NHTSA Complaint #11376844 — 2013 KIA SORENTO

ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING OUR 2013 KIA SORRENTO TO GET MY WINDSHIELD REPLACED AS IT HAD A CRACK IN IT. WE HAD DRIVEN DOWN THE MOUNTAIN FROM WHERE WE LIVE TO HICKORY, NC WHERE IT WAS CHEAPER TO GET IT REPLACED. WE HAD DRIVEN ABOUT AN HOUR AND THE CAR WAS DRIVING FINE AND WE HAD NOT BEEN HAVING ANY ISSUES WITH IT STARTING, RUNNING OR MAKING ANY KIND OF NOISES IN THE TIME LEADING UP TO THIS DAY. WE CAME TO A RED LIGHT AND THE VEHICLE JUST STOPPED AND WOULD NOT START UP AGAIN, MY HUSBAND SAID THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING HOT AND THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF OIL OR ANTIFREEZE IN THE ROAD. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND PUSHED THE CAR OFF THE ROAD, WHILE MY HUSBAND STIRRED THE CAR BECAUSE WE LOST ALL STEERING FOR THE CAR. WE CONTINUED TO TRY TO START IT, BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. WE ENDED UP HAVING IT TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN HICKORY, NC (PARAMOUNT KIA). IT WAS ON A SATURDAY SO THEY WERE SHORT STAFFED, BUT WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT MY VEHICLE. I WAS SHOCKED BY WHAT THEY SAID THE PROBLEM WAS. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE V6 ENGINE HAD SEIZED AND IT NEEDED A STARTER AND A NEW BATTERY. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST OVER $6,000.00 TO GET IT FIXED. HOW COULD AN ENGINE WITH AROUND 114,000.00 MILES JUST STOP RUNNING AT A RED LIGHT WITH NO WARNING AND HOW DOES THE BATTERY AND STARTER ALSO GO OUT AT THE SAME TIME? WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE THEY WERE GOING TO PUT IN THE CAR ALREADY HAD 88,000 MILES ON IT (I HAVE ATTACHED THE QUOTE AND DIAGNOSIS SHEET)I HAVE ALL OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. IT WAS GOING TO COST THIS MUCH AND THIS WAS NOT EVEN A NEW ENGINE AND WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THIS ENGINE WOULD LAST IF IT ALREADY HAS THIS MANY MILES ON IT? I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF AN ENGINE JUST STOPPING LIKE THAT. I KNOW KIA HAS RECALLS FOR 4 CYLINDERS, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE V6 AS WELL.*DT*AS