Hyundai is recalling 421,078 vehicles in the United States because a front camera software issue may cause the automatic emergency braking system to activate sooner than expected, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall affects select 2025 and 2026 Hyundai Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid and Santa Cruz vehicles.
Hyundai Tucson and Santa Cruz Recall Linked to Sudden Braking Risk
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the issue involves software in the front camera used by Hyundai’s forward collision avoidance system. The software may make the system too sensitive in certain driving situations, causing the vehicle to apply emergency braking unexpectedly.
Federal regulators said sudden braking could raise the risk of a rear-end crash, especially when another vehicle is following closely in traffic. Hyundai dealers will update the front camera software free of charge.
Which Hyundai Models Are Affected?
The recall covers an estimated 292,805 Tucson vehicles, 110,844 Tucson Hybrid vehicles, 13,082 Santa Cruz vehicles and 4,347 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid vehicles from the 2025 and 2026 model years.
Hyundai said vehicle identification numbers became searchable through NHTSA’s recall system on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, allowing owners to check whether their vehicle is included.
What Hyundai Owners Should Do
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on Friday, July 17, 2026. Hyundai owners can check their VIN through NHTSA’s recall lookup tool or contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Hyundai reported 376 field reports related to the issue between October 2024 and April 2026. Four reports involved crashes where Hyundai vehicles were rear-ended, with four reported injuries. No deaths or fires have been confirmed in connection with the braking software issue.
The recall matters because automatic emergency braking is designed to prevent crashes, but overly sensitive software can create a separate safety risk when vehicles brake unexpectedly in normal traffic.
