Hyundai has issued a safety recall impacting 421,078 vehicles in the United States due to a front camera software defect that triggers unexpected, premature automatic braking.
The campaign covers 2025–2026 models, including the Tucson (292,805 units), Tucson Hybrid (110,844 units), Tucson Plug-In Hybrid (4,347 units) and Santa Cruz pickup (13,082 units).
There’s no word yet on how many vehicles are affected in Canada. We await an official notice by Transport Canada.
The problem
According to Hyundai’s filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the glitch originates in the software logic of the multifunction front-view camera, which is supplied by tier-one manufacturer Mobis.
The Forward Collision-Avoidance (FCA) system features an overly conservative software calibration that exhibits an "increased sensitivity" to objects ahead. In certain driving scenarios, this causes the vehicle to misjudge object proximity and suddenly slam on the brakes earlier than a driver expects, often without warning. By stopping abruptly in active lanes, the defect heavily elevates the risk of a rear-end collision with closely following traffic.
Hyundai's North American Safety Office opened an investigation in January 2025 following consumer complaints of unintended braking. Engineers replicated the anomaly during track testing in June 2025 and validated a prototype software remedy at test tracks in South Korea.
Hyundai has logged 376 field reports regarding the malfunctioning system. The unexpected braking has already resulted in four documented crashes where Hyundais were rear-ended by other vehicles, causing four injuries.
The solution
To correct the issue, Hyundai dealers will upload a revised software package to the front-view camera at no cost to owners. The update has been retuned to properly realign the system’s autonomous activation timing with real-world driver expectations.
Official owner notification letters are scheduled to be mailed out in mid-July. Canadian owners can check Transport Canada's databases or contact local dealers, as corresponding updates for Canadian-market Tucsons and Santa Cruz models typically follow American safety filings.