NHTSA Complaint #11715656 — 2018 KIA SORENTO

2018 Kia Sorento 2.4 GDI. In late 2024 a Kia dealer performed an oil-consumption test and confirmed the engine was burning excessive oil. In Feb 2025 the engine long block was replaced. Within about 4,000 miles the vehicle began setting P1326 warnings, misfiring, losing power, and struggling to climb hills. On a highway trip from South Carolina back to Indiana, the vehicle could barely maintain 30–40 mph on grades with the accelerator floored while traffic was moving much faster. The check-engine light returned repeatedly. The vehicle eventually died on an exit ramp and had to be pushed out of traffic and towed. I felt it was unsafe to drive but was repeatedly told by dealers that it was “OK to drive” or that the issue was “bad gas.” After visits to multiple dealers, the current Kia service center finally diagnosed a severely clogged exhaust. They report the manifold catalytic converter and underbody converter have broken down internally and are heavily coated in carbon/oil deposits, and state this likely came from the engine burning oil before and around the time of the rebuild. Exhaust temperatures have been recorded at very high levels, and the engine will only run briefly with an O2 sensor removed to vent exhaust; with the exhaust sealed it will not stay running. The dealer has warned there may now be internal engine damage from prolonged backpressure. The vehicle has been undriveable for many months and the failed converters are being retained and are available for inspection. My concern is that excessive oil consumption on these GDI engines is causing secondary catalytic-converter failure, extreme power loss, stalling risk, and possible fire risk from overheated exhaust components, even after engine replacement.