kia engine issues...really serious or overinflated?

Hyundai engine problems are confusing.
I have a 2018 Elantra GT base with the 2.0 engine.
Is this one of the problematic ones?
 
What app? I use Carfax but open to something better if it's out there.


OP: We traded my wife's 2015 Acura MDX in for a 2021 Palisade. Never considered Hyundai before but it's a solid package. 20k miles in about 18 months and it's been a great vehicle with no issues. I've seen other Palisade owners complain of oil consumption but ours is always right where I filled it on the dipstick after 5k miles.
AUTOsist
 
TSB#16-01-032
Thanks for the tip. I went there today and talked to the Service Manager. I never met him previously, but he seemed like a genuinely awesome guy. Unfortunately, the TBN does not apply to my VIN. We checked and even talked to a tech. It's going to be a PITA to narrow this one down.
 
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I don't think Hyundai finishes there designs, no final testing. Years 2011 to 2017 are bad....so far.
Someone mentioned Mazda. My son just bought a2016 Mazda 3. It feels like %25 more engineering went into it.
100% agree, I’ve even mentioned that a few times here. I think Hyundai puts less $ into the designing of the vehicle as a whole. One of my vehicles is a Hyundai and there are certain aspects of the car that just feels like Hyundai didn’t fully engineer or field test.

I do like my Sonata otherwise I wouldn’t have bought it. But the 2013 Accord I had before it was just an overall better car, thoughtfully designed and engineered. FWIW, Hyundai/Kia’s we’re generally reliable cars in the 2000’s. Reliability tanked starting with the 2011 model year, which is when Hyundai started their vendetta to be a global sales leader.
 
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They tend to rush products to market without finishing engineering and testing.

My brother's 2020 Sonata had several ECU flashes for the air/fuel ratio and the GDI/MPI system to work correctly. Probably fuel dilution is still a concern, otherwise, they wouldn't have increased the sump to 6 quarts for the 2021 model year and changed the dipstick. They keep repeating the same mistakes.

The fact that you can get to the transmission filter by removing the valve body and then remove the stupid thing to replace it (it's like $50) is insane. That's because the two bolts holding the plastic filter are at the bottom and can't be reached without splitting the transmission in half.

They are designing their vehicles as appliances meant to last no more than 150K miles, no matter what. If you do a lot of miles, a Hyundai/KIA product may not be for you.
 
They tend to rush products to market without finishing engineering and testing.

My brother's 2020 Sonata had several ECU flashes for the air/fuel ratio and the GDI/MPI system to work correctly. Probably fuel dilution is still a concern, otherwise, they wouldn't have increased the sump to 6 quarts for the 2021 model year and changed the dipstick. They keep repeating the same mistakes.

The fact that you can get to the transmission filter by removing the valve body and then remove the stupid thing to replace it (it's like $50) is insane. That's because the two bolts holding the plastic filter are at the bottom and can't be reached without splitting the transmission in half.

They are designing their vehicles as appliances meant to last no more than 150K miles, no matter what. If you do a lot of miles, a Hyundai/KIA product may not be for you.
This piece of engineering about the Atkinson Cycle on the Palisade/Telluride I found interesting and seems well thought out.

 
I just bought a 2022 Kia Soul for my eldest ingrate. It is a REALLy compelling package of interesting esthetics, GREAT room inside (I'm 6'5" and have about 3" of headroom), great MPGs, I think the engine/transmission is sporty, and it has very communicative steering. There just isn't anything out there that offers the value of the Soul with the interior size for the money.

Here's what I found:

1. There is no doubt Hyundai/Kia has had major engine issues in the past. Anyone who denies this just has their head in the sand. Is it still a bit of a gamble? I don't know every make/model has something. Even my beloved Tundra can develop a cam tower leak at 20K miles and this has been a problem since 2007 that Toyota has chosen to not address even though it's a PITA to fix.

2. Most recently there were issues with the piston rings not being manufactured correctly which would lead to severe scoring of the cylinder after some period of time. It seemed hit or miss whether it happened at all and it could happen to one or more different cylinders depending on the engine. They also had carbon deposit issues on their DI engines.

3. I believe the issue with piston rings has been resolved and the 2.0 in the Soul went back to MPI.

4. Unless you drive an insane number of miles the engine should remain under warranty for a long time and most of your ownership. I don't expect a $22K vehicle to go 400k miles and be flawless and I'm not asking the Soul to be that vehicle. It's for the kids, it will probably hit 10 years before it hits 100k miles and I don't expect it will have much value at that point even if it runs and is in perfect condition.

All that said, I want to hedge my bets understanding no oil is going to prevent engine damage/failure that is due to bad design or manufacturing defects:

1. 5K mile OCI with OEM oil filter
2. I'm going with a 0W-40 or 5W-40 synthetic oil because why not? What about the warranty? Yeah, I have a bunch of 0W-20 receipts sitting around and if they ask 0W-20 is what she gets. I keep great records in an app including receipts and dates that can all be printed as a report.
3. If the engine or transmission grenades then Kia can replace it.
Oh, and the other thing I did was buy a start/stop disabler - a neat little plug-n-play unit that simply retains the previous button setting after turning the car off/on. Works great...never a fan of start/stop and Kia's a little clunkier than most and I just don't like the potential wear and tear from start/stop.

