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Vehicle safety record

2016 Hyundai Equus Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Equus with NHTSA, most often about the wheels & tires (3) and the engine & cooling (2). There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 2015 has 9.

NHTSA data checked

BFewer problems than a typical Equus year, for its age

#217 most complained-about 2016 vehicle

Complaints
9
Recalls
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Most common 2016 Hyundai Equus problems

Share of all 9 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 2016 Hyundai Equus

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2016 Hyundai Equus. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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9 complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Equus

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Lights

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Equus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights and both turn signals became inoperable and failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact further stated that the failure persisted after the vehicle was returned from the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11740882
Suspension

Suspension air Block and airbags failing, even after being replaced by dealership 2 months ago. Most recently happened on the interstate at 70 mph. Fixed by dealership only to happen again!! Known problem by Hyundai dealership yet keep replacing with same defective part number. Twice have had new parts fail during test drive. Very expensive to repair $10,000 so far and just had the rear airbag go burst. Not safe to drive vehicle!! Never know when it will go out again. Last one just lasted two months!! Will never get money back from selling the car! Just want a safe vehicle and Hyundai needs to provide parts that work and are not a safety hazard!!

Filed Incident SuspensionNHTSA 11622368
Lights

There are actually 3 problems that my dealer has not been able to fix/diagnose. The first is the headlights, when set to the auto position, they will often turn off and on while driving at night. Service says that they were unable to duplicate the problem, but it keeps happening. The second is the Navigation system updates, that they claim they cannot provide any updates to my 2016 Equus (just about all other years and models are available). The third is the voice recognition system, which only recognizes my voice...

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for phone calls, but not for directions. The dealer (Gettel Hyundai of Sarasota FL) had my vehicle for two weeks and was not able to fix any of these problems, although they charged me over $500 for diagnostics. If I look at the Hyundai Owners Forum, I see these problems documented over and over and I provided the dealership with that information to no avail. I also notified the BBB of my problems, (case# [[redacted]]), but they are not returning my calls to them in order to update them on my lack of resolutions to my problems. What if anything can I do to pursue this ? I have copied in the CEO of Hyundai USA (J. Munoz) and after initially designating someone under him to get involved, has since been unresponsive (since October 6th, 2023). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11554007
Wheels & tires

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 hyundai equus. The contact stated that the powder coating from each wheel detached and lodged between the brake pads and rotors causing the braking system to malfunction and the braking distance to be extended. The failure occurred to all four wheels. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer - brandon hyundai located at 9915 e adamo dr, tampa, fl 33619, where the debris was removed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed by a powder coating expert that the cause of the failure was due to a faulty powder coating application process. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100.

Filed Incident WheelsNHTSA 11375273
Electrical systemBrakesEngine & cooling

Driving at 75 mph and went to pass someone. The engine kicked down a few years and the entire car shut off. No power brakes and no steering and steering locked up for about a second or two. During the time it was off the vehicle jerked hard like if the tires had locked up. After the couple seconds the vehicle turned back on and everything was normal and no check engine lights or anything to indicate a problem I was driving on the i-80 heading to reno

Filed Incident Electrical system · Service brakes · EngineNHTSA 11363292
Engine & cooling

Vehicle produces excessive exhaust soot at all times. The soot adheres to the rear tail pipe, rear bumper, and trunk lid causing staining that leads to pitting of chrome pieces. The soot is difficult to remove after a few days and requires constant cleaning. This could adversely affect the air quality and damage or stain other vehicles and property near the rear of the vehicle, including walls and other parked vehicles. Effects on lungs should be studied to determine if permanent damage could result from...

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accumulation of soot. Enough small particulate matter is emitted to heavily stain rear areas of vehicle in less than 1 week. Vehicle emissions control systems could also be adversely affect, causing premature failure of o2 sensors or catalysts. Touching the rear of the vehicle after 1 week following a detailing left heavy, black strains similar to those found after multiple months of semi-metalic brake dust accumulation. Effects could be seen after city driving and highway driving. Some soot formation can be seen after prolonged idle.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11291674
Other & unknown

2016 Hyundai equus - black soot being emitted from engine through exhaust system. Very heavy deposits on rear of vehicle, sufficient to blacken clothes, discolor the vehicle, does not wipe off after a few days and chemicals must be used to remove. Manufacturer says: "this is a normal byproduct of the gdi engine". See (pics) multiplying the number of hyundai vehicles in the u.S. By what I am seeing on my car, this could be a serious air pollution issue.

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 11289370
Wheels & tires

2016 Hyundai equus with continental contiprocontact p245 / 45r / 19 98v tires; dot af7vp1h6 (0615); while driving my daughter and grandchild to the airport on the florida turnpike the steering wheel began to vibrate. Upon returning home, called car dealer and scheduled a service appointment the next day. We both thought a front tire had possibly thrown a wheel balancing weight. Dealer found both front tires had belt separation causing steering wheel to vibrate. The car and tires were purchased new at the...

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dealer at the end of 2016, are only 22 months old and have only 19,700 miles. We have not hit any curbs, rough railroad tracks or large pot-holes and it is suspicious that it was both front tires. The tire manufacturer was contacted by the dealer, refused to acknowledge a likely manufacturing defect and offered only 50% of the tire replacement costs and they wanted the defective tires. I was able to purchase other new tires for less cost than what the manufacturer offered. I have the defective tires in my possession and plan to run root-cause failure analysis on the tires suspecting that it is a manufacturing defect with the rubber used causing the belts to prematurely separate from the tire compound. I noted other similar belt separation failures on the nhtsa website listed under the tire manufacturer, brand and even car brand. Will also be contacting the car maker and tire manufacturer to register a complaint of a defective product.

Filed Incident TiresNHTSA 11111896
Wheels & tires

I was driving on a two lane rod in laurel, maryland. My car hit a pothole and I got out to look and discover that I had two flat tires on the passenger side. The roadside assistant showed me that the front rim was split and the back tire had a hole on the side. This is the second incident concerning the front wheel of the car. I believe this is a defect.

Filed Incident WheelsNHTSA 10823432

Hyundai Equus: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
20169000Wheels & tiresB
20159100Electrical systemC
201437100Seats & seat beltsF
201310110BrakesC
20128110Transmission & drivetrainC
All Equus years

2016 Hyundai Equus vs rivals

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2016 Hyundai Equus

Does the 2016 Hyundai Equus have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2016 Hyundai Equus right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What are the most common problems with the 2016 Hyundai Equus?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the wheels & tires (3), engine & cooling (2), lights (2).

How many complaints has the 2016 Hyundai Equus had?

9 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on February 1, 2016 and the latest on May 29, 2026. Of these, 0 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2016 Hyundai Equus a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 70 out of 100 (grade B: fewer problems than a typical Hyundai Equus year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Hyundai Equus years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 2016 Hyundai Equus has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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