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
I have a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport. And it burns oil like crazy. Any suggestions.
Have a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe that I just bought in May of 2022 with 64k miles on it. Just stopped running on the highway in February this year. They will not honor the warranty bc I am the second owner and will not touch my car until May, so my dad went down to look at it at the dealership and there’s no oil NONE. No loaner available. So now I pay on a car that I cannot use and will not be covered. I can’t afford $10k plus on engine repair nor can I afford to be without a car. Will not buy a Hyundai again.
I have a 2013 Hyundai Sanata that had been fixed for metal shavings in the oil pan about two years ago and it’s been burning oil. I have to put a qt in every 2-3 weeks
I have a 2015 Kia Soul plus. My Kia started consuming a lot of oil at around the 70-80000 mile range. About a year ago I to a 1000 mile trip to Louisiana from Ohio and I started to experience reduced speeds with heavy acceleration. I thought at first I was having transmission problems. I barely made it to my destination. I took it to a Kia dealer and they told me it was a clogged catalytic converter from fouled plugs. They changed my wires and plugs and catalytic converter. It cost me 2400.00 dollars! My car ran fine after that but I still had the oil problem. Now one year later my converter is clogged again! I am pissed. This is ridiculous. I don’t know what to do. I took the car for the recall. All they did for the engine is update the firmware for the knock sensor. They said they would look for oil leaks and cover repairs up to replacing the engine. When I ask about this warranty he told me jokingly “Ya maybe if the engine blows up”. As far as I can see, they owe me an engine rebuild or a new engine. Now I realize this oil problem is an internal leak into the exhaust. That explains the catalytic converter clogging up.
I have a 2017 Hyundai sonata I have the same problem of car using excessive oil. My car is at the dealership where they said they would clean the carbon and oil buildup then preform an oil consumption test.
we bought a cpo factory/exec 2013 santa fe sport turbo with every option except and with only several hundred miles from hyundai dealer. in 2013. they sold it with additional coverage of 10yrs/100,000mi. it now has 140,000. does that automatically disqualify the vehicle? only in the last year or two we’ve had to start adding up to a quart every other week. last week 2 quarts in a week. we change the oil around 5,000 miles. there’s no oil leak spot on the driveway where the car is parked every day.
I have a 2016 Hyundai Elantra, I have my oil changed regularly, my oil light was flickering “so i checked my oil” I added oil……it was 3.5 courts low before my next oil change was due, I added oil to the car “as it was so very low” the next day my car stopped running “in the middle of the road”…..I put it in neutral to start it up and made it home “thank the Lord I was only two houses away for home” I have had know oil leaks, puddles or oil in the exhaust pipe…….I’m at a loss to what to do…….I’m thinking with all that I’m reading in the comments “I’ve had the same issues”
I have a 2017 Hyundai Sonata that is currently going through its 2nd oil consumption test. I feel like they are kicking the can till I get over 100,000 and I’m currently at 97,500. I have to put a quart to two in every 1000 miles and the engine knocks at times. I am a single mom and can not afford to lose my car as its my means of transportation to get back and forth to work.
I have a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. My car is burning oil and my oil light never comes on. Went to get a oil change and they had to put 5 quarts of oil in my car the guys ask if my light came on, said nope. This is concerning. I can not afford a new car. What do I do besides check the oil every week.
I have also purchased a 2017 Hyundai sonata and the same problem retains to it. It burns oil at a very alarming rate. Was told by Hyundai they would scan it but the check engine light is not on. Plus upon research it seems like Hyundai will not fix it. Or fail to
Our 2011 Hyundai Sonata uses a quart a week and if we don’t add the quart faithfully, the motor rattles.