NHTSA Complaint #11221637 — 2015 KIA SORENTO

AT APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES, PROBLEMS BEGAN. FIRST NOTED THE COOLANT CONTAINER WAS CONTAMINATED WITH OIL AND SLUDGE. ENTIRE SYSTEM WAS SLUDGED, DID NOT KNOW WHY. I HAD THE SYSTEM COMPLETELY FLUSHED AND ALL NEW FLUIDS REPLACED. 2 WEEKS LATER, AGAIN, THE SLUDGE APPEARED AND COOLANT CONTAINER FILLED WITH OIL AND COOLANT HOSE BURNED THROUGH DUE TO THE OIL. THE COOLANT HOSE WAS REPLACED. AND AGAIN I HAD THE ENTIRE SYSTEM FLUIDS FLUSHED. AGAIN, THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH SLUDGE BUT THIS TIME AS I WAS DRIVING THE CAR 2 MILES FROM MY HOME TO A MAIN STREET BANK, SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD. OPENED THE HOOD, SMOKE COMING OUT FROM ENGINE, AND A SLUDGE SUBSTANCE EXPLODED THROUGHOUT THE CAR AND OOZED OUT OF THE CAR. COULD NO LONGER DRIVE THE VEHICLE DUE TO ENGINE SEIZE CONCERNS. CAR WAS METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED- OIL CHANGES REGULARLY, INSPECTIONS ETC. I WAS TOLD I'D HAVE TO POSSIBLY GET A NEW ENGINED, OR AT THE LEAST HAVE TWO HEAD GASKETS REPLACED AT A COST OF $5,500. DESPITE KIA TOUTING THE 100,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, AND AFTER WEEKS OF TRYING TO GET THE DEALER TO FIX IT, THEN WENT UP THE CORPORATE LADDER SPEAKING WITH CORPORATE, I WAS FINALLY TOLD THAT THE WARRANTY DID NOT APPLY TO ME BECAUSE I WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER!!!! THIS DESPITE THE FACT THAT I PURCHASED THE CAR CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED FROM THE KIA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A 100,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY THAT APPLIED- THAT THIS WAS A SELLING FEATURE!!! I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS WHILE I TRIED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH KIA- BUT THEY REFUSED. THERE WAS A 2014 RECALL ON THE SAME CAR, AND THIS CAR WAS A 2015, MANUFACTURED IN 2014. I OWED $9,000 ON THE CAR!!!! NEEDING A CAR, I BOUGHT A USED BUICK FOR $2600 TO USE SINCE IT WOULD BE CHEAPER THAN RENTING A CAR, AND WILL SELL THAT CAR WHEN NEEDED. CAN'T UPLOAD THE PHOTOS AND THE REPAIRS INFO AT THIS TIME.