Hyundai Forum - Hyundai Enthusiast Forums

I know the Tucson is based on the Elantra platform, but I'm not sure how many Elantra issues apply to the Tucson. A few to watch out for:

1. You have the full new-car warranty until you reach 60,000 miles or 5 years from when the car was put into service with the original owner, whichever comes first. Your dealer should know what the date is that the car was put into service.

2. If you have an automatic transmission, make sure that when you service it, you ALWAYS use ONLY SP-III AT fluid. This is generally only available at dealers for cars that use this fluid (Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi and maybe Chrysler). Don't take the car to a generic shop to get an AT service, the dealer is the best place to go to make sure they use the right fluid. If they are a multi-brand franchise, make sure they will use only SP-III on your car. The trannies are pretty good, as long as they are properly maintained.

3. Make sure you use an oil filter that is compatible with your car. Honda and Hyundai filters have the same mounting base, but the bypass valve has a higher range on the Honda than on the Hyundai. The result is that if a Honda-spec filter is used on a Hyundai, and its valve is on the high end of the range, your Hyundai engine can experience oil starvation and it will ruin the engine. Some generic oil change shops don't pay attention to brand as long as the base fits, and will sometimes use the wrong filter. A nearby dealer charges me $15.95 (with coupon) for oil change using a Hyundai filter, so I just take it to the dealer. Check the websites of Hyundai and Kia dealers in your area to see if you can find a similar deal.

4. Rear discbrakes on Elantras have been known wear out before the fronts, due to the design of the proportioning valve that splits the front and rear braking pressure. If the rear brake is the same design as the Elantra, a special tool is needed to change the pads; you can't just use a C-clamp to push the piston, the tool is used to twist it out. (If you go to a brake shop and don't do it yourself, don't worry about the tool.)

5. Some Elantras have an issue with wheel vibration at about 65 mph. It seems like there are several contibuting factors to this. The wheels should be kept balanced (use of a Hunter balancing machine that takes out road force variation is helpful, see their website to find a shop with their machine: http://www.gsp9700.com/). Other contributing factors are tires and tire inflation, and possibly imbalanced brake discs. Most people don't have a major issue with this, but I've felt it at times in my Elantra to a small degree.