Engine oil consumption problems: which cars have them

Short answer: among vehicles with US sales figures, the Kia Seltos has the most complaints about oil consumption problems per 10,000 sold, followed by the Kia Sorento and the Kia Soul. Across all 20,796 federal complaints about it, owners reported a median of about 76,000 miles.

Federal complaints

20,796

Typical mileage

76,000 mi

Typical repair

—

What it is

Every engine uses a little oil, but some burn or leak enough that owners have to top up between changes. Common causes include piston rings that stick or wear, valve-seal wear, and in some turbo engines fuel mixing into the oil.

What owners notice

Needing to add oil between changes
Low-oil warning light
Blue smoke from the exhaust
Oil smell, or the oil level rising and smelling of fuel

Vehicles with the most oil consumption problems

Complaints about this problem per 10,000 sold, for each vehicle’s model years old enough to judge. Each vehicle’s years start at the first model year with a cluster of these complaints, so a vehicle that got the part later isn’t diluted by years without it. Only vehicles with at least 25 such complaints are ranked (54 in all; top 25 shown).

1. Kia Seltos 11.2 per 10k sold

108 complaints, 2021–2022 models · typically around 48,500 mi · most in 2021–2022 · estimate costs
2. Kia Sorento 7.3 per 10k sold

901 complaints, 2011–2022 models · typically around 97,000 mi · most in 2016–2017 and 2019 · estimate costs
3. Kia Soul 6.7 per 10k sold

882 complaints, 2011–2022 models · typically around 90,000 mi · most in 2014–2016 · estimate costs
4. Hyundai Palisade 5.7 per 10k sold

144 complaints, 2020–2022 models · typically around 80,000 mi · most in 2020–2022 · estimate costs
5. Kia Telluride 5.6 per 10k sold

150 complaints, 2020–2022 models · typically around 76,500 mi · most in 2020–2022 · estimate costs
6. Kia Optima 5.4 per 10k sold

727 complaints, 2007–2021 models · typically around 88,000 mi · most in 2016, 2018 and 2020 · estimate costs
7. Hyundai Tucson 5.3 per 10k sold

627 complaints, 2011–2022 models · typically around 79,000 mi · most in 2016–2018 · estimate costs
8. Mazda CX30 4.7 per 10k sold

51 complaints, 2021–2022 models · typically around 3,100 mi · most in 2021–2022 · estimate costs
9. GMC Terrain 4.3 per 10k sold

507 complaints, 2010–2022 models · typically around 89,000 mi · most in 2011–2013 · estimate costs
10. Hyundai Sonata 4.2 per 10k sold

1,075 complaints, 2006–2022 models · typically around 90,000 mi · most in 2016–2018 · estimate costs
11. Chevrolet Equinox 3.7 per 10k sold

1,198 complaints, 2010–2022 models · typically around 98,000 mi · most in 2010 and 2012–2013 · estimate costs
12. Jeep Renegade 3.3 per 10k sold

193 complaints, 2015–2022 models · typically around 22,000 mi · most in 2017–2018 and 2022 · estimate costs
13. Hyundai Santa Fe 2.9 per 10k sold

466 complaints, 2007–2022 models · typically around 98,502 mi · most in 2013–2014 and 2017 · estimate costs
14. Jeep Cherokee 2.9 per 10k sold

422 complaints, 2014–2022 models · typically around 32,500 mi · most in 2014, 2016 and 2019 · estimate costs
15. Jeep Compass 2.9 per 10k sold

253 complaints, 2014–2022 models · typically around 19,000 mi · most in 2017–2019 · estimate costs
16. Kia Sportage 2.9 per 10k sold

240 complaints, 2011–2022 models · typically around 80,500 mi · most in 2017–2018 and 2020 · estimate costs
17. Hyundai Kona 2.7 per 10k sold

93 complaints, 2018–2022 models · typically around 52,100 mi · most in 2019–2021 · estimate costs
18. Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 per 10k sold

160 complaints, 2009–2022 models · typically around 67,486 mi · most in 2009 and 2021–2022 · estimate costs
19. Kia Forte 1.7 per 10k sold

150 complaints, 2014–2022 models · typically around 83,511 mi · most in 2014–2015 and 2017 · estimate costs
20. Jeep Wrangler 1.6 per 10k sold

453 complaints, 2005–2022 models · typically around 52,576 mi · most in 2014–2015 and 2017 · estimate costs
21. Honda CR-V 1.3 per 10k sold

640 complaints, 2005–2022 models · typically around 9,200 mi · most in 2010 and 2017–2018 · estimate costs
22. Toyota Camry 1.1 per 10k sold

718 complaints, 2005–2022 models · typically around 98,191 mi · most in 2007–2009 · estimate costs
23. Hyundai Elantra 0.92 per 10k sold

189 complaints, 2012–2022 models · typically around 81,800 mi · most in 2017–2018 and 2020 · estimate costs
24. Mazda CX5 0.92 per 10k sold

93 complaints, 2016–2022 models · typically around 17,000 mi · most in 2018–2019 and 2021 · estimate costs
25. Toyota RAV4 0.86 per 10k sold

413 complaints, 2005–2022 models · typically around 91,738 mi · most in 2006–2008 · estimate costs

Common questions

Which cars have the most oil consumption problems?

Among vehicles with US sales figures, the most complaints about oil consumption problems per 10,000 sold come from the Kia Seltos (11.2), the Kia Sorento (7.3) and the Kia Soul (6.7). Rates cover model years old enough to judge.

At what mileage do oil consumption problems usually show up?

Across 20,796 federal complaints, the median mileage owners reported was about 76,000 miles. It varies a lot by vehicle; see the table.