2017 Kia Sportage

We recently received an 'interim' recall notice due the potential for fire caused by a flaw in the tow hitch wiring harness. The letter recommended parking the car 'away from other vehicles and people', and nothing else, as Kia has not yet determined what a permanent remedy would be. This is really not acceptable, as we need to use our vehicle and this requires occasionally parking it in locations where it cannot be kept separated from other vehicles or people. In addition, this remedy only reduces the potential damage to others or their vehicles, it does not do anything to reduce the potential damage to our vehicle. I took the vehicle to our local repair shop and they were able to disconnect the 'ground' wire from the tow hitch wiring harness quickly and easily, so that no power will flow into the wiring harness and it will not catch on fire. Given how easy this was to do, Kia should have offered this as a solution, or should be willing to reimburse owners for having this change made to their vehicles during the 'interim' recall period.

When I pulled into work and turned off the engine, smoke started to come from under the hood which initially looked like overheating, but no gauges or lights were activated. The smoke started to get heavier, thicker, and darker, and then the hood started flaming and the whole entire car was engulfed in flames within about 5 or 6 minutes. The fire department came around 20 minutes after the 911 calls to extinguish my car.

The door lock on the driver's side stopped working. Door would not open from the outside: not with the key fob or with the key inserted in the lock. If the car was locked and then unlocked with the key fob, the only way to open the driver's side door was to get in the car through the passenger's side and open the driver's side door with the door handle. You could THEN pull the driver's side door closed and exit the car from the passenger's side, walk around the car, and the driver's side door would be unlocked. This is VERY unsafe because if I, as a woman, am threatened in a parking lot and cannot enter the car quickly, I could be at risk. I took it to a Kia dealer to have this fixed, but they wanted me to leave the car for 2-3 weeks just to diagnose (not fix) it! RIDICULOUS. Contacted another Kia dealer who would not even look at the car unless we had purchased it from them. I had it fixed independently. OEM latch assembly was replaced. Horrible service from Kia. There should be a recall on this.

1/2/2023 – My car turned on with zero issues. When I went to pull out of my parking space, the car stalled and tuned off. Right before it turned off, the check engine light and oil light flickered. I waited 5 minutes and turned the car on. It turned on with none of the warning lights flickering or staying on. I pulled the car back into the parking space and the engine had a clicking noise. My husband popped the hood and checked the oil and it seemed low. We went in our other vehicle and purchased oil. We inserted 1QT of oil and turned the car on. It turned on with zero issues but the engine had a clicking noise. We called the Kia dealership but it was too late to take the vehicle to them so decided we would do it the next day. 1/3/2023 – We called Roadside and the car was flat bedded to the Kia dealership. We spoke with the Advisor NICK and he asked for us to give him to Friday 1/6/2023 to look at the car and he would call us back. So we waited to Friday to 1/6/23 to speak to Nick. 1/6/2023 – Nick called us and told us the car might possibly need a new engine. Did not tell us how they came to the determination or what was wrong with the car and engine. He just said that the dealership needed to talk to Kia Corporate and Kia engineers for the next course of action and that he would call us back on Wednesday 1/10/2023. So, we wait again patiently til 1/10/2023. 1/10/2023 - Nick calls us and we demand to know what is wrong with the vehicle and that we need a loaner. We can not be without the car. He tells us that they do not have a loaner and that they are a small dealership. He told us the techs ran a BCD test on the car and that it failed it twice. That they were waiting to speak to Kia Corp and the engineers again for the next course of action. He said the car had low oil. How could that be we asked – it was only 2K miles in from the last oil change. No answers provided.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V703000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the check engine and the low-pressure oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V907000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,174.

- What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine produced a check engine light 4 times in 2 months, and now is undrivable. - How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Always misfires in a cylinder. That can quickly become a safety issue when you're driving and it happens. Now there's no coolant in it and oil pressure light is on. - Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. - Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Dealership - Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Check engine light came on mid November first. Summary of it all: - Mid November check engine light came on. Felt rough vibration when idling. Went to dealership, replaced 1 coil and 4 spark plugs and did a carbon cleaning. - 2 weeks later, check engine light back. Vibration when starting the car. Dealership replaced the remaining coils. - 2 weeks later, check engine light back. Vibration when starting the car. Local mechanic replaced a spark plug. - 2 weeks later, check engine light back, no coolant, no oil pressure. Waiting on Kia.