Hyundai Forums banner

Hyundai Theta 2.0L Engine Problems and Reliability

63K views 64 replies 34 participants last post by  diyer 
#1 ·
I am thinking about a 2019 or 2020 SanteFe utimate and have been doing some reading about the theta II engine issues. They burn oil, numerous recalls because of failures, noisiy at start, only good for around 150,000 miles. It sounds like they are junk. I would like to hear any comments or about experiences please and recommendations, Thanks
 
#4 ·
Buy new. Maintain it. If you're lucky, you'll get the new $7000 engine before the 10/100k warranty expires. If you don't plan on keeping the car past the 60 month car payment, then do the least required maintenance and trade it in.

The 2.0TGDI/2.4GDI has been a nightmare for Hyundai.... numerous engines seized, many turn into oil burners very young in their life, some sludge up even with acceptable maintenance, others run perfectly and then suddenly die, several class action lawsuits, extended warranty(Kia better than Hyundai), .... The YF/LF Sonata forums and earlier SantaFe forums have plenty of info on the engine, as do the similar Kia forums.

I am keeping my theta 2.4GDI until the warranty expires. Before then, the engine will be replaced. Whoever gets it dirt cheap used will have a new or rebuilt engine. My neighbors 2.0T failed at ~60k miles and was maintained pretty well with 4k-5k mile oil changes, usually every 6 months, using name brand synthetic oil and OE filters.

Theta-II.... brought to you by the same engineers that suckered you into an Excel, and nothing has changed. Hyundai spent the last 25 years rebuilding their reputation, producing excellent cars and SUVs, only to create a lemonade making engine for the 2011 Sonata, and then draft it into many Hyundai/Kia products.

Corporate greed alive and well in SouthKorea and they still won't fess up to the real problem with the engine.

Don't worry, the knock sensor can detect engine failure noise prior to the engine seizing. So, when it goes into limp mode, you should still be able to make it home or to the dealer, at a slow relaxed speed.
 
#6 ·
Buy new. Maintain it. If you're lucky, you'll get the new $7000 engine before the 10/100k warranty expires. If you don't plan on keeping the car past the 60 month car payment, then do the least required maintenance and trade it in.

[shortened] I am keeping my theta 2.4GDI until the warranty expires. Before then, the engine will be replaced. Whoever gets it dirt cheap used will have a new or rebuilt engine. My neighbors 2.0T failed at ~60k miles and was maintained pretty well with 4k-5k mile oil changes, usually every 6 months, using name brand synthetic oil and OE filters.

[shortened again]
I sorta agree with you but there are soooo many owners of 2.4 and 2.0Ts driving them at 150k+ miles that I'm hoping the "buy new and maintain it" is the charm. Use the SEVERE schedule, definitely top tier gas. Some have said use 5W30 oil in other threads.

I have a friend on his 2nd SF, the 2013 vintage was good enough at 140k mi he traded for a new 2019 2.4L.

I understand Kia has had some issues as well, assume their 2.4Ls are 99% the same as Hyundai's made in the same place? The interior of the 2019 Kia Sonata & Hyundai Santa Fe are definitely similar. Why hasn't Chrysler had problems with their Theta derivative, it's still in their Jeep Compass and Cherokee although their mfg processes? Didn't Mitsu have a version of that engine too?

But I tend to agree with you unless I do buy a 12 yr / 120k mi Platinum Hyundai VSC I will trade my 2019 SF around 115 mon or 98k mi whatever comes first.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Ok message received and I'll dial it back, admittedly get quite carried away when I see repeated posts wondering about the integrity of the Theta II - there are volumes written here. And I do appreciate deadrx mentioning the history of corruption and allegations of wrong doing associated with Hyundai - which continue at present.

To the OP my 2013 SFS 2.0T continues to perform well, no measurable oil consumption or detectable to me increase in noise level, so it's not junk but not something I place a high degree of confidence in .
 
