Don't Waste Your Money: Kia/Hyundai engine replacement

Don't Waste Your Money: Kia/Hyundai engine replacement

[benj]

*Denied due to "Driveway oil changes". Sounds like a simple lawsuit due to a violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. You're allowed to change your oil.*

[timstirling]

I have a 2008 Kia Rondo. At 150, 000km the timing chain jumped. The Kia Dealer told me that the chain came off and the piston smashed all my valves (zero compression in all cylinders (2.4 engine) ) and that the engine was "Blown". They advised me that there were no "new engines" available but they could secure and install a rebuilt engine for $10, 000. Being mechanically minded, I had my car towed home and I took the engine apart myself. I discovered that the 2.4 engine is a non-interference engine, meaning that the pistons cannot reach a fully open valve, therefore my valves and pistons were 100% good. I called the Kia Dealership to complain, they sent the head mechanic to my home to inspect the engine. He blamed a junior mechanic for the error and handed me the new gasket kits and head bolts to put it back together. I then paid $100 for a new timing chain and fixed the car myself. Rondo now has 250, 000km and is still running. Just replaced the timing chain again.

[NYPATRIOTBX]

I’ve been a mechanic for over 20 years, and I’m currently still one for the NYCTA, I perform all the oil changes on my fiancés 2014 Tucson and use Hyundai filters, I’d love them to tell me that they are not replacing a bad engine because I’m doing the oil changes myself.

[ptmusic]

I constantly laugh when people tell me “Hyundai makes good cars”… I worked for them and all we did was replace engines and electrics. Junk brand. Toyota/Lexus, Mazda, or Honda/Acura is the way to go.

[GrnArrow]

I was tempted to buy a Hyundai Santa Fe several weeks ago when I was in the market for a new car. I'm so glad I went with a Toyota Camry. They're much better cars for your money.

[lrich]

Do it yourself oil changes are normally done more often than what the book recommends. I change my own oil and filter, I've never had a problem. Doing so allows me to check other parts under the car.

[dr.markevers]

Make sure you take it in for the recall and get the knock sensor installed. My 2014 Sonata’s engine failed in July at 130, 000 miles. Took 6 weeks, but Hyundai replaced the engine. If I get another 100k out of it that will be nice. Another issue with Hyundai/Kias are the thefts. Our car insurance rates jumped 40% and my agent couldn’t get quotes from other providers. They were not writing new auto policies due to the thefts.
It’s too bad, because I actually like my sonata. I was considering a Genesis for my next car, but now I don’t know. It took a lawsuit for Hyundai to do the right thing.

[bribri]

My sister blew the engine in her 2018 Kia Soul with only 90, 000 miles, then after a lot of back and forth with Kia for 3 months, they finally put a new engine in it. I said when she gets it back she needs to sell her Soul! 😂

[Peterthepainter]

How many people ever lift their bonnets or hoods these days? They just drive and hope for the best.

[bobdole]

I love how these marketing companies claim that Kia’s and Hyundais are some of the best quality new vehicles. Pretty bold claim for a company that has been manufacturing defective engines, known for spontaneously combusting and extremely easy to steal vehicles for the last decade. I guess time will tell on the new ones.

[heknows]

Had owned Hyundai since 2000 bought a 2017 Santa Fee sport had less than 70 k miles and started using 1.5 quarts of oil in 700 miles, car had warranty that said it covered even the piston rings which was the problem dealer said wouldn’t replace engine until it blows up and dies. Service mgr that was about 20 year old said “ you just need to take your business somewhere else” best thing I could hear went and bought a brand new Lexus, best buying and service experience of my life. Hyundai not only lost my business but my 2 sons wrote them off also

[midu]

Just spun a main bearing in our 2015 soul, the engine is toast. Towed it in Monday got the call Tuesday they are replacing the engine at no cost through our warranty. Hopefully this one will list longer than 60k miles.

[picomanbungace]

My Hyundai is now going on 12 years old and is over 100, 000 miles. The thing runs like a clock and never gives me any problems. Not only that but I also frequently get compliments on its appearance and exhaust note. I also change the oil regularly and only use OEM filters. Working on cars has taught me that like 75% of the time a car is prematurely failing it’s due to sheer neglect or improper maintenance. The vast majority of people have no business owning a car.

[RJ]

Got my 2013 Kia Sorrento 2.4 AWD. replaced free by dealer at 130, 000. I also did my own oil changes and it was not an issue

[PainterD]

Hyundai replaced my engine free of charge when the knock sensor indicated a knock in the engine. The old engine only had 73, 000 miles on it. Now I have the newer version so I feel better about it. I use synthetic oil but still change it around 3500 - 4000 miles to keep it clean. I don't care what the recommend.

