I was on the highway and all of the sudden all my dashboard lights lit up. I pulled off the highway and my car wouldn't start. So I had it towed to a mechanic whom told me the engine is completely gone. And that I need to buy a completely new engine. So I called Hyundai and was told because I bought the car second hand that the engine isn't covered under warranty. So I have to pay 6 to 8k for a new engine. As a single mother of 4 this is easily said than done. I am so upset prior to this incident my last oil change I was told my turbo wasn't working properly so they said it wasn't a big deal etc. I still owe money on this car so I can't get rid of it however I can't afford a new engine either. THE WORST CAR EVER

As with everyone else complaining about this car - I want to join the party. I had a 2006 Sonata which I loved and lasted me until someone crashed into it. Then I got a 2011 Sonata and was great until all the lights went on and began to stall a few times. I continued driving until I was on the interstate and heard a loud knocking sound which got louder and louder so I pulled over. Even when I pulled over the side, the car stalled, again.

I got it towed off the highway to car mechanic who told me that the engine is shot and I need a new one. It doesn't make sense - it has 84,000 miles He said a used one will be 4500 bucks with labor or 7500 for a new one. WTF the car, the car is only 7500-8K dollars with a working engine.

I brought it to another place who said I can get it replaced with a used engine for $3500. Still - a lot of money for a USED engine with no guarantee that it will work more than a day. Not only that, they need to replace it with the same kind of engine so what's to say that engine is not going to seize when I reach 80K miles. So now I probably going to take a loss, sell the car for 2K and buy another car...

Unfortunately, I have the same story ('ditto"). Proof of oil changes, no check engine or oil light appeared and engine locked up! Then of course, all the warning lights came on because the f'in engine blew. Hyundai is not backing the 2011 engine and is blaming the consumer on poor maintenance and "after market oil filters". Whatever, just a cover up. Read all the complaints. I personally walked away from the car $3500 upside down in the loan and did not want to pay $5,000 + for a used engine with the potential for the same problem.

I suggest joining the class action lawsuit and filing a complaint at the Hyundai Corporate Headquarters in California at 844-462-5557. I documented a complaint number filed with Hyundai and everything else.... I really liked this car and hope Hyundai decides to do what is right! Of note, why would I ever purchase another Hyundai or a Kia? Good luck to all,

I see most complains come from the USA and I am writing from British Columbia Canada, but please hear my story. It is insane and this has GOT to be happening to Canadians to as it is happening to me and another guy I know!

I have had TWO engines go now. One about 2.5 years ago at 51,000 Kilometers! ( about 31,000 miles for you Americans) and the replaced one just now, on May 14, 2015 which has about 70,000 Kilometers on it!.

Both times it sounded the same. I was just driving and the engine just went - all of a sudden the oil light came on, a nice solid bright red and the engine was severely knocking. LOUD. The faster you were going the faster it knocked, slower speed, it slowed. I of course pulled over right away. I had it towed to the dealership. The first time they gave me a hell of a time. They told me it was where I lived that caused it and that I drive it too hard (I live on a mountain...all highway driving). They also told me I never changed my oil - BOTH TIMES. (I have my oil change receipts!). They also said my filters were not "Hyundai filters" Are they trained to say this crap? They like to point fingers and they sound so bloody condescending.

With my second engine, I have been more aware and paranoid. The place where I have my oil changed told me once that my coolant was low so I brought it to Hyundai. They said NOPE! It is fine! They blew the lines and see nothing. Yet the Oil guys say it was leaking. I watched for external, yet saw nothing so I thought it must be internal. Many people know what coolant mixed with oil does... Later the oil guys told me my oil was black... very dirty. Said next time I should really get the flushing thingy... more money but it will really clean out the sludge and I'd get better mileage etc. So I did it. The oil guy calls over co-worker and says "look, her oil is still very black"... hmmm weird. So we did another change. Very odd stuff.

