– Problems with Hyundai’s 3.3-liter Lambda engine have led to a class action lawsuit claiming that all Hyundai vehicles equipped with 3.3-liter Lambda II direct injection (GDI) gasoline engines are defective.
The Hyundai engines reportedly suffer from abnormal and premature wear, loosening and breakage of rotating assemblies and internal components.
The 3.3L Lambda II engines are destroyed when metal debris circulates through the engines into the oil.
In February 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a petition requesting a federal investigation into 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3 liter V-shaped GDI Lambda II engines.
NHTSA said it would investigate the allegations and decide whether to open an official investigation into Hyundai’s engine failures. But three months later, safety regulators said there would be no investigation into the Hyundai Lambda II engines.
According to federal regulators:
“Hyundai has extended the limited engine warranty for [model year] 2013-2019 Santa Fe vehicles equipped with 3.3 liter V-shaped Lambda II engines are included in the petition. The updated coverage is 15 years or 150,000 miles[,] and details are included in Technical Service Bulletin 24-EM-003H.”
NHTSA also found that the Hyundai Lambda II engine complaint rate was low and that vehicles that lost power had high mileage at the time of the incidents.
Engine problems with the Hyundai Lambda II – The plaintiffs
Jason and Allison Burns purchased a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SE in May 2019 when it had 27,350 miles on the odometer. The SUV was equipped with a 3.3-liter Lambda II GDI engine and had one previous owner.
The class action lawsuit claims that there were “only 79,966 miles on plaintiffs’ motorcycle when it catastrophically self-destructed.”
Due to the problems with the Hyundai Lambda II engine, the plaintiffs were sent to a dealer to repair or replace the 3.3L engine under warranty. The class action claims that Hyundai had a warranty extension for the 3.3L Lambda II engines, but the dealer refused to make free repairs.
“Nevertheless, Hyundai and its dealership intentionally and fraudulently concealed the existence of the Extended Warranty from Plaintiffs for six months. This concealment allowed Hyundai to evade its expensive ‘Extended Warranty’ obligations to Plaintiffs, and allowed the dealer to: (a) purchase Plaintiffs’ defective vehicle from them for pennies on the dollar; and (b) purchase a newer, replacement vehicle from Plaintiffs under purely false pretenses. sell.’ — Lawsuit over lambda engines
The plaintiffs complain that they were not notified until January 2025 of “Hyundai’s clearly applicable extended warranty, which Hyundai had used eight months prior to NHTSA’s investigation.”
But the plaintiffs complain that the damage had been done by then because they no longer owned their Hyundai Santa Fe and had already purchased a vehicle “under false pretenses.”
Customers report knocking noises and smoke or fire coming from the engine compartments. As shown in the photo above, holes can be punched in the Lambda II engine block when the connecting rods break and puncture the engine.
If the engine block is penetrated, oil can leak onto hot surfaces and cause a fire.
The Hyundai Lambda II engine class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California: Jason Burns and Allison Burns v. Hyundai Motor Company, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Harris LLP.
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