2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: excessive oil consumption

Filed Oct 27, 2026 · Engine · PA

This vehicle has been suffering from substantial engine oil consumption, burning oil at an alarming and unsafe rate. I have repeatedly brought the vehicle to Washington Hyundai to address this under the engine class-action lawsuit terms, but the dealership continues to run repetitive tests without a resolution. This is a critical safety issue. Excessive oil consumption poses a severe risk of sudden, catastrophic engine seizure or stalling while operating at high speeds on the highway.

Filed Oct 9, 2026 · Engine · CA

My 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe is burning oil and I run the risk of engine failure. I have to check my oil level daily. The mechanic who performed my last oil change said he is seeing this frequently with this age Hyundai Santa Fe. He said Hyundai should be willing to replace my engine but of course they won't. I fear that I am going to be on the freeway and have sudden engine failure creating a risk for me and drivers around me.

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Engine · WA

While driving over the pass the car suddenly lost power and was running very rough. Luckily there was an exit close by that we took and the engine died on the exit. We were able to get it started and get to a parking lot where it died and would not start again. While trying to start it in the parking lot the check engine light came on. So, after a $375 tow to the nearest town the mechanic discovered a damaged spark plug and the compression test showed 0 psi. The scope showed a hole in the piston. The car also leaks and burns oil. The mechanic recommended scrapping the vehicle since it would not be cost effective to repair it. The mechanic said ours is the 6th Santa Fe in their shop with a blown engine in the past month. It has not been inspected by anyone else.

Filed Sep 15, 2026 · Engine · NE

My 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (2.4L Theta II GDI, VIN [XXX], approx. 110,000 miles) has suffered a chain of engine and emissions-system failures that create a loss-of-power safety hazard. At about 80,000 miles, Hyundai replaced the original engine under warranty for excessive oil consumption, a defect Hyundai has acknowledged across the Theta II engine family. After only about 20,000 miles on that replacement engine, the catalytic converter failed and set a P0420 code. The vehicle now bogs down, hesitates, and loses power under acceleration. This is dangerous when merging or accelerating into traffic, where a sudden loss of power raises the risk of a collision. A restricted or failing catalytic converter causes exhaust backpressure and abrupt power loss, and the underlying oil consumption also risks low-oil engine damage and stalling. A catalytic converter should last far longer. This premature failure is consistent with the well-documented Theta II pattern in which engine oil consumption contaminates and destroys the converter substrate. It indicates the replacement engine Hyundai installed is itself consuming oil and damaging downstream exhaust and emissions components. I reported this to the dealer and to Hyundai. Hyundai declined to cover the catalytic converter, treating it as unrelated, even though its own warranty engine replacement is the direct cause. I am filing so this safety-related failure is documented. No crash, fire, or injury has occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Engine · TN

The Hyundai Theta engine is a bad design that has many recalls, a history of oil consumptions, and breakdowns that leave consumers in danger, on the roadside, and out of money. This engine has a design that causes worn engine components and high oil consumption causing reduced engine power, ruined spark plugs, and engine damage with no recourse as a owner. Recently, my family member had a hesitation that causes the car to run rough and display a check engine light. She was in traffic and the vehicle was stopping. Had this been on the interstate it could have been deadly. This IS NOT UNCOMMON for these vehicles. A quick Google search is nationwide proof of an issue with these vehicles and engines that the government needs to hold Hyundai accountable. This particular vehicle has been assessed by a Hyundai and confirmed it is consuming oil at a higher rate than normal, as many other owners have documented. With this most recent issue of stalling out, the mechanic indicated that excessive oil consumption entering the spark plug port has fouled the spark plugs as the design of the engine is flawed. The oil consumption was discovered at approximately 99,000 miles and several steps were completed to "fix" and confirm the issue. There is no "real fix" to the issue due to the inherent design of the motor. Again, this is not a new issue with these cars and there should be recourse that holds Hyundai accountable for bad and dangerous engines. The check engine light did come on as the vehicle began to stall and run rough in traffic.

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Engine · TX

The engine on this vehicle suffers from a severe oil consumption defect that was first officially reported to the authorized dealership on February 3, 2025 at approximately 90,000 miles while under the factory powertrain warranty. The vehicle completely empties its engine oil supply in under 1,000 miles of normal driving. Running entirely out of oil within such a short interval poses an imminent, extreme risk of sudden engine seizure, catastrophic mechanical failure, and sudden stalling at highway speeds. The manufacturer and dealership have physically documented this rapid depletion of oil over a 17-month period but are refusing to replace the defective components, instead attempting to force this unsafe vehicle back onto public roads for repetitive driving tests.

Filed Jul 5, 2026 · Engine · MN

The car has 90,000 miles on it and uses excessive oil, not leaking. It uses at least one quart per 1000 miles.

