIN OF COMPLIANCE FOR LOW RISK DEPLOYMENT FOR SMALL STATURE ADULTS WHO ARE NOT PROPERLY WEARING THE…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DURING STATIC AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT TESTING CONDUCTED BY NHTSA USING FIFTH PERCENTILE FEMALE DUMMIES INDICATED IF A SMALL STATURED ADULT DRIVER, NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT, IS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL OR NEAR FRONTAL CRASH,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AIR BAG MODULE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 29, 2007, AND WILL BE CONDUCTED THROUGH SIX MAILINGS. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 09V122000.
Technical service bulletins
46 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 Tucson TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Hyundai Tucson reliable?
The 2006 Hyundai Tucson drew 202 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 14/100, scored against the model's worst year (2016).
What are the most common 2006 Hyundai Tucson problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson are airbags (38 complaints), other (28), and electrical (26).
At what mileage do 2006 Hyundai Tucson problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Hyundai Tucson problems around 68,757 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 30,000 and 121,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Hyundai Tucson have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Hyundai Tucson. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.