Update:
- A judge dismissed a class action lawsuit filed by a group of vehicle owners against Hyundai Motor Co. in a California federal court.
- The class action lawsuit claimed a number of Hyundai and Kia model vehicles contained an engine defect that caused them to use an excessive amount of oil.
- The vehicle owners argued the alleged defect, in addition to costing them money for the excess oil, caused the vehicles to stall and eventually fail.
- Court approval of the dismissal was not required as the class had not been certified nor proposed to be certified for purposes of a settlement, according to court documents.
Hyundai excessive oil consumption class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: A group of Hyundai and Kia vehicle owners are suing Hyundai Motor Co.
- Why: The drivers allege numerous models of Hyundai and Kia vehicles are equipped with defective engines that use excessive amounts of oil, stall and eventually fail.
- Where: The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court.
(April 20, 2022)
Hyundai makes numerous models of Hyundai and Kia brand vehicles with defective engines that use excessive amounts of oil, costing their owners huge sums of money, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
On Apr. 12, eight owners of Hyundai and Kia brand vehicles filed a class action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor Co. in a California federal court, alleging violations of federal warranty laws.
The Hyundai excessive oil consumption lawsuit alleges that numerous models of the automaker’s vehicles are equipped with defective Nu, Gamma, Theta, Lambda and Kappa engines.
The defective engines allegedly use excessive amounts of oil, stall and eventually fail. The drivers say Hyundai should have issued a recall for the vehicles a long time ago but hasn’t.
As a result, thousands of Hyundai and Kia owners and lessees have allegedly been forced to constantly check the oil levels, and oil must be added to the engines more frequently than even the owner’s manuals recommend, Car Complaints reports.
The engine issue has flow-on effects like reduction in engine lubrication due to crankshaft submersion and gaskets and seals damage, which leads to oil leaks.
The plaintiffs also claim that oil in their vehicles migrates to places where it shouldn’t be, damaging the combustion and exhaust systems.
This allegedly causes “abnormal wear of engine parts, oversaturation of carbon and deposits of oil sludge, ultimately requiring a costly engine rebuild or replacement.”
Automaker should honor warranty claims outside terms, Hyundai class action says
The plaintiffs allege that Hyundai should honor customers’ warranty claims even when the warranties have expired.
According to the lawsuit, Hyundai can’t adequately repair the oil consumption problems and doesn’t offer any reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs caused by the issue.
The class action states customers must suffer through long wait times for replacement parts, “and in most cases do not receive required engine replacements.”
The cars with the allegedly faulty engines include the 2012-2020 Hyundai Elantra, 2009-2018 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, 2019-2021 Hyundai Kona, 2020-2021 Hyundai Palisade, 2010-2012 and 2015-2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2009-2010 and 2015-2021 Hyundai Sonata, 2011–2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 2010-2013 and 2015-2021 Hyundai Tucson, 2011-2021 Hyundai Veloster, 2020-2021 Hyundai Venue, 2010-2021 Kia Forte, 2017-2020 Kia Niro, 2011-2020 Kia Optima and Optima Hybrid, 2012-2021 Kia Rio, 2011-2020 Kia Sorento, 2012-2021 Kia Soul, 2011-2020 Kia Sportage, 2018-2021 Kia Stinger and 2022 Kia K5.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has expanded its recall of vehicles with an exploding seat belt part issue that has caused multiple injuries to include 6,240 of its 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles.
The plaintiffs are represented by Nye, Stirling, Hale & Miller LLP, Sauder Schelkopf LLC and Walsh, PLLC.
The Hyundai Oil Consumption Lawsuit is Cho, et al., v. Hyundai Motor Company, LTD., et al. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Are you one of the drivers affected by an allegedly faulty Hyundai engine? Let us know in the comments!
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3,221 thoughts onHyundai class action over excessive oil consumption dismissed
I have 2 cars: 2016 Hyundai Tucson and 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. Both cars are burning oil badly. Hyundai refuses to pay for new engine. How do I become part of this law suit?
My 2017 sonata has been burning lots of oil, have to add oil every couple of weeks. Can I be a part of the lawsuit please?
My 2015 Hyundia Sonata is using excessive oil. I am having to add oil every week
Bought my son a 2019 Tuscon. A week ago we were on a trip and the car died on the side of the road. We checked the oil and it was empty. We added oil, however the damage had already been done, it was knocking and running rough. His motor only has 55,000 miles on it. It has been sitting at a dealership the last week waiting to be looked at. Please add me to this lawsuit
My 2015 Hyundai Sonata is losing about 2 quarts of oil every 1000 miles. The car doesn’t accelerate well at all. Afraid of the engine going out soon too.
Please add me to the lawsuit. My 2016 Sonata has been experiencing an oil consumption problem for over a year now. 3 quarts low every 1k miles and now Hyundai won’t honor any more oil consumption tests or a new engine. I have 149k miles on the car and other than this problem it runs without problems. I also had to have a valve replaced due to a hole being burned in it. Now it is idling high and running rough again.
Same! I have a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2017 and have nothing but issues and no help from Hyundai.
My 2015 Hyundai Sonata has been burning a quart and half of oil every 500 miles. Dealership where I purchased this vehicle has given me false hope after wasting my time doing 1,000 mile consumption tests. Today they told me that Hyundai refused to do anything about it because I am the second owner of the car, even though I bought it off of their dealership lot that sells both new and used Hyundai vehicles. I am frustrated with Hyundai and Elhart dealership in Holland, MI. I will not buy another Hyundai nor a car from that dealership as they have given me zero hope in their product and service.
My 2016 Sonata Eco started losing a quart of oil every 1k miles. Took it to the dealership and the warranty company I paid into when I bought the car was trying to make me pay 1k dollars just to diagnose the oil loss and I refused. The service manager told me to just keep adding oil and drive the car. Well, the car lost a cylinder and Hyundai doesn’t want to take responsibility for a bad engine design which caused the problem in the first place. I’m livid.
Call corporate and they were of no use to a resolution either. Their rep told me to call BBB but who has time for that? I need my vehicle!
I’m interested in being added to this lawsuit please. I have a 2017 Santa Fe. The engine died in 2021. The dealer told me I didn’t change the oil frequently enough, despite just having an oil change and the car passing inspection the month prior.