NHTSA Complaint #11365146 — 2014 KIA SOUL

WE WERE ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY GOING HOME. WE STARTED UP A HILL AND THE CAR LOST POWER BUT WAS FINE AGAIN AFTER THE HILL, WENT UP ANOTHER HILL AND THE CAR LOST POWER AGAIN BUT THIS TIME IT STARTED MAKING A CLANGING NOISE IN THE MOTOR. WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. NO WARNING LIGHTS AT ALL. MY HUSBAND WHO WAS IN ANOTHER VEHICLE AHEAD OF US CHECKED EVERYTHING AND FOUND THE OIL WAS A LITTLE LOW BUT IT WASN'T TIME FOR AN OIL CHANGE IT HAD ONLY BEEN A LITTLE OVER 3000 MILES AND IT IS ALWAYS CHANGED BEFORE OR AT 5000 MILES. HE ADDED OIL BUT THE NOISE WAS STILL THERE. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DID AN INSPECTION AND HE HEARD THE NOISE COMING FROM CYLINDER #3 AND HE DID A COMPRESSION TEST AND IT LOST COMPRESSION. HIS DIAGNOSIS IS THAT THE ROD IN CYLINDER #3 HAS BROKE AND WE NEED A NEW MOTOR. AFTER GETTING A HOLD OF KIA THEY WANT US TO TAKE IT TO A KIA DEALER AND PAY TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED BUT IT WILL COST US ALMOST $300 AND WE ALREADY PAID ONE CERTIFIED MECHANIC, FOR THAT WHICH WE DON'T HAVE. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2019 WITH A LITTLE OVER 90,000 MILES AND JUST HAD A LITTLE OVER 100,000 ON IT. THIS HAPPENED IN AUGUST OF 2020 AND THE VEHICLE IS JUST SITTING AS WE MAKE PAYMENTS ON SOMETHING WE CAN'T EVEN DRIVE. WE STILL OWE $7700 ON THE CAR AND A MOTOR WILL COST ALMOST THAT AMOUNT. AFTER READING ALL THE RECALLS KIA AND OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE SAME MOTORS HAVE DONE WE ARE AT A LOSS ON WHY KIA ISN'T REPLACING THE SAME MOTOR IN OUR VEHICLE. THE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE PHONE EVEN SAID IF WE TOOK IT TO KIA AND HAD IT DIAGNOSED THEY STILL WOULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HELP. WE HAVE TAKEN GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE SINCE WE BOUGHT IT AND ALWAYS HAD THE OIL CHANGED. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO REPLACE THE MOTOR. PLEASE HELP.