Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s two largest automakers owned by Hyundai Motor Group, said on Wednesday that they will extend the warranty of domestically-produced vehicles equipped with controversial Theta II engines from five years (100,000 kilometers) to 10 years (190,000 kilometers), a move that has already been taken last year for consumers in the United States.

According to the two automakers, a total of 224,240 vehicles in Korea with Theta II 2.4 GDi and 2.0 Turbo GDi engines will be subject to the extension scheme including Hyundai Motor’s Sonata (YF) and Grandeur (HG) sedans, and Kia Motors’ K5 (TF) and K7 (VG), and Sportage (SL) vehicles. Warranty for 6,169 Sonata sedans (built between July 2009 and February 2014) will be increased, as well as for 135,952 Grandeur sedans (December 2010 and May 2014), 13,641 K5 sedans (May 2010 and May 2015), 62,517 K7 sedans (February 2011 and December 2015), and 5,961 Sportage sport utility vehicles (March 2011 and August 2015).

The two automakers’ move comes after controversy has brewed among Korean consumers criticizing that the country’s largest two carmakers have discriminated local consumers by launching a recall program and providing warranty extension to only consumers in the U.S. despite the fact that the models here are also equipped with the same Theta II engines.

In September last year, Hyundai Motor recalled Sonata sedans built and sold between 2011 and 2012 in the U.S. after reports of potential engine and power failures. It also offered warranty extension for Sonata sedans built between 2011 and 2014 in the country. But it did not take the same action in Korea.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors said that they will provide full compensation to Korean consumers who have already spent costs on towing, repairing, and renting vehicles due to expired warranty on them.

By Chun Beom-joo

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]