#14 ·
The 2019 Santa Fe Ultimate is my first Hyundai purchase. (I actually test drove an Excel in 1986 and it was so bad that I have't looked at the brand since :surprise:)

Every vehicle has it's compromises, and the probable Theta engine higher failure rate is one you make when you buy a Hyundai. This is mitigated by the longer warranty, recall and design tweaks that lower the chances of failure.

Beyond basic transportation, we all buy for different priorities. If you want absolute lowest cost of ownership and reliability, a base model proven design from Toyota is a good bet. For me, I want the latest tech, safety features and a certain level of comfort. The Santa Fe Ultimate delivers all of that for thousands less than the competition so I'm willing to take a chance on the engine.

This is no different than deciding to buy a BMW, Audi or Merc and to take the risk of expensive electronics failures because you value the other attributes of the vehicle more.

I also think getting 150,000 miles out of an engine is pretty good :laugh:

Read all the feedback, posts etc, take them with grain of salt and make your own assessments of what's important to you. If we all discounted vehicles due to someone experiencing failures and bad experiences with a brand, we would be walking.
 
#15 ·
Thank you all for your well thought out and time consuming replies to my post. I really liked the Sante FE and found the price very good considering all the options that came with the Ultimate. However, I go on long trips to the US and just dont want to take a chance being stranded somewhere if the motor goes. I know all vehicles can break down but it appears this one may be more prone than others. So I guess i am back to the Buick Envision or Cadillac XT4. It is just to bad that Hyundai did not grab the bull by the horns and develop a new motor as the car itself is excellent . Thanks Again
 
#19 ·
#26 ·
It seems like most of the Theta II engine failures I’ve read about were from 2011-2014 model years. They announced the first recall for those model years in 2015, and interestingly, the 2015 and newer Theta II engines recommend a different amount of oil, so I think they probably made some design changes / tweaks to fix the worst of the issues from the first 4 years of production. I know there were later recalls that included a software update for newer Theta II engines as well, up through 2018, but maybe the 2019 Theta II engines have further design improvements / fixes. With how much money Kia / Hyundai have spent on replacing engines, it makes good business sense to try to fix the issues in newer variants of the engines, so hopefully they’ve done that. Personally, I would probably be more scared of a brand new engine design from Kia / Hyundai than a 9th year production Theta II engine where they’ve already discovered several issues and hopefully fixed them or at least reduced their likelihood.
 
#30 ·
It seems like most of the Theta II engine failures Iâ€[emoji769]ve read about were from 2011-2014 model years. They announced the first recall for those model years in 2015, and interestingly, the 2015 and newer Theta II engines recommend a different amount of oil, so I think they probably made some design changes / tweaks to fix the worst of the issues from the first 4 years of production. I know there were later recalls that included a software update for newer Theta II engines as well, up through 2018, but maybe the 2019 Theta II engines have further design improvements / fixes. With how much money Kia / Hyundai have spent on replacing engines, it makes good business sense to try to fix the issues in newer variants of the engines, so hopefully theyâ€[emoji769]ve done that. Personally, I would probably be more scared of a brand new engine design from Kia / Hyundai than a 9th year production Theta II engine where theyâ€[emoji769]ve already discovered several issues and hopefully fixed them or at least reduced their likelihood.


This is the most logical explanation yet.
 
#34 ·
Yes i did know the envision was built in China and unfortunately I found out after I bought it. I found out later that GM, China and the GM unions all agreed to it being built there. Having said that, the car has been excellent. A few recalls but it is economical, quiet, smooth , excellent engine, Not buying another one only because I wanted something a little bigger and loaded with options and a longer warranty and the Sante Fe was the best bet until I heard about the motors. Just dont want to take a chance and dont need the inconvenience if it does blow . Other than the motor it is a very impressive car
 
#36 ·
**Please note:**
This topic is in the wrong place. 2019s have had not had the recalls,TSBs, etc. on the 4 cyl.
Does not affect the 2019 Santa Fe.
 
