Hyundai Tucson Dashboard Warning Lights
Detailed below are the Hyundai Tucson dashboard warning lights. In general, red warning lights are the most urgent and require immediate attention. The dashboard display layout and warning light location will vary depending on your model version.
Airbag Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson airbag warning light illuminates in red for around 6 seconds when the ignition switch or
the Engine Start/Stop button is set to the ON position. If the warning light stays on, it means there’s a malfunction with the airbag / SRS (Supplemental Restraint System).
Brake Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson brake warning light illuminates in red for around 3 seconds when the ignition switch or
the Engine Start/Stop button is set to the ON position. The brake warning light stays illuminated when the parking brake is on. If the warning light remains on when the parking brake is properly released, it means there’s low brake fluid level in the reservoir.
If driving, stop as soon as possible and top up the reservoir with brake fluid. Check for leaks. If any leaks are found, or the brake fluid does not require topping up, or the brake light remains on, do not continue driving. Note; try manoeuvring the hand brake lever around as the brake warning light remaining on sometimes is caused by a bad hand brake switch.
ABS Warning Light
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) works by using sensors in each wheel to detect if a wheel is locking. When pressing the brakes hard, the ABS reduces brake pressure to keep the wheel rotating just at the point before it locks. This enables the driver greater control of the vehicle. The Hyundai Tucson ABS warning light comes on when the system has malfunctioned. In this instance however, normal brake will resume without the benefits of ABS. It is safe to continue driving, but have system checked as soon as possible. Usual causes for ABS malfunction is a wheel speed sensor.
ABS + Brake Warning Light
If the ABS and brake warning light both illuminate, it means there’s a fault with the Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). EBD allows for altering brake pressures on an individual wheel basis, therefore increasing braking efficiency. With EBD failure, avoid high speed driving and abrupt braking.
Brakes may not operate as expected. Have system serviced by a Hyundai workshop as soon as possible. Note; when the ABS and brake warning light illuminate, the speedometer, odometer, or tripmeter may not work. The EPS warning light may also illuminate. Possible causes is faulty ABS module.
EPB Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson EPB warning light means there’s a fault with the Electronic Parking Brake. If the EPB warning light illuminates along with the ESC warning light, it does not mean the EPB has malfunctioned.
ESC Warning Light
ESC (Electronic Stability Control) operates by use of sensors to determine where you are steering
and where the vehicle is actually going. To aid in stabilizing the vehicle, ESC applies braking pressure to any one of the vehicle’s brakes and intervenes in the engine management system to assist the driver
with keeping the vehicle on the intended path.
If the amber ESC warning remains lit, it means there’s a fault with the system. ESC uses ABS sensors and can often be the cause of fault. If the ESC light flashes, it means the system is operating.
Power Steering Warning Light
The amber steering wheel / exclamation mark is the electronic power steering (EPS) fault light. If you have been making frequent left / right steering movements or had the steering placed at full lock while the engine is on, it may be a temporary fault where the system temporarily shuts off the power steering motor to prevent overheating. While the light is on, steering the vehicle will be more difficult. Have the system checked as soon as possible.
Malfunction Indicator Light
The Hyundai Tucson malfunction indicator light (MIL), often referred to a the check engine light comes on and stays on when there’s a malfunction with the emission control system. Usual causes of the check engine warning light are faulty mass airflow sensor, faulty oxygen sensor or faulty exhaust gas recirculation valve (EGR). There are other possibilities and the only way to locate the fault is to use diagnostic equipment to read fault codes.
Continued driving may cause damage to the emissions control system. On the petrol version of the Hyundai Tucson, if the check engine light is flashing, it usually means an engine misfire is occurring. In this instance, damage to the catalytic converter may occur. Immediately reduce speed until the light stops flashing. On diesel versions of the Tucson, a flashing check engine light is usually related to an error with the injection quantity adjustment which could result in loss of engine power, increased combustion noise and poor emissions.
