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A class action lawsuit filed against Hyundai and Kia claims the companies installed gasoline direct injection engines into certain vehicles which later caused “catastrophic” defects.
The plaintiffs allege that due to the defective nature of these engines, some Hyundai and Kia vehicles are subject to sudden engine failure.
If this sudden engine failure occurs while the vehicle is in motion, it reportedly poses a serious risk of accidents, injury, vehicle damage, and even driver and passenger death.
Additionally, the Hyundai class action states that the defective engines can burst into flames spontaneously, even if there is not a collision to prompt the fire.
Vehicles allegedly affected by this defect are 2011-2019 Hyundai Sonata, 2013-2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport, 2011-2019 Kia Optima and Kia Sportage, and 2012-2019 Kia Sorento or Kia Soul vehicles that were equipped with 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter engines.
Some of these models were reportedly subject to “inadequate” recalls in 2015 and 2017, but others remain on the market.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reportedly states that more than 6 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been affected by the engine defect since 2015.
The NHTSA launched a formal investigation into several Hyundai and Kia vehicles in April 2019. The investigation will reportedly look into whether or not 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe, 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles have a defective engine.
In addition to the NHTSA reports and investigation, Hyundai and Kia have reportedly received more than 3,125 documented reports of fire-related problems with their vehicles.
The Kia class action states that this number includes fire-related incidents not sparked by a collision, melted wires in the engine bay, engine smoke, rattling metal noises, and burning odors from the engine.
The Hyundai, Kia class action claims that the companies knew about the dangerous defects that plagued their engines, but chose to conceal the issue to protect their bottom line.
Federal prosecutors are reportedly investigating if Hyundai and Kia committed crimes by failing to properly conduct their recalls, leaving “numerous” at risk vehicles on the road. Other countries such as South Korea are reportedly also taking action to investigate the automakers.
Although authorities are taking action against the companies, the consumers in the class action seek to hold them accountable for their alleged deception and concealment.
The class action brings 16 counts of consumer and business law violations from several states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
The consumers seek to represent a Class of consumers who bought, leased, or own 2011-2019 Hyundai Sonata, 2013-2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport, 2011-2019 Kia Optima, 2012-2019 Kia Sorento, 2012-2019 Kia Soul, and 2011-2019 Kia Sportage vehicles.
The consumers also seek to represent several statewide Classes of the same consumers from California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, respectively.
The Hyundai Kia engine failure class action lawsuit seeks actual damages, compensatory damages, general damages, special damages, incidental damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, consequential damages, disgorgement, interest, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.
Plaintiffs and the proposed Class are represented by Richard D. McCune, Derek Y. Brandt, and Leigh M. Perica of McCune Wright Arevalo LLP.
The Hyundai Kia Engine Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Elliston, et al. v. Hyundai Motor Company, et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-04684, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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375 thoughts onHyundai, Kia Class Action Alleges Sudden Engine Failure
2013 soul same issues folks. engine started knowing and it threw a rod, and now kia is telling us over the phone it is our fault, they will not fix it, and we are responsible for a car that is now worthless. we have already filed a claim with nhtsa . we need to sue as well. does anyone one here have any contact info to help us all out?
Hi, I am hoping someone can help me with information to join this lawsuit. This issue was exactly what has help ruin my financial life, as I bought a lemon and was left with no choice but to trade it in because it was so dangerous. Please help!!
We’re in the same boat. 2014 Kia Soul. Can’t get out from under it because Kia refuses to fix it. Same troubles as the rest of the folks on this thread. The car doesn’t even have 100,000 miles on it. We are so frustrated. Just found out we can’t even trade it in. We want in on the lawsuit as well. How do we join????
I have a 2017 kia soul+ 2.0 with 82,509 miles and the oil light came on this weekend. We checked it added some oil to get it home and the motor blew the next morning. Car has been regularly maintained through a local car dealership so we have records. I am being told nothing can be done and we are stuck with replacing a motor that we can’t afford at this time. HELP PLEASE!!
I have the exact thing happen to my 2016 soul and they are paying to replace the motor
Please add me I had the same thing happen to my car a few years ago and have video and pictures
I have a 2014 kia soul plus 2.0 GDI engine and all kinds of stuff has happened to the engine and there was a fire that melted the headlight and ruined the headlight my car has had regular maintenance plus now the car is having issues staying running with all kinds of stuff done to engine to repair it nothing is working and I’m tired of paying out bunch of money plus it’s making me lose alot of work time please add me to the lawsuit
March 22, 2021
My Kia has been a nightmare. I named it Murphy – if things can go wrong, it will happen to my car! I purchased a 2015 Kia with 88,000 miles on it, in June of 2019. One month later, the car would not go over 40 miles per hour. The car sounded like it was struggling for air. There were no warning light showing on the dash at all. This was a scary moment, because I was driving on the freeway with my daughter and suddenly I had traffic zooming around me on both sides and my car just kept going slower and slower. Brought the car in to the dealership and they said it needed a new catalytic converter. After that repair, the car periodically ran rough, but when this happened, there were no warning lights on the dash. On several occasions, a check engine or an oil light came on but the car was running normally and the car did not need oil. When I brought the car in to the dealership to check if there is anything wrong, I was always told that there was nothing wrong with the car and no history of any error codes on the computer. The car has always used more oil than it should. I had to check the oil once a week and top off the oil. In May of 2020 the car would not accelerate. Brought it in to the dealership and they replaced the catalytic converter again this time for no charge. Technician notes on the repair invoice states that he saw metal pieces in the exhaust piping. In January 2021, I received recall notifications from Kia. I brought the car in for servicing this recall. At the time the car was running rough and the gas mileage had dropped below 20 mpg, just like the other 2 times that I needed to replace the catalytic converter. I also had the check engine light and the oil light come on in the car but when I brought the car in, there were no warning lights. The dealership performed the recall computer update and said that they did not see any warning lights and they did not see a history of issues on the computer. One month later the check engine light and oil light came on again, and stayed on once the car was warmed up. During this time, I received another recall notice from Kia for issues related to rod bearing failure. I brought the car to the dealership and they replaced the oil pressure sensor. This did not fix the issue. Now they say the car needs a new oil pump and the total repair for the sensor and oil pump will be @ $2300.00. Both the dealership and Kia says that none of these issues are related to the recalls. The only thing they offered me was low interest financing to pay for the repairs. I am so done with this car and with Kia!
We are fighting the same thing now and keep getting recall and engine info mailed to us bought it used second owner for our daughter now I’m driving it it’s a nightmare
I agree. What good is a recall if Kia won’t honor it? All these issues are related. Most of the people on this thread are still paying on these junk cars and have no recourse. Kia needs to take a page from Volkswagen on how to handle a recall once you get caught cheating consumers.
I have a 2015 Kia Soul Plus 2.0 that has been sitting in my yard not running for 2 years. I took it to the dealership for missing oil and no power. I was almost hit several times because the car would not pick up speed going up hill. I finally had to park it and buy another car because Kia refused to fix it because it was just over 100k and was out of warranty. The service engine light was on but they stated that the car was not showing any codes. The dealership took the engine apart and took pictures to show to Kia that the oil was missing but it wasn’t leaking, or burning it. No idea what was happening to it, We were adding a quart plus every couple of weeks. I was scared of the car do to all the fires. I got a letter from Kia recently about the engine recalls, I had the car towed to the dealership so they could fix it. They are refusing to fix it because it’s not showing a specific code. Even though the issue’s are exactly the same. Please add me to your Law suit.
How do we get added to the lawsuit?
My 2012 Soul with 110k suddenly lost engine compression. Dealership had to replace catalytic converter for free and update the ECU but claim Kia’s fault parts were not responsible for the engine damage. Something’s not adding up there.
Had this same thing happen to me with my 2015 KIA Soul +. Vehicle had issues accelerating with regular maintenance. No oil light, engine codes or anything. Kia Dealer told me I was out of luck and their mechanic had “no idea” as no codes were being sent out but something was wrong. Was told I’d have to do an engine swap with no guarantee I wouldn’t be in the same spot 2 years later. Add me to this lawsuit.
Yep…my 2017 Sorrento. I had a oil change 11.3.20 and they said at Jiffy lube my oil was extremely low. I thought. Thats weird, my oil light never came on and there’s no oil in my driveway. This past weekend my engine seized up and engine light came on. Still no oil light. My husband checked the oil and it was barely touching the dip stick and it was black.
Kia can’t get my car in to “diagnose” until 1/8, so 1 more week. This is unbelievable.