- Vehicles
- 29
- Built between
- Feb 2025 – Aug 2025
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 23 October 2025
- Repaired
- 100%
- Unrepaired
- 0
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2025 and August 2025. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2025-2026 Hyundai Santa FEBuilt February 2025 to August 2025
- 2025-2026 Hyundai TucsonBuilt February 2025 to August 2025
Repair progress
The manufacturer reports every reachable vehicle in this recall has been repaired, as of Q1 2026.
100% repaired — 29 of 29 reported
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles. The connecting rod bolts in the engine may have been improperly tightened, which can cause a loss of drive power and engine damage, possibly resulting in an oil leak.
What could happen
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. An oil leak in the presence of hot engine components can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
What gets fixed
Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2025.
Parts involved
- Engine Assy-Sub12HS12SK002.5L GDI Theta 3 Engine (2WD/4WD NX4a)
- Engine Assy-Sub24HS12SK002.5T Theta 3 GDI Engine (2WD/4WD MX5a)
- Engine Assy-Sub26HS12SK002.5T Theta 3 GDI Engine (2WD/4WD MX5a)
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2025 to August 2025
- Recall reported to NHTSA25 August 2025
- Owners notified23 October 2025
- Latest repair reportQ1 2026 — 100% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 25 August 2025.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 281.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 281
- Recalling manufacturer
- Hyundai Motor America
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.