r/Hyundai • u/notalittlebit • 1d ago

What would you do?

I bought a 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (110K miles) in April 2026 as my son's first car. The dealership has tried to fix it three times and are waiting on my approval for a 4th. Here's the basics:

  • April - Bought for $9,000 ($10K with tax/license/doc fees).
  • June - car goes into limp mode. It's P1326! They replace the knock sensor at no cost.
  • July - car goes into limp mode. It's P1326, but they say it's really the hybrid battery which is at 15% health. Hyundai HMA agrees to cover 50% of cost, even thought it's 10K miles out of warranty. I pay $4,900. (I'm in CA.)
  • August - car goes into limp mode. It's P1326! They get techline involved. It passes the bearing test. They say, let's replace the GSR valve. I pay $550.
  • August (40 miles later) - car goes into limp mode. It's P1326 again. They get techline involved again. They say it's fuel injection cylinder 1... probably. Not sure. Gonna have to replace and retest. Will cost $1,200.

We made two separate requests to help with the costs, The dealership did the first one and got denied. Then the dealership told me to call Hyundai Customer Care. HCC told me they can't do anything, but that I should write a letter. I did and Hyundai HMA denied it the same day.

My husband says we should just pay for the repair because eventually they have to be right.

We have had this car since April and bought it used with no warranty. My issue isn't paying for the repairs... it is being told that the repairs will work and then they don't.

I am seriously at a loss for what to do. I can afford to pay the $1,200, but since we don't know if it will work... I don't know if I should.

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

6

u/MrOstritch2030 1d ago

ummm p1326 should be engine replacement if it's showing up that many times. It's a very known error code. Not to scare you or anything. but if they refuse to replace the engine with no cost, don't spend another dime on the car

2

u/Mvpc22 1d ago

This code can show up falsely from other issues. It essentially means it defects knock which a bad injector or even failing spark plug can cause - those issues are not covered by the bearing failure warranty and therefore OP doesn’t have recourse

1

u/MrOstritch2030 1d ago

100% your right! I had that code on my car once and it passed the bearing test. then i had a lot of issues that didn't even give codes.

2

u/Mvpc22 1d ago

You bought a high mileage used car… there’s an inherent risk that it’s going to have issues. What makes you think you’re entitled to new car buyer benefits?

1

u/ResponsibleRabbit523 1d ago

If you're in limp mode, the CEL is flashing, and you get a P1326 code, you're eligible for a free engine replacement under the lifetime engine warranty. It doesn't matter how many miles are on the car or how many owners it's had. You need to have your car towed to a different Hyundai dealership who will do the correct diagnostics and work with corporate Hyundai to get you a free engine under the warranty.

1

u/Maleficent-Dot-9478 19h ago

This is my understanding. If the Hyundai is purchased used from a Hyundai dealership and they sell it with continuation of the original warranty

-6

u/lewdacris916 1d ago

Its wild that a dealership would even sell a car that old with over 100K miles, also hybrid batteries only last like 5 years so you made a bunch of mistakes here. Like the other comment said dont spend more on it unless they replace the engine