This time Hyundai says "You never changed your oil!" YES I DID! They tell me it was sludge! Well if it is sludge then something else is wrong! The rod was apparently gone in last engine.. and this engine sounds the same. It is 100,000 kms or 5 years up here... whatever comes first. I'm 20,000 plus kms over and 6 weeks over warranty - either way I am over. They are crooks! They said Warranty and Hyundai Canada won't do anything for me. Nice. Way to take care of your community. This 2nd engine only has about 70 kms on it!

I still owe on this car and all Hyundai will say is that you need a new engine! Not what is wrong, no puzzle pieces... no oil tests... no reasons WHY this happens! IDIOTS! I will make sure EVERY person I talk to knows this story... And in my profession, we get to talk A LOT with a lot of people so many will know my story.

The vehicle started making weird noises while driving. Took it to the mechanic and the mechanic, while test driving the car said the engine started smoking and then all of the warning lights came on. After the vehicle was towed to the shop, the starter and alternator were malfunctioning. The mechanic replaced these items and then the engine locked up. The dealership told us to contact the manufacturer and the manufacturer told us that we are not covered under the 5 year/60,000 warranty. We found a website that is involved in a class action law suite over this issue:

http://www.chimicles.com/2011-hyundai-sonata-engine-failure-class-action-lawsuit?gclid=CIGytLn1lsYCFUIRHwodshAExQ

We are stuck, like several other 2011 Hyundai customers making car payments and buying a new engine on a 4 year old car. I'm so angry and stressed about this issue, I wish I could turn back the hands of time and not buy any of their vehicles.

Took my 2011 Hyundai in to the dealership last month for stalling and cutting out. Was told it didn't pull any codes and they could not find anything wrong with it. Saturday morning start driving and the engine light came on so I turned around and went back home only drove it about one mile, parked it made an appointment with the dealership and drove it there Monday. Got a call the pan seal was gone and I lost all my oil engine was fine no codes on machine. Pulled the pan, sent me pictures and shows metal shavings in the oil pan.

How could a car lose all oil yet the engine light didn't come on until Saturday and now you want me to pay you over $5000 for a new engine. I took to social media and I am getting an attorney as this seems to be a big problem on this vehicle. I think Hyundai needs to be held responsible for this happening and their dealerships failing their customers just because they want to make more money. I have kept up with my oil changes and it had just hit time for the change when this happened.

Engine started making a loud noise, took it into dealer immediately. They said the engine failed due to lack of oil changes. They told us we would have to replace the engine - cost $7,000! We routinely had oil changes, some at dealership and some by quick oil change companies. We did not have it fixed and decided to get a second opinion. The second certified mechanic said the engine seized and the engine did need to be replaced. It has been sitting at the mechanic since - trying to find a 2011 Hyundai Sonata engine is not easy. His cost to repair $4000. Now see there has been a lawsuit filed:

Chimicles & Tikellis has filed a class action lawsuit against Hyundai for alleged premature engine failure in certain 2011 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. These models may contain a defect predisposing the engines to experience engine bearing failure, overheating, oil consumption, piston ring land failure and/or connecting rod knock. These issues may result in catastrophic engine failure along with safety issues and expensive repairs.

If you have experienced engine failure in your Hyundai Sonata then please use the contact us about this case.Attorneys for this case:

Matthew D. Schelkopf

Joseph B. Kenney

361 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041 | Phone: 610-642-8500

On March 23rd, 2015 I was driving to work at 6:30am on the interstate when my engine seized up and shut my car off. I was in the process of switching lanes and pressed on the gas to speed up to about 70 mph, when all my dash lights flashed and my car shut off. I was able coast off a nearby exit and was fortunate to not wreck my car.

I contacted AAA and they sent a tow truck and I had it towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership. They looked it over and said it was the fuel pump, so I asked them to change the oil and as long as it was drivable I would take it home and have the fuel pump replaced at a different time because I did not have $700 at the time to have it replaced by them.

