YearToAvoid

2006 Hyundai Tucson Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

25/100

#16 most-complained of 21 Tucson years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2006 Hyundai Tucson has 135 owner complaints and 5 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 25 out of 100 — #16 highest of 21 Tucson model years (verdict: Good). The most reported problem area is airbags (37 complaints, 27% of the total). Complaints report 15 crashes, 3 fires, and 17 injuries.

Complaints
135
Recalls
5
Crashes / fires
15 / 3
Injuries / deaths
17 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
21
19 city / 24 hwy

Top 2006 Hyundai Tucson problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags37 (27%)
  2. Engine27 (20%)
  3. Electrical System24 (18%)
  4. Brakes21 (16%)
  5. Other16 (12%)
  6. Suspension, Wheels & Tires15 (11%)
  7. Structure & Body14 (10%)
  8. Steering13 (10%)
  9. Seat Belts8 (6%)
  10. Transmission & Powertrain8 (6%)
2006 Hyundai Tucson complaints: complaints filed per quarter102006 Q22008 Q32010 Q42012 Q42015 Q12017 Q32020 Q32024 Q1
191 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2006 Q2 to 2025 Q4; peak 2014 Q3 (10).

2006 Hyundai Tucson recalls

5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 13V113000Apr 1, 2013Electrical System1,712,336 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  2. NHTSA 09V280000Jul 21, 2009Electrical System3,011 vehicles

    Exterior lighting

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  3. NHTSA 09V122000Apr 15, 2009Electrical System532,633 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

See all 5 recalls for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson →

2006 Hyundai Tucson fuel economy and fuel cost

City
19 MPG
Highway
24 MPG
Combined
21 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,100
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2006 compared with other Tucson years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Caution30185821
2006Good25135521
2007Good1065521
2008Good543121

All Hyundai Tucson years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2006 Hyundai Tucson a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2006 Hyundai Tucson ranks #16 of 21 among Tucson model years (Complaint Index 25/100, verdict: Good). It has 135 complaints and 5 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Hyundai Tucson?
The most reported problem areas are airbags (37 complaints), engine (27 complaints), and electrical system (24 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 65,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Hyundai Tucson have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2006 Hyundai Tucson, most recently reported 2013, covering electrical system and airbags.
What is the fuel economy of the 2006 Hyundai Tucson?
EPA rates the 2006 Hyundai Tucson at 21 MPG combined (19 city / 24 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,100. Where several configurations exist, the median is shown.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.