NHTSA Complaint #11538029 — 2016 KIA OPTIMA

Car has been consuming too much oil and burning spark plugs all the time since car was at 80k miles. Car was covered under a bumper to bumper 100k mile warranty. Now at 136k, dealership is now doing oil consumption test, but even if we fail this test, new engine will not be installed. Dealership is saying they “got in trouble” for replacing too many engines and now an inspector has to come out to inspect the engine, which is only once every 2 weeks. Kia will not pay for rental car and car has to stay on lot until inspected, and will only pay for rental car after inspector looks at car. We were also told that unless the car throws a knock sensor code, throws a rod, or locks up, engine will not be replaced and we will have to pay for all repairs. We are the sole owners of the car, and all updates/recalls have been done at dealership. Dealership even told us to “run the car with no oil, let the engine lock up, and then replace the oil before bringing it to dealership” and that doing this will ensure a replacement engine. We also have the lifetime warranty on the engine, but Kia will not honor it unless we throw a knock code, throw a piston/rod, or engine locks up. This is a HUGE safety hazard not only for us driving, but for others on the road as well. We add no less than 2 quarts of oil per week and change at least one spark plug a month.