Hyundai / Kia Theta engine class action suit. . . .settled!

[CKN]

Not when they had to go to court about it.

AGAIN-they replaced my Son's motor and it was well out of warranty and paid for a rental for two weeks.

It was a "good faith" situation. Is there something not clear about my statement? Unlike myself-do you bashers have any first hand experiences? OR-it's it anecdotal and a friend of a friend of a third cousin twice removed?

 

[spasm3]

AGAIN-they replaced my Son's motor and it was well out of warranty and paid for a rental for two weeks.

It was a "good faith" situation. Is there something not clear about my statement? Unlike myself-do you bashers have any first hand experiences? OR-it's it anecdotal and a friend of a friend of a third cousin twice removed?

My Hyundai has been more reliable than any of my ford or gm cars. Paint is better too. If only someone other than the big three made 2500 class trucks, as i am looking for a new truck.

 

[CKN]

My Hyundai has been more reliable than any of my ford or gm cars. Paint is better too. If only someone other than the big three made 2500 class trucks, as i am looking for a new truck.

My 2018 Silverado ($54,000.00 MSRP) paint is absolutely garbage. On the other hand the paint on my wife's 2017 Santa Fe XL-is much better.- and it was $12,000.00 less.

 

[Silverado12]

AGAIN-they replaced my Son's motor and it was well out of warranty and paid for a rental for two weeks.

It was a "good faith" situation. Is there something not clear about my statement? Unlike myself-do you bashers have any first hand experiences? OR-it's it anecdotal and a friend of a friend of a third cousin twice removed?

Not bashing; Hyundai/Kia are bottom of the line IMO. I only buy union made cars.

 

[CKN]

Not bashing; Hyundai/Kia are bottom of the line IMO. I only buy union made cars.

They are bottom of the line because the labor involved isn't "Union Labor". Is that what you are saying?? Let's be very clear hear...because you are not.

 

[Silverado12]

They are bottom of the line because the labor involved isn't "Union Labor". Is that what you are saying?? Let's be very clear hear...because you are not.

Two separate statements.

 

[Silverado12]

Two separate statements. If possible, I support union labor.

 

[JustN89]

I'll just buy the better made, better value car with a better warranty and better OE support. You can have your union-made vehicles.

 

[Pew]

Too bad Ford can't be held liable like H/K for their garbage powershift trans.

Not bashing; Hyundai/Kia are bottom of the line IMO. I only buy union made cars.

And why do you only buy union made cars?

 

[CKN]

Too bad Ford can't be held liable like H/K for their garbage powershift trans.



And why do you only buy union made cars?

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^Those Ford Fiestas had great union made transmissions.......

CAUTION THREAD CLOSING AHEAD!!!

 

[Pew]

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^Those Ford Fiestas had great union made transmissions.......

I'd actually blame the executives who decided to use that transmission instead of the union workers. Decided to save themselves some cash at customer expense (as per the lawsuit documents where the execs knew of the issues yet decided to go with the powershift trans.)

 

[ctrcbob]

I also received the letter. Keeping it as I love my 2015 Sonata Sport 2.0T Limited. Better car than my former 2018 Sonata 2.0T Limited.
Looking for a low mileage 2015 Optima SXL, as they are better than newer Optamas and Sonatas asvthe newer Omer have been
“Decontented” with fewer “toys”.
Would just keep the SXL as a spare.

 

[wemay]

I would buy another 2.4 or 2.0T KIA/Hyundai in a second. The Santa Fe Sport 2.0T has been the most reliable vehicle we've ever owned.

 

[WhizkidTN]

FWIW: I'm now at 89K on my '12 Kia Optima SX with a modified (tuned) engine. Runs great and I love it!
When my engine started a very faint "rod knock of death" in Dec '18 at 76K miles, my dealer gave me NO hassle with my modifications, tune, etc. (and even moved over my performance parts to the totally new engine), was done in 10 days and gave me a no-charge rental (dealership '19 Optima EX).
I got the forever warranty that Kia provides now and have been very pleased with the situation and the way I was treated, both by the dealership and KIA corporate. I plan to drive my "Red Sled" for many years to come! Glad to see Hyundai is also stepping up to the plate for their customers as well.

 

[walterjay]

15 years ago if you had told me that I would one day own a Hyundai/Kia I would have asked you what are you smoking. Well one day I stopped at a Hyundai dealership to look at the "junk" that they were selling. I stepped into an 07 SantFe and was impressed. A little research and a few weeks later I test drove one and within a half of a mile I knew that this was the car for me. It drove better than any ford, chevy, or cadillac that I had ever owned. That car is approaching 200,000 miles and has been rock solid reliable and sounds and runs like the year I bought it. Since then I have also owned a Kia Sorento, a Hyundai Tucson and a new SantaFe Sport. They are the best cars that I have ever owned and they do not break or have problems. While my friends Chevys and Fords drop transmissions, burn excessive oil and have electrical maladies, my cars just whizz right by them as they sit in the shops. I truly truly wish the American manufacturers could come up to the quality of Kia/Hyundai. But at this point in time they are the losers.

