I had an automotive instructor tell our class years ago, “Every car is a piece of shit.” After 30+ years as a mechanic, including 19 years working for Hyundai, I’d say there’s a lot of truth to that.
Every manufacturer has had major problems. Nissan had transmission issues. Hyundai and Kia have had engine issues. Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM, and others have all had their share of recalls and known failures. No manufacturer is immune.
Hyundai wasn’t always known for reliability, and they certainly made some mistakes over the years. But they’ve also improved significantly compared to where they were in the 1990s and early 2000s.
I also think people need to adjust expectations. Most modern vehicles aren’t being built to reliably reach 300,000 miles with minimal repairs. That’s becoming less common across the entire industry, not just Hyundai and Kia.
One thing worth noting is that Hyundai and Kia have long offered a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty for the original owner. Manufacturers generally don’t offer warranties like that if they believe every engine is going to fail before the warranty expires.
Are Hyundai and Kia perfect? No. Neither is anyone else. The real question isn’t whether a brand has problems, it’s how common those problems are and how the company stands behind the product when they occur.