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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3,222 thoughts onHyundai class action over excessive oil consumption dismissed
2019 Tucson has had oil consumption problems but the oil light never comes on to alert me, now my car just completely died on the freeway with no warning. Been told my engine is done
On the list for a new engine for my 2020 Tuscon. Back ordered till mid March (for now). It takes a litre a day so its staying parked for now. I had no issues with my 2018 Sonata. I had that car for 4 years. Kept up on all oil changes and maintenance. Traded it in for the Tuscon and 3 months later the engine light comes on in it. First thing I did was checked the oil and it was literally bone dry. The oil light never even came on. Booked it into service at my Hyundai Dealership and they weren’t even wasting time to run any tests. Just said they would order a new engine and call when it comes in. Hyundai should have been informing customers of this issue. Especially since it’s been know for years.
I have a 2016 Hyundai Sonata that has oil consumption issues. We have taken it to Hyundai 5 months in a row to have it checked and the oil refilled. Hyundai is having us ( my husband and I ) jump through hoops to get the issues fixed. They already found a cracked gasket and fixed that. I am a home health therapist and need a reliable car for income! I would like to get in on the class action lawsuit if possible. I live in Cincinnati Ohio. The car now has 85,000 miles. We started taking it in at about 80,000.
I have a 2017 Kia Rio and it’s eating thru oil!
I just had my engine blow up on me earlier today for the same thing. I made an appointment to get it looked at, went to drive home and the engine locked up
Bought a 2017 Tucson (used card) from a local dealer since later 2022. Already oil changed twice and now the engine light is on. Every time when the oil change was done, car shop told to come back ~3000 miles. Now, it consumed excessive engine oil and I need to come back ~2000 miles. Never had this situation before (with other cars). Now, I found this article, I realized that I was not alone.
13 Hyundai Veloster 1.6 non turbo 1 quart of oil every 800 miles.
i have a 2009 santa fe that drinks oil yet barely leaks and has since i bought it several years ago. its a 2009 but a crossover where it has parts from a 2009 and 2010 3.3 engine and various other things.
Purchased a Fully Loaded 2016 Sonta Sport with 60K miles and soon after the oil light came on despite me not having driven too far with it. Started a song and dance with Huyndai and after 3 separate 1,000 mile consumption tests they determined that new engine could be had but I would have to pay 40% (about $4400) whereas Hyundai would pay the other 60%. Their reasoning is that since I bought the car used (from Car Max) they would only cover a portion in “Good faith”. Its absurd that a multi billion dollar car company with the “best” warranty in the division can not own up to its shortcomings and as a result is subject to a Class Action Law suit which hopefully will result in compensation to the plaintiffs.
I have (soon to be had) a 2012 Kia Optima. It was very well taken care of. The engine suddenly failed on the interstate once I hit 70mph. I’m told it’s internal engine failure. It’s alarming to see all of the issues and comments being reported about these engines. The car is a total loss. It requires a new engine, Kia has confirmed they will not cover any of the cost, which is estimated at over $8,000.00. I’m sending it the junk yard, where it will likely sit next to someone else’s Kia that has failed. The engine issue in these models needs to continue to be addressed and owners need to reimbursed for Hyundai/Kia’s failure. Safe to say that I’ll stay clear of purchasing a Hyundai/Kia in the coming weeks.