 
We have an '18 HYUNDAI Accent and enjoy it . Too many issues with many of their newer vehicles . Test drove an '20 SOUL and VENUE . Liked both , but the complaints of owners , T.S.B.s and RECALLS steered us away to this day . carcomplaints.com is a good place to start before purchasing a certain vehicle .
 
Every time one of these Hyundai/Kia threads pop up, I can’t help to think these are not this forms favorite brand.

And it also appears if you’re over at say 35 you don’t like Hyundai or Kia 😂

I grew up when Hyundai/Kia already basically had their name established and vehicles like the 02-05 sonata or the 03-05 XG series and even the 02-05 Elantra Really put Hyundai on the map.
Any one remember the 2005 XG350L? That was about 23 grand in 2005 😮 ( being there Lux sedan the most expensive Hyundai up to that point, Azera came in 2006, then the Genesis in about 2010) The XG never gave one (1) issue through the whole ownership. Many years and tens of thousand of miles. I was the cats meow showing up at school with that XG350L.. and it took a lot of abuse being young… literally burnt the front tires up in under 5000 miles a few times from doing burnouts with the parking brake engaged 😂,

The 3.5 L engine ran silky smooth ( I used synthetic oil.) and it never burned a drop per oci. No exaggeration that car would be red lined 60 to 80 times a week for years 😂
it only had about 205 hp but it was enough with the five speed transmission.. It even had a little character which was extremely surprising for a Hyundai/Kia products at the time.

So I said all that to say this: I took my drivers test in that XG350L.. looking back I absolutely did abuse that vehicle for years, and literally never even had to replace the brakes. The engine would be at redline within 20 seconds of being started up every day after work, and school. I have a lot of respect for these Hyundai kia vehicles because of what I put that one XG through. To this day if I could buy another one I would buy one just for a winter beater but they are now nonexistent in today’s world.
And also I am not living in a fantasy world that Hyundai Kia does not have engine troubles, they do but they also produce many vehicles a year or so I think a small percentage is acceptable when you’re producing mass numbers. Also One last note even “if” you do have trouble on a newer Hyundai Kia they usually stand behind their products and will fix it. I know of a few other major manufactures that are up there in the top 7 that completely denied issues for years or blame the customer, or any other excuse to get out of support of their product.. Hyundai is not afraid to issue a recall or a technical service bulletin at least in comparison to some other major manufacturers

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We've had at least one Kia/Hyundai product in our driveway since 2009. Never an issue.
 
Owned four Kia's (including an '88 Festiva) and one Hyundai. Currently have a '17 Soul which I bought one day after learning my '14 Encore was totalled. Had locked no refund hotels on a Galveston cruise and had to pull the trigger fast. I have 103K on the clock, do 5K $22 Walmart QS All Mileage oci's. It's burned through about a quart of oil in 3000 miles. With the exception of the Festiva which I picked up with 30,000 miles on the odo (looked like it had never had an oil change) which I got WAY under the market price, I've had no engine problems. That one had a junk yard engine and transmission at about 110K.

I've played the elderly geezer on this site before complaining about 18 year old girl Facebook posters who name their cars then ask "what 's the teapot light for?". Dipstick? Duh? HyunKia's former low end purchase demographic and sub par dealer network seem to be costing it some customer good will. Other than a couple of recalls, I try to stay far away from the dealer.

I've owned three GM cars during the same period as the five HyunKias. In general the three GM's while lemon free, have been more troublesome.
 
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Every time one of these Hyundai/Kia threads pop up, I can’t help to think these are not this forms favorite brand.

And it also appears if you’re over at say 35 you don’t like Hyundai or Kia 😂





As long as Honda and Toyota are still making cars I doubt I would ever buy either a Hyundai or Kia. We do own two BMWs though and they certainly get dogged on quite a bit.
 
The fact that people still put Honda on the same level as Toyota is truly astonishing.



Lol, I'm quite certain I've owned more Honda's than you have owned in total vehicles very easily. My daily driver by the way is a Camry. :rolleyes:
 
Lol, I'm quite certain I've owned more Honda's than you have owned in total vehicles very easily. My daily driver by the way is a Camry. :rolleyes:
That's exactly the problem.

Honda today, or even the last 5-10 years, isn't the Honda of yesteryear. Also, I'm fairly certain I've been around Hondas more than you have, despite however many you've owned.
 
That's exactly the problem.

Honda today, or even the last 5-10 years, isn't the Honda of yesteryear. Also, I'm fairly certain I've been around Hondas more than you have, despite however many you've owned.



Please let me know when your Hyundai can even come close to carrying the Civics jockstrap when it comes to resale value. :rolleyes:
 
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