NHTSA complaint #11729405

Owner complaint summary

While driving at highway speed, the engine suffered a sudden connecting rod bearing failure (Cylinder 3) with no prior warning lamps, messages, or symptoms. The vehicle made a slapping noise, a belt came off, the engine died, and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Hyundai dealership. The driver, a [XXX] [XXX] , was able to safely guide the vehicle to a stop without injury. The dealership inspected the engine and confirmed a complete Cylinder 3 connecting rod bearing failure. The technician contacted Hyundai Techline, who confirmed the diagnosis and recommended engine replacement. The estimated repair cost is 6,500. The failed engine is available for inspection at the dealership. This vehicle is a 2019 Tucson with the Nu 2.0L GDI engine, which is covered under the E2 Class Action Settlement for connecting rod bearing defects. Hyundai Service Campaign 966 provides a KSDS software update designed to detect abnormal bearing noise before catastrophic failure occurs. This update was never performed on the vehicle. The 2019 Tucson was not added to Campaign 966 until April 2022, after the vehicle had already been purchased used. The owner was never effectively notified of the campaign and the vehicle was never at a Hyundai dealership where the update could have been performed. Hyundai denied warranty coverage solely because Campaign 966 was not completed, despite confirming the failure is the exact defect type the campaign and settlement were designed to address. The vehicle had only 49,437 miles at the time of failure. The engine failed without any prior warning — the exact scenario Campaign 966 was designed to prevent. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)