2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

I have been experiencing issues with oil consumption, having to get oil changes every 2 months and sometimes monthly with no reported leaks from 2 different mechanics. I have been very high maintenance over my oil. While I was driving on the highway, my vehicle began to shake and a knocking sound was heard. I felt the vehicle begin to jerk but no warning lights were on. I was no longer able to drive and had to pull over and wait for a tow to my mechanic's garage. The mechanic let me know there was an issue with the engine, specifically the 3rd cylinder and the piston. It does not put out as much pressure as it is supposed to. I brought the vehicle to the dealership after and they confirmed this was an issue and quoted me $8700 in repairs. There were no warning lights and no engine lights prior to this happening. I was informed by my mechanic that this is a known issue with Hyundai in their 2018 models having failing engines. I purchased the vehicle certified pre-owned with a guarantee from the dealership that I was purchasing a reliable vehicle that should have no issues of this degree.

Engine burns prodigious amounts of oil. Uses one quart in about 400 miles. Hyundai verified this with their 1000 mile oil consumption test. The only reason that this engine did not spin the crankshaft bearings from running dry on oil is because I was so diligent in filling the crankcase. A service writer at Happy Hyundai said that I needed a new long block, but the dealership refused because I had 103,000 miles on the engine. They knew about the problems with oil burning on Theta engines, but were happy to send me on my way knowing that I would be putting oil in my car often. This is not acceptable. Can you help me?

This engine is burning oil. Its mixing oil with gasoline in the cylinders. Its fouling spark plugs and consuming large amounts of oil with absolutely no visible oil leaks. The exhaust is black. PCV valve is clean. Engine is misfiring due to spark plug fouling. New spark plugs and coils. Multiple dealers have stated this is a KNOWN defect with this particular GDI engine but Hyundai refuses to issue a recall.

I recently purchased this used vehicle in June(2025) and after a couple of months of owning the vehicle, I started noticing the car oil level when I checked, started being lower than normal pretty frequently. And it has gotten to the point where I would have to top the oil off every week only after driving a few 100 miles. When I went for my oil change this October, I did informed Hyundai about the issue and they told me to drive the vehicle for 900 miles, do not top it off. And I am following what they're saying, and right now, I just checked my oil, and I have only driven it for 468 miles since I had gotten it changed on October 22nd of this year, and it's showing about a 1/2 quart low at the dipstick already. But if it gets too low before the 900 miles, I would take it to Hyundai so as not to cause any damage to the engine driving it with the oil too low if it gets to that point. The service tech did state that the first step in correcting the issue was to do a combustion flush. And I hope that Hyundai is taking care of the issue for us consumers. I appreciate your prompt response regarding this matter. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving to the residence at a moderate speed, the oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The following day, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that there was no oil in the engine even though an oil change had been performed a month earlier. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where an oil change was performed. After the oil change, the contact stated there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine while driving at various speeds. The contact then stated that while at a stop light, the engine seized while depressing the accelerator pedal, with several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the crankshaft rod was defective. The dealer linked the failure to Hyundai recall 953; however, the contact was later informed that since the vehicle was not serviced for a prior knock sensor recall, the vehicle no longer qualified for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The contact was later informed by the manufacturer that the vehicle would not be serviced under warranty. The contact stated that the recall was placed on the vehicle prior to owning the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.

I'm the second owner of this vehicle, I purchased it when it was one year old. I've provided careful maintenance, as this is my only vehicle. In the last year+ it started burning more and more oil. I was told by a mechanic that there were no signs of leakage and that these engines tend to burn a lot of oil so I was very careful to monitor levels and up the oil changes. 6 months ago, it was in the shop for new brakes and had a complete diagnostic exam and there were no issues with the engine. Two weeks ago, before a road trip, I again had full diagnostics done on the vehicle and there were no codes that popped up. The vehicle died on my trip. Reading the codes, I received my first code regarding problems with my cylinders after the vehicle died. Now I need a completely new engine because cylinders 1 and 3 failed. The car only has 80,000 miles on it. In all my years of my family owning different vehicles, I've always owned vehicles until they were well over 100,000 miles. The only two vehicles owned by my family that ever needed engine replacement early in their lives were both Hyundai vehicles. After I was told that I needed a new engine at 80,000 miles, I was told that this was not due to the one specific problem Hyundai would cover so I have to pay to replace it myself. There are a plethora of forums, mechanic experiences, etc, that show these 2.4L engines have this exact problem, but Hyundai washes their hands of us. As a second owner, I don't qualify for the engine warranty, which was extended to 120,000 because Hyundai knows these engines are horrible. My warranty ended when the car was 5 years old, and had 60,000 miles. And up until last week, I've never had an engine code pop up in diagnosis so I have no idea how I was supposed to predict premature engine failure and remedy it within that time frame. It's just another hit against anyone who can't afford to buy a brand new vehicle.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that shortly after an oil change was performed, the "Low Oil" icon was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption, and the oil dipstick indicated that the engine oil level was low. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

In 2023, I purchased this car in December. I didn' t know this car would have such known problems. In over a year and a half, the spark plugs have been changed 5 times. After each oul change within 2 weeks, not a month, I constantly have to add oil to the car. In the colder months, I have to wait at leasr 15min. before the car would even start. Would someone help me with these problems? I am [XXX]. I know recalls were placed on cars with similar problems. Plus smoke, I can't remember black or white comes out the tailpipe. The date you see, was the lasted date listed to add more oil. PLEASE HELP ME... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway, there was a ticking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered metal shavings inside the engine oil. The contact was informed that the metal shavings might indicate engine failure. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,162.