On August 13th, 2023 my engine seized on the freeway and left me stranded in California without a ride. My shop fixed an oil leak on January 20th, 2023 and replaced all of the engine's gaskets and seals. There was no engine oil on the engine, on the underbody pan, nor on the ground. The car seized and turned off on it's own. I had it towed to the nearest shop, and Firestone stated it would not turn over by hand and that the engine had no oil. They said it was completely bone dry, not even oil on the dipstick.

From Jan 20th to Aug 13th, five whole quarts of fresh new oil disappeared. There were no check engine lights, no engine oil lantern lights, no engine oil level low lights, no warnings, no notifications. Ever. I paid a company to haul the car to Mercie J Auto in Mesa, Az from Murrieta, Ca, where they also confirmed the engine oil was gone. I recorded this video in their parking lot, then had the car towed at this time to Hyundai San Tan Earnhardt Dealership in Gilbert, Az.

I had this dealership send me the diagnostic paperwork, which they did, reluctantly. I asked them why the engine seized and what caused it, and the service department rep stated plainly that the car did not have an "Engine knock sensor software update" that was supposed to be installed as far back as 2018. I was never informed nor contacted about this software update. He stated that the engine seized, because I did not have this software that limits the engine's function to protect it from seizing.

However! On their diagnostic paperwork, they stated the engine oil level was "normal", the engine oil color was "normal", there were "no engine oil leaks", and there was "no engine oil consumption". So they lied. When I informed him that the engine had no oil at all, he said "It had some oil.". I again stated that it did not, and he replied, "The dipstick had oil on it.". I told him again it did not, and I informed him I had two shops confirm this and I recorded it. Then he started blaming everything from "user error", "lack of maintenance", the "weather", "driving conditions", "typical normal engine oil burning", etc. The dealership states that I have to replace the engine myself, quoted at $8,000-$10,000. I scoured the internet for answers, and found a settlement, but a lawyer involved in the settlement stated they could not get the courts to support the "excessive engine oil consumption" or the "oil starvation. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to litigate that issue, even though all parties recognize the issue is real and a very large, serious issue.

There has been no resolution of this issue yet. No current fix no this car. I will update this information as it develops.

[UPDATE 8/31/2023] The dealer is basically winning, due to me not having the knock sensor software update installed, which falls under their settlement. They only have an obligation to replace the engine for free if the software was installed, and it wasn't. For those who do not know! If you have the software, and your check engine light comes on, you have a very limited number of miles you can drive it before they are not obligated to fix the engine! YOU MUST TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY!! Otherwise they will not have to replace or fix the engine. The software starts recording the number of miles the car is driven once the check engine light comes on. They will know how far the car was driven!

[UPDATE 8/30/2023] You MUST google classaction.org and other sites to search with your car's VIN number for possible recalls, and immediately take your car in if there is a recall, otherwise it will not be covered under that recall. If you don't you are liable for paying for replacements and damage if it falls under that recall, even with warranties.

February of 2019 I purchased a used 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with 53,000 miles. I also purchase a extended warranty just in case if any problem might happen. I noticed after a year every time after a long drive I started to smell a oil burning smell every time I park it in the garage. I started to check to see if there are any oil spots on the garage floor but I did not see any oil leaks. Next I start to pay very close attention to my oil levels and I notice it started to really burn oil and at that time it only had 75,000 miles on it.

I took it back to the dealership and got an oil change and explain to them the problem. The technician did a system check and nothing showed up that there was a problem. But the situation with how it was burning oil never change so I had to really stay on top of keeping oil in the vehicle. What was so strange I did not see any oil leaks or the check engine light never popped up. Another year later my daughter was driving the vehicle and it just came to a dead stop in the middle of traffic. I was scared and thank goodness for some great police officers that help push the vehicle out of the way. I will not know how I would have felt if something would have happened to her.

