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Got letter from KIA? optima warranty extension

59K views 108 replies 44 participants last post by  Jacques 
#1 ·
Guys, just received this mail(attached) from Kia, stating that they are extending the warranty for engine "short block" to 10 years 120k miles, to ALL owners(I bought the car used so this is good news).

Any thoughts?
 

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#9 ·
The letter states the coverage is for engine short block, which consists of engine block, crankshaft and bearing, connecting rods and bearing, pistons, so I guess its different from the powertrain warranty.

I am not the original owner and my optima has past the 5 yr/60k mark, I wish I could have the original powertrain warranty extended...
 
#15 ·
You are right.

I was thinking that the entire power-train coverage has been extended.:p

---------- Post added at 09:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 PM ----------

I keep going back to the Honda commercial from a few years ago, having a reliable warranty isn't the same thing as having a reliable car. Considering how much grief they've given other owners when they take their car in to get it warrantied, I'm guessing Kia is thinking they can deny claims if you don't have every single maintenance record, if you have anything after-market that they can insist caused the failure, or a whole host of reasons to deny the warranty. Time for me to start looking for a new car I guess.
****, you are right.

I forgot that no one really wants a engine that could fail on them anytime, even if it will be replaced by the dealership for free.

A good warranty do not make up for a unreliable engine, so you may be doing the right thing by trading the Optima in while the getting is good.:D

I was trying to stay positive about the recall, but you statement do make sense.
 
#12 ·
I keep going back to the Honda commercial from a few years ago, having a reliable warranty isn't the same thing as having a reliable car. Considering how much grief they've given other owners when they take their car in to get it warrantied, I'm guessing Kia is thinking they can deny claims if you don't have every single maintenance record, if you have anything after-market that they can insist caused the failure, or a whole host of reasons to deny the warranty. Time for me to start looking for a new car I guess.
 
#30 ·
That's what I was confused about as I'm the second owner. No extension right?
 
#32 ·
We have had 2 come into our dealership in the past week. 1 guy had 130,000 on his car and the other had 54,000 miles on his. There is nothing preventative we can do as owners to prevent this from happening other than crossing your fingers that it doesn't. I will be getting rid of my car before 120,000 miles anyway. The tech told me in both instances that the customer stated hearing a loud noise and then complete engine failure.
 
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#36 ·
My perspective: If I'm one of the unlucky ones that has an issue (and not everybody will be) and then get a new engine with all the fixes, apart from the hassle (not insignificant), why worry? I've got 10 years and 120K miles to keep me solid.
 
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#37 ·
skyfrost, I think that 5% is going to go way up in the next year or two. If depends on whether all the 2.0 and 2.4 engines produced at the Alabama engine facility went through the same line, or if multiple production lines existed. Either it's a sure thing that your engine will fail at some point, or it's an x% chance yours is an effected engine.

Either way, I really doubt KIA is going to tell us without being forced by a court of law.

Maybe someone with in-depth knowledge of the Hyundai lawsuit knows more abut this.
 
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#40 ·
Junk engine warnig

OMG!!! Are you serious right now!
Got the letter today. Guess we get new short blocks soon!
Can you say Saturn? Just a simple wrong mixture of the antifreeze cost Saturn thousands and thousands of cars! Now there GONE!
Well welcome KIA!
They are admitting these engines are JUNK! They will blow! IF you know anything about engines, Knock from the Main Crankshaft Bearings and/or Piston Rod Bearings is due to either incorrect line boring of the crankshaft and/or incorrect rod bearing clearance.
I bought a Brand New 2013 EX w/luxury and tech package. Since new when you start the car in the morning the bearings would knock for a 3 or 4 seconds till the oil pressure came up! So basically the bearing size is incorrect and once they fill with oil it stops.
I told this to my service adviser and she said "Oh.. they all do that" and kinda shrugged her shoulders. Really! Obviously I'm not the first person to say something about it.
KIA, Get real! Give us a few more miles on the warranty is a outright joke!
They are saying that they will Warranty just the short block? What happens when the rod breaks and the piston knocks a hole in the oil pan and the cylinder head to pieces? We get to buy one or maybe two?? I DON'T THINK SO!
Engines on cars that perform regular scheduled maintenance now days last 200K no problem. Good luck with this one!
My next visit is going to be real interesting! They can either put a new engine in it or buy it back for what I paid for it!
We don't have to take this kinda garb!!!
To be continued....
 
#41 ·
OMG!!! Are you serious right now!
...
KIA, Get real! Give us a few more miles on the warranty is a outright joke!
They are saying that they will Warranty just the short block?
...
But there is a chance that the problem won't happen at all. Your post seems to suggest it's a design problem, but I tend to believe that it's more of an "oops" performed by incorrect procedure at assembly, where there is some wiggle room as to whether or how badly your engine is affected (perhaps you have a spec of metal blocking the orifice, or perhaps not, or maybe your orifice is incredibly clogged/blocked by tons of shavings, etc.).

Anyway, even worse case scenario, it also is possible that the engineers can predict reliably that this kind of blockage will result in predictable failure that only can damage the short block? Like physics prevents it from being any worse? I am speculating here but I just think it's really cool of Kia to do what they did in handling this situation and being up front about it.

