— Hyundai 3.3-liter Lambda engine problems have caused a class action lawsuit that alleges all Hyundai vehicles equipped with 3.3L Lambda II gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines are defective.
The Hyundai engines purportedly suffer from abnormal and premature wearing, loosening and fractured rotating assemblies and internal components.
The 3.3L Lambda II engines are destroyed when metal debris circulates in the oil through the engines.
In February 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a petition requesting a federal investigation into 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L V-Shaped GDI Lambda II engines.
NHTSA said it would look into the allegations and decide if an official investigation would be opened into Hyundai engine failures. But three months later safety regulators said there would not be a Hyundai Lambda II engine investigation.
According to federal regulators:
“Hyundai has extended the limited engine warranty for [model year] 2013-2019 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3L V-shaped Lambda II engines included in the Petition. The updated coverage is 15 years, or 150,000 miles[,] and details are contained in Technical Service Bulletin 24-EM-003H.”
NHTSA also determined the Hyundai Lambda II engine complaint rate was low and vehicles that lost power had high mileage at the time of the incidents.
Hyundai Lambda II Engine Problems — The Plaintiffs
Jason and Allison Burns purchased a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SE in May 2019 when it had 17,350 miles on it. The SUV was equipped with a 3.3-liter Lambda II GDI engine and had one prior owner.
The class action lawsuit contends there "were only 79,966 miles on Plaintiffs’ Engine, when it catastrophically self-destructed."
The Hyundai Lambda II engine problems sent the plaintiffs to a dealership to repair or replace the 3.3L engine under warranty. The class action alleges Hyundai had a warranty extension for the 3.3L Lambda II engines but the dealership refused to make free repairs.
"Nevertheless, for six months, Hyundai and its dealership intentionally and fraudulently concealed from Plaintiffs the very existence of the Extended Warranty. Such concealment allowed Hyundai to evade its expensive 'Extended Warranty' obligations to Plaintiffs, and allowed the dealership to: (a) purchase Plaintiffs’ broken vehicle from them for pennies on the dollar; and (b) sell Plaintiffs’ a newer, replacement vehicle on purely false pretenses." — Lambda engine lawsuit
The plaintiffs complain it was not until January 2025 when they received notice of "Hyundai’s clearly applicable Extended Warranty, which Hyundai had used eight months prior to escape NHTSA’s investigation."
But the plaintiffs complain by then the damage was done because they no longer owned their Hyundai Santa Fe, and had already purchased a vehicle "on false pretenses."
Customers report knocking sounds and smoke or fires coming from the engine compartments. As seen in the above photo, holes can be punched through the Lambda II engine block when connecting rods break and pierce the engine.
A penetrated engine block can allow oil to leak onto hot surfaces and cause a fire.
The Hyundai Lambda II engine class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Jason Burns and Allison Burns v. Hyundai Motor Company, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Harris LLP.