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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3,223 thoughts onHyundai class action over excessive oil consumption dismissed
I have a 2017 Hyundai Sonata that uses 2 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. This is something that Hyundai should address and issue a recall.
2017 Santa fa, uses a lot of oil
I am a 2015 Hyundai Sonda owner and want in on this issue as I am having a consumption issue.
I am a 2015 Hyundai Sonda owner and want in on this issue as I am having a consumption issue.
I have a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and its using/burning oil bad. I cant even drive 3000 miles aand my iol is either low or gone. I called a dealership and they told me there was no recall on my car for this but they would look at it to see what they could find wrong, for a cost of course. How can i get this taken care of? Seems as though they have no intention of taking car of this.
I believe we a Sonora that is on the list
In January 2023, while on my way to a doctors appt., the check engine light began flashing and I experienced the vehicle powering down. I took it to auto zone which was less than a mile away to have the code read. The code that came up was the p1326 code which indicates excessive rod bearing wear. Severe engine damage and failure are imminent. While I was still at Auto Zone I checked the oil since the check engine light came on. It was reading very low despite me having the oil changed 2 weeks prior (they showed me the dip stick that the oil was full). I put 3 1/2 quarts of oil in. I took it to Deacon Jones Kia in Goldsboro, NC. and told them what code was coming up. described the vehicle powering down, knocking and that I was concerned that it was consuming a large amount of oil. I also explained that no oil light came on, just the flashing check engine light. I explained that there were no oil puddles under the car in my garage or where I park at work. I was told that I would be put in line for it to be looked at and that it might take several weeks because there were so many. After 2 weeks of me getting rides from anyone I could to get to work I received a call that it was just the knock sensor that needed to be updated and that it had been completed. Again, I told them I was still concerned about the oil consumption but they were not concerned with this.
Around the first week of April the check engine light began flashing again. I took it to auto zone close to my house and the P0304 code showed up indicating powertrain system issues and that most likely it was an ignition coil and spark plug gone bad in cylinder 4 but that it could be caused by low or no air flow to the valve, a crankshaft sensor, broken piston, head gasket, etc.. I replaced the ignition coil and spark plug but that did not help. Again I took it to Deacon Jones Kia. They told me I would need a diagnostic test done and that would cost $186.00. At this point, I had no choice so told them to do the test. I received a call back within 2 days stating that the valve was bad. That it wasn’t getting any air flow to the valve. I never received the written diagnostic test just the estimate for repairs. They told me that the engine needed replacing at a cost of $5312 but they could just replace the valve at $2818.28.
I called Kia consumer care line that afternoon and was told that there wasn’t anything they could do because a valve was not covered under the extended warranty from the class action lawsuit.
I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau on May 8, 2023. I have had 2 messages from Kia that they were looking into the matter. After waiting 3 weeks for responses I called back and spoke to another consumer care person. He told me that there wasn’t anything he could do so I requested to speak to a manager. I was told it would be 24-48 hours before I would receive a return call. I received a return call from Misty, in the escalation department, who said there was basically nothing she could do but that as a “good faith” measure she would reach out to the divisional parts director to see if there was anything they could offer further. She stated that in the meantime I should reach out to the dealer to see if they could help in anyway. I told her that was not acceptable, that this was because of faulty engines that Kia put into the vehicles. I asked to speak to a manager or someone higher than her. I also explained that I completely understood that she was doing her job and that she had done all she could do. I have been without a vehicle for over 2 months and I recently had to rent a vehicle to just get to work on top of having to pay a car payment. I was told again that it would be 24-48 hours for a return call. I received a return call from a manager later that day. I I requested for my engine to be replaced or to buy the vehicle back. I also told her that I was willing to buy a new Kia with a warranty although the higher payment would be a struggle. She told me she would call me back within 2 days. I did not hear from her so I called back and was told that they were going to transfer me to Misty the case worker. Misty called back and stated that she had spoken to the division parts manager and that as a “good faith effort” they would pay half of the cost to replace the engine
Yes, I have a 2017 Elantra, and my car starting making a loud tapping noise several weeks after an oil change. The car stalled out, and when I checked the oil, there wasn’t any registering on the dipstick. The oil light did not come on or any indication that the oil was low. This car has had lots of issues. I won’t buy another Hyundai. I had a VW for 13 years, and it was still running when I sold it at 365,000 miles.
I have a 2018 Tuscon had an oil consumption test last week. I have 60K miles on my car and the check engine light came on 6-9-23. I now have to drive 1000 miles, bring it back, have it checked. They will then change the oil, have me drive another 1000 miles and repeat. Only then, if the car is burning oil will they seek an engine replacement from corporate. For the 7 days my only car was down, I’m now fighting them to cover the cost of the rental, which they claim is NOT part of the warranty. I also noticed since the car returned back to my I am eating my gas like there is no tomorrow. Please keep me up to date on this. I’m also watching the engine settlement.
I have a 2012 Sonata (not included in this suit) and have been having to add oil every 3 days to my car! I’ve already had my engine replaced after it seized 2 years ago and that fell under their faulty engine recall. This oil issue causes my car to makes odd sounds, not accelerate properly especially on hills. It’s a nightmare to drive this car and my only option. Idk what to do bc my year isn’t in this suit.
I have a 2017 Tucson 2.0 that requires 3-4 quarts of extra oil between oil changes. I run a full synthetic oil. A year ago the oil pressure light began to flutter on occasion. It never comes “on”, just flutters unevenly – – I would guess about 5-10% of the time. Recently, the car began to stall occasionally when coming to a stop. At the same time, it began to accelerate on its own when speed is reduced for and after a right hand turn.
We very much liked our ’07 Sonata and have enjoyed the Tucson until these traits showed up.