I had the vehicle towed to the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. The tech mission said they will ship the car over to the Hyundai dealership because they have more experience. Once the vehicle got there and set for 2 months the manager over the technicians finally get back with us and told us that the engine has seized up. I asked him how did that happen he said because of the oil levels. I explained to him I stayed on top of my oil levels there has not been any links but it has been burning oil which is on file. His response, we see that you have brought the vehicle in for a routine check and that was it. What other records do you have stating that you have been changing the oil on a timely manner. My wife contacted the other locations so we can have proof stating that we have been changing the oil on a timely manner. From there the manager said that the warranty has ran out over for thousand Miles and to get the car fixed it will cost $8,000.

I only spent $12,000 to buy the car why would I put $8,000 in a vehicle that I feel was not my fault. Especially once I've done some research and notice a lot of people been having the same problem and it comes from a oil plug sensor which is an issue that Hyundai been having for a long time not just the Santa Fe but other vehicles and that they never fix the issue. The vehicle is currently sitting in my garage and trying to figure out how I'm going to get it fixed. I strongly recommend individuals not to purchase Hyundai products at all. I really thought this company stood on quality and I realized by my research these are recurring issues and for years they have come up with ways to worm themselves out of fixing the problem. I would like for my vehicle to get fixed because I am still making $300 payments on a vehicle that is sitting in my garage without an engine. I am beyond upset and I will never ever buy another Hyundai and will not encourage anyone to purchase one because of the poor quality of their vehicles and the poor quality of the service that they provide to fix their vehicles.

Update from Jun 7, 2022: As of June 4, 2022 I still do not have the care fix, the the Hyundai dealership played games from not calling me always have a reason to not returning my calls. I had to do all the leg work from calling the extended warranty company just to find out I was 4,000 miles over my warranty. I have been complaining that this vehicle been using too much oil for some time but every time I say something about it they had some excuse..

I was noticing my check engine light would go on then turn off, I had it checked with one of those gadgets mechanics have and was told it was the evaporation code. There were times I would see my oil light flicker not even for a second. I thought I was seeing things that's how quick it would flicker to only notice a couple of times. I checked my oil and had to put 3 quarts in. I had made a service appointment for that and to change the fluids, the first available appointment was 3 weeks away and took it. In the meantime I had taken my car for an oil change, and on the way there my check engine light was flashing on and off not stopping. I got my oil changed on a Saturday and the mechanic said the oil was very low.

How could that be when I just put oil in. He said the check engine light was all set. I didn't drive my car until that Monday to go to work. I literally drove maybe a mile and was heading on the highway and heard a grinding noise and wasn't sure if it was my car and all of a sudden my car didn't want to move and all the lights came on, the check engine, oil and battery. Thank God I was in the slow lane and managed to get in the breakdown lane. I called the dealership and told service that I was getting it towed there. They were fine with that, yet proceeded to tell my that if they had an available tech they would look at it if not it would be looked at on my scheduled appointment 21/2 weeks later.

Well, I waited patiently until my appointment date and called them and my car wouldn't start. I called the next day and my engine is seized. I asked what would have caused it and I was told that Hyundai does not allow their engines to be touched by service. How the heck can they then determine whether or not they're going to cover this or not if the cause will never be known??? Now I am waiting on corporate to make a decision when I know damn well my Santa Fe sport is classified in that class action suit and my engine has a life time warranty. I can't get a rental/loaner until a decision is made which can take up to 3 more weeks and then if they approve it, it will take another 3-4 months to fix. If they don't I was told we would discuss pricing.

I told them that is not an option and I will fight this. I had to borrow my moms, brothers and boyfriends car and inconvenience them just so I can get to work or I wouldn't have a job. I don't know where to start to file a complaint yet if I have to go to Korea to do it I will. A multi-billion dollar company responsible and they won't even help out the very people who made them. Absolutely disgusting, never again!

I was getting my oil changed every 3,000 miles. I brought my car into Hyundai dealership to trade in for a new car. They test drove my car and came back saying my engine locked up. Now I am stuck with no car. The dealership seems to be telling me a different story every time i talk to them. I hear that the engine is a lifetime warranty on it.

When I brought the car in, I had not one issue with my car. Eddie Turrell in Covington LA seems to be taking their sweet time to handle the problem. I need a car and I want to buy a new one - my issue is it may take forever to get a engine in, plus having it put in my car. I need it to trade it in toward a new car. I'm just in a serious bind without a vehicle. I use my car for work every day.