#44 ·
Hi!

Here is something interesting. I have a co worker. He owns a Kia Optima with a 2.4L I-4. He was high on the praises of Kia and how great the car is. Then the news came out about the Theta II issues. He claimed that all of the sudden the issues started happening and he needs to get rid of the car. Since I am the car guy and one of the techs at work, he asked me what he should do. I said according to the tech briefing he needs to make the appointment with the dealer for them to figure out if the car is actually qualifies for the replacement engine. He proceeded to make the appointment and the dealer he bought from told him they need to check the oil over several appointments to gather oil usage data. So my co coworker tells me some line about how he told the dealer to shove it and this tech advisory is proving his vehicle's engine is going to fail. Then he proceeds to tell them the service dept is wasting his time. He's not going to keep a car with a blown engine and still make payments with a final I'm not going to buy another one of these cars... At this point, I really do not know if he is just making this up but I'm just like shut up (add colorful additional words) and let them check for the oil consumption.

Anyway, He said he took the car back but the dealer wants it back in a couple of more times and he said he doesn't have the time to deal with it. The last time we talked about the car, he said he checks the oil himself, adds as needed. He plans on getting rid of the car before 100K and getting another manufacturer brand. He told me that I should really think hard about having my wife get rid of her Sonata because of all the problems and what not.

So I just SMH when he talks about his car. For the amount of time I have worked there, he had another vehicle or two. He got rid of the one just before warranty. The other one he uses to get to and fro work is an Elentra. He turns around and says how much he loves the car and he is going to buy it off his son or something. Once again I just SMH...

On a personal level, I would be concerned about the longivity of the current 2.4/ 2.0T engines just because of what has been happening. However I have owned vehicles like my current Explorer which was suppose to have a bad engine and it still runs like a top. My previous explorer had a great engine supposedly and it wound up failing which it got replaced and ran well up until the accident. Go figure. So I would seriously consider rolling the dice on the latest revisions of the engine.
 
#45 ·
I don’t blame him at all for not wanting to go back to the dealer several times. That’s really annoying. I have to take off work to go into my dealer and I’m not wasting half of my Saturday to go in. they should keep the car, give him a rental and figure it out. He shouldn’t have to bring it in over and over and waste his time. It’s Kias problem to fix.
 
#46 ·
The oil consumption test takes at least 1000 miles.
I wouldn't want someone at the dealership using my car as a daily driver.
Would also be a logistical and liability nightmare for the dealer.
 
#47 ·
Ok, so then they should give a loaner each day that the car needs to come back in. You pop in at 7:30am when the service shop opens, drop off your car, get your loaner, and come back at 6:00 pm to get your car back. It's annoying, but it's way better than sitting in the service area or taking a bath on dumping the car.
 
#48 ·
You can use the vehicle as a daily driver. There is no reason to have the vehicle parked at the dealer. **** keep rolling the vehicle until the engines come in and schedule accordingly. I do not find inconvenient to make let's say 3 planned dealership appointments especially if you are in the same town/ area as the service dealer. Reality it should be a dipstick check and oil add that should be accomplished in about 15 minutes at the most by any dealer tech. Most of the time would be a paperwork function stating how much oil. It should also be handled quickly and in a manner than should not hinder the customer. However, it could be the dealer jerking him around since it was not bought from them. My co worker did say they were one of the higher prices in the area for Kia dealer and he bought from another dealer when they refused to come down in price. I really think it could be a case of the dealer saying the test is complete and the engine does not require replacement due to the fact it meets oil burn rates. He claims it burns 2 quarts a month and he doesn't want to be without a car for 2 months if it needs an engine and when he trades it in the dealer will know it had the engine replaced further killing any trade value. So quite frankly I don't know since I don't own the car and I am not checking the oil for him on a regular basis.
 
Top