Battery Warning Light
The red battery warning light remaining lit on the Hyundai Tucson dashboard indicates a charging problem. The fault may lie with the alternator belt – check that it is not broken or loose. Alternatively, the alternator may not be providing sufficient current to charge the battery, or the battery may be old and require replacement. If the light comes on while driving, immediately switch off any utilities that consume electricity and that are not essential. Drive immediately to a vehicle repair workshop as the engine may stop after a time.
Oil Pressure Warning Light
The red Hyundai Tucson oil pressure warning light is one of the more important faults as severe engine damage may occur unless immediate action is taken. If the light comes on while driving, immediately stop the vehicle and switch off the engine. Check engine oil level and if low, add oil. If you do not have spare oil or if after adding oil the light remains on, do not continue driving and keep the engine switched off. In this instance, you will need to arrange for vehicle recovery.
Overspeed Warning Light
The overspeed warning system is only available on certain versions of the Hyundai Tucson in designated areas. The overspeed warning light flashes along with an audible alarm when you drive the vehicle more
than 120 km/h.
Master Warning Light
The amber triangle containing an exclamation mark is the Hyundai Tucson master warning light. The warning light comes on along with a message when a maintenance issue or non-critical malfunction occurs. For example: low washer fluid, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) malfunction, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) malfunction, service reminder etc.
Tire Pressure Warning Light
The amber tire pressure / tyre pressure warning light comes on when one or more tyres has been detected as under-inflated based on the set pressures by the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). The warning light flashes for around 1 minute then stays on if there’s a fault with the TPMS or that a tire has been fitted that doesn’t contain a pressure sensor.
Fuel Filter Warning Light
On diesel versions of the Hyundai Tucson, the fuel filter warning light comes on when water has accumulated in the fuel filter and requires draining. The fuel filter operates the critical function of separating water from the fuel and accumulates water in the bottom of the filter. Locate the fuel filter and replace the cartridge with Hyundai components. Continued driving may result in loss of power and over an extended time, damage may occur to the fuel injector, common rail or high pressure fuel pump.
4WD Warning Light
This warning light comes on when a fault has been detected with the 4WD system.
Headlights Warning Light
This warning light comes on due to a fault with the headlights. Faults may occur due to exterior lights; headlights, brake lights, fog lights because of burned-out bulbs (not LED light) or circuit malfunction.
DPF Warning Light
DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) is responsible for filtering out harmful soot for exiting the exhaust system into the environment. The system is self-cleaning and usually does so without driver knowledge. On occasions (usually after frequent short drives), the DPF warning light comes on and requires driver intervention. To clean the DPF: drive at more than 60km/h (37 mph), or at a high engine speed (1500 to 2000 engine rpm) in a gear higher than 2nd for around 25 minutes.
When the filter has finished cleaning, the warning light goes off. If the warning light fails to go off, try the procedure again. Try to avoid stopping the vehicle if possible. If the warning light begins flashing, damage may occur to the DPF system. Have it checked by a Hyundai workshop.
Immobilizer Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson immobilizer warning light comes on when the vehicle detects the key and the vehicle can be started. The warning light flashes when a fault has been detected with the immobilizer system. The warning light flashes briefly to indicate that the key is not in the vehicle. The immobilizer warning light illuminates for 2 seconds then goes off when the vehicle can not detect the smart key which is in the vehicle
while the Engine Start/Stop button is ON.
This may require assistance from a Hyundai workshop. The immobilizer warning light also flashes when the key battery is weak and requires replacement. The engine can be started if you press the engine start/stop button with the smart key.
Preheat Warning Light
The diesel preheat / glow plug warning light indicates the engine can be started when the light goes off. The illumination time varies with the engine coolant temperature, air temperature, and battery condition. If the warning light flashes, it may indicate a fault with the preheat system.
4WD Lock Mode Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson 4WD lock mode is to increase the drive power when driving on wet, slippery pavement, snow covered roads and/or off-road. Lock mode should not be engaged on dry roads as this can potentially damage 4WD related components.
