2017 Kia Sedona

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle began to drive rough. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local service center to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that cylinder #5 had failed. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the fuel injector was faulty and had caused the Oxygen sensor to fail. The fuel injector, fuel rail, Oxygen sensor, and gasket were replaced, and the vehicle was fixed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 57,000.

The vehicles paint is peeling off on multiple surfaces of which I have found is widely known consumer issue for Kia and Hyundai. There is a facebook group that details the issue: https://www.facebook.com/DefectiveKiaPaint/ I initially thought this was an isolated incident, but, have come to find out is much worse than expected. Please let me know what I should or can do to have the manufacturer address this issue so I do not lose more value in my investment than what one expects with an aging vehicle.

The left side sliding door does not completely latch when closing. I have looked for obstruction and do not see any. I and my children are very concerned that we will not completely shut the door thus causing it to open when in transit or turning resulting in an unnecessary accident, injury or fatality. Whomever is driving the car has to stand outside and push the sliding door inward as it is latching to attempt to make sur the latch is secure. Please let me know what I need to do to ensure this is addressed with the the NHTSA and/ or KIA.

The car stalled unexpectedly while driving on side roads and highway feeder roads. It first stalled as I approached a stop sign. The rpms quickly dropped from 2000+ to about 500. The car stalled. I put it in neutral and restarted the car. It turned over several times before restarting. After restarting and as I sat in drive at the stop sign, the car rocked back and forth as the engine pulsed. I left the stop sign and pulled into a highway feeder road. I got in traffic and slowed down. The car stalled again. Again, I restarted it in neutral. This time it re-engaged immediately. I pulled ahead in stop and go traffic where it very quickly stalled again. Again I restarted it in neutral where it took a few attempts to restart. I do have video of the tachometer and speedometer as I anticipated this happening. There are tell tale signs that it may happen soon such as sluggish acceleration, quick drop in rpms, and pulsed engine revving not a result of the drivers input. These stalls have happened 20+ times in the last year.

Upon starting the vehicle, a loud sound originated from under the hood, but would not become noticeable after driving it. No indicator light would come on. Two or three days after that began, the sound suddenly became quite loud while driving it, which prompted my husband to pull over. Thankfully we were exiting the interstate anyway. He checked under the hood and wasn’t able to locate a loose belt, which is what it sounded like. He restarted the vehicle and the loud noise continued, so we pulled into a parking lot to call a tow truck. Still, no indicator light came on to let us know anything was wrong. Our mechanic determined there was a rod bearing failure in the engine. Upon further research of this issue, Hyundai and Kia have issued many recalls for this same issue in other engines, but have not done so for Sedonas. One main hazard with this particular failure is the risk of fire.

I purchased this van pre-owned from Bridgewater Kia in NJ with an extended warranty in 2018. There was a recent safety recall for airbags and the airbag warning light was on. I brought the car into Bridgewater Kia on July 18, 2022 and was told that the passenger front airbag module needed to be replaced and that it was not part of the recall. I was also told that this defect SHUTS DOWN ALL OF THE AIRBAGS in the vehicle. There are NO airbags working in this vehicle. I was also told by Bridgewater Kia that (1) the passenger airbag module was back ordered and coming from another country so they do not know when it will arrive; (2) that I would have to pay $1,161.73 upfront before they would even order it; (3) they would NOT provide me with a loaner car; (4) that the airbag was not covered by the extended warranty I purchased from Bridgewater Kia because that warranty ended at 100,000 and we have 101,263 miles on the van and, (5) that I should not drive the car because it is unsafe. This is absurd. An airbag module is not something the owner of the vehicle can maintain. Moreover, the van is only approximately 5 years old and basically designed for people with children. On one hand the dealer is telling me not to drive it because it's unsafe, but I guess expects me, in this economy, to go rent a car indefinitely while we wait from an international shipment? It's not possible for me not to drive the van. This is a major safety problem that involves children that Kia should repair free of charge. They should also provide their customers with a safe means of transportation. They can't delegate airbags to the consumer and it's hard to believe that I am the only one experiencing this. I also want to let you know I have contacted Kia directly out in California and I'm waiting for a call back. I waited because it's only today that I was able to confirm with the dealer that the so-called warranty is useless.

Driving and van started decelerating while still pressing gas. Got off road. Turned off van. Smelled something burning. Called tow truck. Tried to re-start and won’t turn over. Mechanic said the fuel rails too low code and cylinder misfire. Engine is now damaged due hydraulic lock. Kia recalled 2011-2012 vans for defective fuel rail and possible fire. Will not assist as we are 2nd owners and don’t fall under warranty. It def could have caught on fire based on what I researched. Please advise.