My dad drove it about 7 miles from the dealership to a local mechanic for a second opinion when he heard a horrible knocking/rapping sound. He made it to the mechanic and it was not the fuel pump, it was a bearing/engine failure. I had it towed back to the Hyundai dealership, provided all of the maintenance records which proves I did not neglect my vehicle, and had my oil change within the recommended 5,000-7,500 mile range. Hyundai refused to replace my engine or provide any kind of assistance.

This is unacceptable! Hyundai clearly does not value their loyal customers. This was my second Hyundai purchase and I will never, ever purchase another vehicle from them and I will never recommend them to anyone else I come in contact with. I purchased the vehicle in September of 2012 with only 20,092 miles and the engine failed at 82,000 - I still owe $11,000 on the car, so I could not afford to trade it in for only $2,700. I decided to replace the engine on April 30th, and just picked up my vehicle yesterday - 6/8/2015.

In the process of replacing my engine, the first engine the dealership got was defective - go figure! I had to pay $3,900 to get my engine replaced and there was nothing wrong with the fuel pump... Not only does Hyundai not care about their customers, but their service team in incompetent. DO NOT BUY A HYUNDAI!!!

I was driving on the expressway in traffic and at 40 mph the transmission shifted hard and the engine started making a clacking sound. I drove to the dealer and they said the engine seized. I just had the same dealer change the oil 3000 miles ago. There were no engine lights, no leakage in the driveway and no signs up until that point. I have done regular maintenance and oil changes. The car drove with very little noise.

The Hyundai dealer in New Port Richey, FL is blaming the customer, even though this same problem is listed 59 times for this model on the car complaints website.

I bought my sonata used a little over three years ago. I still have three years left on the note and today as I was leaving the parking lot of Mc Donalds it began making this terrible noise. No warning, no check engine light, no oil light (my husband just changed the oil this weekend) just this loud noise and within ten minutes my car died with still no lights coming on until the exact moment the car died. My husband used to work as an auto mechanic and is now a diesel mechanic. Buying a used motor and him doing the work himself we'll still be in for a couple of thousand dollars. If we pay somebody who knows. This sucks. My husband realized that he had to keep a check on this car because it tends to lose about a quart of oil in between the regular changes for no apparent reasons. Again he stayed on top of that situation but I think this might have been tell tale regarding a design flaw. #hindsights20/20 #thiscarsucks

I bought my wife a 2011 Hyundai Sonata a little over 2 years ago, we changed the oil faithfully (we did it ourselves) with 58000 miles on it unfortunately since we weren't the first owners the warranty ended at 60000 miles.

During the past Thanksgiving holiday, my son and I went up the road and all of sudden the car sounded like a race car and the oil light came on, we immediately brought it home and had our mechanic to look at it and he told us the engine seized. We were in complete amazement.

While trying to find out if there was a recall I found this site and as some of you said the dummy light never came on until it was too late. Unfortunately it took us about 6 months to come up with the money to be able to buy a motor and pay our mechanic to put it in, she finally got her car back last week, the vehicle is financed so we really had no choice but to fix it or turn it in and ruin my credit.

When getting the motor, of course we could not afford a new one, so we had to get a used one. I had called 3 places and they all said the same thing. We are going through these motors so quick and they are hard to get, which tells me that a lot of people are having this issue but probably don't know about this site.

There is no way that this cars engine should have seized. We have a beat up Ford Ranger (we use this for hauling and the dirty work) that is a 93 that is still running strong and we have treated my wife's Hyundai with kit gloves compared to the Ranger.

Was driving my car down the expressway when my car stopped working and all the lights started flashing. Had to have it towed to my mechanic who says my engine seized up and will need to be replaced. He said the oil was good and can't understand why the engine would seize. It's a 2011 with a little over 100000 miles on it. I still owe $10000 on it. I am basically screwed. How does an engine fail on a car that is only 4 years old. Called a Hyandai dealer and he said there isn't any recalls. I feel this is a defect of this car.

