Hyundai (Finally) Recalls Sonatas Over Engine Debris Issues
Hyundai, looking down the barrel of a class-action lawsuit, has finally agreed to recall 2011 and 2012 model year Sonatas for engine issues resulting from metallic debris.
According to Automotive News, the issue affects Sonatas equipped with both naturally aspirated 2.4-liter and turbocharged 2.0-liter engines due to debris not being properly removed from crankshafts when they were manufactured.
Hyundai will also extend powertrain warranties on the engine sub-assembly for affected models.
The recall states:
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the engine assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Additionally, Hyundai Motor America will increase the warranty for the engine sub-assembly (short block) to 10 years/120,000 miles for both original and subsequent owners of 2011 and 2012 Sonatas manufactured at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama equipped with 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engines. An interim notification will be mailed by November 2, 2015. A second notification will be mailed when parts are available.
More by Mark Stevenson
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Hyundai has the worst customer support of any brand. They let the customer pay for everything, even if the car is under warranty.
If this were a General Motors issue, GM would deny, deny, deny...delay, delay, delay. That's the GM Way. These owners of affected Hyundai vehicles are fortunate that they chose Hyundai rather than General Motors. As Jack Baruth so efficiently and correctly stated in his review of the new, 2015 Sonata: " It doesn’t need to be said, but in this respect the Malibu isn’t even a competitor — which is perhaps why the press materials accidentally showed the previous-gen Malibu. HYUNDAI'S LONG PAST HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT FIGHTING GENERAL MOTORS."
First, for people like me, who do not put a lot of miles on a car per year, the change of warranty to 120,000 (an additional 20,000) because of the potential engine problem, but with no additional years on the warranty, isn't much compensation, especially if I decide to sell the car. The 2011 model will soon be five years old. Second, although I received a notice about the potential problem, Hyundai said they had not come up with a solution, and I never received notice that I should take the car in to be inspected. My car has been in for maintenance in recent months and not a word from the dealer about this inspection. So, back to the shop I go—or perhaps I'll wait until I can have the protective sleeves installed on the coil springs at the same time. That said, so far Hyundai has been pretty good about recalls, at least, compared to VW. All of my Jettas had head gaskets replaced with fewer than 10,000 miles on their engines. I don't remember receiving a recall notice. Lucikly, the repairs were covered by warrant. With my Wolfsburg, I had to replace the pricey BSI alloy wheels because of a flaking problem that made it impossible to create proper seals with my tires (thus, air leakage and repeated flat tires). VW repeatedly denied that there was a problem, adding that if there were, it was up to BSI to fix it. Unfortunately, owners did not file a class action. We should have. Then again, if I had experienced one of the problems related to the recalls, my impression might differ.
What they are doing now when they test them if it fails then they add an extra 1/2 quart of oil and put in a new dipstick with a higher full line for the extra oil