2016 Hyundai Tucson 1.6T Engine failure

Maintenance/Repairs
1

My 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Blew a piston and put a hole in my engine. It only had 80k miles and 2 year of my 5 year finance agreement. I don’t have a warranty so basically between a rock and a hard place. I wonder if this community can suggest avenues to get a refurbished engine. I did hear that Hyundai has discontinued 1.6T. Engines. Maybe an alternative engine if possible? Are there companies that salvage good engines for resale? I live in Northern Colorado if anybody has any leads. Also, if anyone knows a quality mechanic shop that might take on my rebuild.
I appreciate,

2

Tester

3

I read online that Hyundai extended the warranty on this engine to 15 years/150,000 miles due to a class-action lawsuit over defective bearings and engine failure. Therefore, I would download the applicable information about this settlement and tow this to a Hyundai dealer, and request that they replace the engine. As long as your vehicle has a regular (not salvage) title, it should qualify, even though you are not the original owner.

Edit to add: If Hyundai will not replace the engine due to the lawsuit settlement, you basically have three options:

  1. Replace the engine with a used (non-refurbished) engine pulled from a junked vehicle. This is not recommended because it will have the same defects as your failed engine, and unknown maintenance history. Junkyards are charging over $2000 for these used engines in running condition, which is a lot of money for a used engine.
  2. Replace the engine with a remanufactured engine. In this case, all new bearings, and possibly new connecting rods will be installed, as well as new timing components, all new gaskets and seals, etc. Everything will be disassembled, machined and cleaned. Assuming that Hyundai is telling the truth that the defect stems from machining debris left in the engine at the time of manufacture, this should solve the problem. Expect to pay $4k to $6k just for the engine itself and shipping.
  3. Get rid of the vehicle, as-is. Either trade it in, if possible, or otherwise pay off the loan, or default on the loan. If you truly can’t afford to fix the vehicle, and you owe too much to be able to trade it in, default may be the best option. If you are sued for a deficiency, you might need to declare bankruptcy, so keep that in mind if you go that route.
5 Likes
4

According to information in the link below, the OP has two issues; one, their vehicle/engine combination is not in the list of covered vehicles and 2, the deadline for initial submission has long since passed.

https://hma-e2.autosolutionteam.com/production/hyundai_e2_portal.nsf

5

The 1.6 Turbo is probably a Gamma engine, not part of the theta II recall and extended warranty. Nonetheless, I know they have had issues with those too.
I suggest asking this on a Hyundai forum. Or, just tow it to a Hyundai dealer, assuming you have some decent maintenance records for the engine.
If Hyundai doesn’t fix it for you, I think a newer engine would probably not be worth it.

1 Like
6

Hi
Does anyone know if this would be under my conditions of warranty? Link below

7

No.

This document describes how to request approval for replacement under warranty. It doesn’t describe any conditions that would meet replacement paid by Hyundai.