I bought this car on Jan. 20, 2015, took it for an oil change on May 5, 2015. The car ran fine and smoothly, but noticed, when I checked the oil it was low. Never made any knocks or noises, but always check everything. Checked oil on Mon., May 4, 2015 and it was full. Didn't get 3 miles from the dealership on the 5th and the engine seized. Smoke, the car died and I just had a full oil and Inspection. They want to charge me $4000 for a car that I have only owned for 3 and a half months!!!! How can an engine seize after a complete oil change and inspection, less than 3 miles down the road??? No oil ever leaked, no stains in driveway, no problems, until dealership worked on it.

We bought this car because it had great ratings and made an excellent family car, but now it's just a big paper weight. It broke down over a month ago, and the estimate to fix it is $7,000. We currently are working just to get by, and being down a car is hurting us. We had to take out a third car loan, because I cannot get any bank to give me a personal loan to fix it, and we were told we needed to fix the car in order to be on the lawsuit. Not everyone can just hand over $7,000 with no problem. I wish I could just return the car and be done with it!

I purchased the 2011 Sonata Certified Used, plus I purchased the extended warranty. I was exiting the freeway when the car just died, no sounds, no warning, no check engine lights, nothing. I was able to coast to a gas station and I noticed a little smoke coming from the engine. I had it towed to a dealership and 2 days later they called & told me the engine seized, but the oil was only about half a quart low. The Dealership wouldn’t honor the powertrain warranty because they said it's limited to 60K miles (I’m the 2nd owner & my car had 66K miles).

I filed a claim with extended warranty service and they sent out an inspector. His finding was it was 2-3 quarts low, there was "sludge" in the oil and we'd need a new engine. Because I couldn’t produce the receipt from my last oil change, they cited owner neglect and denied the claim. I used Royal Purple Synthetic Oil (and have used this same oil for the past 15 yrs in all my vehicles). I changed my own oil in July, approximately 3 months prior. Note: there was NEVER any oil leaks or stains on the driveway, no low oil/engine light at all.

To replace the engine, it was going to cost around $6000.00. I couldn’t afford that, so I ended up having to get another car. Which sucks because now I am paying 2 car notes, on 2 cars, but I am only able to drive one. I don’t want to mess my credit up by letting it go back, so I’m really trying to hold on to it as long as I can, but I really don’t know when I’m going to have the extra $$ to get a new engine put in.

At 62,000 the engine completely failed. The car had documented oil changes every 3,000 miles. Extended warranty refused to pay. Hyundai will not pay.

It is a known fact that the oil pressure switch in these vehicles does not perform properly... no warning light came on indicating low oil pressure at any time. Warning light is set to come on at 7.25 psi. At this point an engine will seize. Normal pressure is 30-40 psi! This is unacceptable. Hyundai needs to own up. We will never buy another and tell everyone we know not to purchase one either!

Fortunately we were on an exit ramp moving slowly and not traveling at a normal rate of speed when this happened. I hate to think what would have happened if that were the case.

I GOT THE CAR IN 10-22-13 I KEPT ALL MAINTENANCE WORK DONE IN THE CAR. ON 2/13/15 (NOT TO MENTION THAT WAS MY BIRTHDAY) WHILE I WAS LEAVING WORK THE CAR CUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD! AFTER GETTING THE CAR TOWED I WAS TOLD THAT MY MOTOR HAD BLEW UP! THERE WAS ONLY ABOUT 63K MILES ON IT! I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE MOTOR BLOWING UP IN OTHER HYUNDAI'S AS WELL! AS OF RIGHT NOW (05/13/15) I AM STILL WITHOUT A CAR AND STILL HAVE TO MAKE CAR PAYMENTS ON A CAR THAT I CAN NOT DRIVE!