— A Hyundai Kia Theta II engine lawsuit has been filed in Canada for all former and current Quebec owners and lessees of these vehicles.
- 2011-2016 Hyundai Sonata
- 2013-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
- 2011-2016 Kia Optima
- 2012-2016 Kia Sportage
- 2014-2016 Kia Sorrento
The Theta II engines in U.S. vehicles have cost Hyundai and Kia massive amounts of money to cover the cost of recalls, investigations and lawsuits.
But the Canadian class action says the vehicles haven't been recalled in Canada even though the same Theta II engines are involved.
According to the lawsuit, the Hyundai and Kia Theta II engines are designed in a way that places too much stress on the components, especially the lubrication systems.
The engines use gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology to spray fuel directly into the combustion chambers. The lawsuit alleges previous engines used something called "port injection" that involved multiport fuel injection technology.
Montreal plaintiff Ludovic Pelletant purchased a new 2012 Kia Sportage equipped with a 2.4 liter engine. The plaintiff says he was driving on a highway when the vehicle lost power and shut off. He had it towed to his mechanic and was told he should take it to the Kia dealership.
The dealership allegedly said the engine was shot and needed to be replaced, and after two weeks he was still waiting to hear from Kia about what will happen. But the plaintiff says he will have to pay for an engine replacement if Kia doesn't cover the cost.
The Hyundai and Kia Theta II engines allegedly have metal debris left over from manufacturing that damage the connecting rods which wears out the connecting rod bearings. This allegedly results in a loss of oil pressure that activates the engine warning light before the vehicle stalls.
In many cases the vehicles catch fire because the engines burns up from a lack of oil lubrication.
The vehicles named in the lawsuit allegedly can't keep running correctly even when they are maintained properly because the lubrication channels clog from debris and the oil can't be pumped through the engines and can't return to the oil pans.
It's the oil starvation that wears out the engine components and eventually causes the connecting rod bearings to fracture.
More damage is allegedly caused when metal debris clogs the oil filters and causes excessive pressure that builds up in the filters, causing the oil filter bypass valves to open. This allegedly allows unfiltered contaminated oil to recirculate throughout the engines, causing even more dangers and an increased risk of fires.
The Hyundai Kia Canada Theta II engine lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Canada for the Province of Quebec, District of Montreal - Ludovic Pelletant, v. Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by the Merchant Law Group.
