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A federal judge says she will grant final approval to a proposed Hyundai Sonata defective engine class action settlement.
U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman signaled during a fairness hearing that she would sign off on the proposed $8.5 million settlement, resolving class action claims that certain models of Hyundai Sonata were prone to engine failure.
The parties agreed to the settlement in July of this year and submitted it to the court for approval. Judge Freeman expressed strong confidence in the settlement, describing it as “excellent” and “a good deal for the class.” An order formally approving the settlement is forthcoming after the new year, the judge said.
Under terms of the settlement, Hyundai agrees to reimburse affected owners of Hyundai Sonata cars from model years 2011 through 2014 for costs related to the alleged defect with those vehicles’ 2.0- or 2.4-liter Theta II engines. The settlement will cover costs of repair and replacement of the engine as well as related costs like towing expenses and rental of replacement cars.
The company is also doubling the warranties on all new and pre-owned Hyundai Sonatas from five years to ten and from 60,000 miles to 120,000. For Class Members whose Hyundai Sonata is more than 120,000 miles old, the car maker offers a 90-day window to bring it in for any needed repairs regardless of mileage.
Hyundai reports that it has already paid out more than $8.5 million to about 3,000 claimants under this particular settlement. Company attorneys say the total payout can’t be reliably predicted because some Hyundai Sonata models don’t suffer from the engine failure at issue and others generate only minor trouble.
Although 41 Class Members have objected to the settlement, Judge Freeman noted that the number of objectors is small relative to the total size of the Class. More than 200 other Class Members opted out of the settlement.
Named plaintiff Elizabeth Mendoza filed this Hyundai Sonata class action lawsuit in the spring of last year. She alleged the 2.4 liter Theta II engine installed in certain models of Hyundai Sonata had a defect that caused them to fail – a defect that Hyundai knew about but failed to properly address.
Mendoza says the engine in her own 2011 Hyundai Sonata failed in October 2014 when one of the pistons blew out. A Hyundai dealership told her that the estimated $4,500 repair was not covered under the car’s warranty.
Her Hyundai Sonata class action lawsuit blames the defect on faulty connecting rod bearings. When these bearings fail, they allegedly generate metal debris that gets distributed throughout the engine via the engine’s oil, leading to catastrophic engine failure.
Mendoza and the plaintiff Class are represented by Eric H. Gibbs and David Stein of Gibbs Law Group LLP and by Joseph G. Sauder and Matthew D. Schelkopf of McCuneWright LLP.
The Hyundai Sonata Defective Engine Class Action Lawsuit is Elizabeth Mendoza v. Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd., et al., Case No. 5:15-cv-01685, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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22 thoughts onHyundai Sonata Defective Engine Class Action Ends in $8.5M Settlement
I have a 2012 Kia Sportage and the engine just completely went out. I went to the KIA dealership for a diagnostic check and they said that it was due to engine chain locking up and that this is what the recalls for the 2011-2013 Kia Sportages came back as what the issue was and they had me fax them the diagnostics for from the dealer and then they had the dealership call me and tell me that they would not honor any repairs for this engine and that the sales agent should have explained the warranty to me which he did not and the way that the service person explained it I would have never bought a used car from them had I know that I would not be covered under the manufactures warranty because I was the second owner of the car which was only 2 years old when I bought the vehicle.
I have a 2013 Kia Soul that was in great repair. No indicator lights on. Just 2 weeks ago in 65-70mph traffic on the highway, I was lucky I wasn’t killed. the entire panel lit up and the car stalled. I only have 82k miles. It wasn’t covered under warranty because they claimed it wasn’t the engine it was a sensor and that’s not covered. Again this happened with absolutely no warning!!! What can you help me do?
I have a 2013 Sonata. Purchased in 2016. Within 6 months the motor blew while my husband was on his way home from work around midnight. The dealer replaced the motor, but the vehicle still d ok especially not run as it did before hand. We tried to get Hyundai to buy back the vehicle. But was told to keep complaining to the car dealer. We did that several times.
2011 s onata more recalls than any I car ever. I have been through 6 sets of tires. Air bags are defective. Motor blew. The time lost from work and stress is ridiculous
I have a 2014 sonata did not know of the class action lawsuite is it too late to be added
Here is the TCA article with the settlement details: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/346228-hyundai-sonata-engine-defect-class-action-settlement/. It includes a link to the settlement website and an email address for the settlement administrator. Part of the settlement was a power train warranty extension which did not require a claim form.
This link states 1/26/2017 was the deadline to file a claim. Sounds like it’s too late to file a claim. Is this accurate?
Let me know if you know if a claim can be made after 1/26/17. I traded my in with a reduced trade in value due to the engine issues.
You would need to contact the settlement administrator to inquire about submitting a late claim: SonataEngineSettlement@HMAUSA.com. You can also contact class counsel. Counsel is listed at the bottom of the article and can be Googled for contact information.
I filed my claim it was approved but does anyone know how long it takes them to cut the check after your settlement is approved
When did you file your claim. I’m just wondering if they honored claims after the 1/26/2017 deadline.
My husband and I need to be a part of this lawsuit…our 2011 hyundai sonota limited is parked n the garage bc its too dangerous to drive. It stalled out on the road with myself and our 20mo old child in the car! Thank God no one was behind us or we wouldve been rear ended or killed
I need to be part of this to get our car fixed as its sitting n the garage not safe to drive and we still have to pay monthly for it!
I have 2011 2.0 and I have the same noises and I took it in when I had gotten the first recall and it passed haha. But then when this came out I called and I was referred to customer service of sonata the lady was rude as anything and told me to bring in my car after I told her I had already to both places in my area. Still haven’t gotten it check out again bc of that and money.
I need to be on the list f I really this suit. I own a 2012 GLS Sonata and are having problems.
The same thing has happen with their sister car (KIA2012-2016). They have sent a letter in the mail about the rod bearing. You have to listen to car while driving to hear the popping noise. If the radio is on you can’t hear it. It so sad the individuals pay so much money for these cars and they are actually a piece of junk. They know about the issue but try to find a way out of it. It will mess up your turbo also. Damaging the feed/return line to the turbo. Cause oil leaking leaking. They say is not cover under warranty. However on their site. They have turbo/ power train listed under engine. But say it’s not the same. They alway have clicking noise in the steering that is a recall. . Please listen closely to your car. So you can get it fixed
I have a 2012 Hyundai sonata, and I took it to a dealer for the engine problem and they replaced the dip stick and said everything was alright. How do I know it won’t fail down the line?
It will soon