NHTSA Complaint #11417367 — 2016 KIA SORENTO

I have complained to Kia regarding excessive oil consumption. The dealership stated my head gasket needed to be replaced. 2 weeks after Kia replaced, I had a routine oil change at my local mechanic who regularly performs maintenance. He contacts me and has me come down to show me he did not want to do the oil change as he noticed that the gasket had not been changed as I had claimed it was when i dropped it off earlier in the day. He agreed to order the parts and when replaced gave me the parts which could not have possibly been new. I called Smithtown Kia reporting a complaint at paying nearly $500 and no repair was made to my car. At which, I was told there is an issue with the engine of my car as they received a “warning notice” from corporate. They explained I would likely need to replace the engine. They refused to refund my money for a repair not made. On 5/7/21, I was traveling to Delaware and on the NJ turnpike traveling at highway speed in the left lane, the engine decelerated and warning lights appear saying engine failure service required. Nearly being hit by cars traveling behind me and subsequently attempting to move to the shoulder was almost hit by 2 commercial trucks. A frightening experience and left stranded. The car was towed to a local mechanic who indicated the car needs to be towed to Kia as the engine is not performing. Having to wait until Monday, my car was towed to the nearest dealership In Delaware. I’m currently without a vehicle and waiting for the dealership to diagnose the issue. I’ve been told the service department will likely assess the car in 3-4 weeks due to all the engine failures they are addressing. The incident was traumatic for myself and my passenger, we could have been killed. My vehicle has always had oil changes, Car Fax and all my receipts can attest to my adherence to the maintenance of my vehicle. I’m praying this does not happen to anyone else and certainly not to an inexperienced driver as this would be a tragedy.