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
Hi I own 2014 handai accent 95,000 miles in1,500 I go through a full oil change couse is nearly empty thisbis draining me causing me stress depression I cannot afford all this mechanic said my engine is going,also Catalina converter I need help asap Ithis is really bad what handai have done knowing these cars were defected greed huh,they have to be accountable for there actions impossible so Manny cars,owners have same problem this is real I need to contact these lawyers couse technically I feel it was violations to lemon law unreal,not acceptable they have to pay for what they done
I have a 2016 Elantra GT that has gone through so much oil , that I have had to replace 2 catalytic converters. At $2000 a pop, I can’t afford 3rd one. I am currently at about 165k, well maintained since I am second owner. I have gotten NO WHERE with corporate! Last time I will EVER purchase one of these vehicles.
I have a 2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport. It ran great the first couple of years I had it. Now it goes through 5 quarts of oil within a couple of months. I changed my oil at 101,765 miles and replaced all 5 quarts of oil in it. I am now at 103,792 thats only 2,027 miles and I’m am low on oil again. I have to keep adding quarts in between doing a full oil change constantly to make sure it doesn’t run out if oil.
I have a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe that’s burning oil. I go through a quart a week. This is getting too costly for me.
I have a 2018 Santa Fe sport burns about a Qt of oil every 1500 miles. Car has 107K miles
Is this normal?
I have a 2016 Hyundai accent and am constantly having to check my oil and put more in it
My car has had light go on and only due to low oil. I service my car regularly and is maintained very well until the last year the light comes on and I find out it’s low in oil when I haven’t even reached the mileage mark
It’s a 2017 Santa Fe
Yes. That’s happened to me as well. Recent oil change and then one morning my low oil light is flashing. Barely anything in it.
I have a 2016 Hyundai Veloster Turbo.
Honestly, I’ve had no mechanical issues with the car. I love my car. I originally leased it in 2016, but then signed to buy it in 2019.
My mechanic had mentioned that on the last few oil changes I’ve had, that the oil level was lower than usual.
Recently, my car wasn’t starting. It had no lights on the dash, and I had had no issues with it.
I ended up taking it to my mechanic and after checking the battery, he thought it was the starter, which he replaced. That did not fix the issue.
He also noticed that when he got to the oil pan that the oil was like sludge.
He suggested that it needs a new engine, which I found shocking.
After doing some research I discovered that the engine oil consumption is a big issue with these cars, specifically to recall #198, and my 16 Veloster is mentioned to possibly be one of the affected models.
I then had my car towed to my local Hyundai dealer where I bought the car and have had it serviced in the past, and after doing a diagnosis on it, they determined that my car did need a new engine, however my VIN# was not listed as one of the models affected.
In order to replace the engine, they quoted me $13,000.
My car is maybe worth $12,000, and I still owe $7,000 on it.
I disagree with their decision to not fix it.
Everything I’ve read about this recall completely relates to my car.
I am currently looking for second opinions, and if anyone can help me in this situation.
Thank you very much.
I own a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. I’m the second owner. I’ve owned it for 2 months and had the oil changed when it was purchased. I went to get an inspection sticker and the mechanic noticed that it was completely out of oil and that there was oil sludge on the cover plate below the oil pan. $1200 later we will see if the problem is fixed. Based on the comments here I’m not too hopeful and worry that these cars may be lemons. I’m surprised that this isn’t a recall item.
I own a 2017 hyunda tuscon that deaccellerated to 20 mph on a 50 mph zone. i took it in to the local dealership to look at they claimed it needed a full engine rebuild, which is of course not under warranty. so now im in this crappy situation where my hyundai case manager and the dealership i purchased the car from are just ignoring my calls.
My wife’s 2016 Hyundai Tucson has 102K miles on it. It had been regularly maintained and now the engine has failed. Hyundai refuses to help. I have never seen anything like it.
I would look into the notices and TSBs regarding warranty extension for engine failure due to long block issues etc, if applicable she is covered up to 150k regardless if not the first owner. Hyundai lies CONSTANTLY don’t let them fool you!