NHTSA Complaint #11337320 — 2014 KIA SOUL

ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION HAS BEEN .69QTS PER 1K MILES. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW. IN THE BEGINNING I THOUGHT THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WASN`T CHANGING THE OIL. I WENT TO A METALLURGIST I HAD DONE SOME WORK FOR AND ASKED HIM TO OBSERVE MY DRAWING OF AN OIL SAMPLE TO SEND OFF FOR ANALYSIS. THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY IN THE OIL. I STARTED SERVICING THE CAR MYSELF. OVER TIME I KEPT TOPPING UP THE LEVEL IN THE ENGINE. THE CAR WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE END OF WARRANTY AND NEWS HAD REPORTED ENGINE FIRES IN MY MAKE AND MODEL OF AUTO. KIA CALLED IN AUTOS FOR AN OIL CONSUMPTION ANALYSIS: AN OIL CHANGE - GOOP UP THE DRAIN PLUG, DIP STICK - OIL FILLER - CAP - DRIVE 1000 MILES - BRING THE CAR BACK - CHECK THE OIL - TOP IT UP - DO IT AGAIN. THREE OF THESE CYCLES WERE CALLED FOR. I BROUGHT MY CAR BACK FOR THE FIRST CHECK BY THIS TIME I HAD ZERO CONFIDENCE IN THIS PROCESS. I MADE THEM ALLOW ME TO OBSERVE THE DIP STICK CHECK FOR CRANKCASE OIL LEVEL. LOW AND BEHOLD IT HAD MADE OIL. THIS INDICATED THE OIL LEVEL HAD BEEN EXCEEDED AND THERE HAD BEEN NO BASE LINE BEEN ESTABLISHED SO THE FIRST 1000 MILE CHECK WAS A WASTE OF TIME. I MADE THEM SUCTION OFF THE EXCESS OIL TO ESTABLISH AN APPROPRIATE POINT OF REFERENCE. IN THE END THEY SENT ME HOME WITH A STATEMENT THAT KIA CONSIDERED .7 QUARTS PER 1K MILES ACCEPTABLE. ONE FREE OIL CHANGE @ 1K MILES THEN 10K INTERVALS MILE TO THE NEXT OIL CHANGE. 10K MILES @ ACCEPTABLE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION OF .7 QUARTS PER 10K MILES = AN EMPTY CRANKCASE BEFORE OIL CHANGE IS DUE. NO WONDER THEY FOUND DEBRIS IN THE CRANKSHAFT. IT DOESN`T TAKE A NUCLEAR PHYSICIST TO EXTRAPOLATE THIS. KIA FEELS ITS THE OWNERS FAULT DEBRIS IS FOUND. WHO WOULD BUY A NEW AUTO WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THESE STATISTICS. AT A MINIMUM THE AUTO WAS MISREPRESENTED.