NHTSA Complaint #11114946 — 2016 HYUNDAI TUCSON

THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON WITHOUT ANY AUGURIES WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. WE PULLED OVER THE CAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT THE CAR COULD NOT BE STARTED AGAIN AFTER WE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, AND THEN WE WERE TOLD THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN WE ASKED HOW IT HAPPENED, THEY TOLD US THAT OUR ENGINE OIL PLUG WAS MISSING, SO ALL THE ENGINE OIL WAS DRAINED OUT. THEY CHECKED OUR MAINTENANCE RECORD, AND FOUND THAT WE HAD AN OIL CHANGE THREE MONTHS BACK AT ANOTHER HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT COULD BE POSSIBLE THAT THE ENGINE OIL PLUG WAS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED DURING LAST MAINTENANCE SERVICE, BUT THEY WERE NOT SURE ABOUT IT, AFTER ALL IT HAD BEEN 3 MONTHS NOT 30 MINUTES SINCE THEN. WE WERE NEVER GIVEN A SURE REASON FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CAR, BUT THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS TAKEN CARE OF BY HYUNDAI WARRANTY. PERSONALLY I DON'T THINK THE 'MAINTENANCE MISTAKE' HYPOTHESIS MAKE SENSE. WE DID NOT DRIVE THIS CAR DAILY, MAXIMUM AVERAGE USAGE WAS ABOUT WEEKLY, BUT LONG DISTANCE MOST TIMES. IF THE PLUG WAS LOOSE DUE TO THE MAINTENANCE, WE SHOULD HAVE A PROBLEM SOONER UNLESS THE OIL DOESN'T DRAIN WHEN A CAR IS PARKED. IN ADDITION, IT COULD NOT BE SOMEONE LOOSE THE PLUG AT A PARKING LOT ON PURPOSE EITHER. BECAUSE WHEN WE DROVE THE CAR OUT, WE DID NOT NOTICE ANY OIL TRACE ON THE GROUND, AND WE HAD BEEN CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING THIS CAR FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS BEFORE THE ENGINE FAILURE HAPPENED. THE MOST POSSIBLE REASON THAT I COULD THINK OF IS THE ENGINE WAS DEFECTIVE. I AM HOPING THIS ISSUE CAN BE BROUGHT INTO A FORMAL INVESTIGATION, BECAUSE IT COULD LEAD TO VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.