Zhenya Rosinsky bought a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe for her son’s 16th birthday last year.
The car had 90,000 miles on it, so Rozinski said he gave it a thorough inspection.
“We did the extensive 90,000 mile maintenance that Hyundai requires. We just wanted to make sure the car was in good condition. It’s for a kid. We want to make sure it’s safe. ” he said.
Rosinski said her son had driven the car just 2,000 miles when the troubles started. He described his conversation with his son as follows:
“‘Dad, I was driving and the ‘check oil’ light came on for a split second. It lit up for a few seconds and then went out. Then 10 to 15 minutes later it came back on,” he said.
Rosinski said he checked the oil and was shocked.
“There’s no oil in the car,” he said.
It ran out of oil after only 2,000 miles.
Rosinski said Hyundai eventually acknowledged there was a problem. The solution was a new engine for $8,000, which Rosinski had to pay.
“Now let’s think about it. It’s a modern car. It’s a 2017 Hyundai. And do I need to replace the engine? Is that really the lifespan of this car?” he said.
Rozinski soon learned that he was not alone. Drivers have also complained about similar issues online. They call this “excessive oil consumption” and this is happening on various Hyundai models.
One driver said his car used up all its oil every 800 to 1,000 miles. Another woman said her car was losing several liters of oil between oil changes.
“It’s not like anything happened to my car. This is a widespread issue that affects many cars,” Rozinski said.
However, there are no recalls regarding this issue. Instead, Hyundai said it will be covered by a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. However, that long warranty only applies to the first owner of the car. Mr. Rosinski is out of luck, as the warranty period for subsequent owners is much shorter.
“What I was trying to do was get Hyundai to defend their quality and say, ‘Yeah, we did something wrong.’ It happens. We’ll deal with it. “I don’t want people to think I’m buying this car with 92,000 miles and throwing it away,” he said.
The I-Team later contacted Hyundai, which replaced the $8,000 engine for Rozinski, and said it was a well-intentioned decision and customer satisfaction was paramount.
Autotrader senior editor Brian Moody said this was a good reminder for car owners to keep up with their car maintenance.
“Because if you don’t do that and neglect it to such an extreme degree that something breaks down, the manufacturer will naturally say, ‘It’s not our fault. It broke down because of improper use.’ he said.
Moody also suggested that if you have a problem with your car, take it to the dealer and explain the problem in layman’s terms. And don’t relax until the problem is resolved.
“The tire won’t stay on the wheel. Don’t tell them why you think that. Don’t tell them your analysis. It has nothing to do with brakes or lug nuts. Who cares? Be really vague.” he said.
As for Rosinski, he owns three other Hyundais. He’s happy that the company finally fixed the issue, but disappointed that he had to fight such an uphill battle.
“It’s a matter of trust. If you don’t believe that a company cares about quality, why would you trust your child’s life to it? I wouldn’t,” he said.
Car maintenance tips:
If you had your car serviced at an independent shop, keep a record of it. If you change the oil yourself, keep your receipt for the oil you purchased. If you have any problems with your vehicle, please report them to your dealer.
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