Filed Jun 2, 2026 · Engine · NJ

I had my engine replaced in Nov 2024 due to excessive oil consumption. I was required to do an emissions update due to a recall on my car. Once the dealer did the update, it caused my check engine light to come on and now I need a new catalytic converter, which was all due to the excessive oil consumption. Hyundai dealer knows this but they are telling me I’m responsible for replacing it. It should be replaced by Hyundai not me. It was the issue with the engine.

Filed May 25, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · KY

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Purchased January 2026 took to Oxmoor Hyundai Service Center March 2026. February 2026 began using oil at a measured rate of 700 miles per tank of oil. Used 3 full tanks of oil within the month of February. Oil lights and engine lights on and off and flashing during this time. March 8, 2026, engine light flashed and then stayed on continuously. Engine shook and stuttered and made a loud noise. Engine stalled while I was driving at 35-40 miles per hour. I was able to continue driving to my home with the stuttering and stalling. The next morning I drove it to the Oxmoor Hyundai Service Center. I told relayed the timeline of all symptoms I had experienced over the 2 month lifetime of my ownership. They did not attempt to reproduce the issue. They only entered "shakes in reverse" as the customer provided issue on the intake information. Service Center performed diagnostic, found cylinder misfires on cylinder 2 and cylinder 4. Replaced spark plugs to resolve Cylinder 2. Cylinder 4 continued to misfire. Used Borescope and found broken valve. They did not address the scoring on the cylinder of the valve. Recommended engine replacement. Advised it would not be covered under a warranty because the rod did not break. The oil consumption was proven with documentation from multiple Valvoline visits and the vertical scoring was present on the cylinder with the broken valve in the borescope photo. The Service Center refused to do a Boring Clearance Test or any other test that would prove the engine should be covered under an extended warranty or class action settlement. It wasn't until I reviewed HMA documents uploaded to the BBB Arbitration, that I realized that the information I initially gave to the Service Center of all the symptoms with timelines had not been entered into the system for diagnostic review by Techline. Arbitrator denied my claim under the theta settlement because the rod had not broken yet, BUT she said my engine was defective.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Engine · NV

While driving on the highway at approximately 70 mph with a heavily loaded vehicle, my 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4L suddenly lost power and entered limp mode. The check engine light flashed and diagnostic code P1326 was stored. During limp mode the engine was banging hard, almost like it was seizing and then releasing repeatedly. This is consistent with connecting rod bearing failure, not wrist pin failure. P1326 is generated by Hyundai's Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS), specifically designed to detect abnormal vibration consistent with connecting rod bearing failure — a known defect covered under Hyundai's Theta II engine warranty extension. Prior to this event the engine had been consuming oil abnormally. Approximately 1,300 miles after my last oil change the oil level had already dropped to the low mark on the dipstick, a significant change from normal operation. The vehicle was towed to a Hyundai dealership where it remains today. The dealership confirmed cylinder scoring and wrist pin damage. Hyundai is attributing the failure solely to wrist pin failure to avoid Theta II warranty coverage. I believe the wrist pin damage is downstream damage caused by the underlying rod bearing defect. My safety was directly at risk at highway speed. The vehicle has approximately 140,000 miles and is within the 15 year/150,000 mile Theta II warranty extension. A Warranty Prior Approval has been submitted to Hyundai Motor America and has been unresolved since March 24, 2026.

Filed Apr 7, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · TX

My 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport equipped with a Theta II GDI engine began exhibiting excessive oil consumption, engine knocking, and cylinder misfires consistent with the known Theta II engine defect covered under the Hyundai class action settlement. Prior to the failure, the check engine light illuminated and I experienced repeated misfires and audible engine knocking. The vehicle required frequent oil additions between oil changes due to excessive consumption. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Hyundai dealership where a diagnosis confirmed a burnt valve inside the cylinder head. The dealership recommends replacement of the cylinder head or complete engine replacement to correct the issue. The dealership performed a bearing failure test and attributed the burnt valve to carbon buildup. However, excessive oil consumption in a GDI engine directly accelerates carbon buildup on intake valves, as burning oil deposits carbon on valve surfaces preventing proper seating and causing overheating and valve failure. The carbon buildup is therefore a consequential result of the Theta II oil consumption defect, not an independent cause. The safety risk is significant as engine misfires and knocking while driving create unpredictable loss of power and potential for stalling in traffic. The vehicle is currently not reliably operable. The manufacturer has been contacted regarding coverage under the Theta II settlement. The component is available for inspection upon request at the servicing dealership

Filed Apr 1, 2026 · Engine · FL · crash

I own a 2018 Honda Santa Fe it is using oil so fast. I know that there is other people complaining about the oil consumption so my engine just blew up because I had it changed on March 13 brand new oil change and on Monday night the engine blew up.. The people who changed my oil said that there have been a complaint that they have been using so much oil and I have talked to Hyundai about this and they refuse to do anything Now I have a Hyundai Santa Fe that is no good to me because I personally can’t afford a new engine/motor