Can I trust the engine in this vehicle?

Tiny
DSILENCE27
  • MEMBER
  • 2021 HYUNDAI SONATA
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 60,000 MILES
I am looking at purchasing a new (to me) vehicle soon and one of the vehicles I am looking at is a 2021 Hyundai Sonata, however I’m nervous about whether I can trust the engine or not. Because I see that the Sonata comes with the Smartstream GDI engine and that makes me concerned as my previous car was a 2017 Kia Sorento and that had the Theta II GDI Engine and I had 2 cylinders fail (no compression) at around 94K miles, so as a result I’m now leery about trusting another Hyundai/Kia vehicle. But does anyone know if the Smartstream GDI engine has the same problems that the Theta II GDI engine had or was Hyundai/Kia able to fix the issues associated with that engine?
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 AT 6:52 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Hi,

They are likely the same engines, but the newer one has a direct gas injection system (GDI).

If you are purchasing this from a Hyundai dealership, make sure it is certified pre-owned. That way you will get the original manufacturer's warranty.

Also, I need to know if it is a hybrid and if it has a 1.6L, 2.0L, or a 2.5L engine.

Let me know.

Joe
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Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 AT 9:15 PM
Tiny
DSILENCE27
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Joe,

The Sonata is not a hybrid but it does have the 2.5L engine.
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Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 AT 10:29 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Hi,

The only concern I have is there are technical service bulletins related to checking the engines for excessive oil consumption. If this is a pre-certified vehicle, it will come with the manufacturer's original 100K/10-year powertrain warranty. That would make me feel more confident. Is that something you are being offered?

Joe
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Thursday, March 30th, 2023 AT 6:30 PM
Tiny
DSILENCE27
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
The dealership I am shopping at would have it used and I would be the 2nd owner and from what I understand the 2nd owner drops down to 5 year/50k miles and if I am correct on that then it would not be covered under the manufacture warranty, however the dealership does have a 12month/12K mile warranty on their vehicles so I would have that warranty.
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Thursday, March 30th, 2023 AT 6:35 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Hi,

If it is a Hyundai dealership, they can certify it through Hyundai. There is a fee to the dealership, but if it is checked and passes certification, you have the original warranty.

That is what I would ask them. If it isn't a Hyundai dealership, they can't do it.

Let me know.

Joe
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Thursday, March 30th, 2023 AT 7:21 PM
Tiny
DSILENCE27
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
This is not a Hyundai dealership.
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Thursday, March 30th, 2023 AT 7:24 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Okay, then that isn't a possibility. You should be fine with the purchase. I just always recommend getting it certified when possible.

The oil consumption bulletin is for testing. I do know they had a lot of issues with the engine in the past, but there is no recall or TSB for a 2021.

You may want to contact a dealer and see if they have better insight.

I hope this helps. Sorry if I made it confusing. I'm just trying to look out for our customers.

Take care and let me know if you have other questions or if there is anything I can do to help.

Joe
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Thursday, March 30th, 2023 AT 8:26 PM

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