KIA Complaints

2019 Kia Sorento White Pearl Paint began peeling. Spoke with Kia Dealership about issue due to sister company Hyundai having the same issue which resulted in an extended warranty. I began communication with dealership on June 2, 2025. During this time, it had been told that other Kia White Pearl Paint has been defective, but nothing has been done on Kia's side as of now. My dealership has "attempted" to get a Goodwill coverage due to paint warranty expired after 36 months of the vehicle which was in 2022. I have been put back and forth and not given specific answers on how to move forward with getting my car fix for a manufacturing/defective paint error. I have also priced out other body shops and the price estimate was over $2500. I am frustrated as I do not believe I should have to take care of an error based on Kia's issue.

When accelerating, like when turning from a driveway onto a main road, or from a stop on an incline, there is a significant delay in acceleration, as if the transmission is not moving to a higher gear, or like a turbo lag. This vehicle does not have a turbo but the effect seems similar. This could potentially cause an accident when the driver expects the car to behave as it normally would on a flat straight surface.

In late 2024 at 45,000 miles I noticed my 2021 Kia Seltos burning oil due to an extremely low amount oil being removed during an oil change. Who knows how long it was going on. I took the vehicle to the dealership and was told an oil consumption test needed to be done. The test showed after driving 2,134 miles, the car was down 1.2 quarts of oil. That should be unheard of in a 3 year old car with low mileage. I was told it is within an acceptable amount and I should keep doing consumption tests. After month of time waiting and hours spent doing multiple consumption tests, they still will not acknowledge the clear issue with my vehicle. I then discovered there is a Kia Seltos recall which my vehicle has all the symptoms of. They performed a sc336 procedure for this recall and you guessed it, I was told nothing is wrong. Here I am a year, and a half later giving up. I now just fill the oil myself every few weeks while I wait to see what else is going to go wrong. This is TERRIBLE business practice.

Oil Consumption: flickering intermittent oil light at various times. Occurred after routine maintenance and oil changes. Various reasons were given when serviced including leak at the cap or via a screw. Multiple trips to the dealer for service. Engine has no oil and light did not remain illuminated, only flickering occasionally. Performed combustions clean out 4 weeks ago with top off of oil. Light came on, notified that the vehicle is very low on oil since that time again with light flickering.

I own a Kia optima LX 4.0 engine when I called I was told that this car has an open recall for engine rod bearing defect my engine locked up on me 2 mts ago and has not ran since I just finalized my payments on this car and received the title...I took very good care of this car and it was well maintained...it only has 104,000 miles on it.i called and was told this open recall could be fixed with no problem however when I took it to Kia dealership here in gso NC they refused to repair it..I've spent almost 200.00 in towing fees for nothiing..I'm so unhappy with the response I've gotten with this company since I have had such a wonderful experience with my car I hope maybe I can get a response from your company for its the only car I have and my daily living activities have been altered by lack of transportation..thank you..I was told to call attorney general to see what could come about however Im hoping I can get a response from your office

Oil consumption issues started around 60k miles took to dealer for consumption test failed it, they decarbonized my piston rings. I returned around 85k miles with the same complaint for oil consumption the dealer did the test I returned they said I passed. I am constantly having to put oil in my vehicle about 2 quarts every full take about (379 miles) the piston rings are causing my spark plugs to be oil fouled Kia knew this and pushed me out the door. Now my car is constantly misfiring and the engine is slowly dying with only 117k miles on it and 5 years old.

The vehicle’s windshield was hit by road debri/gravel while driving on a paved freeway. The impact caused the windshield to shatter at the impact site and crack about 1/2 of the way across the windshield. I had the windshield replaced with an original Kia windshield at Safelite AutoGlass. Three months later another tiny piece of road debri/gravel hit the new windshield while driving on the paved freeway. The impact also caused a localized shatter at the impact site with a crack 1/3 of the way across the windshield. These were the only two times the vehicle was hit by road debris. Over the last 10 years my other cars have been hit by road debris 20 times and this shattering of the windshield has never occurred with any other vehicle. I am concerned about the safety and integrity of the windshield.

The issue involves the engine’s piston rings, which appear to be malfunctioning and causing excessive oil consumption. This has led to oil entering the combustion chamber and likely damaging the catalytic converter. The engine began consuming oil rapidly between oil changes — far more than normal — and has since developed engine knocking and performance issues. These symptoms are consistent with piston ring failure in other 2017 Kia Soul models that have been recalled, though my VIN is not currently included. • Component or system that failed: The likely failure is with the piston rings, which are allowing oil to burn inside the engine. This has begun to impact the catalytic converter as well. All parts remain installed and are available for inspection upon request. • Safety risks: This situation puts my safety and the safety of others at risk, as the engine could seize or stall unexpectedly due to low oil levels or catalytic converter failure. Excessive oil burning also increases the risk of internal engine fire and significantly affects emissions. • Has it been reproduced or confirmed? Yes. The issue has been confirmed by an independent mechanic, who documented abnormal oil loss, engine knocking, and suspected damage to the emissions system. • Has it been inspected by others? The vehicle has not been inspected by Kia, law enforcement, or insurance, but has been examined by a certified independent technician who suspects piston ring failure. • Warning lamps or symptoms: Yes. The check engine light came on, and engine performance began to decline. I also noticed knocking sounds and sluggish acceleration. These symptoms started a few months ago and progressively worsened. The oil was being consumed rapidly even though no visible leaks were found. • Assessment of incident and cause: Based on mechanic feedback and my experience, this appears to be a case of premature piston ring failure, which is causing oil to burn internally and is likely leading to catalytic damage.

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the hood latch fractured, and the hood unexpectedly flew open and crashed into the front windshield. The contact stated that the hood was wrapped around the vehicle. There were no reported injuries. The driver was able to pull over safely. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V389000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The failure mileage was 116,102.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000. The VIN was not available.