Hyundai/Kia Engine Problems

[sandydandy]

Att: Billi. This is a real thing, and Hyundai/Kia are putting a lot of money aside to deal with it.

Hyundai and Kia's Decade of Very Troublesome Engines Continues (https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/hyundai-and-kia-s-decade-of-very-troublesome-engines-continues-44497118)

I was reading through this article and have to say it was spot-on with what happened to my old 2014 Santa Fe. Metal shrapnel interfering with the oil flow because the bearings had gone bad, and the engine would have seized eventually. This is a really bad look for Hyundai/Kia.

Glad I've said goodbye to Hyundai, probably forever. When I was shopping for my Honda Pilot I was also interested in the Hyundai Palisade, and it's more attractive cousin the Kia Telluride. I'd be lying if I said those weren't very beautiful vehicles that catch your eye, especially the Telluride, which is getting all kinds of love from auto writers/reviewers and being touted as the class leader in the midsize SUV category. Unfortunately, the hard truth is these vehicles are just eye candy. Hyundai/Kia know how to make beautiful cars equipped with all the toys, but reliability is a huge question mark, which I know from experience. My Santa Fe started exhibiting sluggishness after 5-6 years, which I suppose could be considered normal, and I ignored it for a while...but then in this, the 8th year, things went to shit. How can I ever trust this brand again?

Billi, I hope your Santa Fe is okay but be prepared if this happens to you. The probabilities are high that it will.

[MR2 Fan]

Wow, that on top of the easy theft problems, not good

[sandydandy]

Hyundai, Kia to book another $2 billion hit on engine problems (https://driving.ca/auto-news/industry/hyundai-kia-to-book-another-2-billion-hit-on-engine-problems)

Ouch!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, my 2014 Santa Fe 2.0L turbo so far has been problem free. However, my mileage is kinda low though, only has about 50k miles. I am aware of the problem and have even received letter from Hyundai telling me that as long as I own it, I now have lifetime engine warranty!!! Which is part of the reason why I'm holding on to my car for now... I'm a sucker for long warranties... :p

My 2017 Sorento has the V6 engine and supposedly that's the more reliable engine.

Along with my S2000, our family really doesn't need 3 cars especially now I can work mostly from home. Under normal circumstances, I would've gotten rid of the Santa Fe, but considering the crazy car market nowadays, I think I'll just hold on to my cars for now as backup. I don't want to be forced into buying a new car unexpectedly. Hopefully I won't have both cars get into trouble at the same time...

Anyway, so far, I'm really happy with my Korean cars. I think Honda reliability has been going down too. S2000 is really solid, that's probably when Honda peaked. My 2007 TSX had some VTEC issues. It was made in Japan too! Honda was trying to blame that on me for not changing oil frequently enough. I ended up taking Honda to small claims court to get my money back. (Luckily American Honda HQ was at SoCal so I could do that. It was probably easier for Honda to just pay for the repair bill rather than sending a lawyer to fight me) That incident left a bad taste in my mouth which resulted in me giving up my loyalty to Honda cars and started looking elsewhere...

Hyundai/Kia really has better designs and their 10yr powertrain warranties are super attractive to me. My current local Kia dealer also now doubles the factory warranty and also include free lifetime oil changes. Free oil changes and 20 yr warranties?!?!? So chances of me getting another Kia in a few years is probably high. Hope this engine problem isn't so severe that it ends up bankrupting the company... :p

Yeah, if anyone does get one of these Korean cars, make sure you get the higher end trims with push button start. Those are supposedly harder to steal. For the cheaper models, apparently kids are stealing them just for joyriding fun. Crazy.

I'm hoping Kia will have a plugin hybrid Telluride in a few years like BMW X5 or Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. I'd like to be more fuel efficient around town and still be able to tow my RV. In terms of reliability, I think I still trust Kia more than BMW or Jeep. I honestly do think the Korean brands and Honda are probably about the same level now. Toyota is probably almost always at the top of reliability game, but anyways, in terms of driving dynamics and reliability, Hondas and Kias are probably about the same based on my own experience so far. However, if you include looks and value(MSRP), Korean makers definitely win out. BTW, I will never pay the mark ups asked by any dealerships. Main reason I switched was because Korean cars are cheaper. If they cost the same as Hondas, I'd probably pick Honda again.