I think if it was a design issue, then a recall would be in order. But because there is that randomness introduced by how the engine happened to be treated/cleaned out during assembly, then I think the way they are approaching it makes sense. Wait and see if you develop issues, and if so, fix the issues as they come up. Worst case scenario you get a warning in advance with the knocking sounds and take the car in to be fixed under extended warranty, and best case scenario your car is unaffected.
 
#46 · (Edited)
it's my understanding the problems stem from the engines built in Alabama, is this not accurate?

to answer my post from earlier, found this -

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
how to decode your vin, can also be found in your manual... Kia Optima: Identification Number Description. Vehicle Identification Number - General Information - Kia Optima TF 2011-2016 Service Manual

and there is no kia plant in Alabama, that's the Hyundai plant..*

kia USA plant is in westpoint GA, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors#Facilities

EDIT

* see also post 48
 
#43 · (Edited)
KingFatty,

I'm sorry.
I beg to differ from your response.
It's not if! It's when! It will either bust a connecting rod or spin a bearing. Every time it starts and knocks that is pure wear on the bearings.
I have built MANY of engines in my life for Cars, Boats, Off Road ect.. ect...
When ever we had main or rod bearing knock it was time to replace the short block! Period. We wouldn't stay in business long just saying we know the engine is going to fail somewhere so lets just wait and see?
If it was some kind of oil flow issue it would knock continuously.
When there is a problem with the line bore or bearing clearance on crank bearings or rod bearings it knocks until oil pressure is up and puts an oil coating on the bearings. Basically fills the gap. Wait till that connecting rod bearing cap comes off around 3000 RPM. Oh it's going to knock alright.

There is also a safety issue here. I have a wife and kids that use the vehicle for travel and know they have the thought of engine failure somewhere. It should not even be an issue or concern on a brand new car! Who knows what could happen when the engine decides to let go.
KIA's response in the letter. Just pull over and pull up the app and find a dealer close to your location. NICE! It's 115 degrees out here!

One other issue this brings up is the resale value. Forget it! Once word gets out, good luck!
 
#44 ·
KingFatty,

I'm sorry.
I beg to differ from your response.
It's not if! It's when! It will either bust a connecting rod or spin a bearing. Every time it starts and knocks that is pure wear on the bearings.
I have built MANY of engines in my life for Cars, Boats, Off Road ect.. ect...
When ever we had main or rod bearing knock it was time to replace the short block! Period. We wouldn't stay in business long just saying we know the engine is going to fail somewhere so lets just wait and see?
If it was some kind of oil flow issue it would knock continuously.
When there is a problem with the line bore or bearing clearance on crank bearings or rod bearings it knocks until oil pressure is up and puts an oil coating on the bearings. Basically fills the gap.

There is also a safety issue here. I have a wife and kids that use the vehicle for travel and know they have the thought of engine failure somewhere. It should not even be an issue or concern on a brand new car! Who knows what could happen when the engine decides to let go.
KIA's response in the letter. Just pull over and pull up the app and find a dealer close to your location. NICE! It's 115 degrees out here!

One other issue this brings up is the resale value. Forget it! Once word gets, good luck!
I agree, its not like they messed up on a few, its a design flaw so every single one has the possibility of blowing up, but at the same time they would go out of business if they recalled every optima so this is they're solution, I also agree with the safety issue. and as far as the resale value, its already gone, I checked the trade in value of my EX. $11k that's it, and I barley have 49k miles on it. that's kind of disappointing when I owe $20k and I know it can blow up at anytime
 
#52 ·
King Fatty,

KIA has been anything but "really cool" in their handling of the situation.

You see, the effected engines are the same engines, from the same engine manufacturing plant (in Alabama) that prompted the class action suit against Hyundai when Sonata buyers started to have problems, and resulted in a settlement that appears to be a better deal than what we're being offered.

KIA could have been out front of this long before the mid-June 2016 letter.

What we, as owners, heard before then is crickets!
 
#55 ·
I still think this is related to dealerships using the wrong oil and perhaps the OEM oil filter. If you think about why the 15s aren't part of the campaign it only cements my theory.

If the vehicle hasn't been subject to all the wrong oil used at the dealerships (Kias generally come with a few years of free oil changes) then it stands to reason that those vehicles wouldn't be a part of this campaign. The bulletin that a member here helped push out regarding dealerships using the wrong oil was put into effect last year IIRC, that would mean the 15s were probably not subject to the dealerships' boneheaded error. Using the wrong oil sounds like it can cause the kind of damage that they're describing.

Also, some members have pointed out that the OEM filter has a new part number. That can't be coincidental. Instead of Kia manning up, they're saying, "We know there's a chance that there will be a problem later on, so we're going to give you this piece of paper". Hardly what I'd expect from a company that I'm trying to convince family and friends is more than a company that makes "disposable vehicles".
 
#57 ·
FWIW: Originally, the new P/N for the OEM oil filter was described as both a design improvement and a change of manufacturer. However, the new P/N filter I have says "Mann+Hummel, Korea" on it which I believe is still the original manufacturer, albeit with the improved design.

---------- Post added at 08:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 AM ----------

I could see where using the wrong weight oil, like Kia's dealer network was proven to have been doing (5W-20 semi-synthetic), could cause havoc with our hot little turbo GDI engines.
 
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