Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
A British Columbia man claims that certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles are equipped with inadequately lubricated engines which causes engine seizures and even catastrophic failure.
Plaintiff John Kevin Killoran alleges that the sub-par lubrication in Hyundai Sonatas, Santa Fe Sports, and Tucsons, as well as Kia Optimas, Sportages, Sorrentos, and Souls can even cause the engines to catch on fire.
Killoran claims that his 2012 Hyundai Tucson suffered from the alleged engine defect. He says that only a year after he purchased the vehicle, while he was driving with his spouse and young infant in late December, the engine began knocking loudly. Ultimately, the car lost power, says Killoran, and he had to pull over.
Originally, the plaintiff had to pay more than $600 to fix the Tucson, notes the complaint. Ultimately, however, Killoran alleges he had to replace the entire engine.
The plaintiff says that the replacement would have cost him more than $8,000, but he shared his story on an investigative news report and, as a result, Hyundai agreed to cover the cost.
According to the Hyundai class action, GDI engines are affected by the defect. The engines contain metal debris from the factory were they were made, Killoran claims.
The metallic residue makes it difficult for adequate lubrication to be distributed throughout the engine and as a result, the engines are allegedly prone to catastrophic failure.
The Canada Hyundai, Kia class action lawsuit states that the defect is present in the following vehicles:
- 2011 through 2016 Hyundai Sonatas
- 2013 through 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sports
- 2011 through 2015 Hyundai Tucsons
- 2011 through 2016 Kia Optimas
- 2012 through 2016 Kia Sportages
- 2014 through 2016 Kia Sorrentos
- 2012 through 2016 Kia Souls
Killoran contends that Hyundai and Kia knew or should have known of the allegedly defective engine in the vehicles. In addition to consumer complaints, the carmakers issued technical service bulletins about the problem, says the plaintiff. Further, the carmakers’ own testing should have revealed the problem.
In addition to allegedly having to pay expenses related to the defective engines, the plaintiff says he would not have purchased or paid as much for the affected vehicle. Further, says Killoran, he and other Class Members face safety hazards, should their vehicles stall unexpectedly while driving.
“Had Plaintiff and the proposed class members known of the Engine Defect, they would not have purchased or leased the Affected Class Vehicles, or would have paid substantially less for them,” states the complaint.
“Engine failure and/or fire in the Affected Class Vehicles also requires expensive repairs, car rentals, car payments, towing charges, time off work, and other miscellaneous costs. Moreover, as a result of the Engine Defect and the Defendants concealment thereof, the Affected Class Vehicles have a lower market value, and are inherently worth less than they would be.”
The Canada Hyundai, Kia class action lawsuit seeks to represent all those who purchased or leased one of the allegedly defective vehicles.
Do you drive a Hyundai or Kia that stalled or lost power? Tell us more in the comments below.
The plaintiff is represented by K.S. Garcha of Garcha & Company, Barristers & Solicitors.
The Canada Hyundai, Kia Class Action Lawsuit is Killoran v. Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., et al., Case No. S-194327, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2024 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
203 thoughts onCanada Hyundai, Kia Class Action Alleges Engine Defect
My Kia Sorento 2016 started making raddling noises out of the blue (no engine lights). At just 132,000km the connecting rod went and my engine is gone. According to Kia the engine replacement will not be covered under warranty.
My Kia Sorento 2016’s engine just seized at 132,000km due to failure of the connecting rod. The dealership is not willing to cover it under warranty.
Hi there i recently purchased a used 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport back in March. I was told by the previous owner to top up oil regularly because it burns oil irregularly quick. After a couple months of doing so one day on route to work the engine made a knocking sound. Worried, i made an appointment with my mechanic whom i have complete trust with. I live in Toronto Canada, as I drove home the same day the engine suddenly seized and i immediately lost all power, power steering, even the breaks seemed to malfunction. This all happened while driving on the Gardener Expressway Toronto’s elevated downtown highway with no breakdown lane. I frantically and luckily pulled off the Spadina off ramp, and slammed on the breaks and hand break to come to a full stop. The engine seemed toast and was later verified by by machanic. I was told i need a completely new engine at the cast of 5000$ with labour. Just by sheer luck i was made aware of this lawsuit/recall before a pulled the trigger on the repair and decided to take it to The Hyundai Dealership at Warden and Eglinton. The next morning i received an email telling me my engine falls under Hyundai’s recall and not only will my entire long block be replaced, they will pay for my rental car during the repair.Nearly two weeks later my engine was repaired and car rental 100% covered (except insurance). The person I dealt with was very friendly throughout the entire ordeal. I couldn’t believe my luck! I was about to fork over 5000$! Then by sheer luck take it to Hyundai and had it repaired 100% free!! It was like winning the lottery!!! My only issue was that once it was returned my air conditioning wasn’t working any more. I alerted the dealership and have an appointment Saturday to hopefully correct the issue. I’ll update my comment to once it’s been repaired as well. If anyone in the Toronto area is having issues with there Hyundai’s engine and they have a model in the stated recall parameters I recommend they have it looked at. Worst thing they can say is it’s not covered… Best thing is it’s completely covered like mine was!