BTW, I was very happy with my leased 2017 Honda Clarity EV. Other than the fact it was ugly as hell, it ran trouble free for 3 years and I wish we could have the option to buy... to fall in love with an ugly car shows how great the car was. Unfortunately Honda seems to like to discontinue all the cars that I like. Oh well. Probably because I'm a cheap bastard. Whatever I like won't help them make too much money. :D

[sandydandy]

Glad you have that excellent warranty. My warranty expired after 7 years I believe, but Hyundai still replaced the engine (almost) for free. Just had to pay for belts and components. It was a goodwill warranty because they knew this was happening everywhere and didn’t want to alienate customers.

My engine went bad at around 130,000 kms, or about 80,000 miles.

[TheBenior]

Of the fiour guys I used to work with who had TF Optimas/YF Sonatas (all 2.4L), three had major powertrain warranty replacements. Two engines, one transmission. The transmission failed pretty early on, the engines when the cars had 50-60k miles. One of the engines got replaced after failing the oil consumption test, one went in to limp mode while on the highway.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, that is so odd that they only have the long warranties for Americans. If I were Canadian, I probably won't end up buying from the Korean brand...

I heard the 2.4l engines are the worst, then the 2.0l Turbos... I'm checking my oil levels pretty frequently now so that I won't end up stranded somewhere. If 50~60k miles is about the time they expire... I'm certainly near that milestone. Fingers crossed...

[Leon]

2010 Kia Sorento 2.2 tdi here, going strong at 244,000km with only routine servicing.
[knock on wood]

[Crazed_Insanity]

2.2l diesel? Maybe diesel engines are more reliable? Not sure. We don’t have diesels in the US to compare against…

[sandydandy]

One of my buddies had a 2005 or 2006 Sonata, and after a few years it started experiencing serious transmission problems. It was an automatic, but he would put the car in neutral when stopped at a red light, (exactly why he would do that, I don't know), and after a while the transmission would have trouble reengaging when shifting back to drive. The explanation he got from the dealer was the transmission was getting 'lost' while it was in neutral. Really weird stuff. I think at first they were refusing to fix it under warranty and said it would cost him in excess of $5,000 to replace the transmission. Then I think he fought them tooth and nail and somehow they agreed to fix it under warranty. Then he sold it. He hasn't looked at Hyundai since.

Anyway, this thread is not meant to beat up Hyundai and Kia, just to shed light on real issues with this automaker that has gained so much trust and adoration from consumers, who believe them to be on par with Toyota and Honda. I'm suggesting it's an illusion. But maybe they have cleaned up their act now in more recent model years, while dealing with the consequences of their previous blunders. Time will tell.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, if I only can have one car and need it to take me to school or work regularly, then for sure I won’t get h/k cars.

Since I have backup, I do not mind one of my cars is at the dealership waiting for a new engine! :p

These Korean makers are definitely not the most honest. I 1st figured that out when I calculated my MPG vs what the onboard computer tells me. #s don’t match. Computer inflated the mpg #!

The day they become on par with Toyota in terms of reliability is the day they’ll drop their 10 yr warranty.

For now, I’m happy with the cars’ looks and their driving dynamics. When I was driving my mom’s Corolla back home at LA, that really ‘felt’ terrible! :p

[TheBenior]

The day they become on par with Toyota in terms of reliability is the day they’ll drop their 10 yr warranty.

I'd agree, but that day has likely been postponed, particularly given the damage that the thefts (Cook County, IL Hyundai/Kia thefts July 2021: 74. Cook County, IL Hyundai/Kia thefts July 2022: 642) and engine failures have done to the brands.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I was getting the feeling that they're ready to end the America's longest warranty campaign, but then these bad news hit...

I also heard they have stopped developing ICEs anticipating an electric future. So their engines likely won't get any better...

Koreans are definitely at a crossroad here. If their problem is so huge and they can't survive the US market, naturally I'm not going to continue to buy anymore of these vehicles. At least with what I have now, I'm pretty happy with them so far. Hopefully my korean cars can last thru these few years until the car market gets back to normal.