As detailed in the attached letter to Hyundai, the car has had multiple engine issues that the company refuses to resolve even though they are well aware of the on-going engine problems in Sonatas. The problem started in August 2023 and is on-going.
2018 Hyundai Sonata engine complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 224, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car has an engine defect and consumes too much oil. Hyundai Sonata is denying the repair or engine replacement
Vehicle is loosing a quart of oil every two weeks. When taken in for service no problems found. Dealership says their is a known engine problem but since I am the second owner no warrenty applies. Their suggestion is to constantly pit oil in the vehicle. This problem has effected many hyundai owners and should be on the company to fix the problem.
Engine began making knocking sound then car while in the highway was not able to accelerate. This slowdown put driver at risk for highway accident. Took car to dealership. They said the engine needed replaced then the next day said no Hyundai said it needed a sensor. This was a bandaid fix as it continued to go through oil faster than it could be changed this led to engine shake and knocking several months after the band aid fix. The car was not able to accelerate again. Again took it to Hyundai dealership said it need an oil test required us to do and pay for an oil change when we had just done one. Drive the 1000 miles brought it back failed the oil test said they need to do some sort of engine clean. Hyundai refused as the car doesn’t have oil change records for the first three years. No record of oil change was recorded even though they were completed. It being five and six years ago we don’t have receipts but believe these were part of the lease and completed at the dealership at no cost. Now Hyundai not even doing the rest of the oil test but say engine needs replaced however they will not cover the repair. We have all records after the car was purchased off the lease other car we own has full oil change records but since we are not able to locate and no one recorded they have denied the repair of a known issue with their engine. This engine issue needs a full investigation as they are trying to get away with not fixing THEIR known problem. This is a driving hazard for the cars still on the road as the engine will suddenly lose the ability to accelerate and could cause a major accident.
Had issues with engine consuming oil. Took to dealer who completed an engine oil consumption test to find the engine oil was 3 quarts low. All services had been completed through the dealer for the life of the vehicle. Engine replacement was approved. Vehicle was still under warranty. Vehicle was at 88227 miles when taken to dealer for repairs for oil consumption.
I was the owner of a 2018 Sonata until I was t-boned and the car was totaled. I started to make a left turn into a school parking lot when the engine kind of stalled or more like stuttered and did not go forward as usual. The oncoming car then struck me before I was completely in the driveway. My vehicle was totaled as was the other one. Fortunately no one was on the passenger's side where the other car hit me. However the seat belt did not engage which resulted in me slamming very hard into the steering column. This resulted in bruised on my right side which cleared up in several weeks, but, unfortunately, I received a heart contusion on my left side which is still causing shortness of breath. Hyundai will not acknowledge a problem with the engine or the seat belt.
Hello, I am the original owner for my 2018 Hyundai Sonata. I have now had numerous issues with this vehicle that has now left me stalled on the highway twice resulting in a near accident and the vehicle being towed twice to a dealership. I am now having issues with oil consumption with me needing to put in at least 1q per week to ensure the reading on the dipstick is above “L”. I have my vehicle serviced at the Hyundai dealership and they first brought to my attention at 90k miles that when I would go in for my scheduled oil changes the engine was nearly dry. I took my vehicle to a Midas to have it inspected for an oil leak with their mechanics twice saying there was not an oil leak. It was the mechanic here at Midas that informed me of the oil consumption issues Theta II Hyundai engines have been experiencing and to take it into the dealership to see what can be done. This has been an issue my dealership has known about, but they are refusing to assist stating the vehicle is now out of warranty at 104k miles. I have the receipts proving the vehicle has been maintained according to the manufacturers recommendation. My vehicle now will fill with the smell of burning oil when I’m driving, I’ve had the spark plugs replaced once and the new spark plugs are already coated in oil and my vehicle lurches when I’m accelerating to get onto the highway. I feel very unsafe driving this vehicle and fear it’s a matter of time before it leaves me stranded on the highway again.
