I ditched my 2014 Optima because of this same treatment. Kia strung me along while I was having issues, and they tried to convince me that the engine was perfectly fine.
Make sure to check for any recall or warranty coverage on the engine. My 16 Sorento started burning oil and eventually needed to be rebuilt, but Kia covered everything.
Fane said:
Make sure to check for any recall or warranty coverage on the engine. My 16 Sorento started burning oil and eventually needed to be rebuilt, but Kia covered everything.
What kind of engine is in your Sorento?
Fane said:
Make sure to check for any recall or warranty coverage on the engine. My 16 Sorento started burning oil and eventually needed to be rebuilt, but Kia covered everything.
It’s being claimed that it’s showing the right code for coverage…
That’s fishy.
@Clovis
Has it been confirmed, or are you just saying it?
My engine failed in my 2015 model, but I was already out of warranty by 2,000 miles…
Now, I’m left with a total loss. Hopefully, you can get assistance since you are under 100K miles. I would reach out to Kia; if they can’t help, there’s a company called Car Brain that might compensate you.
Most people will disagree with my point, but when I had my 2012 Kia Rio, it had similar troubles. I used 10w-40 oil, yes you read that right. I changed a few times with that oil, and the car lasted a year before failing. The oil generally was good for around 3,000 miles. Then one day, it burned the exhaust valve. It still ran fine, and I traded it for a Ford Focus.
As a technician with some experience, a burned valve isn’t covered by the engine campaign. That case would only qualify for a powertrain warranty (5 years or 60K miles for owners after the first). My advice is to see if you don’t have extended warranty coverage or find a shop willing to disassemble the engine and replace the valves (it’s not cheap, but it should cost less than a full engine replacement). If you’re curious, I have an example image of a burned valve on a 2.4 engine.
@Feng
Could Kia be lying about the situation (claiming the wrong problem or that the engine replacement code is the issue)?
Clovis said:
@Feng
Could Kia be lying about the situation (claiming the wrong problem or that the engine replacement code is the issue)?
There’s always a chance for that, but this isn’t an unusual issue with those engines. I’ve personally dealt with two of those engines and have seen about four others in our shop. I can’t speak for their process, but here’s how I would handle this scenario. The vehicle comes in, I check for any readings and find P0302 (misfire in cylinder 2). To troubleshoot, I replace the spark plug and coil pack with those from a different cylinder. If the misfire doesn’t change, I’ll test the compression. If it shows lower than 130, that’s a problem. I’ll inspect using a camera if necessary, and find what I showed in the first post.
The code used in the warranty engine process (the knocking engines) is P1326. This code doesn’t automatically get you a new engine, but it’s what dealers need to check for play (which creates the knocking noise). It also causes the engine light to blink regardless of the code being pending, active, or history.
Beryl said:
[deleted]
The difference is that replacing a battery pack can cost as much, or sometimes even more than the car itself.
It’s strange; it sounds like an issue with the crankshaft sensor. I had this problem with my old Kia Forte, where the car would stall and struggle to get over 20 mph. I changed the crankshaft sensor, and that fixed everything.
Is this happening in the UK?
Cal said:
Is this happening in the UK?
No, this is happening in the US.
This is literally what’s happening to me right now!! Cylinder #2 is misfiring.
Ariya said:
This is literally what’s happening to me right now!! Cylinder #2 is misfiring.
Check out my post for the details:
- I have a 2018 Kia Optima LX with 108K miles.
- I got it in August 2017.
- I’ve had issues with oil leaks.
- I fixed the valve cover gasket, but it still leaks oil.
- I had to replace the oil pan, and they said that fixed the problem.
- I still lose a lot of oil, even though I thought the car was good.
- Now, the car shakes and jerks, so I took it to get checked.
- They scanned the check engine light; the code indicated the spark plugs and the secondary ignition coil needed replacing.
- I replaced all 4 spark plugs and the secondary ignition coil.
- The car is still jerking and shaking from the misfire.
- The PSI in the secondary cylinder is about 40.
- The mechanic says there’s oil in that cylinder causing issues for the spark plug, and he’s concerned the pin may be damaged from a lack of lubrication.
- I took it to the dealer, but they want to do a diagnostic.
- Kia Corp said there’s a lifetime warranty for the rod bearing due to a recall.
- Do you think the rod bearing is the main concern?
- Or is there another potential issue?
@Ariya
My engine also needed replacement for all the same issues you described.
I changed spark plugs regularly and added oil multiple times a week (which is crazy to have to do just to drive it), but by the time the shaking started, I knew it was done.
I got $2,200 from a junkyard that came to pick it up.