NHTSA Complaint #11292228 — 2012 KIA FORTE

PURCHASED MY KIA FORTE 2.4L HATCHBACK USED 5 YEARS AGO WITH 42,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND HAVE CHANGED TO OIL AT THE RECOMMENDED INTERVALS AND PARTICIPATED IN THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE AT CERTIFIED KIA DEALERS ONLY. IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, OIL LEVEL NEVER DECREASED SO THERE WERE NO LEAKS. I WAS DRIVING HOME ON A 3-HOUR TRIP WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO DEVELOP A RATTLING NOISE. I PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE FLUIDS AND EXPOSED BELT AND NO ISSUES. THE RATTLING GREW MORE NOTICEABLE FROM A RATTLING TO A GRINDING NOISE (60-70 MPH) AND THEN THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN MINUTES THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, POWER LOST AND SPEED DECREASING WITHOUT A WAY TO ACCELERATE. I WAS ON A BUSY VIRGINIA HIGHWAY AND WAS ABLE TO PULL ONTO THE SHOULDER. TOWED TO CERTIFIED KIA DEALER WHO STATED THAT ONCE THEY OPENED THE OIL PAN, CHUNKS OF METAL CAME OUT AND THERE WERE GAPING HOLES IN ENGINE BLOCK. CLEARLY THIS ENGINE IS FACING THE SAME TERRIBLE FATE OF THE OTHER ENGINES RECALLED BY KIA; WHY WONT THEY ADMIT AND RECALL THE KIA ENGINES? AS SECOND OWNER, CAR IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.