The motor blew in my 2018 Hyundai sonata due to a manufacturing defect. There was a recall on it a couple of years ago. They acknowledged it was a defect which is why they put an extended warranty on the engine. Because I could not come up with maintenance records dating back until 2018 (I only had them dating back to 2020), they denied my motor and will not fix it. I bought the car brand new in 2018 and have had nothing but issues ever since. I have had to change the oil in this vehicle every 2 weeks, because it would be nothing in the oil tank at all. When the recall come out, they said they could not fix the vehicle until the motor was blown. Now that the motor has blew, they won't fix it because I don't have repair records dating back 6 years ago.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing forward momentum. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle was still losing forward momentum and then stalled. The contact stated that he was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but was unable after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to a hole in the valve. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle eventually started. The failure had been persistent since December 2022. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was requested to pay a diagnostic fee. The contact declined to pay the diagnostic fee because the vehicle was under warranty at the time. The contact purchased a new battery, and the battery was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.
I had just taken my 2018 Hyundai Sonata through the brushless car wash at Marion Ford-Hyundai in Marion, Illinois. As I exited the car wash, I noticed that the engine light had come on. When I took the car out on the highway, it accelerated very slowly and would only reach a speed of about 50 miles per hour. I called the service department at the dealership about what had happened and they told me the knock sensor had shorted out and for safety to the engine, would only allow me to go about 50 miles per hour, and to drive it as little as possible until it was repaired. They said that they had several other Sonatas in the shop with the exact same problem. The car was, and still is, under warranty, so it was repaired for free. It took about a month for them to get to my car, due in part to the other Sonatas waiting for the same problem to be repaired. The second time it happened I was driving home and went through some water on the highway at about 55 miles per hour, and the engine light came on and the car instantly decelerated to about 45 miles per hour. Same problem. The dealer again repaired the car for free. My two biggest concerns are how much it's going to cost me to have the repair done after the car's warranty expires, and, more importantly, what if the problem occurs in fast city traffic, such as in Covington, KY, where you have to drive 80 mph to keep from being a traffic hazard, or some other similar situation, such as interstate highway travel. Rapid deceleration in fast traffic can be deadly, and I don't like the thought of being killed or stranded in the middle of nowhere due to a design flaw by Hyundai. Can't Hyundai be made to fix the problem at no cost to the vehicle owners, to make the cars safer? I hardly drive the car in the rain any more. By the way, I don't have the exact dates these incidents occurred, only that they were, the best I can remember, in 2022 and 2023.
The vehicle is disposing oil really fast every 3 weeks I put 2 quarts in. A whole lot of dark smoke comes out when the car is 1st cranked up. Oil light flases constantly off and on in like a second. You would miss it if you blink twice. At least it should stay on to warn you of that their is no oil in the vehicle. Check the oil stick, bone dry. No leaks, no cracks, I took it to the shop and the repairs is really a 1 new motor
The engine of my 2018 Hyundai Sonata has been losing oil at a significant rate. By the time I take my car in for a regular oil change the oil is either completely out or nearly out. I contacted Hyundai regarding an oil consumption test which is what was recommended to me by Hyundai corporate when I called to report the problem. Hyundai has completed the oil consumption test and although they stated that it is consuming oil at a higher than normal rate, it still meets their “standard” and the recommendation that they have was to fill up my oil every time I put gas in my car which is an unreasonable expectation . The safety risk is significant. Although Hyundai recognizes this is an issue, they have said that there is nothing they can do. For a vehicle that has only 79,000 miles on it, there is no indication of where the oil is leaking to. During my last oil change, valvoline stated that this is a known issue and that the oil leaks into the engine of the vehicle. Hyundai inspected the vehicle and again stated that although it is burning oil off at a higher than normal rate, their standards state that it is not burning off enough to warrant an engine repair. The oil warning light did appear just before my last oil change which was approximately January 2024. When the light came on, I immediately scheduled an oil change and that is when I was first made aware that this was a known issue with certain Hyundai models
Severe oil leak into the oil pan has required frequent maintenance to keep oil in the car.
