2012 KIA FORTE KOUP Complaints

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2012 KIA FORTE KOUP SX WITH THE 2.4 LITER THETA II ENGINE THAT IS BEING RECALLED ON A LIMITED BASIS BY KIA UNDER NHTSA SC147. A WEEK WHILE MERGING WITH FASTER TRAFFIC MY ENGINE DIED FORCING ME INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TRYING TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF MUCH FASTER MOVING TRAFFIC WITH A DEAD ENGINE. I CAME TO A STOP IN THE CENTER LANE AND HAD SEVERAL VERY CLOSE CALLS BEFORE OTHER VEHICLES HAD TO SWERVE AT THE LAST SECOND TO AVOID HITTING ME. MUCH LIKE THE COUNTLESS OTHER EXAMPLES OF VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE THETA II ENGINE SEIZING OR SPINNING ROD BEARINGS MY ENGINE SEIZED SOLID EVEN THOUGH I METICOUSLY FOLLOWED THE PRESCRIBED MAINTENANCE INTERVALS KIA SUGGESTS. AFTER DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH I WAS DISMAYED TO SEE HOW WIDE SPREAD THIS ISSUE IS AND CANNOT FATHOM WHY KIA IS PERMITTED TO ONLY RECALL SOME VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME ENGINE AND NOT OTHERS. I VERY STRENUOUSLY URGE THE NHTSA TO EXPAND UPON RECALL SC147 TO INCLUDE ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS ENGINE BEFORE OTHER INJURIES OR DEATHS OCCUR AS I COULD HAVE VERY EASILY SUSTAINED. THERE SHOULD BE NO EXCUSE AND NO DEFENDING OF KIA'S POSITION THAT THIS ENGINE ONLY FAILS DUE TO MANUFACTURING FLAWS ON SOME MODELS AND NOT OTHERS MODELS WHEN THEY BOTH USE THE SAME ENGINE WHEN ALL ONE MUST DO IS TO DO A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH TO SEE COUNTLESS EXAMPLES OF AMERICAN CONSUMERS BEING LEFT WITHOUT ASSISTANCE TO FACE THE MANUFACTURER TO GET THESE ISSUES RESOLVED. IT IS YET TO BE SEEN IF KIA APPROPRIATELY MAKE ALL NECESSARY REPAIRS TO MY VEHICLE EITHER UNDER THE 10 YEAR/100,000 MILE LIMITED WARRANTY (MY VEHICLE IS 6 YEARS OLD WITH 80,000 MILES) OR UNDER RECALL SC147; HOWEVER, BASED UPON WHAT I REPEATEDLY AM FINDING, KIA WILL TRY DENYING REPAIRS, DEMANDING ALL MAINTENANCE RECEIPTS AND GENERALLY MAKING IT AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE FOR CONSUMERS TO GET WARRANTY WORK DONE.

ON THE WAY TO A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT WITH KIA FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THE CAR STALLED ON A CITY STREET. IT STARTED ROUGH AFTER AND THEN STALLED AGAIN 2 MILES AFTER THAT ON A CURVED CITY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER AFTER THE SECOND STALL AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP. METAL SHAVINGS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE ENGINE AND OIL. THE ENGINE ALSO SHOWED DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER HEAD AND TIMING CHAIN FROM THE METAL SHAVINGS. THE CAR NEEDS THE ENGINE REPLACED, BUT A NEW OR USED ENGINE IS NOT AVAILABLE AND I WAS ADVISED THAT A NEW ENGINE NEEDS TO BE BUILT AT A MINIMUM OF $10,000. THE CAR HAS 103,000 MILES ON IT AND ONLY WORTH $3,400 IN GOOD CONDITION. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER KIA AND HYUNDIA VEHICLES BUT MY MODEL IS NOT INCLUDED. CASE NO. 8:16-CV-01033.

ROD BEARING FAILURE ON A 2012 KIA FORTE KOUP 2.4L ENGINE AT APPROX. 93,300 MILES WITH NO PRIOR ISSUES. ENGINE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND NEVER ABUSED. BEGAN RATTLING WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY ON THE FREEWAY AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DETERMINED TO BE THE #2 PISTON HITTING THE HEAD. NO PRIOR INDICATION OF ANYTHING WRONG, NO UNUSUAL ENGINE NOISE, NO "IDIOT" LIGHTS, NO MISFIRE, NO VIBRATION, NOTHING, JUST A SUDDEN PULSING NOISE THAT WAS FIRST THOUGHT TO BE THE EXHAUST SOUND FROM A PASSING HARLEY.

BOUGHT MY CAR USED FROM A DEALERSHIP AND AM THE SECOND OWNER. CAR ONLY HAD 36K MILES WHEN PURCHASED. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SOLD ME A BOGUS WARRANTY FOR $2,995.00 FOR 36 MONTHS 60K MILES WHEN THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY GAVE ME 5 YEARS/60K. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THIS KNOCKING STARTED IN THE ENGINE AND IT WAS LOUD SO I PULLED OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD HAD IT TOWED HOME. AFTER A FEW PHONE CALLS I HAD IT TOWED TO A KIA DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE AND IT WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. I'M PRETTY PISSED ABOUT THIS SITUATION BECAUSE KIA AND THE DEALERSHIP WANT TO TAKE NO OWNERSHIP FOR THIS VEHICLE DESPITE ALL THE REPORTS I'VE READ ON LINE ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS 84K ON IT NOW BUT FAITHFUL OIL CHANGES HAVE BEEN DONE SINCE I'VE OWNED THE CAR. OF COURSE IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY AS THAT ENDED AT 60K. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE EXACT SAME ENGINE IN OTHER KIA CARS BUT NOT THIS ONE AND I WISH I KNEW WHY. MINE HAS A THETA II - 2.4L DUAL OVERHEAD CAM WITH A DOHC ENGINE AND THE RECALLS ARE FOR A THE EXACT SAME ENGINE EXCEPT IT'S CALLED A GDI ENGINE. WHAT THE HECK IS THE DIFFERENCE IF THEY ALL KEEP BLOWING - IT'S THE EXACT SAME [XXX]ENGINE. BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I STILL OWE APPROXIMATELY 12K ON THE [XXX] CAR - NO ONE WANTS TO FIX IT AT NO COST TO ME AND IT COULD COST ME AROUND 8K TO FIX IT. RIDICULOUS TO KEEP PAYING FOR A CAR YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX AND OR DRIVE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. GOOD LUCK TO ALL KIA OWNERS OUT THERE - I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).