NHTSA Complaint #11041134 — 2013 KIA SORENTO

ON OCTOBER 6TH, I WAS COMMUTING HOME FROM WORK AND MY VEHICLE STARTED MAKING NOISE UPON ACCELERATION THAT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING WAS LOOSE. ONCE I ARRIVED AT MY HOUSE, I NOTICED A KNOCKING SOUND AS I PUT MY VEHICLE IN PARK. OUT NEAREST KIA SERVICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT OPEN ON SATURDAYS SO I TOOK IT TO A NEARBY MECHANIC. THEY DETERMINED THERE WAS A BEARING ISSUE AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. THEY HAD A DIFFICULT TIME GIVING ME A COMPLETE ESTIMATE BECAUSE THEY HAD TROUBLE FINDING ALL PARTS NEEDED. I CONTACTED KIA ON MONDAY AND ASKED IF THEY COULD HELP ME AS I WAS JUST A BIT OVER THE 100,000 WARRANTY. THEY SUGGESTED I CALL KIA AND SPEAK TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AND OPEN A CASE WITH THEM. I OPENED A CASE AND THEY SUGGESTED I BRING MY CAR INTO KIA FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. I BROUGHT IT IN ON TUESDAY AND THEY CONFIRMED THERE WAS A BEARING ISSUE AND THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS QUOTED $7,700 BEFORE TAX FOR A RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE AND OVER $12,000 FOR A FULLY ASSEMBLED ENGINE. MY REQUEST FOR KIA TO ASSIST ME WITH THIS REPAIR WAS PUT IN, I FORWARDED MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SENT THAT ALONG WITH SOME PHOTOS THE DISTRICT PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER REQUESTED OF MY ENGINE. I DID NOT HEAR BACK FROM KIA EVEN AFTER ATTEMPTING TO FOLLOW UP DAILY UNTIL OCTOBER 25 AFTER I REQUESTED MY CASE BE ESCALATED. I INQUIRED WITH MY CASE MANAGER, CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS, AND THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY WENT WRONG WITH MY ENGINE AND HOW THIS SITUATION IS UNLIKE THE MOST RECENT RECALL ON MY SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL ENGINES-ONLY THOSE WERE GDI. I CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS A ROD BEARING THAT CAUSED METAL SHAVINGS TO BE FOND IN MY ENGINE. BASED ON MY RESEARCH OF THE RECENT RECALL, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE ISSUE WAS. I'M NOT SIRE WHY WITH SO MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, OTHER ENGINES WERE NOT CONSIDERED IN THE RECALL.