 

[Driz]

If you punch "Theta II engine failures" into Google you will be treated to articles, complaints, and videos going into great detail.

Here are the terms of the settlement:

What Hyundai Kia Owners need to know

The basic engine design is shared with Chrysler and Mitsubishi - some parts are interchangeable - so whatever the source of their problems it had to do with their unique manufacturing processes or fuel and/or ignition systems that differ from the other companies'.

I have a Theta II 2.4 and got a Knock Sensor Detection System software update notice some long time ago.

With 25,000 hard miles a year on it for the last four years I have not personally experienced any issues.

All that sensor does is listen for the rapping that imminent failure will have. it shoves it in limp mode so hopefully your car doesn’t die on the highway. It’s just a fix for their liability if there’s an ugly crash.

 

[walterjay]

I wish that Ford had done something like Hyundai when I had three transmissions in my Ford F150. And that was all within 80,000 miles. And they would not even consider a loaner through all that.

 

[CKN]

All that sensor does is listen for the rapping that imminent failure will have. it shoves it in limp mode so hopefully your car doesn’t die on the highway. It’s just a fix for their liability if there’s an ugly crash.

You do realize I could do the same thing for the Ford 6.0 Diesel....right? That was a BIG Ford mess. They sued Navistar for a faulty motor-all the while denying multiple warranty claims from truck owners. Google IS YOUR FRIEND.

 

[Sayonara_Sonata]

Supposedly KIA was replacing the Theta II engines, regardless of mileage, before this settlement. Hyundai, it seems for the most part, has fought this tooth and nail. After the US government stepped in, years earlier, the warranty was upped to 120K mileage, but same 10yr. So, if you were a low mileage driver you were SOL.

Hyundai has applied band-aids over the years to the 2.0T. Within two years they bumped the YF model spark plug one step cooler. Then they dropped the HP from 274 to 250hp. They decided to change out dipsticks from 4.79 quart to 5. A few years later and they moved the sparkplugs another step colder. They lowered the HP rating again in the turbo. They came up with a software D/l to detect early excessive knock. I held out and received a free oil change. The option to refuse D/L now entails forfeiting the lifetime warranty.

What was the problem? Depends on whom you ask. Early claim was metal shavings not properly cleaned out of oil journals. Sounds legit, but it was always the #2 cylinder rod bearing that initially failed. Purported Kia mechanic claims the same cylinder was leaned out due to most direct shot by #2 runner on the intake manifold. The IM was redesigned. Others pointed to the turbocharger, located next to and the rear of the same cylinder as a problematic heat source causing fatigue.

Though many gave up the ghost with lower mileage most, that went, seemed to go when closer towards 100K miles. Some dealers, when the YF first came out, performed OC with 5W-20; as opposed to 5w30. Individuals did as well for the extra mileage/performance. The YF series 2.0T used DOHC int/ex hydraulically actuated CVVT and shimless buckets. After a few years the intake actuator was upgraded with electronic intake actuator.

Perhaps there never was one reason, but a string of contributing factors. I have long suspected a lack of cooling in the engine bay as a supporting player in this comedy of errors. After 114K I've only replaced the EWGA & plugs. Valve cover gasket, brake switch and the two turbo lines were replaced under warranty.

I've no complaints with the engine that on numerous occasions I've ridden hard and put up wet. I use synthetic and around 70K went from 5K OC to 3-4K. I look forward to a new long block somewhere down the road.

If you are curious about the IAT/ambient temp splits purchase a cheap auto scanner and leave it hooked up to the OBD II port. I upgraded from a $35 Ancel AD310 to a $65 w/o bag Ancel AD530 with better screen. Best investment ever. Select mode allows you to pick what you wish to monitor without scrolling through the whole menu. Three items to the screen hit the right side bar for new screen or left for previous. At last screen the right side bar will bring the first screen up . Keep up with both O2 cat temps, both STFT/LTFT, O2 lambda & voltage, IAT, ambient, coolant, boost and more.

 

[OilUzer]

Do you still get the lifetime warranty if you didn't join the lawsuit?

Few months ago we got some papers to join a lawsuit ... pretty sure we never sent it back.

btw, Hyundai has the best customer service. We own and I've owned many Toyota and other cars but Hyundai customer service has been the best!