kia engine issues...really serious or overinflated?

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Aug 4, 2020
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I am considering a new kia soul (my certified used subie was in at least 1 unreported serious accident & problems are popping up); some of my research points to severe engine issues with kia's...blown up, oil consumption, fires, unfixed recall problems, etc

is there cause for concern or mostly hater hype? thanks...
 
Hyun/Kia is very polarizing on this board. It’s unlikely that you’ll get much more than anecdotal evidence. The thing to know about Hyun/Kia: the 2.4L were not great engines. That said, the vast majority of them produced went well beyond their generous warranty. The other engines are generally solid. Decent power, good fuel economy, maybe a bit unrefined, but not terrible. The most important thing, in my opinion, is maintenance. I don’t think these engines take neglect well. Good maintenance will help a lot.

Anecdotal evidence time: 79k on my Elantra, no issues, no oil useage, 40 mpg on the highway.
 
is there cause for concern or mostly hater hype? thanks...
It depends on which model year, engine, etc. KIA and Hyundai no longer offer the half-decent deals they once had, so there isn't a good reason to buy one. I wouldn't buy a KIA/Hyundai ever again unless their pricing comes down to what they're truly worth, including their crappy warranty and service. Let me say that over 15+ years, we owned about a dozen of them, between us, my brother and my parents.

If you want something in the realm of acceptable, maybe take a peek at Mazda. They've been pretty problem free for a long time (other than minor issues).
 
If you are not a maintenance person or someone who will stick to a solid regimen not taking care of the engines go a different route..... for example the 2.4L.... have to keep strict on maintenance
That's very true. After five years, I just parted way with my 2018 Santa Fe Sport 2.4L. I did 4~5K OCIs with Euro oils during that time, like clockwork. The engine ran fine. I can't say I miss it very much, though. Underpowered, noisy, and prone to catastrophic failure. Good riddance.

The person who got new brakes, new Yokohama A/T tires, new AMSOIL SS ATF (4 drains and fills), and a new fill of the finest Castrol EDGE Euro 0W-40 from Belgium with a FRAM Titanium oil filter. That's a better condition for a used vehicle than 99% of people will get at ~40K miles.
 
I own two Hyundai cars. A 2011 that has an older design engine, it's fine. A 2016 with the Nu engine and it is a problem. The 1.8 and 2.0 Nu engines suffer from a poor piston design/construction and they develop piston slap and oil consumption. Regular maintenance does not solve this problem.
Hyundai doesn't warranty this problem as the engines usually last over 100,000 miles and they don't seize up and cause accidents like the thrown rods in the Theta engines. I think you are going to see a lot of scrapped hyundais, as junk yard motors will be none existent and new engines will cost more than the value of the car.

My 2016 Hyundai has many advanced high efficiency features that my 2006 chevrolet did not have, such as GDI, but the chevy was bigger, heavier and got better mileage. I don't think Hyundai finishes there designs, no final testing. Years 2011 to 2017 are bad....so far.
Someone mentioned Mazda. My son just bought a2016 Mazda 3. It feels like %25 more engineering went into it.
 
@kmrinpa, before I forget: in our 2017 Santa Fe, the transmission does a hard shift for the first 1-2 shift. Every time I turn it on, the engine shifts perfectly fine until I turn it off and back on again. The dealership couldn't figure it out. I did three drains and fills with AMSOIL SS ATF, ran it for 6000 miles, and did the same again with Red Line D6 ATF. It's been 1000 miles since then, and no change. I also reset the adaptive values for the transmission twice (once for the AMSOIL, once for the Red Line). No change. Now the dealership wants several hundred dollars to do some deeper diagnostics. I'm more inclined to change out the entire valve body and computer myself before giving them a single penny, knowing how incompetent they are.

I had some other issues with this one as well, but I don't want to get into that.

Would I buy another one of these? Never.
 
@kmrinpa, before I forget: in our 2017 Santa Fe, the transmission does a hard shift for the first 1-2 shift. Every time I turn it on, the engine shifts perfectly fine until I turn it off and back on again. The dealership couldn't figure it out. I did three drains and fills with AMSOIL SS ATF, ran it for 6000 miles, and did the same again with Red Line D6 ATF. It's been 1000 miles since then, and no change. I also reset the adaptive values for the transmission twice (once for the AMSOIL, once for the Red Line). No change. Now the dealership wants several hundred dollars to do some deeper diagnostics. I'm more inclined to change out the entire valve body and computer myself before giving them a single penny, knowing how incompetent they are.

I had some other issues with this one as well, but I don't want to get into that.

Would I buy another one of these? Never.
TSB#16-01-032
This bulletin provides information related to the ECU software update for certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles that may experience a transmission hesitation or shift shock when accelerating at slow speeds.

I take it you are not the original owner and don't get the benefit of the 100,000 mile power train warranty.

Don't know why the dealer couldn't figure it out.
 
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TSB#16-01-032
This bulletin provides information related to the ECU software update for certain 2017 Santa Fe vehicles that may experience a transmission hesitation or shift shock when accelerating at slow speeds.

I take it you are not the original owner and don't get the benefit of the 100,000 mile power train warranty.

Don't know why the dealer couldn't figure it out.
We are the original owners and it had this update done at the dealer years ago.

Let me explain it another way: if I start the engine, put it in "D", then manual mode, shift to 2nd, then back to 1st, while sitting still, it won't do that sudden shift.

[Edit]
Just to be sure I'll go by the dealerahip today and bring this TSB up to the kids who run the service department and have them check if it was performed on my VIN number. IIRC it was done in fall 2016, as we got the vehicle in spring 2016. But back then grownups ran the service department. These days, going there results in a lot of hair pulling. Their neglectful attitude and endless greed can drive a normal person to absolute madness.
 
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My MIL bought her 2014 Sportage LX brand new. I think she's at around 110k miles now with literally no issues. Just normal maintenance.

My SIL has a 2011 soul with the 1.6. She's put 30k hard miles on it with no issues apart from a chewed coil wire.

BITOG is afraid of Kia/Hyundai so this is not the place to ask about it.
 
I have just over 50k on my 17 Elantra. No issues to report here. 38 mpg mixed driving and got 43 mpg on our road trip yesterday on the interstate.
 
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Guy I know had to have his wife's Kia towed into the dealer because it went into limp mode. The service manager could see the concern on her face when he told her the motor was toast and would be replaced under warranty. He told her "don't worry we've replaced hundreds of them." :p
 
My MIL bought her 2014 Sportage LX brand new. I think she's at around 110k miles now with literally no issues. Just normal maintenance.

My SIL has a 2011 soul with the 1.6. She's put 30k hard miles on it with no issues apart from a chewed coil wire.

BITOG is afraid of Kia/Hyundai so this is not the place to ask about it.
Yep same with mentioning CVTs, especially with Nissan, but mine has been flawless since day 1 and I expect/hope it stays that way. I don't see why some get bent out of shape talking about engine oil as all oil is the same right, lmao?
 
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