2018 Kia Sorento

The vehicle started knocking. We took it to Kia and they share saying we needed an upgrade part that is on a safety”notice” and not a recall. It’s to prevent engine failure. They refuse to put in the part because they said the engine is already failing. They said we need to pay 6k. The best part is that we took the vehicle in last year (2023) for the hitch and the anti theft upgrade and KIA didn’t tell us about this feel part. Why wouldn’t we get the free upgrade on the engine???? They are not telling consumers and it doesn’t come up when you search by VIN.

Me and my wife were traveling north on [XXX], left lane, 18 wheeler in right lane, cars directly behind us, 70 mph, when there was an abrupt thud, and slight skid, then lost all power from the engine. There were no warning indicators at the time. When the engine failed, we almost hit the tractor next to us. Looking in the mirror to try to determine what to do, as steering was hard to perform, there was a large cloud of black and blue smoke, the car behind us being covered in smoke and most likely oil too. The car behind us aggressively braked and ducked in behind the 18 wheeler just before a rear impact would have occurred. We finally got to safety on the side of the road as the traffic stacked up behind us was able to reduce speed in time. I had my car towed to the KIA dealership in Springfield, MO. One interesting point, the wrecker operator said that unfortunately a big part of his business was hauling KIAs. We almost died. Upon review of social media, I see there are literally thousands of KIAs placing families in danger. Why hasn’t Mr. Budegedge acted on it. After experiencing this, it’s likely there will be deaths. My car had 120,000 miles on the engine. KIA said it was my problem as they met their warranty obligation at 100,000 miles. There are so many incidents, even with 6 cyl engines. Customers need to be warned. At least they can be prepared for the failure when it happens. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while accelerating, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The mechanic completed a road test and indicated that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering, shaking, and then lost motive power and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a code reader and retrieved DTC code: P1326 (Permanent go Relay Stuck On). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who cleared the codes but informed the contact that the failure would continue and recommended an engine replacement. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was a thumping noise detected from the engine. The contact reduced the speed to 40 MPH. The vehicle began to hesitate, sputtered, and failed to accelerate. The contact used a code reader and retrieved DTC code: P0302 (Cylinder Misfire). The manufacturer was contacted, and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to a loss in engine compression in one of the cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.

After inspection, the service agent, Jeff, came and informed me there was “good news and not so good news”. Good news - He said there was a 999,999-mile warranty on the engine for the oil pressure stick problem. The not so good news is that Kia will not replace the engine until it locks. I was shocked to say the least. I asked him, how in the hell is that safe? Why isn’t the fact that the car started shutting down on me (power steering) enough of an indication that it needs to be replaced? That along with the amounts of oil I’ve had to replace. All the years I’ve had my Kia, I’ve NEVER had to add oil. He said those warnings were not enough. He said the engine light would come on as well as others, the engine would start knocking as well. THEN you get to the side of the road. I told him as I’m going to state here, that is the most asinine thing I have every heard! So essentially, before Kia will replace my engine, I have to possibly kill myself, any passengers and any other drivers on the road first? What if I’m in heavy highway traffic and cannot get over, cannot get to an inside grassy area or shoulder and my car just stops? He said his hands were tied unless these things happened.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that oil needing to be added the engine every two weeks. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that an oil consumption test needed to be performed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,136.