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Kia Motors of America is facing a proposed consumer class action lawsuit over allegations that certain Sportage, Optima, and Sorento vehicle models are prone to catastrophic engine failure due to an engine oil defect.
The class action lawsuit arises from Kia Motor America’s alleged failure to disclose that the engines in affected vehicles contain a latent defect that results in the restriction of oil flow through the connecting rod bearing, as well as to other vital areas of the engine.
Plaintiff Greg Wallis of California purchased a pre-owned 2013 Kia Optima LX in November 2013. In March 2016, while driving on the highway, Wallis claims he heard an unusual engine noise upon acceleration and brought his car into a Kia service department.
A Kia service technician reportedly evaluated Wallis’ vehicle and advised him that he needed to replace the motor due to metal shavings found inside the vehicles engine for a cost of $7,000. After charging $200 just to diagnose the issue, Wallis declined additional work on his vehicle and left the dealership.
However, after leaving the dealership to drive a short 15 miles home, Wallis’ Kia Optima seized while driving and he was forced to have the car towed to his home, where is vehicle remains inoperable due to the failed engine, the lawsuit states.
Wallis claims that he contacted Kia’s customer service center numerous times, but Kia was unwilling to assist him with the costs of repairing the failed engine in his vehicle.
Co-plaintiff Jodie Peltier of Illinois alleges similar circumstances with her 2013 Kia Sorento, which caused her vehicle to dangerously stall during high speed.
It is believed the connecting rod bearings in certain engines fail as metal debris circulate throughout the engine via the engine oil. Over time, the contaminants in the oiling system cause the connecting rod bearings to fracture and spew large amounts of metal debris into the engine oil, which it cannot filter out to maintain necessary oil pressure.
“This contaminated engine oil is recirculated throughout the engine by the oil pump, causing damage to the various engine components and eventually results in sudden and unexpected catastrophic engine failure. If the vehicle is being operated on the highway at the time of the engine failure, it will ultimately result in a high speed stalling event, as it did for Plaintiff Peltier,” the class action lawsuit reports.
Both plaintiffs assert that Kia had a longstanding knowledge that this sufficient engine oil defect existed and could cause catastrophic engine failure and stalling while in operation, posing a significant safety risk to the vehicle occupants.
According to the Kia engine oil defect lawsuit, many owners and lessees of the affected vehicles communicated with Kia to remedy the concealed engine oil defect and damage caused to their cars, but claim that Kia refused to take any action to correct, even within the warranty period.
“Not only did Kia actively conceal the material fact that this particular component is defectively designed (and requires costly repairs to fix), but it also did not reveal that the existence of this defect would diminish the intrinsic resale value of the vehicle,” the lawsuit states.
Even numerous complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), have not prompted Kia to repair the engine oil defect or or to reimburse customers who incurred out-of-pocket expenses to repair the defect.
The lawsuit cites at least 19 customer complaints filed with the NHTSA. One of these NHTSA complaints posted by a 2011 Kia Optima owner states that “while driving approximately 60 mph an abnormal sound emitted from under the hood of the vehicle as the check engine oil warning light flickered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the connecting rod failed and the engine needed to be replaced…”
This is not the first time Kia has been under fire for vehicle issues. In 2013, the automaker was accused of manufacturing vehicles with defective fuel tanks. The class action lawsuit included owners of the 2010-2013 models of the Kia Soul, Soul Plus, Soul Exclaim, and Soul Sport cars.
More recently in 2015, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into Kia (along with Hyundai) for purportedly misstating the fuel economy ratings on certain 2011 -2013 vehicles. Kia and Hyundai agreed to settle allegations for a reported $100 million – the largest civil penalty under the Clean Air Act.
The plaintiffs bring this class action lawsuit on behalf of themselves and a proposed Class of current and former owners and lessees with Theta 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter gasoline direct injection engines (GDI engines) installed in certain 2011- 2014 Kia Optima, Sportage, and Sorento vehicles.
They are seeking class certification as well as redress Kia’s violations of California and Illinois consumer fraud statutes, along with recovery for breach of express and implied warranties, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and common law fraud in excess of $5 million.
Wallis and Peltier are represented by Richard D. McCune, David C. Wright, Joseph G. Sauder, Matthew D. Schelkopf, and Joseph B. Kenney of McCune Wright LLP.
The Kia Engine Oil Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Greg Wallis and Jodie Peltier v. Kia Motors America Inc., Case No. 8:16-cv-01033, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
UPDATE: On November 7, 2016, the Kia Engine Oil Defect class action lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed.
