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
My 2012 hyundai accent is going through excessive amounts of oil, is in a second shop trying to figure out why it wasn’t starting all the time. It’s due to all the excessive sludge. I get oil changes every 3,000 miles.
Although the accent is not listed on this, I believe it should be.
I purchased Hyundai Tucson 2021 in December 2020. It was being regularly serviced till now, however, recently I noticed the car had only less than 1 liter of mobile oil left before the service was due at 37000 KMS. I had to get the oil filled urgently and then my search began for the reason.
I am really upset about this after spending about $45,000, I am having a defective car engine, which the Hyundai Motor Corp was aware of and sold me a defective vehicle.
Hyundai 2017 Santa Fe – just had oil changed and the engine blew. 8K later I had to replace engine. No warning lights for low oil or antifreeze. Just a check engine light came on I pulled over and turned car off and then turned it on and it was knocking and shaking. Had towed to Hyundai dealership they will not cover it. I am 2nd owner who purchase a complete coverage and they will not cover the engine due to burnt cylinders Have all oil change records. I am trading it in was without my vehicle for over 2 months and had certified mechanic install new Hyundai engine and they will not honor full warranty due to their mechanics not installing. I could not be without a vehicle for that long.
I meant the mechanic noted NO oil leak.
Same no oil leak, excessive sludge
Our 2016 Kia Sorento was going through more oil than normal. Once we discovered the issue, our mechanic inspected it and noted to oil leak. Within 1 week, our car burned to the ground and is a total loss. We narrowly escaped the vehicle before it was fully engulfed. We will see what insurance will cover, but do we have an additional lawsuit here?
My 2017 Tucson now needs a new cat. Converter because of clog cat from oil car lost power going up hill on the freeway please help
My 2017 Santa Fe is going through 2 quarts a month
My Hyundai Tucson had an engine replaced at 60,000 miles because of loss of oil and the engine seized on my way to the dealership. They replaced it however the new engine is doing the same thing at the same mileage and I am replacing between two and 3 quarts a month with normal use. I have contacted Hyundai and they say that it is within the normal limits of engine oil consumption and are not willing to help me. Other car mechanics have told me that I should get rid of the car because the engine is failing due to the unusual oil consumption and poor engine construction. They don’t think my engine will last much longer. I have rattling in the engine at this time. Please add my name to the class action suit.
Last week I was 100 miles from home and my check engine light came on and was “jumping” every time I accelerated. I took it to the dealer the next day and they asked if I had an appointment. Really!? I told them that the car isn’t drivable. Anyway, they said that there was only a quart of oil and it’s burning oil. The told me to come back when I drove 1100 more miles and that they were sending records of my oil changes to Hyundai. I now find out that I’m not the only one that this is happening to. I will never buy another Hyundai again after the recall and now this. How can I join the class action lawsuit?
My 2017 Hyundai Tucson nearly got me killed! Sudden loss of power on the highway. Found out it had no oil measurable and I NEVER had any indicator light, smoke or oil leaks. Came on suddenly.