NHTSA Complaint #10903342 — 2012 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID

AFTER ~20K MILES, I NOTICED A SLIGHT TAPPING/KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR MAINTENANCE AND ASKED ABOUT THE NOISE. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. OVER TIME, IT GOT A BIT LOUDER BUT NOT MUCH AND EACH TIME IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY WOULD SAY THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. AT ~80K MILES, MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING HOME ON THE FREEWAY AT 70MPH WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A TERRIBLE NOISE (SOUNDED LIKE A ROD WAS ABOUT TO COME THROUGH THE ENGINE), LOST POWER, AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS CAME ON, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED HER TO WRECK, AS SHE WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. SHE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND WE HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. AFTER CALLING THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT AND THAT I'D HAVE TO PAY 7K TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED. I ENDED UP BUYING AN ENGINE FROM A WRECKED 2014 KIA OPTIMA HYBRID. SO MUCH FOR A WARRANTY. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUES I'VE EXPERIENCED.