Engine failed, vehicle towed to Hyundai Daytona Beach Florida on [XXX], vehicle under warranty and part of class action suit. Multiple inquiries to dealer and complaint filed with Hyundai North America, Hyundai and dealer have failed to replace engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I own a 2018 Hyundai Sonata 2.0 turbo I paid cash for it in [XXX] with 2011 miles on it for 24,000 cash didn’t start having problems until 2022 then the I kept hearing a knocking on the left front wheel. I had it look at several places because the Hyundai of Louisville dealership kept telling me my title was branded I didn’t know what that meant till I took my title to the tag office and had the sheriffs department check the title out and it was an still is 100 % clean then my engine kept getting worse an in may of 2023 the engine stopped working I had the car towed to the local dealership and they couldn’t even look at it till Aug of 2023 the they told me I shot out a code 99 and they refused to update my software for the knock sensor system and wouldn’t honor the regular 60,000 miles warranty my car only had 48,000 miles on it . They didn’t bother telling me about the faulty GDI 2.0 turbo engine in August of 2023 I had to research it and find out on the internet that it’s a excessive oil consumption problem with this faulty engine. I had my car stolen for 6 days in April of 2023 and everything was taken out of my glove box an trunk . My oil change receipts were kept in an envelope in the glove box and were stolen with all my car registration an insurance papers . So the dealership refused my free engine replacement because I don’t have all my oil change receipts and blamed me for the oil being out of the engine which is due to the faulty GDI 2.0 turbo engine the dealership has now had my car 300 days I’ve been walking to and from my work I can’t afford a new engine all I want is me free engine replacement I have all the articles printed of all the engine problem with the cars catching on fire or just stop running period . I need some representation on having the Hyundai of Louisville Kentucky on Dixie highway to get me my free engine replacement they want 14,000$ for a new engine. I’m extremely mad and frustrated with this entire situation I have retained a lawyer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM O
I have an oil leak. After getting an oil change I have to add 1-2 quarts of oil before my next oil change. I do have my oil change as recommended. This has happened so far on the last 3 oil changes I’ve done.
Car continues to burn oil within a week of getting oil changes, the oil will be black and it will be low sometimes there will be no oil and there is not an oil leak. Right now we had to pay for a combustion test and have to drive 1,000 miles then check the oil at Hyundai again and already our oil is starting to burn and is low. Hyundai said if the combustion test comes back still burnt or low Hyundai would give me a new engine and yea it’s low and already a tint dark not as dark as it used to get but still it’s low with no leak and we did not get the promised new engine after paying almost 600$ for the test… Also electrical wise the computer randomly sounds like static when Siri talks also the music does not play and randomly the maps will close out we have tried new cords we have tried everything and it still happens.
On [XXX] I was driving on [XXX] [XXX] from Rockville, Maryland when my vehicle (2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited) started to lose power and control and all dash lights started to show. I was able to move the vehicle to the highway shoulder before all power and control failed. Had I been moving at a higher speed or in heavier traffic, or been slower to react this could have led to a catastrophic incident. When the roadside assistance showed up they found that my alternator had completely detached from my vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the Sheehy Hyundai dealership in Waldorf, MD and examined on [XXX]. The maintenance staff informed me that there were 3 other similar cases they're working on, and that there is a flaw in the design of the alternator bracket using aluminum materials that failed, and that they've reported this systemic issue to the manufacturer but have yet to receive any indications that this would be considered for a recall despite the catastrophic impact this could have. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The car was sitting in the parking lot and randomly black smoke started coming from it and then it turned into fire within in minutes. No one was in the vehicle and 911 was contacted.
My car continues to consume oil and it’s always low. There is no leak. I have been told that the engine is constantly consuming the oil. I have taken it to the dealership and they submitted a form but nothing came about it. This is a safety concern for how fast the oil is being consumed
Car would not start. Odor of burning wires coming from the engine compartment with a little smoke. Had car towed to the Dealer who replaced the starter. Ok for two weeks then same thing. No Start and an odor of burning wires coming from the engine compartment. Had it towed to the Dealer again where it sits today.
I have had a new engine put in my Sonata back at the beginning of 2023. For the past two days my car will jerk really hard, and then loose power not accelerating over 25 rpms and my check engine lights comes on when it jerks really hard.
We were heading to Lakewood NJ from Bucks County (North of Philly) . Car trouble w/ hybrid system on Rt 1, just past I-95. Got off @ Fairless Hills & took back roads. We could only go 20-30 mph. IDK how many times I pulled over. Several lights on, including "Check hybrid system. Turn Engine off", engine light, low tire pressure, battery & 3 other unidentifiable lights. I turned around to try to make it home, as 2 years ago, I had a similar issue, which turned out to be the hybrid water pump failed. We finally stopped near a park & called AAA & towed to dealer. Prior to driving, we had no fluid on our driveway. My last synthetic oil change was April 19, 2023 @ 49,097mile. I now have about 57,000 miles. Today, dealer said no oil in the car & oil pan was all wet. They claim the oil filer was loose. Why would it take 8 months to loosen to lose oil? After adding oil & taking for test drive, they said the engine seized & would need to be replaced. Not under warranty. Add to complaint - the remaining dashboard lights where checked and non of them was for the oil pressure. If I lost enough oil for the engine to seize I would expect a low oil pressure light to come. The dealer informed me on Dec 26, 2023 that when doing the diagnostic, the oil pressure light came on for them. The photos attached to the case does not show the oil pressure light on.