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648 thoughts onKia Class Action Lawsuit Targets Engine Oil Defect
I have a 2016 Kia Sorento, It has been burning oil for the past 6 months, I had to repair oil parts in the engine, 2 weeks after the same problem occurred. I took it back to the garage and they printed out the information regarding Kia’s defective engine’s and stated that the engine would need to be replaced. Such bs, Kia won’t do anything.
I have a 2015 kia Sorento and I’m having the same oil problems, with metal shavings and burning oil that is not leaking on the ground! My vehicle is very hesitant when accelerating! Took it to Kia and was told keep an eye on the oil and when the check engine light comes on they will
replace my engine! This is just BS! Lori Young
I am having the same issue with my 2017 Kia Sorento at 50,000 miles
I have a 2018 kia optima 125000 miles and its burning excessive oil. I have to add oil weekly. I dont use the car for anything other then to work and back.
We have Kia Sedona 2019 and use lots of oil .. for some reason, every day I need to add some… I’m getting tired and worried… besides oil is very expensive
yo tengo un kia soul 2014 mi carro sele acaba muy pronto el aceite estoy teniendo problemas con eso alguien me puede ayudar como aserle
I have kia sorento 2011. The oil stick read full. The oil light came on and I drove 1 mile back to house. I had it towed to a mechanic. The mechanic jacked it up and started it and the rear main oil line dumped all the oil out. If I were on the highway the car would have seized up and stopped dead in its tracks and I could have been killed or many could have been killed. No mechanic in the whole city of fort wayne I ndiana, which is the second largest city would touch my car. Nine mechanics said it was a very dangerous car and don’t want to be liable for any injures after they fix it cause it will keep on happening. The kia dealership quoted me $1700.00 to fix. A $34.00 part and 11 hours of labor. Not only could it have killed me and others on highways but now I have to pay for risking my life to drive a kia sorento. My extensive research shows lawsuits against kia for rear main oil leaks and kia won with no recalls on kia sorento 2011 for this problem. I talked to my insurance agent and said don’t ever buy a kia sorento and she informed me that she hears it all the time more than any other vehicle. She said a girlfriend had one and it stopped dead in the road twice with no warning on oil light. After the second fix is stopped on a highway going 65 miles an hour and a semi had to jerk his semi to keep from running the sorento over. The lady got it fixed again and sold it. She said she refused to ever drive it again. This is just one example. It’s attempted murder on kia. How can this happen with kia suffering no loses. They make money off the fixes and endanger lives in the process. Thank God I pulled over immediately when the light came on. If I wouldn’t have I may be dead right now. I want to join this lawsuit. This is .making a profit on murder.
I have the same issue with the excessive oil consumption. Mine led the both the engine and catalytic converter failing. It’s a $12,000 repair. I applied for a Kia good will repair and it was denied. How do I join this lawsuit? Kia needs to be responsible for their failures.
I have a 2019 Kia soul same problem with the dealership and Kia they now want me to take it in for an inspection even knew it through a rod cap how do I get in on the lawsuit
I own a 2017 Kia soul and have done two oil consumption tests. The second group of tests I checked the oil level on the dip stick and each time the Kia service department over filled my oil. I would drive one thousand miles and it was down almost one quart. I was informed that one quart of oil was acceptable per thousand miles, but they say to change the oil every 5,000 miles. I have pictures with the receipt of the oil dip-stick.
Oil consumption results engine damage
I have a Kia Forte 2016, and about 3 weeks ago, I was on my way to work, and the car started jumping excessively. I took it my local mechanic who told me the car was losing oil excessively and it was leaking into the engine. He informed me I had to take it back to the dealer to have it fixed. Took my car to a kia dealer who informed me the same as my mechanic, and the engine had some scoring. Since it was a different kia dealer, they told me to take it back to where I originally bought the car and charged me 186. Took my car to the kia I bought the car from who then said it was my coils and spark plugs, and everything else was ok. I told him and sent him my report from the previous dealer and they said no its not correct. Mind you my mechanic and another kia service dept said it was the engine. I do have warranty on the car but the warranty dept wants my mechanic to take the engine apart so they can verify that it is an engine problem but they do not cover the cost of tearing the engine apart. Wth now I’ve been without a car for 3 weeks and maybe longer because I cannot afford this engine being taken apart.
Add me too. 2018 Kia Optama uses over a qt every 1000 mi.