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
My Hyundai Santa Fe stalled on me oil light came on put more in thinking O was ok didn’t get to far it started all kinds of things slowing down finally died changed $200 worth of sensors thought it was fixed headed to work nope knocking again then motor was gone
Same thing! What steps can be taken to be part of the lawsuit or is it too late? I’m being quoted $12k for a new engine for oil issues and sludge on a maintained car. Under warranty but claim was denied.
2018 Hyundai Sonata. Same problems currently going through oil consumption testing at dealership & always “within Hyundai guidelines” if that’s true I would run out of oil way before next oil change is due! Hyundai knows this is a problem & should do the right thing! We were faithful Hyundai owners but this is the last one!
My 2018 Tucson uses about 1 quart a week. Nice car very bad engine. So disappointed
How do I add my name to this lawsuit. 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and having the same problem with my oil.
My 2016 Hyundai Sonata just went out ON OUR WAY TO A WEDDING IN THE MIDDLE OF KNOWWHERE! A couple months ago the vehicle started burning through oil way faster than it should. We were having to do oil changes every 2000 miles or every 3-4 weeks. We did an oil change a week and a half before we left to make a 7 hour trip down to California for a wedding and half way there the engine started to tick and then knock so I pulled over with my 3 kids in the car and was able to flag down a highway patrol who helped u radio in to the station and have dispatch call AAA. We had the vehicle towed to the nearest town and looked at and the mechanic said there was a rod knock in the motor and the vehicle was low on oil! We had just done an oil change and have kept up with all maintenance on the vehicle since buying it. It cost us $500 just to tow it to the nearest town and then another $700 to get it home. On top of that I had 3 very grumpy kids stuck in the hot weather waiting for help to come 4 hours later. After getting it home we had a mechanic quote us $5500 to put a new motor in. Hyundai Should be held responsible for this! This should not have happened.
I have a 2016 Hyundai Sonata that has been “tested” 3 separate occasions and I lose a quart of oil every 1000 miles which I have been told by Hyundai is normal
My 2015 Hyundai Veloster is burning oil in excessive amount. There are no visible leaks and no smoke coming out of the tailpipe but I have to constantly check my oil level and have to put at minimum a quart of oil in a month. I would approximate I only dive a few hundred miles before having to add.
Yes I have to check oil every single week ! I have a 2018
Mi Hyundai sonata 2016 consume 1 litro de aceite por cada 100 millas algo totalmente ridículo lo lleve a Hyundai y no quieren hacerse responsable de garantía nada me hicieron hacer una reparación de más de 1000 $ y el carro quedó peor la verdad una burla para sus compradores
2017 hyundai sonata sport. 28000 miles same issues, this thing has been to the dealer for all repairs except tires,brakes, every 3000 oil changes. Dealer preformed oil flush and testing. It uses 1 qt. Every 300 miles. The dealership was sold and now there is no records of the car ever being there and they refused any help. I will never buy anything from this automaker again