Auto Hold Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson auto hold light illuminates white when the system is activated by pressing the auto hold button. It illuminates green when the vehicle is stopped by the foot brake and the auto hold system is operational. The auto hold button illuminates amber when there’s a fault with the system.
Downhill Brake System Warning Light
The Hyundai Tucson downhill brake system assists the driver going downhill by slowing down the vehicle under 8 km/h (5mph) (for automatic transaxle / dual clutch transmission) or 8 km/h (5 mph) (for manual transaxle vehicles) and lets the driver concentrate on steering the vehicle. The warning light comes on in yellow / amber when there’s a fault with the system.
Does the Tucson have a low gas light?
Hi Sandi,
Depends on the model. Some have a physical low fuel gauge with a light, others have a digital gauge and warn you of low fuel via a message.
Yes and it beeps to let you know
Why do have three warning lights on at the same time, down heel brake system warning light,ABS and ESC warning lights?
Sounds like a problem with the Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). EBD essentially allows for varying forces of braking on individual wheels. EBD is part of the ABS (anti-lock braking system), as is ESC (Electronic Stability Control). A fault with any of these will not prevent your normal brakes from working, but it may affect the way your brakes operate under certain conditions, such as hard braking. It’s something you’ll need to get looked at right away.
I was driving in dry sunny conditions with a full trunk and 1 passenger when first the traction control and downhill braking assist lights came on (both red). As I continued (nowhere safe to pull off) the oil light and emergency brake light came on. Then a red triangle appeared with “Check _ _ _ _” . I forget the 4 letters, as I was understandably very anxious. I had to stop on an incline, and the car rolled backward as I tried to start again, and appeared to have decreased power. The car was towed to a Hyundai dealer, who says there is no computer record to determine what happened.. please help.
SMART is illuminated on my dash and my Carplay suddenly stopped working 2 weeks ago. What is this and how do I get carplay back?
The 4wd and ABS light on my 2013 Tucson Ltd edition have come on at random times past few months, could that be a sensor?
Hi Jason,
Yes, you’re most likely correct in that it’s an ABS sensor. Hopefully, once you have located and replaced the faulty ABS sensor, both the ABS and 4WD light will go off.
my mil light is staying on not flashing. Is it ok to drive?
Yes, you can usually continue driving, but best to have diagnostics and repair as soon as you can. Prolonged driving with the engine light on can lead to further problems.
2022 Tucson.
We have snow tires without the TPMS installed in them. Obviously the TPMS light is on, but also the Master Warning Light, is this normal when using tires without the monitors?
Hi Andrew,
Difficult to say. The master warning light does illuminate when there’s a TPMS fault, so it is likely due the tires not having sensors installed.
The letters E/T are on under my gas gauge, and my tank is full. I use 89 octane. Can you tell me what these letters mean.
Hello Norma,
It’s an Elapsed Time trip metre. So you can start it at the beginning of a trip to measure the time it takes to arrive.
My 71 plate Hyundai Tucson 1.6 petrol has alight on the dash that would normal if I had the diesel with clogged filters. How do I cure the light when it’s petrol? Light remains on, no flashing
Hello Gary,
New petrol cars can also have these filters, but of course rather than Diesel particulate filter (DPF), they’re called Petrol Particulate Filters (PPF). They operate on the dame principle as DPF. However, petrol engines run hotter than diesel engines and so the PPF shouldn’t become clogged as much and the heat of the engine tends to burn off the soot. However, if you do almost exclusively short journeys in your car, you may still have this issue of a clogged filter. There also seems to be some drivers saying the problem becomes worse in lower temperatures. You should be able to clear the filter the same way as you would a diesel – a good drive on a long stretch of road should sort it. If that doesn’t sort it, best to have it looked at.
I have a HYUNDAI TUCSON 2019 Model and I have the LOCK warning symbol in orange on my dashboard. What does this mean ? I am able to drive the car normally.
