---
title: "Hyundai, Kia Recall 1.5 Million Vehicles Over Engine Failure"
description: "The recalls are starting to pile up for Hyundai Motor Group."
date: "2017-04-07"
modified: "2017-04-07"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/9069/hyundai-kia-recall-1-5-million-vehicles-over-engine-failure"
categories:
  - "Hyundai News"
  - "Kia News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Hyundai"
  - "NHTSA"
  - "Optima"
  - "Recall"
  - "Santa Fe"
  - "Sonata"
  - "Sorento"
  - "sportage"
---

# Hyundai, Kia Recall 1.5 Million Vehicles Over Engine Failure

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/04/gettyimages-454503600.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

​​​​Hyundai and Kia have announced a nearly 1.5 million vehicle recall spanning from the United States to South Korea after it was discovered that debris in their 2 and 2.4 liter gas engines left behind during the manufacturing process can restrict oil flow and cause the engine to seize up and stall while driving, raising the risk of a crash. The recall hits some of the companies' most popular models including Hyundai's Santa Fe and Sonata and Kia's Sorento, Sportage, and Optima, and could cost the world's fifth-largest automaker hundreds of millions of dollars, [according to a report](<https://www.ft.com/content/fc5204e2-1b48-11e7-bcac-6d03d067f81f>) in the *Financial Times*.

It's just the latest problem for their [troubled Theta II engine family](<https://www.hyundaiproblems.com/trends/theta-ii-engine/>), which has been plagued with reliability problems and was last in the news in 2015 for the exact same recall on older Hyundai Sonatas. And it comes in the wake of the nearly 1 million Sonatas and Sonata Hybrids that the company called back last month over fears that seat belts might detach in a crash.

The issue is believed to affect [1.3 million vehicles](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hyundai-motor-recall-idUSKBN17903Z>) in the United States and another 171,348 in South Korea. The specific model years involved in this country are the 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Sonata, 2011-2014 Kia Optimas, 2012-2014 Kia Sorentos, and 2011-2013 Kia Sportages. All of the problem engines were made at Hyundai's plant in Montgomery, Alabama.

As always, you can check your car's VIN on the [NHTSA website](<https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls>) to see if you need to take it to the dealer, where they'll replace the entire engine block free of charge. The recall will officially begin on May 22, and Hyundai says it knows of no injuries or crashes related to the problem.

But it [doesn't take much research](<https://www.carcomplaints.com/Hyundai/Sonata/2011/engine/engine_seized.shtml#91>) to find that [a lot of consumers](<https://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/hyundai.htm>) are royally pissed about their balky engines. Hyundai's and Kia's sales both took a dive last month after falling all year so far—the last thing they need right now is a perception of unreliability. Look for April's sales figures to show if these recalls are having an impact.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)