NHTSA Complaint #10960393 — 2013 KIA OPTIMA

I JUST RECENTLY HAD MY LOCAL DEALER DUE MY ROUTINE OIL CHANGE ON MY 2013 KIA OPTIMA EX. ABOUT TWO WEEKS FROM WHEN THIS WAS DONE. I STARTED TO NOTICE SOME SLUGGISH IN MY ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND THEN AFTER HEARING A LOW KNOCKING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE. I DECIDED TO CHECK THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL TO SEE IF I WAS LOW DUE TO A PAST EXPERIENCE WITH A CAR HAVING A BAD VALVE COVER GASKET. SO, WHEN I CHECKED MY OIL LEVEL ON THE DIPSTICK IT WAS BETWEEN THE LOW AND FULL LINE. THINKING THAT THIS WAS JUST MAYBE DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE DEALER HAD NOT PUT ENOUGH OIL IN DURING THE OIL CHANGE. I JUST BOUGHT TWO QUARTS OF 5W20 ENGINE OIL TO BRING THE OIL BACK TO THE FULL LINE ON THE DIPSTICK AND NOT VISUALLY SEEING ANY SIGNS OF OIL LEAKING ANYWHERE. HOWEVER, JUST ONE WEEK FROM WHEN I ADDED THE TWO QUARTS OF OIL. I STARTED TO HEAR THE KNOCKING SOUND AGAIN AND TO FIND OUT THAT I AM DOWN 1 QUART OF OIL. I DECIDED THEN TO PARK MY CAR UNDER A PIECE OF CARDBOARD FOR A DAY AND DO A THOROUGH LOOK FOR ANY SIGNS OF OIL LEAKING IN THE ENGINE BUT, I DID NOT COME ACROSS ANY OIL LEAKING ANYWHERE. I DECIDED THEN TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHER KIA OWNERS WERE HAVING THIS ISSUE AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER KIA OWNERS WITH THIS GDI MOTOR ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE WITH SOME OWNERS HAVE THE MOTOR SEIZE DUE TO THE ENGINE OIL BEING LOST IN THE ENGINE BY DEFECTIVE CONNECTING RODS THAT FAIL IN THE ENGINE. I HAVE EVEN FOUND OUT THAT HYUNDAI HAS A RECALL ON THIS SAME ENGINE THAT IS BEING USED IN MY 2013 KIA OPTIMA. MY CONCERN NOW IS THAT IF KIA ENDS UP ACKNOWLEDGING THIS EVENTUALLY AS A RECALL THAT THE WARRANTY WILL BE MORE THAN 10 YEARS OR 120, 000 MILES AS WITH MY HIGHWAY TRAVEL COMMUTE DAILY TO WORK I AM OVER THIS MILEAGE. I WILL BE MAKING AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE KIA DEALER TOMORROW TO SEE WHAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO AND WHAT IT MIGHT COST BEFORE I LOSE MY ENGINE.