I'm writing this review to share my experience with North Freeway Hyundai's service department…read more
My 2017 Hyundai Sonata entered Engine Protection Mode (limp mode) with a flashing Check Engine Light. I scanned it myself and found DTC P1326, the code for the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS), which can indicate connecting rod bearing wear. This code is addressed by the Hyundai Theta II Engine Class Action Settlement and the TXXM extended warranty. I documented the flashing light, the code, the mileage, and the oil level on video before the vehicle was towed.
I called Service Advisor Richard, described the code and symptoms, and told him the car was undriveable. He told me to tow it in. Before the tow, I left a written letter in the vehicle asking that the technician focus on the P1326 diagnostic, that the required Bearing Clearance Test (BCT) per Hyundai TSB 22-01-023H-2 be performed, and that the code not be cleared without a written repair order. I also emailed Richard declining the 9C2 software update and all MPI services in writing, and followed up through the dealership's contact form the next morning confirming the same instructions.
Despite this, both the MPI inspection and the 9C2 update were performed. When I asked Richard about it, he asked why I wouldn't want it done since it was covered under warranty. The BCT was not performed. Richard said the code was caused by the oil being one quart low, and the invoice also listed the oil as "6 months overdue." The oil was changed and the code was cleared.
I showed Richard my Jiffy Lube record for full-synthetic oil, rated for a 7,500-10,000 mile interval, showing the vehicle was still within that interval. He removed the "6 months overdue" line after seeing it. I also have video from before the tow showing the same oil level, and it was not low.
P1326 is generated by bearing wear, not oil level, and the TSB requires a BCT and a Warranty Prior Approval (PA) when the code is present. Neither was done. Hyundai's own records confirm Campaign 953, the KSDS update required for warranty eligibility, was completed in 2019. Those same records currently show Campaign 9C2 as "Incomplete," despite the invoice showing it installed during this visit.
Aside from my emails, the only call I received was the morning after I had already contacted Hyundai Corporate, and it was only to say the vehicle was ready for pickup. No one explained why the vehicle went into limp mode or why P1326 was present, beyond the oil claim contradicted by my video. I also never received a response from Service Manager Brandon Burris or owner Ricardo Lujan, despite emailing both individually. There was no update on diagnosis, no explanation of findings, and no response from management the entire time.
Between the oil explanation that didn't match my video, the "6 months overdue" note that had to be corrected after I provided proof, a completed update that doesn't show as completed in Hyundai's system, and no response from management, I was given more than one statement that didn't hold up against my own documentation. That pattern, on top of work being done after I'd declined it in writing twice, is what cost me my trust in this service department.
I later took the vehicle to a different Hyundai dealership, which said the BCT could not be performed until the code returns. My family's safety is of the utmost importance to me, and having to drive a vehicle with an unresolved engine warning code, simply because the diagnostic can't be repeated until the light returns, is not a position I should have been put in. I've filed complaints with Hyundai Corporate, the Texas DMV, and the BBB Arbitration program.
If you have a Hyundai with a Theta II engine or a P1326 code, confirm in writing, before any work is done, that the Bearing Clearance Test and Warranty Prior Approval process will be followed.
