So I purchased the brand new Elantra Gt back 10 months ago when it first came out and have loved it until recently. I was on my way to D.C. and I broke down on 95. Apparently the oil plug fell out and the engine died soon after. Now it is knocking and I have to get a new engine. Since I've only put 15,000 miles on it and have had it less than a year I thought Hyundai would obviously cover it since I've heard such good things about their warranty and customer service (was actually one of the main reasons I went with Hyundai). But it has been a nightmare dealing with them. They are telling me that it is negligence on the people who had changed the oil (a Ford dealership, in which they informed me that would not void the warranty in any way if I had used them) and that they won't do anything for me. Even though I had gotten no oil light or overheating indicator light. They claim that at those speeds the oil is like water and would flush out very quickly after the plug falls out, which is probably why I did not get a warning light. They instantly assumed that my oil had been changed recently. It wasn't. It was replaced 4,000 miles ago. To me that isn't an improper installation of the oil plug. But, either way, how Hyundai is treating me is really disheartening. I was honestly expecting much more from the "number 1 warranty in the industry." To simply not even try to help me out or assist me in talking to Ford...I just feel like an un-cared for customer that they just want to kick to the curb and say "sorry bro, it's your problem, you bought the car." They estimated that it's about a $6,000 fix. I'm honestly just in shock right now. You buy a new car so things like this won't happen in the first place, but also so that in case something like this happens, the warranty would surely cover it. How can a company with such good customer relations reviews be so unsympathetic and not-understanding of a new customer having issues within the first year? And expect that I drop another $6,000 at the drop of a hat?

Talking to the Hall Hyundai Dealership in Chesapeake, Va which with all of these issues are going through, they had agreed at one point to conference on the phone with the people from Ford so that all 3 parties could amicably discuss the situation. Then the time of the phone call comes and no one from Hall Hyundai calls in. I call them and they said that they were told not to phone in by their customer representative. But they weren't even going to give me the courtesy of telling me this. Again they were going to leave me out to dry. What's going on with Hyundai customer service? Why is breaking down so easily or is just this particular dealership?

Oh and did I mention that when I broke down on the highway that the Hyundai assurance program that was supposed to be so helpful was simply going to tow me to the nearest Hyundai dealership (that was closed since it was Saturday) and that there were no rental places open in the area (since again, it was Saturday). So Hyundai was going to drag me into the middle of nowhere, to be left stranded. Luckily I had AAA and they were able to tow me to an airport to pick up a rental car. If not for AAA, I don't know what I'd do. Pretty much, if you're traveling and it's the weekend, the Hyundai Assurance program is pretty useless.

I've had a rental car until last week when Hyundai bluntly said "we're not paying for the engine replacement, so we need to get you out of the rental as soon as possible." Just another instance of kicking me to the curb. Just unbelievable.

Needless to say I will not be getting another Hyundai ever again (and I am going to sell the Elantra GT as soon as I can). My father that had recently purchased a Sonata will be getting rid of his as well just on the principal of how I am being dealt with by customer care.

 

If the oil plug fell out that's not Hyundai's fault. It's the fault of the person that changed the oil last. They didn't install it correctly. Maybe it took 4,000 miles to work loose but it wasn't installed correctly. Again, not Hyundais fault. Go back to the people that did the oil change. You can't make Hyundai pay for someone else's mistake. The engine didn't fail, the mechanic did.

 

Ya i have to agree, the drain plug would not just fall out, it had to be left loose and slowly worked it's way out. another instance of why I choose to do my own work, if I fail I am the only one I can blame....if I were you I would go after the shop that last worked on it, but 4000 miles is a long time to go, it had to leave somewhat of a drip or puddle from the plug leaking.... Good Luck with that mess buddy. maybe talk to a legal rep and see where ya stand on it....

 

honestly... do you NEVER check your oil level? 4000 miles is quite a while. Heck... I probably would have checked it when I got home just to make sure. also... if you just did an oil change 4000 miles ago then you waited too long to do the first one anyway, since it's recommended for your car to do it every 7500 miles. Or were you going by Hyundai's "severe" usage recommendation? In which case you were 250 miles past the recommendation. that 250 miles could have saved you your engine, especially if they saw something was wrong with the plug.

 

Regardless of whose fault it was I would expect common courtesy from the Hyundai dealership (or any dealership). At least have the ***** to participate in the 3-way call with Ford and explain that the oil plug was put on incorrectly by Ford.

 

At 4000 miles I would have checked my oil at least 4 times since it was changed. Usually before I leave the dealership I pull the stick just incase they forgot to put oil in or did not fill it all the way. I also constantly look for drips on my garage floor. This is the exact reason I do all oil changes at the Hyundai dealer. If plug or filter are not installed properly its their problem. Still don't understand why the car was taken to a Ford dealer for oil change. Why muddy the water. Good Luck....PS: 7500 miles is way to long before an oil change. Full Synthetic, 5000 or sooner

 

The problem post was posted almost 10 years ago, but it doesn't mean it couldn't happen again to anybody.

It is understandable that the breakdown should not have happened,
It is also understandable that the customer didn't have much of an automotive background or they would have gone back to Ford in the first place.

Things like this can get pretty tangled up just like if the customer brings his own parts to be installed and they fail,who pays? If it is the shops parts , they pay and not the customer for the correction There are many different circumstances that are not known until they happen.