Hello Dave,
You mean the 4WD lock mode warning light or immobilizer light?
Hi
I have a 2016 Tucson. My Downhill brake & ABS & ESC lights have come on intermittently -approx 4 times in the last 6 months and my garage couldn’t find an issue on diagnostics , and the lights went off after a few turns on & off each time. Sometimes by the time I got to the garage & they probably thought I was imaging it.. However this eve all are on ( and obvs the engine light) and are amber and are not going off with several on/off attempts. Would a sensor or issues with any of these functions cause the other lights to come on? Thanks, Orla
Hello Orla
Had the engine light came on previously when you went to the garage? Usually when the engine light comes on, a fault code is generated and stored, which can then be picked up using diagnostic tools. Usually a fault with ESC / ABS is often due to a wheel speed sensor fault, but equally, when there’s an engine fault (engine warning light comes on), the ESC and ABS systems can be automatically disabled due to the systems being inadvertently triggered due to the engine fault. You need to find out why the engine light is on and the only way to do that is with diagnostics. If you hadn’t taken your Tucson to an official Hyundai dealer, it might be worth doing so as they will have the right tools for diagnostics.
Hi there
Thanks so much for the reply. Yes the engine light had come on, but went off again. Diagnostic said showing as throttle but it was checked & all ok. I’m booking it in anyway & I’ll update if we get to the bottom of it in case it helps others.
Orla
Thanks Orla and good luck.
I am getting the error ” check your left signal” but bulbs are fine.. what else it could be??
I have a 6 yr old Hyundai Tuscan. A red triangle ( with 2 smaller silver triangles within it ) appeared on the dashboard
If pressed the two indicators work. Is this a warning light to following traffic if I stop unexpectedly. How do I turn it off
I have a 6year old Hyundai Tuscon while driving on the highway light flashed on the dashboard Transmission Protection ! Reduce Speed with foot on the pedal picture (in which someone in the car took a picture of ) also the check engine light came on ? what’s the issue i need help !
Hi,
Based on the age, it may require transmission service / fluid change. With both the transmission and engine light on, you’ll almost certainly have fault codes stored. These need to be read using a diagnostic scan tool. That would be the first thing to do as hopefully, they will point you in the right direction of the fault.
I have a 2016 Tucson the ESC and downhill brake assist lamps come on amber and steady after about one minute of driving. Also with my wife in the drivers seat the airbag lamp goes on and intermittently. Can anyone help
Hi Gerry,
ESC / Downhill Brake Assist and ABS all make use of wheel speed sensors. Due to their location, they can often get damaged.
Brought the vehicle to the dealership and they say it is a faulty brake vacuum pump. Not sure how they relate. Pretty expensive part and no aftermarket available. Thanks
Thanks for the update Gerry.
Both ESC and downhill brake assist make use of the vehicle’s brakes, so it would make sense. Usually a pretty sturdy component though, unusual for it to go.
I was in agreement with you I thought it would be a speed sensor. They ordered the part. I will let you know how it goes. Said it was a common problem and that there is a recall. Not sure about that?
Ahh right, a recall. That makes more sense then. Good luck and thanks for the update.
I have had a 2021 Tucson for 18 months now, and tonight for the first time, both the light indicator and the low beam indicator turned on when my headlights came on. I always leave them on auto. Normally just the regular light indicator turns on, not the low beam one. Is it possible this was faulty and they pushed some sort of software update to it? Or do I need to start tinkering with the headlight switches to figure out what I turned on that shouldn’t be on?
Hi Charlie,
If you had a software update and everything appears to be working, it’s likely something they would call a minor bug fix. As long as everything is working, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Always ensure the sensor is kept clear and clean, it’s located on top of the dashboard.
My MIL warning sign is staying on my 2020 diesel Tucson, it is accompanied by the letter A with a circle around it flashing. What does this mean.
