2012 Hyundai Tucson power train problems

“I was driving down the interstate, going approximately 70mph, and my 2012 Hyundai Tucson started having difficulty maintaining speed. The engine started revving up while the car was still slowing down. Suddenly, I felt a knock and smoke started bellowing out of the engine bay. I pulled over immediately, opened the hood to inspect, and was almost burnt by the flames. There was a fire near the back of the engine block which I was able to put out with some water. I had my vehicle towed to the Hyundai of West Allis in Wisconsin. The dealership and a corporate Hyundai inspector determined that the cause of the fire was a thrown engine rod. There were no signs of issues or engine lights prior to this event. My Tucson has been at the dealership for nearly two months. After tens of hours dealing with Hyundai customer service and the dealership, both entities decided that they will do nothing to remedy the situation. My Hyundai vehicle has the 2.4L Theta II engine which is clearly implicated in the recent class action lawsuit against Hyundai for faulty engines. There is a recall for the rod bearing which was the direct cause of my engine throwing a rod and causing the fire.”

“My 2012 Tucson engine, with 62,000 miles, locked up on 09/22/21 while I was on a trip, without warning & no check engine light came on. Luckily, I was able to coast to the small shoulder. It suddenly seized on a stretch of I15 in the mountains of the Mohave Desert. The engine completely stopped so suddenly that I was lucky I was able to coast to the shoulder. The shoulder was very narrow, so I was barely off a very busy highway, at night. The breakdown happened just before midnight. I was stuck on the side of the road as cars and trucks were flying by us, with little room to avoid hitting us. It took 4 hours to find someone who would tow my car. I was towed to Midas shop at a cost of $800. The Midas shop confirmed that my engine had seized, was full of oil, and no explanation for the engine seizing could be found. The only option was to replace the engine. I wanted a new one, but they could not find one. They found a "used" one from a 2012 Tucson, supposedly with 40,000 miles on it. The mechanic had to go to Huntington Beach to pick it up. He was amazed at the cost of the engine (much higher than they had paid for any other used engine). Ultimately the…”

“The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated the all-wheel drive (AWD) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.”

“MY AWD LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF- WHEN ON I DO NOT HAVE AWD AND IF IS A SERIOUS SAFETY MATTER. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO BE CHECKED AND WAS TOLD "OH AT TIMES YOU HAVE IT AND SOME TIMES YOU DON'T HAVE IT. MEANING AWD--THEN ANOTHER HYUNDAI DEALER INFORMED ME " OH NO PROBLEMS WHEN CHECKED ON DIAGNOSTIC". WELL WITH BEING SAID AS A NURSE , I FIND THIS UNACCEPTABLE -- ONLY 70 SOME MILES AND NOW I'M TOLD THE WARRANTY CRITERIA HAS CHANGED. PLEASE HELP AND ADVISE. YOUR WARRANTY WAS A BIG DECISION MAKER IN MY DECISION TO PURCHASE. DRIVING IN SNOW IT WENT OUT , I DROVE BECAUSE I WAS INFORMED IT WAS WORKING .LUCKY I'M ABLE TO SEND YOU THIS CONCERN AS THE END RESULT COULD HAVE BEEN A NEGATIVE IMPACT.”

“I WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A CLICK CLICK NOISE. IT SOUNDED TERRIBLE LIKE THERE WERE ROCKS RATTLING AROUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE AND LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AND I HAD TO FIND A TO AND RENTAL CAR TO GET HOME. HYUNDAI SERVICE SAID I NEED A NEW ENGINE, BECAUSE THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACED. I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL RECALLS ON THE HYUNDAI ENGINES AND I CALLED THE HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FLAT OUT TOLD ME THAT MY NGINE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY AND THEREFORE THEY COULD NOT HELP. I AM NOT READY TO HAVE TO GET A NEW VEHICLE, SPECIALLY IN THIS COVID SITUATION. I HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE WITH A 2003 TUSCON SANTA FE...THIS ENGINE FAILURE ISSUE IS A SCAM.”

“I WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A NOISE. ALL OF A SUDDEN IT SOUNDED TERRIBLE LIKE THERE WERE ROCKS RATTLING AROUND IN THE ENGINE AND IT SHUT DOWN. I WAS INITIALLY IN TOWN WHEN IT STARTED AND JUST GOT ON THE HWY WHEN SHE BROKE DOWN. HUBBY, TWO PUPPIES, AND I WERE STRANDED IN THE SIDE OF THE HWY IN 100 DEGREE HEAT FOR 2 HRS. HAD TO RENT A MOVING TRUCK AND TRAILER TO MAKE THE TREK BACK HOME TO GA. HYUNDAI SERVICE SAID IT THREW A ROD AND SHREDDED IN THE ENGINE AND THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACED. MINIMUM OF $5500 FOR THE ENGINE ITSELF. I SWITCHED TO SYNTHETIC OIL ON THE FIRST CHANGE WHEN I GOT HER NEW AND WAS REGULAR WITH HER MAINTENANCE. I WAS NOT READY TO HAVE TO GET A NEW VEHICLE JUST YET.”