NHTSA Complaint #11682175 — 2017 KIA OPTIMA

Car began hesitating and stalling, particularly from a stop. Engine light came on. Took the car to the KIA dealership for diagnosis. Was told by svc coordinator that the diagnosis indicated a bad knock sensor. The technician replaced the knock sensor, then test drove the car. It failed immediately. I was told that it would likely need engine replacement. After a few days, svc coordinator called and said that KIA recommended replacing the knock sensor (again) and perform a tuneup. They declined to replace the engine. The car runs in "limp home mode" (Kia's terminology), hesitates and stalls so as to make it very unsafe to operate. The engine on this car was replaced about two years ago for excessive oil consumption. There cannot be more than 30k miles on the new engine. KIA stated that there is a lifetime warranty on the replaced engines, but are apparently not going to honor the warranty. Car is serviced regularly and is in otherwise excellent condition.