Hi Andy
The letter A with a circle around is related to the engine auto start / stop system. It’s probably illuminating because of the reason that’s causing the engine light to come on. When the engine light (MIL) comes on, a fault code is usually generated and stored. You then need diagnostic tools to read the fault code(s) that will hopefully point you in the direction of the malfunction. All vehicle workshops have diagnostic tools. That’s the best action to take because there’s a multitude of reasons that can cause the engine light to come on.
Hi i have 2021 tucson petrol but the dpf ligt comes on does petrol cars have dpf
Hi Sophonias,
Yes, some cars do have a petrol particulate filter (PPF). Petrol particulate filters don’t tend to clog up as much as diesel filters due to petrol engines generally running hotter than diesels, so the soot tends to burn off easier. As with a diesel, a good run on a 60mph+ road should sort it. If the particulate light stays on, don’t ignore it and contact your warranty provider.
Leaving work today, the tire lock, downhill brake, ABS, low traction, yellow triangle with exclamation and red steering wheel with exclamation lights all came on. The message check BSD system also came on.
I have a warning light in my instrument panel showing that the authold is engaged (its showing in red color), even tho it isn’t. When I turn the engine off, and then on again the warning light is gone, but reappears after around 10 minutes or so.
Ive tried turning the authold on/off without turning off the engine, and tried engaging and disengaging the electronic parking brake but nothing changes.
I took it to a dealership and they couldn’t find the problem. Seems like everything is okay.
Has anyone had this problem before?
Edit: not autohold but electronic parking brake light.
My 2018 Hyundai Tuscon,
On the dash keeps flipping to Service is off. The dealer kept going to the
page book and changing it to speed, then to the compass etc. It kept going back to
Service is off. What is this? My Bluetooth recently stopped working and I had to disconnect
it. At one time the entire dash stayed on when the car was off, almost impossible to get off, I had to keep
turning the car on and off. I also believe I already have a transmission problem, the car moves slowly in gear
and it hesitates. I had the exhaust system looked at and it’s good.
Green downhill brake light comes on and car bucks and shut off. Anyone else? This happens periodically and is dangerous on the highway. Hyundai can’t figure it out. I said a friend replaced electrical panel his stopped the refuse to hear me
Hi, while driving my 2011 Hyundai Tucson Limited, after a rain shower, I drove across some uneven pavement, at which time, my ABS, ESC, Tire Pressure, and downhill brake assist Telltale ALL came on, one after the other essentially, and have stayed on. At the same time, the steering resistance decreased significantly. Can you point me in the right dictation as to what might be going on?
Hi Danielle,
Have you checked tire pressures? Possibly a wheel speed sensor issue. Wheel speed sensors will affect ABS, ESC and brake assist and can also impact on your vehicle’s power steering. Driving along an uneven road or wet conditions can cause problems with wheel speed sensors that are old. Best place to start is to scan for fault codes. If there are any, these codes will point you into the right direction of the problem. You can often get the codes read for free, so definitely the place to start.
2023 Tucson SEL
Getting Engine Oil Pressure Warning Light, Malfunction Indicator Lamp, Charging system Indicator light & Immobilizer Indicator Light on my dashboard. Does anyone had the same issue? The car doesn’t start. The remote start also doesn’t work.
Have a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. While driving the steering wheel warning lite came on a long with down hill warning lite.
I have 2023 Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid and it shows yellow 4-wheel mark in the middle of drving. And turn off engine and turn on, it disappear. I visited twice Hyundai service and they replaced transfer case and still problem.
I own a 2017 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 2WD, and I’ve recently noticed a slight delay in the starting process (accompanied by a crank sound). Strangely, the Eco mode has been activated during this weak battery period, even though my car doesn’t come with an Eco activation button. Despite replacing the battery, I’m still unable to deactivate the Eco mode since there’s no button for it. Could someone provide some insight into this situation?
Is there an oil level indicator on a 2024 Tucson Sel?
Hi Chris,
Not from what I can see in the manual.