NHTSA Complaint #11580214 — 2017 HYUNDAI TUCSON

We purchased a 2017 Hyundai Tuscon in April 2023 with 79 k miles. Realized after a short time that it was consuming too much oil. Started doing some research and found that this has been a problem for many Hyundai/Kia engines. We were checking the oil often and topping it off as needed plus, oil changes at 3000 miles. There were no check engine lights on and no leaks of fluids on the ground, no loss of power. Fast forward to March 2024. Driving down the interstate on a trip the engine just shuts off. Luckily my daughter was able to make it to the shoulder without getting hit by another car. The vehicle would not restart. I started looking for someone to tow the vehicle a State Trooper stopped to assist her and her passengers. Vehicle was towed. Mechanic charged the battery, checked the terminals, tested the alternator, and the belt. All were good. No idea why it just shut off. After charging battery for an hour, she was able to limp the Tuscon to the nearest dealership. The vehicle started losing power going uphill and regained speed on the flat areas on the way to dealership. The Hyundai dealer diagnosed the issue as leaking valve seal, oil soaked ignition coil causing the misfire which then started to plug up catalytic converter and fouling the spark plugs. I told the service person I will be contacting Hyundai and she said that the diagnosis did not qualify for the engine replacement and the estimate to repair was $5600. While we were there we checked into trading in. We paid $16,000 in April 2023 with 79k miles. March of 2024 Kelly Blue Book says it’s worth only $8300 (93k mileage) and they offered $4000 trade. Loan balance is $14,000. This incident could have caused my daughter and her passengers (one was an infant) to get into a horrific accident on the Interstate with traffic driving 70 mph. Now we are dealing with this economic hardship. My research shows many of the engines of various models of Hyundai and Kia’s are failing. No current recalls!