NHTSA Complaint #11302496 — 2012 HYUNDAI TUCSON

WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC BECAUSE THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE MECHANIC TESTED THE CAR AND HEARD A TAPPING NOISE WHEN STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE MECHANIC NOTED THAT THERE WERE LARGE METAL SHARDS IN OIL PAN. THE SHARDS WERE NOT PRESENT IN THE OIL WHEN OIL WAS DRAINED OUT. THE METAL SHARDS WERE ONLY VISIBLE ONCE THE OIL PAN WAS REMOVED. THE MECHANIC COMPLETED ADDITIONAL INSPECTION TO ENSURE THERE WERE NO OTHER ISSUES. AFTER REMOVING THE OIL PUMP, HE FOUND ALL THE ROD BEARINGS HAD PLAY. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND HE TOLD ME THAT A NUMBER OF THEIR CUSTOMERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT THE 2012 HYUNDAI ENGINE WAS NOT ON RECALL. BASED ON RESEARCH, WE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL 2.4 LITER ENGINES ON ALL PLATFORMS FOR KIA AND HYUNDAI. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AND WERE TOLD WE NEEDED TO PURCHASE A NEW REDESIGNED ENGINE. DURING THIS CONVERSATION, WE WERE NOTIFIED THE NEW ENGINE HAS ENGINE ROD BEARINGS THAT ARE MORE STURDY. HYUNDAI CURRENTLY HAS A RECALL FOR THE OIL PAN AND ALSO HAS RECALLS FOR ENGINES IN OTHER CAR MODELS BUT NOT THIS MODEL. A NEW ENGINE SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED FOR AN 7 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 80,000 MILES. AS A CAR PROFESSIONAL, I SUSPECT THIS IS DUE TO THE ISSUES WITH A DEFECTIVE ROD BEARINGS THAT WEAR PREMATURELY AND RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE SO THE ENGINES SHOULD BE COVERED IN THE RECALL.