Hi Carlos I read your comment and was just curious if you are apart of the class action or they fixed in good faith? Thank you in advance
I was driving down the highway passing a gravel truck when my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe sport lost power and the engine stopped. I had to put on my brakes and pull over to the side of the road to avoid a collision with an oncoming car. We waited 4 hours to get it towed back to Winnipeg to the dealers. they called me today saying my engine had seized and it was an internal problem. the dealer said all my maintenance records were up to date since i do all the service at this dealer. They took pictures and sent them off to headquarters and i am waiting for their decision.
I had a 2016 Hyundai Tucson certified pre owned . My car was shutting of and then turning on within minutes on and off for a few days . I had a recall for the abs system so when I called to have it looked at I had reported all the information and two days later they had notified me I could pick up my vehicle so I did . Two days later I was driving my 90 year old grandmother my 8 year old daughter and my 2 month old to the lake when I was flagged down . I pulled over only to see flames going past my door . We all got out just in time before the entire car was up in flames within feet from where we were standing . I am in the US and since that incident I have seen reports of another 4 of the same car up in flames . Not sure what to do or where to go from here . Any advise or help would be greatly appreciated. I haven’t seen any class actions for this particular recall but maybe it’s about time there is one !
I had a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. I bought the car October 2018. 70 days after my purchase, the engine knocked and hesitated but there was no engine light. I took the car back to the dealer. They would not cover the cost of then engine, and neither would Hyundai. They offered me a used engine for 7900.00 with 95000 kms. i said no. My failed engine had bout 45000 kms on it. This was the same engine problem that was cover in the other years for this same engine problem. My only way out of this mess was to buy another car – had to be a certain value for the bank to cover it. I ended up going from a loan of 15000 to 32000 and from a 2012 to a 2017 Santa fe (it was 20,000). They took about 10000 as a trade for my Tucson and i paid the remaining of the loan. I know have a loan that is more than my current car. Today, July, 2021, my 2017 Santa fe is at the dealership getting a new engine because it just failed yesterday !!!!!
2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
Driving on the hwy yesterday when the Hybrid Warning System suddenly alarmed, car shut itself off and that was it. Towed to the Hyundai dealership and was told today that the engine has seized. This car has had regular oil changes and there were no funny engine noises or issues with performance leading up to this sudden failure. This was completely out of the blue! The dealership is going to submit a request to have it replaced under warranty but I am the second owner so I guess it is fingers crossed. I have also been asked to dig up as many service records as I can to support the request but I have only owned the car for two years so there won’t be much…..
2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.4l engine seized up at 90,000km. Just happened 2 days ago. Looking at replacing the motor for the price of $5000. It would have to be another 2.4l engine. Not sure if it is worth the risk.
2015 Kia Soul – original owner, regularly maintained – 2 engine replacements: 1 under warranty, 1 out of pocket.
On 14 Jan 2017 the short block was replaced under warranty at Kia dealership with approx 47,000kms on the car. There had suddenly been a knocking noise coming from the engine – no prior warning.
On 22 Nov 2019, while driving on the highway, the engine began making a loud knocking sound with no warning or check engine lights coming on to indicate a problem.
I immediately had it towed to my mechanic who had looked at the engine and advised it will need to be replaced or rebuilt.
I then spoke with the same Kia dealership Service Dept who confirmed that all required recall work to date has been completed for my vehicle. They stated that because the warranty had expired, there was nothing they could do and advised me to contact Kia Canada.
The Kia Canada representative advised me that a Kia Dealer would need to inspect the car make an assessment for Kia Canada. They recommended another dealership to contact which I did.
My calls and emails to the dealership service manager went unanswered. Although the warranty had expired, I was baffled as to why this would happen at only 147,000kms, and had hoped Kia Canada would provide me with a mutually acceptable resolution.
No such luck. I travelled a long distance to work and the rental car bills were adding up while I waited for Kia to identify next steps. Out of exasperation, I finally ended up just having my mechanic (of who I have complete trust in) replace 1/2 the engine which was destroyed and rebuild the remaining half. I was $8,000 out of pocket plus extensive rental car costs.
Now, I get a recall notice in the mail from Kia – do I have any recourse here?!?!
I absolutely love my car, but this experience will ensure I never purchase a Kia product again.
My 2012 Sportage has rattling, knocking sound, losing motor oil, as was noted in the letter about recall that I received from Kia.
I brought my car to the nearest Kia dealership and told symptoms of my car to them.
They had testdriving and they told me the engine of my car is not drivable. But a few days ago I got a phone call from Kia. My engine doesn’t qualify for an recall or any campaigns. Only they can do what I heard is submitting a claim for good will from Kia to see see if they will be willing to replace under good will..
How many more times do they want me to risk my own life?
I think it is the basic ethics of a company that consumers who purchase their own goods should not be threatened by life and property, but their ideas seem different from mine.