2021 Hyundai Tucson: Clicking or no response when you turn the key

The Tucson uses a Group 47 (H5) battery, which is adequate rather than generous for a car with Blue Link telematics keeping a module awake around the clock. On a car driven short distances, the alternator's charging strategy does not recover the deficit, and the first symptom is usually a slow crank on a cold morning rather than an outright failure. Owners commonly report their first battery at three to four years.

Two Tucson-specific things follow. First, if the car cranks strongly but will not fire, check the starter separately — the starter on this engine family is a documented wear item and the failure mode is often intermittent, working fine when cold and refusing when hot. Second, on models with a conventional key rather than push-button start, ignition lock cylinder damage from an attempted theft is unfortunately common on Hyundais from this era and presents as a key that turns but produces nothing.

• Battery replacement: $170–$260 installed. See battery replacement.
• Starter replacement: $400–$650. See starter replacement cost.
• A hot no-start that resolves after the engine cools is the classic starter signature. Have the shop test it hot, not cold.
• If the car has repeated flat batteries rather than one failure, see car battery keeps dying — the cause is usually a module staying awake, not the battery itself.