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 a 2013 Santa Fe Sport. Burns oil constantly. I have to add about a quart every week. Now I have a couple of CEL’s about the variable timing. It’s also a white Hyundai which had the peeling paint on the hood and roof. I got Hyundai to pay half for the new paint job but still cost me $800+. Terrible.
I have a 2017 Hyundai Sonata that I love. But about 6 months ago I noticed that when I would get my oil changed and driving less then 1000 miles I would need to add 1 quart of oil. I noticed it because when the oil gets low the car sounds different (if that makes sense) which in the beginning alerted me to check my oil. This is ridiculous !!!! Hyundai do that right thing and fix this problem. This should definitely be a RECALL. I should not have to have quarts upon quarts of oil in my car for fear of blowing my engine. FIX THIS!
I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata which I bought with 25,000 miles I’m currently in 60,000 and is burning oil. Every two weeks I’ll have to check the oil. This is a problem
My 2017 Hyundai Tucson sport has started using 2-3 quarts of oil within a month of last oil change. Previously it wouldn’t even register on the dip stick and the oil light or any other lights came on to warn me. My engine ticks constantly now.
I have a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. The oil consumption between oil changes is steadily getting worse. Today I checked it with roughly 2000 miles since last changed and it was almost 3 quarts low. No leaks but gone.
I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata that is using between 1-2 quarts of oil every 600 miles. To date, I have tried different oil filters, replaced the drain plug, and replaced the oil cap. None of these are helping. There is no smoke when the engine starts, nor is there any oil leak in my carport. I have no idea where the oil is going, unless it burns off only when being driven. Hyundai really needs to address this issue.
I uave a 2015 Hyundai Sonata at 61k miles my engine seized due to this issue. The engine was replaced under warranty and now the new one consumes oil at 1qt every 500-1000miles which leaves me checking the oil level every week or so and constantly adding oil to prevent having to go through the process of getting another new engine.
I have a 2018 sonata under 62000 miles that burns thought oil. (I bought it will 46000 miles) It started about 5000 miles ago even with regular maintenance.
2013 Hyundai Sonata. 126K miles on it. Got an oil change at the dealership, 88 miles from home. 163 miles later, it’s down a quart. I can’t add oil to it because they are doing an oil consumption test. So, I’m allowed to check the oil, but I can’t add oil to it. At this point, I can’t drive my car, unless I’m taking it back to the dealership 88 miles away. And then they want to keep it for a couple days. How am I supposed to get back home (it’s 88 miles away). They won’t tow it in, either. It started burning oil about 4 or 5 months ago. Even my mechanic at Speedy Lube told me that another customer who has a Sonata is having the same issue. Had the PCV valve changed about 4 or 5 months ago, that didn’t fix it. It’s still burning through oil.
By the way, they charged me for the oil change.
I have 2013 Hyundai Sonata and it is going though oil. I got an oil change at the dealership in Lancaster, CA, and 400 miles later, it’s down a quart of oil.
Have a 2016 Tuscon that uses an excessive amount of oil, 1 qt every 300 – 500 miles. It has fouled up the plugs and has excessive carbon build up that has messed up the valves and it no longer is operable – runs rough, loss of power, miss firing, loss of compression in cylinders . Having to have it cleaned up from the carbon damage to cylinders, head and valves . Having to overhaul engine. Local Hyundai dealer shop not being very helpful so am going to a local certified independent shop that has diagnosed the problems and can fix it while dealer shop is putting me off for a couple of months. Feel the excessive oil issues, leaking oil into cylinders, is the cause for the whole mess!
My 2017 has started using a ton of oil. Just got oil changed a month ago and my was was down 2-3 quarts already.