NHTSA Complaint #11719383 — 2016 KIA SORENTO

The engine stalled while driving on the expressway. Myself and my daughter and her friend were in the car. The vehicle started right back up, and I was able to drive the car home (less than 2 miles away). The following day, my wife got an oil change, and went on the expressway, and the engine stalled again causing her to have to navigate the car, with no engine power, to the side of the highway and wait for myself and a tow truck. Both times were very dangerous. We had the vehicle towed to a mechanic, who said the crank shaft & rods and bearings for the engine look like they failed and seized up, causing the engine to complete lock up and stall, requiring a full engine replacement. Kia is refusing replacement saying we are not covered by the previous complaints and concerns, stating our vehicle is not covered specifically, stating that the 3.3L engines were not covered under the previous recall/extended warranty offered on engines in the same yr/make/model as our vehicle. The check engine light came on, and there was a slight knocking sound as the car was idling just before the engine stall, and as the engine stalled, the oil lamp and the battery light came on. This happened both times. The symptoms appeared just before complete engine failure. We get the vehicle serviced at Kia, and had the oil changed by Strickland Brothers the day of. We were concerned that the engine light came on due to potential of the oil needing to be changed. We do not have any electronic files or reports for this issue yet.