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
What is the status of this claim? I incurred ongoing oil costs resulting in engine damage approx $500 July 2022 for my 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The mechanic noted there was ZERO oil in my car even though I had an oil change 90 days prior. There was damage due to oil burning on the catalytic converters and other areas but not active leak. That month I drove less than 1k after the repairs and my engine light was on again and starting the jerking, sputtering, acceleration issues etc. and lo and behold all 5 quarts gone into thin air. I park in the same parking spot at my home and my job and there were no signs of leaking oil. I was looking feverishly for a recall because I could not make sense of it. I kept saying I felt like my car was assembled in a sandstorm. Parts corroded sensors burning out repeatedly all before it hit 50k miles. I no longer have it after being rear ended last month but this massive issue made me stop driving to many places because I felt very unsafe and it would die out without any explanation.
I am driving a 2008 Hyundai Sonata 2.4l, which I love with all my heart. The only problem is excessive oil consumption between service intervals. I estimate 15 litres of oil between service intervals. I would love to be part of this lawsuit but I am based in South Africa. I bought the vehicle used.
I can be contacted via email.
Last summer (2022) I brought my Hyundai 2017 Sonata to my mechanic to get the oil changed (like I normally do every 3k miles). He said it was all but dry and what was I doing differently to affect this?! I was shocked and didn’t know how to respond. I told him that I’m driving the same way I have been since I bought the car a couple of years ago. Now I find this article and it gives me a little resolve because I know it hasn’t been the way I’m driving.
My 2015 sonata 115,000 miles has oil consumption I took it to dealership the warranty that i bought with the car said that they wouldn’t fix the problem because it still had working components ; I still make payment s on a car that can’t be fixed
My 2017 Kia Sportage 2.0t started misfiring at 42k miles. I took it to the dealer where they kept it 5 weeks (without a loaner or a rental!) to replace a fuel line and an injector. When I got the car back, the CEL came back on the next morning, and then comes and goes intermittently. I can’t be without my car for another month during the summer, so I don’t take it back. At 62k, just outside of the pre-owned warranty, the CEL comes back permanently. I take it to a dealer, and they tell me that since the car is now out of warranty they won’t touch it without getting paid. I showed them the history, and the fact that it was throwing them same codes as before, still nothing. At 68k the engine lost compression. I took the intake manifold off to inspect the injectors, and it was full of oil. I am now fighting to get Kia to fix this problem that is in no way my fault!
I purchased a 2016 Hyundi from Round Rock Hyundai in November of 2015. Engine lite came on in May of 2022 at 65,000 miles, checked the oil and was more than three quarts low, this happened again after the next oil change. Reported the problem to Round Rock Hyundai in July of 2022 and was asked for the oil change history which i supplied in early August of 2022. Oil change history was submitted to Hyundai. Eight weeks later was approved to start Hyundai oil consumption test. Have gone through the oil consumption test every 1,000 miles (consumed over two quarts in each 1,000 mile test) with the last test including the engine cleaning process. Now have one more 1,000 mile test and at that point test results will be submitted to Hyundai. My expectations are low in getting a reasonable resolution based on everything I’ve read and been told by Round Rock Hyundai.
My bigger concern is now safety: Hyundai now smells like it’s going to catch on fire each time it gets up to operating temperature, evern after the recent cleaning process.
2014 Sonata GLS, bought in new. First 75K no issues, changed oil every 5-6K, and never needed to add oil in between changes. Gradually started consuming more oil, where now at 112K, a quart every 800 mi is normal. Dealer did oil consumption test, then full overnight engine cleaning gratis, but oil consumption still same. Hyundai has offered 80% on remanufactured short block. I pay $1200 (20%). Not sure if it is worth it. Maybe wait for the class action settlement.
I have a 2017 Elantra and Tucson. Both engines consume oil, about a quart every month. I just started changing it myself just so I can confirm how much oil is consumed. The dealership has been doing our oil changes for two years and never made us aware. The Elantra had a stalling problem that is correlated to the low oil. They will not do an oil consumption test unless I pay for it. Hyundai needs to be held accountable.
My 2016 Sonata Limited 2.4 L (not Turbo, not hybrid) has 95K miles and burned up 5 qts of oil in 1 month. The Hyundai dealer we bought it from told us that my car wasn’t part of any recall, and I have to pay for diagnosis, labor and parts, and do an oil consumption test. They don’t have a loaner, refuse to provide a rental, and can’t even look at it for 4 months due to shortages. Went to another Hyundai dealer in a nearby city and they charged us for 2 diagnosis codes ($186 each), want us to pay for carbon deposit fuel injection cleaning, and $600 for the oil consumption test (in addition to the $2100 catalytic converter I had to have installed because it is now faulty due to all the crap in my engine maybe?!?). Would LOVE to join this class action and get a properly functioning engine put in my vehicle–at Hyundai’s expense… not mine!
I literally just commented almost verbatim what you said. Same exact issue!!
I am doing oil changes every 2 weeks. I brought my car to a Hyundai Dealership. They admitted that they know about the problem but because there is nothing in engine’s warranty to fix that actual problem, they could not preform it.
I would like to join this class-action lawsuit.