Case Overview
Since 2019, a team led by Keller Rohrback partners Gretchen Freeman Cappio and Ryan McDevitt has been litigating claims on behalf of owners and lessees of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in federal court for the Western District of Washington and, more recently, in the Central District of California. These cases allege that Hyundai and Kia failed to disclose or timely remedy serious design and manufacturing defects that can cause the engines of certain vehicles to suddenly stall while driving, fail catastrophically, or burst into flames.
Despite allegedly having longstanding knowledge about the engine defect, Kia and Hyundai continued selling them without disclosing the defect to consumers, inducing consumers to overpay for defective vehicles, endangering drivers and passengers, forcing owners to bring their vehicles in for service at their own expense, and reducing the resale value of the affected vehicles.
After winning favorable rulings on two motions to dismiss and engaging in several months of active discovery in the Washington litigation, Gretchen Freeman Cappio was appointed Settlement Counsel to work alongside interim co-lead counsel in the California litigation in attempting to reach a global settlement.
Affected Vehicles Include:
2010–2018 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2009–2010 Hyundai Sonata;
2011–2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid;
2010–2013, 2016–2018 Hyundai Tucson;
2009–2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe;
2015–2016 Hyundai Veloster;
2010–2015 Kia Forte;
2012–2015 Kia Forte Koup;
2009–2016 Kia Optima;
2011–2013 Kia Optima Hybrid;
2012–2019 Kia Rio;
2011– 2020 Kia Sorento;
2012–2019 Kia Soul;
2011–2013 Kia Sportage.