2017 Hyundai Tucson - DCT

Do the same dct problems exist on the 2017 Tucson

Not a Tucson, but what C&D says about the DCT in their long term test of a 2017 Soul:
Our long-term 2017 Kia Soul Turbo rolls with the same engine and DCT as the Veloster Ultimate, and its transmission serves up a smorgasbord of bumpy shifts and low-speed shudders—along with a predilection for early upshifts that make the little crossover seem much slower than it is.

Definitely. Here is the proof. Notable is that for the 2019 model year, Hyundai has discontinued the turbo and the DCT for Tucson. Back to a normally-aspirated four and an automatic (non DCT) transmission. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The complaints did drop, but even in 2018 owners were reporting the issue. We did a warning story here at CarTalk on the Tucson.

Data from Consumer Reports for the Tucson say that “Transmission, Minor” reliability is much worse than average for the 2016 and worse than average for the 2017. That “Minor” category includes “rough shifting, slipping transmission” etc. "Transmission, Major " reliability is much better than average for all years 2011-2017. That includes “rebuild or replacement” etc.

A lot of times we hear about dealers performing updates to transmission software. Any success stories out there?

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Thank you (l guess). The salesman apparently forgot to mention the DCT thing to me. In about a year and a half and 13,500 miles, my 2017 Limited has done the bog from a dead stop about 4 or 5 times and refused to move after shifting from park twice. Guess I’ve got a good one.

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The salesman probably has no idea what kind of transmission the vehicle has. Also that is something he has been told not to talk about unless asked.

Have you had the service department look at this vehicle because even if they don’t find a problem at that time it will be on record for future problems that might even be after the warranty period.

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Yes. I have taken it in twice. If they see no computer code, they are at sea. Their response has been " it’s a DCT, this behavior is normal "

Unfortunately, they’re correct. There’s a reason that DCTs should only be in high-dollar cars like Porsche, and it’s because the margins on normally-priced cars are too low to spend the money to make the DCT work properly.

The Hyundai DCT will get the job done, but it’ll irritate you while it does it.

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What is a shame is that when working properly that combination is fantastic. I love it in the Kona, Veloster, and Elantra GT Sport. I’ve tested all of them and none had any weird sensations.

You can check on the Hyundai Forum and the list of people complaining is long.

There are videos on what to expect from a DCT and how to drive them-worth a look.

Ask the dealer for a computer flash or update if any available.

FWIW, I was recently at a sports car test drive event. Both the Audi RS3 and Porsche 911 with DCT hiccuped quite a few times when taking off from stop. I think the buyers of these expensive cars just put up with it. The guys wanted to see what I drive since I was complaining, I showed them my 6 speed manual :slight_smile:

You just missed it in the Veloster. My wife has a 2012, and it does the bucking, and the sluggish starts. Not every time, which is odd, but enough to be obnoxious.

It’s a shame because otherwise, the Veloster comes off as Hyundai’s love letter to the Honda CRX and the two drive very similarly. It’d be a real joy if it didn’t annoy you at every 5th stoplight.

That is reminiscent of a brand-new Nissan rental car that I drove in CA, back in the '70s.
Sometimes it would accelerate very nicely, but most times it would bog-down and present a genuine hazard when attempting to merge into an expressway.
:roll_eyes: