Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Last week, Hyundai Motor America Inc. was hit with a class action lawsuit in California federal court alleging that the motor company failed to disclose a defect in the engine of its 2011 to 2015 Sonata models.
Lead plaintiff Beth Graham, a Sonata owner, alleged in her class action lawsuit that Hyundai did not disclose that the engine in the Sonata model was manufactured with a defect in its rotating assembly that causes “sudden and catastrophic engine failure.”
“The rotating assembly cannot withstand the long-term stress generated within the Sonata’s combustion chambers and fails within the useful life of the engine (most failures occur between 60,000 to 90,000 miles),” the Hyundai class action lawsuit alleges. “When the rotating assembly fails, it does so without warning and causes the engine to seize suddenly—leaving Sonata drivers without power and struggling to maneuver the vehicle to safety.”
Graham further alleges that in addition to concealing this defect from Sonata owners and failing to issue a recall, Hyundai improperly denied warranty coverage to owners whose engines failed due to the defect. “Hyundai has concealed the problem from consumers and implemented a concerted practice of denying warranty coverage for failed engines,” the engine defect class action lawsuit alleges.
“Hyundai tells Sonata owners that they must submit a complete record of the vehicle’s maintenance history before making a warranty claim—even though it knows that Sonata engines fail regardless of owner maintenance and that the faulty rotating assembly is responsible,” Graham alleges in the Hyundai class action lawsuit. “For those warranty claims that are submitted, Hyundai’s practice is to deny them based on inadequate maintenance records or improper maintenance,” she continues. “Hyundai denies that engine failures are widespread in Sonata vehicles and blames its customers for the problem—forcing them to pay as much as $10,000 for an engine replacement.”
Graham also alleges in her class action lawsuit that Hyundai was or should have been aware of the defect. “Hyundai is, of course, currently aware that Sonata engines are seizing in record numbers,” the Hyundai class action lawsuit alleges. “It provides Hyundai dealerships with replacement engines and carefully tracks both part sales and the type of repairs conducted by its dealerships,” Graham further explains.
“In addition, many Sonata owners have complained to their dealership and to Hyundai’s corporate office—to no avail,” the Hyundai class action lawsuit continues. “The strong likelihood is that Hyundai knew of the rotating assembly defect much earlier, likely before Class Vehicles were ever released to the public.” Graham further points out that discovery and review of Hyundai’s internal records will be necessary to know whether Hyundai was aware of the defect, “but the rotating assembly defect is one that would typically be discovered during standard pre-release testing,” she contends.
Graham alleges that Hyundai violated various state laws and class members are entitled to costs and damages. The proposed Class includes “[a]ll persons who purchased or leased a 2011-2015 Hyundai Sonata within the United States.”
Graham is represented by Eric H. Gibbs, Dylan Hughes, and Steve Lopez of Gibbs Law Group LLP.
The Hyundai Sonata Engine Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Graham v. Hyundai Motor America Inc., Case No. 5:15-cv-02071, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District for California.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2024 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
310 thoughts onClass Action: Hyundai Failed to Disclose Sonata Engine Defect
I own a 2012 Sonata. I began experiencing engine trouble last year and took the car to the dealer. The car was giving off a lot of white exhaust fumes and the engine was skipping. I was told that the engine was shot and I needed a new engine and that they would replace it for $6000. The dealer said it was not covered by the warranty because of owner negligence by not having oil changes. That was not true, I had my oil changed regularly but I didn’t have all of my receipts. Since I didn’t have $6000 for a replacement engine and I was sure the problem wasn’t caused by negligence, I continued to drive the car even though even though the problem began to get worse because I had no choice. About three weeks ago, I was on the expressway with my two grandchildren in the car, the car began shaking violently and making a very loud knocking noise. The car stalled but luckily, I was able to coast to the shoulder. I waited a few minutes in panic, but I was finally able to restart the car, exit the expressway at the next exit and return home. This was extremely scary. I knew I couldn’t drive it safely anymore so I reluctantly took to a repair shop to have the engine rebuilt. The car is at the repair shop now. The rebuilding of the engine is costing $4000. I took the car to the shop just a few days before I heard about the recall. Now, I am renting a car which is very costly. I looked at the website and it was confirmed that my car is affected by the recall and I hope to be reimbursed for the cost of the engine and hopefully, for the cost of the car rental. I spoke to someone at Hyundai yesterday and I was told that I still needed all of my oil change receipts. If they knew of the defect and that the engine could fail whether or not the oil had been changed regularly, I hope they don’t give me a hassle about my reimbursement. I also wonder about if the extended warranty of 120,000 miles would extend to the engine I had rebuilt at an outside facility.
I got a 2012 Hyundai Sonata that the engine was seized up in. I was already past the warranty and could not afford a new one rather on go to the dealership. so I took it to a shop in town were they ordered a used one from a junkyard. That was in February of this year and three engines later I finally got my car back for good in the end of April. My question is are they going too reimburse me and replace the one in my car now.
I was on the road on Friday and had my 2011 Hyundai Sonata stall and had a loss of power repeatedly while trying to exit the interstate due to this happening. I had my 1 month old baby and 3 year old son which made for a horrific experience. I am beyond disappointed with what I have read as far as Hyundai knowing of this and withholding it and blaming consumers. Please send me info as I was told my vehicle will sit at Hyundai dealership as Hyundai has no remedy to resolve the problem as of yet. I also will be making payments and aging insurance on a vehicle that is useless until Hod knows when.
I had just purchased a 2011 Hyundai for my mom and was literally shitting my pants thinking something like this could happen to her. Luckily it has not and the a recall has been issued. Go to: https://www.hyundaiusa.com/recall/
A recall has been issued,I talked to someone at Hyundai tonight. The formal notices will not be out until November 2nd and there’s not much information on it yet, but I was given a website to go to. You can enter your VIN number and see if your car is on the recall list. If anyone gets any information further about the lawsuit and what we can do about compensation aside from what the recall offers please reply and let me know. There are close to 470,000 cars on It and they will get fixed but the number of us that have had it happen already and have had our lives disrupted because of it is very small. I myself am 23, living on my own and still have a large balance on my loan. I do not have the money to repair it nor anyone to help.. This happened to me 4 days before I was supposed to move out of state and My job I had requires that I have a vehicle and I have now been unemployed for a month, paying on my loan and car insurence with no car. The recall should have been in affect long before this week. The website to go to is Hyundaiusa.com/campaign132 . I am a girl from ny not a represenitive of Hyundai or this law firm so don’t hold anyone to what I just wrote.. Hope everyone is compensated and taken care of!
We have a Sonata with under 40,000 miles and have maintained it well. Right now it is sitting at the dealership where we bought it because the car partially lost power the other day driving up a normal grade hill. It also let out a blast of exhaust smoke at the time, which I saw in the rear view. It has driven fine (less than 50 miles to get it home and to the dealer) since although this morning when starting there was a big cloud of white smoke. The service rep at the dealer told us that there is something wrong with the engine and that the oil is low, probably caused by whatever the engine problem is, and that the next step is for the corporation to decide what it wants to do. We very recently had the car at Hyundai for a scheduled servicing and they did not say a peep. I am now getting concerned reading of their alleged knowledge and concealment of an engine problem. And I am not happy reading how they are blaming this on the consumer, many of us who bought Sonatas explicitly due to their advertised claims of best warranty in America.
my 2012 Sonata did the exact same thing as yours, I took it in to the dealer and they said there was nothing wrong with the engine, now I have a car that knocks at RPM’s as low as 3k and burns oil. yesteday I received a recall notice for that same issue, they better replace it this time or I’m contacting the NTSB and the class action lawyers.
I have a 2011 Hyundai I bought 5 months ago and been fixing it since I got it I paid 500 thinking it was the starter and two days father the repair picked my car up the car cut off in the middle of the road with my three children in the back seat at 10pm at night . I got the car towed to a auto repair place now waiting to see if my engine will be covered by warranty but I don’t even want the car nomore way to many problems with it . I wanna get on the lawsuit also so please let me know how . Thanks
Well, it’s September… Any updates on this lawsuit?
My 2013 Sonata has 35,305 miles on it. I keep records on all my cars. My wife was driving today on the highway, and the car just shut down. Oil is around the engine, and the dipstick reads 3/4 full. I cant find a leak anywhere. The tow truck driver thinks it is seized. I will call Hyundai tomorrow, and tell them come and get it. I am joining the lawsuit.
Same thing happened to my daughter 9/9/1/2015 and her 2012 Sonata resulting in me pondering a new engine from the dealer for over $5000.00. Please contact me with info re: law suit