NHTSA Complaint #11176478 — 2013 KIA OPTIMA

I OWN A 2013 KIA OPTIMA, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO MISFIRE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE AT THE TIME WAS -50 WITH THE WINDCHILL. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THEY CALLED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT THE #2 CYLINDER WAS JUNK. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A BAD COIL PACK BUT WHEN SWITCHED TO THE #1 CYLINDER THE MISFIRE CODE DIDN'T FOLLOW THE COIL PACK, IT CODE STAYED AT CYLINDER #2 EVEN WITH A BRAND NEW PLUG. THE SPARK PLUGS HAD BEEN REPLACED IN SEPTEMBER 2018, THE SAME ISSUE THAT CAUSED THE PLUGS TO FAIL IN SEPTEMBER WHEN THE PLUGS WERE CHANGED OUT HAPPENED AGAIN ON THIS OCCASION (FEBRUARY 6, 2019). I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE KIA REPAIR SHOP THAT THERE WAS AN UPDATE TO THE ECM THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING, BUT WHEN I CONTACTED KIA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE REPAIR OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE UPDATE WAS NOT PERFORMED KIA REFUSED TO COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE, WHICH IS THE ONLY SOLUTION BECAUSE THE SPARK PLUG FAILED AND BLEW APART IN THE CYLINDER BECAUSE THE ECM UPDATE WAS PERFORMED. WHEN I ASKED KIA WHY THE REPAIR WAS NOT BEING COVERED THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DISCLOSE THAT INFORMATION TO ME AND THAT IT WAS PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. I OPENED A CASE NUMBER (13034007) WITH KIA AND ASKED THEM TO PROVIDE ME WITH INFORMATION AS TO WHY THEY WON'T COVER THE REPAIR AND THEY HAVE YET TO RESPOND BACK TO ME, IT IS NOW FEBRUARY 12 AND HAVEN'T RECEIVED A RESPONSE. I ALSO RECEIVED INFORMATION STATING THAT MY WARRANTY WOULD BE EXTENDED TO 10 YEARS, 100,000 MILES BUT KIA ISN'T HONORING THAT WARRANTY IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE. MY VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS AROUND 89,000 MILES ON IT. I AM CURRENTLY STILL PAYING A LOAN ON THIS VEHICLE AND IT'S NOT DRIVABLE, IT CURRENTLY SITS PARKED UNTIL THIS GETS RESOLVED.