Some Hyundai car owners say their cars are gobbling up oil, leading to engine replacement

Zhenya Rozinskiy bought a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe last year for his son’s 16th birthday.

The car had 90,000 miles, so Rozinskiy said he had it thoroughly checked out.

“We did the extensive 90,000-mile service that Hyundai requires. We just wanted to make sure the car’s in good condition. It’s for a kid. You want to make sure it’s safe,” he said.

Rozinskiy said his son drove the car just 2,000 miles when the trouble began. He described the conversation with his son. 

“‘Dad, as I was driving, the ‘check oil’ light came on very briefly. It came on for a few seconds then turned off. Then 10 to15 minutes later, it came on again,’” he said. 

Rozinskiy said he checked the oil and was shocked. 

“There’s no oil in the car,” he said.

Just 2,000 miles and the oil was gone.

Rozinskiy said Hyundai eventually acknowledged there was a problem. The fix: an $8,000 new engine that Rozinskiy had to pay for. 

“Now think about it. It’s a modern car. It’s a 2017 Hyundai. And you need to replace an engine? Is that really the lifespan of this car?” he said.

Rozinskiy soon learned he’s not alone. Drivers are complaining online about similar issues. They call it “excessive oil consumption,” and it’s happening with various Hyundai models. 

One driver said his car is consuming all of its oil every 800 to 1,000 miles. Another said her car is losing quarts of oil in between oil changes. 

“It’s not that something happened to my car. It’s a widespread issue that affects a lot of cars,” said Rozinskiy. 

But there are no recalls for this issue. Instead, Hyundai said it’s covered under its 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty. But that lengthy warranty is only good for a car’s first owner. The warranty period is much smaller for subsequent owners, so Rozinskiy is out of luck. 

“What I was trying to do is to have Hyundai stand up for their quality and say, ‘Yeah, we did something wrong. It happens. We’re going to address it. We don’t want people to think that you buy this car for 92,000 miles and throw it away,’” he said. 

The I-Team reached out to Hyundai, which later replaced the $8,000 engine for Rozinskiy, saying that it was a goodwill decision, and that customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance.

Brian Moody, senior editor at Autotrader, said this is a good reminder for any car owner to make sure you consistently maintain your car. 

“Because once you don’t do that and neglect it to such a terrible degree that something fails, then the manufacturer can rightly say, ‘It’s not our thing that failed. It was improper use that caused it to fail,’” he said.

Moody also suggested that if you have a problem with your car, take it to the dealer and describe the problem in general terms. And don’t let up until the issue is resolved. 

“The tire won’t stay on the wheel. Don’t tell them why you think that is. Don’t tell them your analysis. Doesn’t have to do with the brakes or lug nuts. Who cares. Just be really vague,” he said.

As for Rozinskiy, he owns three other Hyundais. He’s happy the company eventually fixed this one, but he’s disappointed he had to fight so hard. 

“It’s a trust issue. If I don’t believe the company cares about the quality, why would I trust my kid’s life? I wouldn’t,” he said. 

Tips for car maintenance:

• If you get your car serviced at an independent shop, keep those records.
• If you change the oil on your own, keep the receipts of the oil you purchased.
• If you have a problem with the car, tell the dealer every time it occurs.