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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3,221 thoughts onHyundai class action over excessive oil consumption dismissed
I bough a used 2012 hyndai sonata I’ve had it for about 6 months now it has low mileage so never thought I would have this issue. Finally checked my oil because I had to hold off alittle on an oil change financial issues so I check and it’s low, I couldn’t believe it so I fill it up and said I’m going to check in a week or less. Had to put more in so now I’m keeping an eye on it but it is going through oil like crazy this is not right and I’m paying on the car but it’s used so no warranty this is absolutely ridiculous. I really wish I would have looked more into these cars but I needed one and at the time it seemed not too bad of a deal but now I’m just flabbergasted.
2018 Hyundai Sonata. Adding oil to the car every 3 weeks. Absolutely ridiculous!!!
My 2020 Hyundai Palisade needed 5 qts of oil this week and isn’t due for an oil change for 2000 more miles.
My 2016 Kia Sorento is burning oil like crazy! I cannot go 200 miles without adding several quarts of oil. Is there a remedy or an active lawsuit I can join?
I have a 2017 Sonata Limited. I’ve been putting a new quart of oil in it about every 1000 miles…it consumes a lot of oil. I learned about this serious defect from a local mechanic when it seized up on me on I-95 , apparently the kill switch engaged he told me cause it had NO OIL in it. I had just had it changed 3,000 miles before, no reason to be completely empty. He told me to keep a close eye on the oil level…which I do and it’s costing me a good amount of money. Sign me up!
I bought my 2016 Hyundai Sonata in Jan of 2022. In march of 2023 I got my first replacement engine. In February 2024 I got my second replacement engine.
2019 Sonata 83.4K miles purchased as cert pre-owned vehicle 3/2021 w/25K mi.
Excessive Oil Consumption
Poor Performance
Car has been burning more & more oil since 70K miles. Recently about 1 Qt Synthetic per 750-1000 miles
Just before I scheduled routine oil change, cylinder 2 began misfiring. Towed to dealer 9/9/2024.
Instead of listening to my description of problem or even concede there is a chronic issue with these engines, they’re going to change oil, rotate tires, and run a $230 diagnostic test. No doubt I’ll have a $1000 service bill then be sent home with instructions to do an oil consumption test (which will take 3 more trips to the dealer and buy them 2 mos. more time). They already know the answer and the cyl 2 misfire could be DIRECTLY related to the oil burning issue.
YEAR/MAKE/MODEL: 2018 Hyundai Sonata SEL
MILEAGE: 101K
DATE in SHOP: APRIL 8, 2024
OWNER COMPLAINT (After returning auto to Hyundai Dealership 5 Times): Seat Belt, Oil Light Constantly On nd Having to Change the Oil; Engine Knocks, Car will Stall nd Fail; Fuel Pump
HYUNDAI REPLY TO MY CLAIM:
(1) Need Engined Replaced
(2) Hyundai USA Denied my Claim Twice
(3) Oil Sludge on Engine Parts
(4) 2 Oil Changes that was missed that wasn’t within the manufacturer Guidelines.
This car was purchased brand new on April 30, 2018. Hyundai completed all work on it Oil Changes (Except for 3 but have receipt) and Recalls but DENIED THE CLAIM TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. What must I do? HELP
YEAR/MAKE/MODEL: 2018 Hyundai Sonata SEL
MILEAGE: 101K
DATE in SHOP: APRIL 8, 2024
OWNER COMPLAINT (After returning auto to Hyundai Dealership 5 Times): Seat BelOil Light Constantly On nd Having to Change the Oil; Engine Knocks, Car will Stall nd Fail; Fuel Pump
HYUNDAI REPLY TO MY CLAIM:
(1) Need Engined Replaced
(2) Hyundai USA Denied my Claim Twice
(3) Oil Sludge on Engine Parts
(4) 2 Oil Changes that was missed that wasn’t within the manufacturer Guidelines.
This car was purchased brand new on April 30, 2018. Hyundai completed all work on it Oil Changes (Except for 3 but have receipt) and Recalls but
I have a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport and I’ve had problems with having basically no oil left between oil changes and I have taken care of it for my regular oil changes and this is becoming an ongoing issue.