NHTSA Complaint #10683632 — 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA

WITHOUT NOTICE/WARNING, ENGINE STARTED MAKING A METALLIC KNOCKING/FLAPPING SOUND WITH A LOT OF BLUE SMOKE EXHAUST WHEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATING. SHORTLY AFTER, ENGINE OIL LIGHT FLICKERED MOMENTARILY. FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, I KNEW TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. BY THE END OF THE SAME DAY, I ADDED ALMOST 5 QUARTS OF OIL. I ALSO BROUGHT THE CAR TO LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER FOR A LATE AFTERNOON (4:30PM) APPOINTMENT JUST BEFORE NEW YEAR'S EVE. SERVICE ADVISOR MENTIONED THAT "BY THE TIME THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT COMES ON YOU'VE GOT LESS THAN A QUART OF OIL LEFT". HE SUGGESTED WE BRING THE CAR BACK WHEN THEY WOULD HAVE MORE TIME TO WORK ON IT. I PLANNED TO HAVE 40000-MILE SERVICE AND EXPECTED A SOMEWHAT EXPENSIVE REPAIR, SO I NEEDED TO WAIT UNTIL FEB 4, WHEN I WOULD HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE. I BROUGHT THE CAR FOR SERVICE ON 2/4, AND WAS TOLD LATER THAT DAY THAT THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. AFTER THOROUGH INSPECTION, WITH SEVERAL PHOTOS PROVIDED TO FACTORY, HYUNDAI REFUSED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE UNDER WARRANTY REPAIR, CITING MY LACK OF REGULAR SERVICE. I HAD THE CAR SERVICED AT 15000 MILES AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN MARCH, 2012, BUT DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER REGULAR SERVICE PERFORMED. DEALER (NOT THE PURCHASE DEALER) REQUESTED HYUNDAI DO A "GOODWILL REPAIR" THAT WOULD REQUIRE ME TO PAY $1900 LABOR, WHILE HYUNDAI WOULD PAY FOR THE ENGINE AND ALL FLUIDS (~$4800). AGAIN, HYUNDAI REFUSED. I UNDERSTAND MY ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OVERLOOKING REGULAR SERVICE, WHICH IS WHY I AGREED TO PAY THE $1900 LABOR PORTION OF A GOODWILL REPAIR. HOWEVER, NONE OF THIS ELIMINATES THE FACT THAT THE ENGINE OIL WARNING LIGHT DID NOT EVEN FLICKER UNTIL AFTER THE ENGINE WAS TOTALLY DAMAGED. BY HYUNDAI SERVICE ADVISOR ADMISSION, THERE IS LESS THAN 1 QUART OF OIL LEFT WHEN THE WARNING LIGHT ACTIVATES. WHAT KIND OF WARNING INDICATOR ONLY ACTIVATES AFTER CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE? *TR