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!
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
3,221 thoughts onHyundai class action over excessive oil consumption dismissed
We have a 2017 Hyundai Sonata and we started receiving reports it was burning oi. We took it to the dealership to perform oil consumption tests and they claimed it was not burning oil. Fast forward and the car is burning oil again. We took it back to the dealership for more consumption tests and they acknowledged the car was burning oil but “not enough oil” for a repair. 2 months later the car breaks down on the road and the dealership says we need a new engine… Now we are forced to pay 3k for an engine replacement when we and the dealership knew this was a problem to begin with. We would love to be included in this lawsuit.
I currently own a 2016 Hyundai Tucson that Has 70,500 miles on the engine. Since purchasing this vehicle at 41,000 miles I have been getting oil changes every 2000 miles and have had to constantly add oil in between. I have never had to add this much oil in any vehicle I’ve owned before. My oil change technician told me that these Hyundais and Kia’s have serious problems with oil consumption and engine failures due to the issue. I wish I knew this prior to buying both brands, my 2012 Sorento which was regularly serviced, had to be junked for a blown engine and now here I am with another vehicle at risk for similar issues
My daughter 2015 hyundai sonata is broke down right now from carbon backup and has oil in exhaust also
My 2017 hyundai accent is burning oil so bad, I need to add oil every week and now my car died on me this weekend, while driving to work. I have no warranty either. Please include me also.
My daughter 2015 hyundai sonata is broke down right now from carbon backup and has oil in exhaust also
I have a 2016 Hyundai sonata limited my car was fine no problem and always got oil changed and vehicle recommended maintenance. Then out of nowhere my oil kept being low had to check oil every single day and had to add a quart of oil every 2/3 days my name is Maria Trahan this just isn’t fair to us Hyundai owners we bought these cars thinking we made a great decision now we’re scratching our heads and have no other way out.
We have a 2014 Sonata averaging a quart a week consumption, wife took it into dealer in Hickory and they stated no recall….WHAT!
I have the same problem with my 2014 Hyundai Sonata GLS with excessive oil consumption. Mine started around 117,00 or 120,000 miles having to add oil around 500 miles or less before it’s time to get an oil change. Had the valve cover gasket changed about two weeks ago and now having to add more oil. Ridiculous! I’m a single parent and can’t afford a new car after this one is paid off. Add me.
I have a 2015 Kia Soul that started burning oil without signs of leaks or smoke shortly after I took it to a kia dealership for the latest recall. I have kept regular maintenance on the vehicle but am now burning away over a quart of oil in less than 1000 miles. I still owe on the vehicle and have already tried replacing the pcv valve, have change the spark plugs, and topping off the oil every week. I also hear a clicking noise when I accelerate due to poor lubrication from the oil burning off. I am almost at 150,000 miles.
I just purchased a 2017 Hyundai Sonata with the 2.4 liter 2 weeks ago. It only has 78,000 miles. I am driving it cross country and had the oil changed last week before I left. I just noticed the oil is over a quart low. I bought an extended warranty that covers the whole power train but I hope the dealership will honor it. I would like to be included in this law suit. Thank you.
We own a 2014 Hyundai Elantra which goes through about a quart of oil per week. It is not leaking but going out through the exhaust and plugging the catalytic converter. There is an open recall for Service Campaign 966 – Engine Monitoring Logic, but I can’t get an appointment until the end of November to determine if it’s related to my engine problem. I have already replaced the catalytic converter, but that is only a temporary fix to keep the running until I can figure out what’s happening with the engine.
My 2014 Elantra has the piston issue from a separate lawsuit, but it hasn’t started burning much oil yet. Are the issues related?
Hyundai won’t consider my claim for the piston lawsuit because my car has a salvage title. The engine ran great when I bought it then during a very cold winter it started knocking.