2022 HYUNDAI Tucson

While driving our 2022 Hyundai Tucson Limited with the 2.5L engine and about 39,000 miles, the check engine light suddenly came on. Right away the car started behaving strangely. The throttle response became jerky and uneven, and when idling the engine ran at a higher RPM than normal and sounded off. The vehicle also struggled to accelerate, which made it feel unsafe to drive. Thankfully this happened while we were not on the highway, but if it had occurred while merging or keeping up with traffic, it could have been dangerous. Even in city driving, the jerky response and slower acceleration created risk. What would normally be a safe turn across or into traffic could easily have turned into a slower, delayed turn and a potential accident. When we got home, I checked the code and it said it was a cylinder misfire on cylinder 3. The car had been regularly serviced at the dealer and had never shown signs of this issue before. Based on the symptoms, I suspect it may be related to the fuel injectors, but we haven’t been able to get the vehicle in for inspection because local dealers are backed up. One dealer even told us it was fine to keep driving as long as the check engine light wasn’t blinking, which feels concerning given the way the car is performing.

During the early morning of December 23, 2024, at 2am, the vehicle caught fire in the carport of my house. Upon waking up to the noise, I proceeded to evacuate my family from the house due to the amount of smoke inside. The fire damaged approximately one-third of the house. Prior to this incident, the vehicle showed no defects, and all its services were performed by the same Hyundai dealership workshop where I bought the vehicle.

2022 Tucson (NX4, Alabama built) 2.5L Engine experienced a catastrophic failure leading to Hyundai dealer diagnosis that "Cylinder #3 is not contributing properly," which requires a full engine replacement. The vehicle is currently located at home and is available for inspection upon request. The engine scuffing has resulted in a severe loss of power contribution from Cylinder #3, leading to potential for sudden engine stall or complete loss of motive power while driving. If the engine seizes or stalls at highway speeds or during a critical maneuver (e.g., merging onto a freeway or turning across traffic), it creates an unreasonable risk of a rear-end collision or a catastrophic accident, endangering both the driver and others on the road. Furthermore, the internal mechanical failure creates a significant FIRE RISK due to potential oil leakage onto hot exhaust components. The problem has been confirmed by Hyundai Service Center in El Paso, Texas and three independent service centers in Arizona and Texas. All four assessments concluded that the vehicle requires a full engine replacement due to severe internal damage. Inspected by Hyundai Service Center in El Paso, TX. Despite confirming failure, Hyundai refuses to provide critical diagnostic data (Power Balance Test, Endoscopic Inspection, DTCs) and the determined root cause. This refusal hinders warranty transparency. The Check Engine Light (CEL) did not illuminate. Symptoms appeared late September 2025 at approximately 88,000 miles (audible engine noise/scuffing, rough idle, significant power loss). This failure at non-typical mileage demonstrates a severe internal defect and a safety system malfunction (failure of the ECU/CEL to adequately warn the driver). Note: Dashcam video documentation of the engine failure symptoms (audible noise and power loss) is available and can be presented to investigators upon request.