Fix the damned driver assistance warning system!
We've driven a Tucson since 2010. We traded our 2022 in March for the 2025 Tucson Hybrid Limited. It's nice, but we may need to get rid of it because of ONE thing: the new driver assistance warning system is severely flawed. It went off 63 times on a 75-mile trip last Saturday while my wife was driving and I sat in the passenger seat. Never once did my wife take her eyes off the road, yet the DAW flashed and beeped constantly. We have it turned off, BUT it operates anyway because we also use the adaptive cruise control. Imagine that . . . Anyway, we have contacted Hyundai about this issue multiple times, and we've reported it as a safety hazard to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Because that's exactly what this system is--a safety hazard. Because it is improperly calibrated and cannot be turned off, it is a constant distraction to the driver and a terrible annoyance to passengers. This system clearly wasn't tested in realistic conditions--such as drivers being different heights. My wife is 5-4, and I'm 6 feet. When I drove the car back last Saturday over the same roads at the same speeds with the adaptive cruise control on, I was only ONE warning instead of 63.
So, the evidence would indicate that, among other issues, the DAW system fails to account for the different height of drivers. I have reported all this to three dealers, and all have said the same thing: They know about this issue, but there's nothing they can do about it. One service director said he owns a 2025 Santa Fe, and he has experienced the same DAW issues I have described. Online forums are filled with driver complaints from all over the country about the same issues, and no one can figure out what to do about it, although suggestions have included not wearing sunglasses and covering up the DAW camera on the steering column. I've tried both, and they fail to solve anything.
There needs to be a software fix for this issue ASAP. The 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Ltd. never should have been sold until fully tested in real-life situations. It was released before it was ready, and that was a huge mistake because--after 15 years of driving them--I will never buy another Hyundai.
One simple and common sense fix for the DAW issue is to allow drivers to turn it OFF completely . . . even while using the adaptive cruise control. No one needs the DAW when driving for a few hours. But when I've been driving all day and feel myself getting tired, I could turn it on when it might actually be helpful. But even then it would need to account for the physical difference between drivers, that drivers usually wear polarized sunglasses, and that staring directly at the road for long periods is NOT a safe way to drive. It's impossible to overstate my disappointment and frustration with what is supposed to be a safety system. It is not. It is a danger, and it MUST be fixed ASAP.
Verified Owner
