NHTSA Complaint #11323865 — 2014 KIA SOUL

I BOUGHT THE CAR MAY 28, 2019. IN AUGUST, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON SO I GOT AN OIL CHANGE; THE FIRST OF MANY. BY JANUARY 2020, I HAD CHANGED THE OIL 5 TIMES, AND SUDDENLY THE CAR BEGAN TO DRASTICALLY SLOW ACCELERATION. IT WOULD REV UP WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND WAS SLOW TO SHIFT GEARS. IT TOOK A LOT OF EFFORT JUST TO GET IT UP TO A NORMAL SPEED AND IF GOING UP A HILL, IT WOULD DECELERATE. I TOOK IT TO A KIA DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE VALVE COVER GASKET, AND THE COILS AND SPARK PLUGS WERE DAMAGED DUE TO EXCESSIVE OIL SPATTERING. THEY FIRST TRIED TO SAY IT WAS BECAUSE I DID NOT KEEP THE OIL CHANGED, BUT I WAS ABLE TO SHOW THEM JUST HOW OFTEN I HAD CHANGED IT. THEY TOLD ME THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RED FLAG THAT THE ENGINE WAS BAD, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT AND THOUGHT I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING BY KEEPING THE OIL CHANGED. THEY REPLACED THE VALVE COVER GASKET, ALL COILS AND SPARK PLUGS BUT THE CAR MADE NO IMPROVEMENT. AFTER I TOOK IT BACK AGAIN, I WAS THEN TOLD THE ENGINE WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF SLUDGE. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT FOR FEAR OF IT CATCHING FIRE, AND THAT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. *TR