[TGarage]

We have a 2015 sonata with the 2.4l engine. At just 116k miles the engine randomly started misfiring and the check engine light came on while driving down the highway. After limping it home I got the car scanned and it showed a misfire in the 3rd cylinder. After attempting small fixes like spark plugs and plug wires I decided to take it to Long Hyundai, this was my second mistake aside from buying a junk Hyundai in the first place. I stopped taking our car there for oil changes initially because I found an oil filter I had changed the last time still on the car after I paid them for an oil and filter change. With the car at Long, Chris from service stated it had no compression in the 3rd cylinder and it needed head work ($5300), but was pushed to do an engine replacement which was quoted to me at $7-8k, that I would be responsible for. After trying and getting no real diagnosis on the actual problem and a very difficult time trying to communicate with the service department, I picked the car up and coughed up the $200 “diagnostic” fee for nothing. Once I picked up the car I finally got the service report and the diagnosis was “blown head gasket.” I did not have a single symptom of a blown head gasket- no coolant in the oil, no overheating, no smoke out of the exhaust, coolant was clean in the over flow tank with no bubbling.

I immediately drove to S&S Auto for a second opinion and they quickly found metal material in my oil and no symptoms of a head gasket issue. Long either completely missed this or did not want to tell me. I personally saw the shavings in the oil when I picked it up from S&S. They advised me about the warranty campaign Hyundai has on the 2.4liter engines and they didn’t charge me anything for the diagnostics. After doing my own research I decided to take it back to a dealership to have them handle the situation. I called the service director-John- at Long Hyundai to explain the situation and told him I was taking the car to a different Hyundai service center to reassess. He did not care that I was taking it to another dealership after Long has misdiagnosed the issue. John just told me, “Well let me know what they find.” (Tried getting a hold of him multiple times since and have never gotten a call back)

After moving the car to a third shop, this time Mnt View Hyundai, which is about an hour from my house, I talked to Brian about what was going on and he stated they have been cleaning up a lot of issues from Long. After he had the car for a couple of days he stated he had found the metal shavings in the oil and that the car was misfiring and it should be taken care of under Hyundai’s warranty campaign 953 for excessive bearing wear on the crank. He went back and forth with Hyundai Motors America and I had to give them all my receipts for the oil changes I had done and they stated that my issue was not covered under warranty since my engine wasn’t knocking or locked up yet (basically because it hadn’t left me stranded on the side of the road), but that they would cover 85% of the replaced engine. After fighting for another week and hours on the phone with Hyundai’s warranty departments and Hyundai customer care with no resolve, I had agreed to cover the 15% that Hyundai wouldn’t cover. I was still mad they wouldn’t cover 100% from their own warranty, but it was better knowing Long was going to charge me $7-8k. Brian helped me get a rental car covered from Hyundai since some of the items were on back order. I was very grateful for that since I hadn’t had the car for two weeks at this point.

A couple weeks later Brian called me and stated the car should be ready in a day or two and suggested random replacements, like air filters and brakes (all I take care of myself and have receipts on the last time I changed them) I picked up the car and paid my 15% of the cost which ended up being $828. I told him I wanted a test drive, no offense to him or the dealership, but I can’t trust anyone. Upon entering the vehicle I noticed the abs light and traction light on and the blind spot detection wasn’t working. I took it for a drive and went back and talked to Brian about that, stating there was no issue with this when I brought it. He had a tech sheet stating they ran the code when they got the car and it was on. I asked why it was never brought up to me while the car was in his shop for almost 3 weeks. He stated the tech ran some tests and stated it was operating properly and didn’t want to sell me a part I didn’t need. I stated having the abs and traction light on could be dangerous and could malfunction and he stated “it won’t lock up” and “it’s fine”. However, he did offer to fix the issue for free labor and I pay for the part, which was $360. I told him I wasn’t giving Hyundai any more money and drove my car home with all three of those lights on my dash. I am glad the car has a new engine and Brian did help me out with a lot of things, but there are still issues that should have been taken care of that just weren’t. The last month with the car and dealing with all of Hyundai has been beyond frustrating and I now have a car I don’t trust or feel safe in. They have definitely lost me and my family as customers and I hope anyone reading this will think twice before buying anything made by Hyundai.

[bentonpreslar]

My genesis works just fine 🤷‍♂️. best car I've ever had.

[honahwikeepa]

My 2004 Kia Rio has 295, 000 kms on it and it doesn't miss a beat. Everything works. I service it myself. I expect to make 500, 000 kms. I had a 540i BMW with 409, 000 kms on it. Service them if you can.

[Kevinb]

Well they haven’t fixed it because the 2023 Kia Sportage we rented blew an engine with no warning.

[conqureign]

stay ahead while you can and do not purchase from these companies. i have a 11 optima and my mother has a 16 santa fe and we have both dealt with the engine failures. she still drives hers but mine has sat in my driveway since 2020..i just paid it off 3 days ago...i wanted to feel proud but not in that deathtrap. ive only put 30k on it the entire time i have owned it. Steer clear!