2024 HYUNDAI TUCSON HYBRID Complaints

I was driving home on Christmas day 2023 in my 4 month old 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. An hour into my 4 hour drive my car began making a low whump whump sound. No alerts or alarms came on my display to indicate anything was wrong. The noise was off and on for a couple miles. Suddenly my emergency brakes slammed on, my dash went red and the alarms went off. No one was in front of or around me. Had someone been behind me I would have been rear-ended. This was while I was going approximately 75-80. It could have caused a massive wreck had the freeway been congested. The noise went away after that and I made the rest of my trip without incident. The dealer said they couldn't replicate it and the analysis showed nothing was wrong so there is nothing they can do. I have found web forums and a Reddit thread with numerous people complaining about the exact same issue with their newer Hyundais. So far a lemon lawyer seems to be the only recourse.

The VESS in the 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid MUST be modulated. It creates a nuisance and living in a Home Owners Association, I am looking at fines for creating a nuisance. THe Law requiring this calls for approx 50 Decibels. This horn is 90 Db. My City has an Ordinance that does not allow noises over 85 Db between 11 PM and 7 AM, and 9 AM on weekends. BECAUSE OF THE NOISE LEVEL WHEN BACKING UP, I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE THIS CAR. I have no choice but to park my car in my garage, thus backing up is mandatory. Also, in parking lots, it is embarrassing for my car to sound like a large garbage truck backing up. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO LESSEN THIS NOISE. MOST IMPORTANT, BECAUSE OF THIS NOISE, I AM FORCED TO RUSH MY BACKUPS, LIKELY NOT CONCENTRATING AS I SHOULD DUE TO THE BLARING EFECT OF 90 DB, AND CAUSING ME TO NOT CONCENTRATE AS WELL AS I SHOULD IF I BACK UP AT "NORMAL" SPEEDS. Also, each time I put the car in reverse, if there is an open window I get a warning on my smart watch that the noise level is dangerously high. ALL OTHERS OWNING THIS CAR ARE SIMILARLY AFFECTED. So in addition to it being illegal, this noise CREATES A GREATER DANGER than a reasonable noise level would create. I an upset with the dealership for not letting me know about that noise. WHen they demo'd the reverse aspect, they did so on a ICE model, not a Hybrid, so I had no way of knowing the unreasonable & illegal noise level. Had I known of this VESS noise, I would not have bought the car. I asked the dealer after owning the car few days what can be done, and they said they would do nothing and they would not allow me to return the car. HYUNDAI NEEDS TO PROVIDE A FIX FOR THIS UNTENABLE SITUATION! IF NO FIX IS IMMINENT THEY MUST ALLOW ME TO RETURN THE CAR WITHOUT A LOSS OF THE MONEY PAID. HYUNDAI NEEDS TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION ASAP!

The rear turn signals sit really low. Several times I've had cars that clearly did not expect me to turn, yet my turn signals were on. I asked my husband to check my lights and we realized if a car was too close behind (which I can't control) or a larger vehicle it would be impossible for them to see the turn signals in the rear. I checked for other complaints and sure enough this is a big concern for many - so much so that a number of folks are trying to fix it by installing LED lights in the hopes of bringing attention to their turn signals! Research is that there is nothing illegal with this, several car manufacturers are doing it and input from the manufacturers is its for aesthetics. I'd rather have an ugly car than an unsafe one. Called the dealer - they were unaware, but asked if they would change the bulbs to LED. They have to find after market bulbs but will call us back. My car is two months old and I don't want it any more - I now fear being rear ended. Many in the forums felt the same way. There should be guidelines, laws, something to prevent manufacturers from sacrificing vehicle safety.

The implementation of the hybrid car backup warning siren exceeds safe noise limits. In order to meet the fed reg requiring the vehicle to emit a sound that reaches the 56 db level 6 feet from the rear bumper- Hyundai installs a >90db speaker in the front of the car. This design decision saved money and meets the standard but at a tremendous cost to those who happen to be in front of the car when it's in reverse. This is big concern for those living in Apts and areas they have to park in close proximity to neighbors homes. In my 2-3 story complex, parking can be 5 feet from a bedroom window. Car owners do not have to right to determine when their neighbors sleep. The sound also travels well with the aid of concrete and brick disturbing dozens! Early or late arrivals can cause irate behavior in those awakened-- so yes this is a safety issue! Hyundai should be forced to recall and install a redesigned sound system for times the car is in EV mode. Honda and Toyota have a friendlier solution to meet this reg. BTW- it should also be required for OEMs to develop software that allows owners to turn off- all the beeps! For example, when a door opened or locked. Again the the beeps are loud and travel well. Flashing lights can be used instead of beeps.