NHTSA Complaint #11591350 — 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

While highway driving a few hours from home, the car started shaking so I pulled over, turned the car off & called AAA. Prior to that, there were no warning lights or messages, until it died & the Check Engine light turned on. The car was towed to a Hyundai dealer in Wilmington, NC for diagnostics. They determined that the cause was a burned valve in cylinder 4 so it had no compression & the engine would not run. Their only repair option was to REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE. Given that the car was inoperable, we had no choice but to do that. After further investigation, we discovered that this company has a widespread issue with their engines & also has a class-action lawsuit for similar problems. Hyundai mechanics have told us that they know their engines are problematic & they replace multiple ones every day of the week. A Facebook Group with discussions about Hyundai engine failures was formed & currently has over 26,000 members! Many of their experiences are similar to ours & it puts drivers at great risk as their car randomly dies on the road during normal driving. Our engine failure did not specifically meet the criteria of their lawsuit terms (naming rod bearings as the cause of engines failure) so Hyundai will not assist with any replacement costs. As a 2017 model with only 103,000 miles, the car is relatively young, compared to other better manufactured brands, especially for entire engine failure. Hyundai Mechanics and Service Personnel have told us that is typical lifespan for the Hyundai engine so if that is the case, the company should be required to reveal that information to consumers or cease making a product that has at least half the shelf-life of most auto manufacturers. The car was purchased for $21,000 & now requiring a $6,000 engine to be operable again (plus temporary car rentals) puts us underwater with the cost of this vehicle. It's reprehensible & should be illegal for car manufacturers like Hyundai to be able to treat customers this way.