A woman went viral after sharing that the engine of her 2018 Hyundai Tucson simply “exploded” while she was driving on the highway.
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Blanca Crowe posted a series of videos on TikTok where she explained the issues she experienced with her Hyundai Tucson. She said she bought the car in 2023 in excellent condition, with only 93,000 km (around 58,000 miles) on it.
She purchased the vehicle from used car dealer CarMax in California and opted for an extended warranty from Fidelity Insurance, keeping meticulous records of oil changes and regular maintenance.
However, after two years of use, Blanca said the engine failed without warning while she was on the highway. She described dashboard lights coming on, a “horrible” engine noise, and the vehicle being towed over 100 miles to a Hyundai service center.
She has now been waiting five months for repairs, paying for a rental car out of pocket. According to her, the repair process was delayed by multiple inspections from Fidelity, which ultimately denied her warranty claim.
She says the company cited “lack of maintenance,” despite her documentation: “I did everything right. Yet I got a $20,000 bill for a car that isn’t even worth that much.”
After the denial from Fidelity, Blanca reached out to Hyundai corporate and requested a goodwill repair. Although the vehicle was under the 96,000 km mileage cap, Hyundai initially declined, citing the car’s age and the fact that Blanca was the second owner.
Frustrated, she turned to ChatGPT to help draft an appeal. After several weeks of back-and-forth, Hyundai eventually agreed to cover 70% of the repair cost.
Meanwhile, Fidelity, under growing pressure from Blanca, agreed to cover the remaining 30%. “It felt like a game. They knew Hyundai would pay something, so they just waited.”
Photo and video: TikTok @blancacrowe. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
@blancacrowe BTW this is the sound of a brand new engine replacement!! Pt 1 of @Hyundai USA completely dropping the ball with my car. I loved this car until the engine exploded and now I am stuck. Anyone else deal with their engine exploding due to oil consumption issue? I would not buy a Hyundai unless it was 2022 or newer. Their older vehicles have hella problems. #hyundai #oilconsumption #enginefailure ♬ original sound – blanca
