KIA Complaints

I received a recall notification last year, I live about an hr and a half away from the nearest Kia dealer, so I wasn’t able to get my car in to be inspected until last spring at the Kia in Medford. Then I got another notice in the mail stating my vehicle was amongst the ones that needed the HECU recall service done. I called the Kia dealer in Eugene and the earliest they could get me in was August 2024. A day or two before my long awaited appointment, they called to inform me that the part was on back order and that they would call me once it became available again. I haven’t received any communication from them as of yet. My car has been mostly parked since then and I’ve been borrowing a friends vehicle because I don’t want to risk my daughter and i’s safety. I received another notice from the corporate of Kia, stating I haven’t gotten it done and they strongly urge me to get it taken care of, I’ve tried booking another appointment online twice and there’s no availability and I’ve called 3 times with no return call. On the last notice I received, I see it says to submit a complaint to safercar.gov

My Wife was driving 37mph in town at 1:40pm on a 31* afternoon. When she hears an apparent "gunshot", it was not a gunshot. Her forward sunroof had exploded. She had the sunshade closed thankfully so she did not get hit with any glass. Her vehicle was not hit by anything. The glass looks like it was forced from the inside, blowing the glass outwards. We took her vehicle to our local dealership. They vacuumed up the glass shards, and then taped the remaining glass on both sides, and also covered the roof until repairs can be made. Dealership is filing for warranty, but awaiting approval.

Recently the 2019 Kia Sorento 3.3L V6 has had an intermittent Engine Oil Pressure Light. It will sometimes come on at low idle but not all the time. We did find a leak at the oil filter housing and repaired that, which did not solve the light issue. The vehicle has oil in it, thus not the problem. The vehicle was Manufactured in June of 2018 and there was a recall on the exact issue just prior to this for 2018's. Given the manufacture date and the fact this issue was not discovered until AFTER the vehicle were produced, I feel that given the timing it would be fair to say this vehicle would fall into the recall. I did have an independent shop diagnose this as a possible electrical short or part issue. I have spoken to Kia and they have provided no assistance on this.

The engine seems to be burning oil. After my last oil change, I had to replace three quarts of oil after driving 2,500 miles. Once previously, the engine oil got dangerously low (no oil showing on dipstick) even without the vehicle giving any indication of low oil. This could lead to engine failure while operating the vehicle, which could have disastrous consequences.

Driving at approx. 45 mph the engine locked up and failed causing the van to die and not be able to restart. There was no warnings, lights etc before failure. Luckily the road was empty to be able to navigate to the side of the road to avoid a dangerous situation. Should it have been a busy highway it would have put everyone at risk with a disabled vehicle not being able to move at speed. Kia Dealership investigated the failure and although there was lower oil and coolant level the manifold gasket test failed to meet the requirements for a Kia failure and remedy was a $9000 new engine.

While driving 2012 Kia Optima GDI home from work, the power suddenly stopped without warning with the engine, oil, and battery lights flashing on all at once. I was unable to accelerate whatsoever, so with the momentum of the vehicle I parked safely in a parking lot. There I discovered the car would not start and would give a loud clunking sound. A mobile mechanic confirmed that the engine was seized, and I had it towed to the nearest KIA service center. They were able to also confirm it was an engine seize, but insisted KIA would not replace the engine despite a recall notice of the motor of this vehicles make and model in 2017 (SC147).

Recently I purchased a 2023 Kia Forte on 11/09/2024 with only 53,848 miles on the odometer. Within a month the car has lost total power four times. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems keeps faulting and kicks in taking drive control of the vehicle making it challenging to control. The current miles on the vehicle is 58,281. When I called in to have the vehicle serviced through a Kia dealership, they indicated the earliest date to bring it in is on 01/23/24, I am on the schedule for 7 am. I also contacted Kia Corporate office today 01/07/24 to inform them of the issue being that it is still under the manufacture warranty up till 60,000 after filing a complaint with them I began researching the vehicle on Google which led me here to NHTSA website there are numerous complaints that have had similar issues. This is a major problem as it puts my life in grave danger as well as others if this should occur while in traffic. The car loosing all power could cause a major accident. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems kicking in without warning or cause takes away the ability to control the vehicle this could also cause a major accident. Why are these vehicles still being sold with these kinds of safety issues that could cause loss of life if an accident was to occure. Clearly this is a poorly manufactured vehicle and there needs to be a recall or some recourse for the consumers who have been sold these death traps. I have only acquired 4,433 miles on this vehicle since purchasing it on 11/09/24, and I should not be worrying about these kind of safety concern. Please advise

The front brakes prematurely failed at 5,000 miles and this is a brand new vehicle. We had 3 miles or so at purchase (purchase date: August 7, 2024). By January 4, 2025 or so, the front brakes began making grinding noises. We had a licensed, independent shop inspect this and then replace the worn brakes on January 6, 2025. We have driven the vehicle as we have driven other vehicles and we have never seen brand new brakes wear out after 5,000 miles with standard driving. We believe it could be due to the driver assistance technology and would like this to be thoroughly reviewed. Hopefully, Kia can reimburse us with some discount on other routine maintenance as this is a cost we did not expect so soon with a brand new vehicle.

Not sure if you can help me, we bought a 2012 Kia Sorrento in 2011. The motor blew up at 92,000 miles. There was a recall on it and the motor was replaced. They gave us lifetime warranty on the motor. The second motor blew up as we were driving it at on 100,000 miles on the that motor. Luckily we were not on the freeway at the time. We took it to Findlay motors in Las Vegas for a new motor under the warranty. They contacted the KIA corporate office in Irvine Ca and denied our warranty. We have put in over $8,000.00 in the last two years on new struts, serpentine belt, motor mounts, brakes and 60-90,000 mile check ups. All done by Jim Marsh KIA in Las Vegas. We have all the reciepts. They will not even talk to us. They have a service rep. Tony Thomas in Ca who did not even look at the Sorrento or check our service records deny the warranty. This vehicle has had several recalls, not just the motor. I took it in for all the other recalls. It was unsafe for us to drive it when it blew up and unsafe to drive now. I am a [XXX] Veteran and think they are just hoping I will go away. I am hoping since their was a recall on this that maybe your agency can help me. Or maybe put me in touch with an agency that can help me by making them fulfill their obligation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On [XXX] I was driving in the City of Tampa. Stopped the vehicle to make a left turn, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. Without any warning the vehicle sped off at a high speed at crashed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)