Oil pan crack. Leaking oil can get on engine or underbody components causing fire or failure of breaking systems causing an accident resulting in death. Problem was identified by dealer and in fact the dealer rep said this was common. It has not been inspected by police or insurance reps. There is no warning systems in place for a cracked pan.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as designed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence and then contacted the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed but was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,920.
I own a 2018 Hyundai Sonata SEL. I purchased the car in 2020 with ~17,000 miles on it. At ~50,000 miles the engine begin burning oil. It has progressively gotten worse. I can’t bring myself to have anyone drive my car because of this issue. It is all to likely that the result of the car burning so much oil in a short period of time. That it can pose a serious risk to anyone driving the car if the oil wasn’t checked. This is not a common problem with many cars, this is a problem with Hyundai vehicles. The negligence of not issuing a recall for this is horrible. I have taken my car to private mechanics and Hyundai service centers. The response I get is “oh yeah they’re know for burning oil and there’s not much to do about it.” That’s a ridiculous response to situation like this for the thousands of owners. How long will it take to issue a recall, until a life is taken? When the issue could have been fixed by issuing a recall. Complete negligence on Hyundai and the federal safety agency.
Purchased this vehicle with about 64K miles. Vehicle, as per CarFax report, has been meticulously maintained. Upon delivery, we changed the oil and filter with full-synthetic Amsoil. We ensured oil levels were appropriate prior to returning to service. No more than 1,000 miles later, roughly incurred in about a month, we checked oil levels again. This time, it required about 1.25 quarts to return it to the appropriate level .We did research and apparently, there is a class-action lawsuit filed by owners of Hyundai vehicles with this specific engine, the Theta II 2.4L 4-cylinder engine. Here's an article making reference to apparently your organization already looking into these complaints. [XXX] Could you please advise if the federal safety agency will take the necessary steps to request Hyundai to issue a recall? I have found multiple articles where Hyundai is rejecting to take any action on their own, in most cases, advising their customers that such level of oil consumption is 'normal'. That clearly contradicts their own owner's manual guidelines. I own a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban 1500LT with 302K miles and the vehicle will go nearly 5K miles between oil changes while requiring no more than 1/2 quart of oil to keep it at the appropriate levels. I also own a 2019 Honda Accord 2.0T that normally requires oil changes every 10K miles and it seldom requires more than 1/8 of a quart to keep at the appropriate oil levels. There is definitely something definitely wrong with this engine type and requires governmental involvement to hold the manufacturer to provide adequate remediation. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2018 Hyundai Sonata began running low on oil around May 2022 when the car had 86,400 miles on it. I informed the local dealership where I bought the car and had all maintenance completed. The dealership and myself contacted Hyundai Corp. Hyundai Corp approved oil consumption testing which resulted in an induction cleaning in Sept. 2022. This did not resolve the oil burning issue. The dealership service staff informed me that I was given a lifetime warranty on the engine and to keep driving it and putting oil in as needed until the engine failed and then to bring it to the dealership for replacement engine. There evidently was not a fix for the problem. Most recently I have been putting oil in the car every Sunday. I sent an email message to Hyundai Corp about a month ago to request to talk with a case manager regarding this excessive oil issue. In the meantime I have taken my car to the dealership for all suggested maintenance and informed them of the continued oil consumption. Before I received a response from Hyundai, my engine failed. I pulled out of my drive way and my car was stalling and would not accelerate properly then my engine light came on. I drove the car about a quarter mile down the road and turned around and came home in this very scary condition. This is a safety issue due to pulling out on a road with no power to accelerate. I had it towed to the dealership. I was give a case manager from Hyundai. My car has burnt valves and excessive carbon build up from excessive oil burning. Hyundai will not cover engine replacement costs, or buy back the vehicle. This vehicle is available for inspection. I'm not sure if I should leave it at dealership or have it towed home.
Engine is failing, stalls frequently. Dealership where I bought the car will not help, other dealership advised us to drive the car until the engine fails. I do not feel safe driving this car with my children.
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