On Jan. 18, as Michael Hanlon took the Hearn Avenue exit off the 101 Freeway in Santa Rosa, his 2015 Hyundai Tucson suddenly lost power when the engine cut out.
It was a “pretty scary experience,” he said.
The irony was that Hanlon was heading to the dealer, Manly Hyundai, to once again ask the manufacturer to look into fixing his engine.
He had long since noticed his car going through the oil unusually fast. Hanlon has taken it in for a couple of minor recalls in the past, but no major issues have occurred at regular service appointments over the years save a battery or brake replacement.
After flagging the oil consumption problem to the dealer in October, Hanlon was told to measure how much the car put through 1,000 miles. The result, two quarters, well above normal, set off a long, frustrating and ongoing process to resolve their car’s problems.
Through research, Hanlon realized that certain Hyundai and Kia models have become notorious for engine problems.
Parent company Hyundai Motor Co. has a decade-long history of lawsuits, recalls and investigations. There has been a class action settlement of over one billion dollars and other litigation is ongoing.
Data from the Center for Auto Safety, a national nonprofit auto industry watchdog, shows there have been more than 30 fire- and engine-related U.S. recalls from Hyundai and Kia since 2015, including more of 8 million vehicles covering at least 20 models from 2006 until 2021.
In the fall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into possible engine failures from leaking oil caused by loose drain plugs without warning.
“We’ve seen a lot of different failures in these engines. It could be pistons, it could be bearings,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety. “That’s what happens, I think, when you keep selling poor design for too long and you just put cures on it.”
As an example, Brooks pointed to the release of Hyundai’s Knock Sensor Detection System software for certain problematic vehicle models, which is designed to detect early signs of engine failure. The technology puts the car into a temporary protection mode if a problem is detected that reduces power and acceleration, which Brooks said comes with its own safety issues.
“What they should have done was fix the design flaw in the engine that is causing these and other problems,” he told me.
Hyundai also recently drew criticism from officials for its response to an alleged flaw that makes some of its vehicles particularly vulnerable to theft and that has TikTok’s attention. In a letter sent earlier this month to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting a recall, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state attorneys general said Kia and Hyundai they have not taken adequate corrective action despite constant pressure.
“Hyundai has taken numerous proactive actions to address engine issues, including conducting several recalls, launching new engine monitoring technology, extending warranties and improving our customer service response” , Hyundai Motor America spokesman Ira Gabriel said in a statement. “Hyundai fosters a culture of transparency and accountability, as the safety of our customers is the highest priority in everything we do.”
Bureaucratic loopholes
Although Hanlon’s car exhibited many familiar signs of malfunction and his engine eventually seized, Hyundai Motor America denied the dealer’s request to replace the engine.
The company based the decision on alleged negligence in maintenance, since even though Hanlon provided a CARFAX report with an extensive service history and even tracked receipts for a handful of oil changes obtained from third-party service providers, some records were missing.
Hanlon said he was told that replacing the engine himself could cost $10,000, which seemed to add insult to injury.
“This is totally unfair to all the people here in our community who have bought these vehicles,” he said.
Hanlon’s experience is apparently not uncommon.
“Consumers are having a hard time with this,” Brooks said.
“It’s really important to keep good records, especially if you’re doing your own oil changes or going to independent repair shops because Hyundai and Kia are denying a number of claims from owners with bad engines because they can’t prove they’re doing it right . kept the vehicle.”
It can also put dealers, who interact with customers but can’t issue replacements without the manufacturer’s permission, in a difficult position, Brooks added. “They’re kind of caught in the middle on this,” he said. “The automaker isn’t doing its dealers many favors either.”
