NHTSA Complaint #11426706 — 2015 HYUNDAI ACCENT

My check engine light came on and stayed on, while the oil light appeared when my car was in idle and the engine began to knock. My AAA approved mechanic determined that the engine had a rod knock and the oil pressure at idle was only 3 psi. In other words, the the engine had completely failed and would have to be replaced. At 36,000 miles !I had the car towed to the local dealership where they confirmed this diagnosis and noted excessive metal debris in the oil and oil pan. My research revealed that an identical engine manufacturing defect had resulted in a class action suit against Hyundai which was settled in 2018. Hyundai was forced to replace the engines with new ones and cover all the owners costs for 3.9 million complainants. They also suffered a huge fine by the NHTSA. Because of Covid lockdowns, I had driven my car very little in 2020, otherwise this catastrophic failure would have occurred well within the the 5 year warranty period. As it was, the warranty had expired approximately 4 months earlier. The dealership contacted Hyundai N.A. and I was offered a "goodwill offer" which allowed me to pay over $3200 for a reconditioned engine with a warranty of only 1 year or 12,000 miles. It is my contention that no reputable car manufacturer would consider an engine life of only 36,000 miles to be acceptable. There is no question that the engine failure was, in any way, my fault and I have the maintenance records to prove it. My "goodwill offer" expired and I towed my car home. Of course, I was fortunate that my engine did not fail on the freeway, at high speed, or burst into flames as some Hyundai engines have been known to do.