NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
86 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Apr 4, 2024
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control
Starting in July 2023 I have noticed that the oil consumption for my car is racing through the engine. I barely make it 1000 miles before the oil is completely gone. After 2 local oil changes - I decided to take it to the Hyundai dealer where I purchased the car. This was in October - I have brought my car in 4 times for 1000…
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Starting in July 2023 I have noticed that the oil consumption for my car is racing through the engine. I barely make it 1000 miles before the oil is completely gone. After 2 local oil changes - I decided to take it to the Hyundai dealer where I purchased the car. This was in October - I have brought my car in 4 times for 1000 mile oil consumption tests. I had to add an additional visit due to the fact that Hyundai changed the testing standards. Now I have to bring it again today - Hyundai has not told me what the next step is other than I have to leave the car there all day - after they speak to tech support they will determine next steps. Most likely a combustion cleaning. Then I have to start the 1000 mile consumption tests again. I live 35 mins from the dealer - I have had to hire someone to take me there to leave car - and I then have to take mass transit to work. There are never any loaners because they are booked months in advance. I have had to rent numerous cars for long distance travel due to the mileage meter of 1000 miles on my car - I am not allowed to go over - if I do have to start all over again. That happened to me the first time. My car is crap at this point - I am not able to use it as I should be able to and Hyundai is giving us the run around. I have been contacted about trading it in and getting a new Hyundai - what a scam. I am not the only person - there are so many of us - follow the chats on Facebook and Reddit - nobody is helping us. The staff said if your engine seizes - that would be great. People are seizing on highways - that is very scary to me. Why is this not recalled yet?
NHTSA ODI #11581072
Mileage unknown · Mar 26, 2024
EngineStructure
Engine burns oils horribly. Cannot sell car due to oil issues. Paint is chipping on exterior of the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11579568
153,400 miles · Mar 7, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes
Everything was displayed in red on the front screen, it was automatically parked, and the steering wheel did not move. This happened late March/02/2024 last Saturday night, so I called AAA twice and had them toward to my house. March/04/2024 I called AAA on Monday and had my car toward to hyundai service. They gave me a $199.95…
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Everything was displayed in red on the front screen, it was automatically parked, and the steering wheel did not move. This happened late March/02/2024 last Saturday night, so I called AAA twice and had them toward to my house. March/04/2024 I called AAA on Monday and had my car toward to hyundai service. They gave me a $199.95 bill for finding the problem with my car. And they said they would contact me and let me know about the problem with my car in 3~4 days. I am an Uber driver, but I am currently unable to work because I don't have a car.
NHTSA ODI #11576029
Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2024
Engine
We keep getting an engine light every 2-3weeks. That sets the engine in a safe mode (limp mode). The code comes up Knock sensor overheat. Tho inspecting the engine we have notice in that time frame the car is low 1-2qts oil. Once the oil has either been replaced or added to and code reset it drives normal. Again until 2-3 weeks …
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We keep getting an engine light every 2-3weeks. That sets the engine in a safe mode (limp mode). The code comes up Knock sensor overheat. Tho inspecting the engine we have notice in that time frame the car is low 1-2qts oil. Once the oil has either been replaced or added to and code reset it drives normal. Again until 2-3 weeks and bam. A course now we know to check our oil. After hours of research, we see no recalls for our car. Tho many years back that have had the exact same issue. The issues also came to light when car hit around 80k miles.
NHTSA ODI #11574221
Mileage unknown · Jan 19, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other
The hybrid power system has stopped all together twice while driving once back in May 2021 and again in December 2022, the car has just under 50,000 miles. Both times this has happened the car was actively being driven, and has caused us to pull over on the side of the highway because there is no warning beforehand, everything f…
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The hybrid power system has stopped all together twice while driving once back in May 2021 and again in December 2022, the car has just under 50,000 miles. Both times this has happened the car was actively being driven, and has caused us to pull over on the side of the highway because there is no warning beforehand, everything from the power steering to the gas goes out. It’s terrifying and unsafe for anyone in the car but also near it when it happens.
NHTSA ODI #11566521
Mileage unknown · Dec 7, 2023
Engine
There is excessive oil consumption with the engine in my car. Hyundai says 1qt per 1000 miles is “acceptable” however this is not acceptable and can lead to catastrophic engine failure and oil slick on roadways if not caught in time. This is a know problem with Hyundai/Kia at this time. In many cases Hyundai/Kia owners are left …
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There is excessive oil consumption with the engine in my car. Hyundai says 1qt per 1000 miles is “acceptable” however this is not acceptable and can lead to catastrophic engine failure and oil slick on roadways if not caught in time. This is a know problem with Hyundai/Kia at this time. In many cases Hyundai/Kia owners are left with a “lemon” of a new car that is currently in warranty. Some have been granted replacement engines that have not lasted 3000 miles. A recall must be issued in the name of safety on these cars. The manufacturer must be held accountable for the lack of quality that has been put out over the last decade.
NHTSA ODI #11559051
Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2023
Engine
I bought this car 1 year and 2 months ago from a Hyundai dealership. The car was close to 73,000 miles. A few days after I got the car I started hearing this noise that sounded like a rattle coming from the front while accelerating to about 2,000 RPM. Due to my work, I went back to the dealer after 1,000 miles and explained to t…
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I bought this car 1 year and 2 months ago from a Hyundai dealership. The car was close to 73,000 miles. A few days after I got the car I started hearing this noise that sounded like a rattle coming from the front while accelerating to about 2,000 RPM. Due to my work, I went back to the dealer after 1,000 miles and explained to them about the noise and they duplicate it. The engine was consuming oil when I bought the car, I went back to the dealer and never did any testing on oil consumption. The problem got worst and worst. I started a claim with Hyundai Corp and I waited for 4 months to the an approval and they are only covering 50% of the engine. Dealer says I have to pay $3,200 to start engine replacement process, with no payment plan. Now I have a debt of $17k and no car. Engine has no compression on cylinder 3, which causes a misfire and makes the car unsafe to drive and leaves me unemployed with a child and bills to take care of. Thank you Hyundai, nice job 👍🏻.
NHTSA ODI #11552493
Mileage unknown · Aug 7, 2023
Engine
After a year of issues, burning oil, changing spark plugs, my engine is dead. Hyundai has ignored issues and many times refused to pay for oil, parts, etc passing all costs to me. I have a loan of 15k and no car. Called and emailed their case management team—no help, no reimbursements. I have no equity-No property left. This…
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After a year of issues, burning oil, changing spark plugs, my engine is dead. Hyundai has ignored issues and many times refused to pay for oil, parts, etc passing all costs to me. I have a loan of 15k and no car. Called and emailed their case management team—no help, no reimbursements. I have no equity-No property left. This was my only mode of transportation. Due to their slowness, I had to buy a new car and spend money I was not scheduled to spend. The financial stress and lack safety and unprofessional manner from Hyundai is at a new level-ridiculous.
NHTSA ODI #11537010
Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine
car was jerkikg yesterday and now it wont start
NHTSA ODI #11536079
220,000 miles · Jul 7, 2023
Engine
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently revved and decelerated to 40 MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that timing chain …
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The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently revved and decelerated to 40 MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that timing chain had failed and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that occasionally she needed to add engine oil between oil changes. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case number was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
NHTSA ODI #11530884
NHTSA investigations
2DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
EA19001 · Electrical Overstress
Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW. The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications. The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU. In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment. FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle. Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW. These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes. An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time. In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners. Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW. The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation. The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage. There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation. The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU. If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC. Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC. All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled. In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024. With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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