NHTSA Complaint #11004374 — 2013 KIA SORENTO

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING NORTH ON I-49 IN LOUISIANA WHEN OUR 2013 KIA SORENTO (APPROXIMATELY 86,000 MILES) BEGAN MAKING A CLICKING/KNOCKING NOISE UPON ACCELERATION, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING, AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. WE PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART. WE TURNED OUR EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON FOR CAUTIONARY PURPOSES, BUT AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES, THE LIGHTS COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF OIL LEAKAGE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE, AS WELL AS OIL SPLATTER UNDERNEATH THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE NEAR THE ENGINE AND OVER THE ENTIRE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE, FROM THE FRONT HOOD TO THE BACK WINDOW. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST KIA DEALERSHIP AND WERE TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE BEARINGS IN THE ENGINE HAD FAILED, WHICH RESULTED IN "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE," AND THAT ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. WE WERE ALSO INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE IN OUR VEHICLE IS A 2.4-L MPI ENGINE, WHICH IS NOT PART OF THE CURRENT RECALL; HOWEVER, INDIVIDUALS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WITH KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE CONFIRMED THAT THE PROBLEMS WE EXPERIENCED ARE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THE 2.4-L GDI ENGINES THAT ARE PART OF THIS RECALL. WE HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DILIGENT WITH OIL CHANGES, AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES UNTIL OUR NEXT OIL CHANGE, WHICH WE CAN SUPPORT WITH DOCUMENTATION. KIA HAS DENIED OUR REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.