NHTSA Complaint #11194388 — 2012 KIA FORTE

DRIVING DOWN AN INTERSTATE AROUND 75MPH THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING AN ABNORMAL LOUD ENGINE KNOCKING NOISE SO I PULLED OVER TO THE MEDIAN AND THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON, ENGINE SEIZED, AND THE CAR DIED AND WOULD NOT START. CAR HAD OIL. TOWED 100+ MILES TO OUR LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID #2 ROD BEARING "SEVERELY WORN AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO MAKE NOISE AND STOP ROTATING". THEY RECOMMENDED A COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF AROUND $5700 (COST AND LABOR). 2012 KIA FORTE SX WITH 2.4L ENGINE AND 106,XXX MILES (6,000 OUTSIDE THEIR 10YEAR/100,000 MILE WARRANTY). CAR HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES AT THE PROPER TIMES. THIS IS THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM (WORN ROD BEARINGS) KIA/HYUNDAI HAD WITH THEIR OTHER ENGINES WHICH REQUIRED A RECALL TO ADDRESS THE THOUSANDS OF GRIEVANCES. I WOULD LIKE THESE 2.4L FORTE ENGINES TO ALSO BE INCLUDED IN A FUTURE RECALL BECAUSE I BELIEVE THESE ENGINES ARE EITHER DEFECTIVE IN THEIR MANUFACTURING PROCESS OR JUST FAULTY BY DESIGN. HAD I NOT PULLED OVER WHEN I DID THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE SEIZED WHILE I WAS DRIVING INTERSTATE SPEED WITH THE TYPICAL INTERSTATE TRAFFIC (SEMI TRUCKS ALL OVER) WITH MY WIFE AND TWO SMALL CHILDREN ON BOARD. KIA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM AND SO FAR HAVE OFFERED NO SATISFACTION. A MODERN CAR SHOULD LAST MORE THAN 7 YEARS, UNLESS IT WAS DESIGNED WRONG OR DAMAGED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.