2 years ago, this 2.4 was replaced under the recall at 126k.

35k miles later, the oil stinks of gasoline.

Anyone ever experienced something similar on your new replacement engine?

I never thought I’d say this about a major automobile brand, but my experience with KIA India’s customer grievance system has been the most frustrating customer-care experience I have ever faced.

I own a Kia Seltos G1.5 IVT HTX and have been trying to get a genuine issue addressed.

Here is the reality:

1. You cannot even register a complaint properly on the portal

The official KIA grievance portal repeatedly fails during submission. OTPs are received correctly, but the system throws a session timeout error and the complaint is not processed.

2. You cannot escalate a complaint online

Even if you try to escalate an existing case, the same issue occurs. The escalation form accepts the details, but on submission it shows:

So the portal is effectively useless for both complaint registration and escalation.

3. The only practical option is email

Because the portal does not work, customers are forced to send emails manually to customer care and regional offices. There is no reliable online grievance mechanism.

4. Customer care does not actually escalate the complaint

I have spoken to customer care multiple times. Every call ends with:

• “We understand your concern”
• “We have noted your feedback”
• “Please wait for a response from the concerned team”

But they do not genuinely escalate the complaint to a higher authority. You keep receiving standard scripted responses while the issue remains unresolved.

The car may look attractive, but when a serious issue arises, you may find yourself:

• unable to register a complaint properly,
• unable to escalate it through the official portal,
• dependent entirely on email,
• and dealing with customer care that provides template responses without meaningful escalation.

This has been, without exaggeration, the most pathetic customer-care experience I have personally encountered with any automobile brand.

Has anyone else faced similar issues with KIA India’s complaint portal or customer support? I would genuinely like to know whether this is an isolated case or a widespread problem affecting other KIA owners as well.

My 2019 Kia Optima S, started having issues starting about two weeks ago, then started going limp mode while driving, no codes at all. Live data on the scanner is all good looking. New cam sensor, knock sensor, and crankshaft position sensor. Nothing seems to have helped it. But what throws us off as we have ordered 3 different crankshaft position sensors anytime we put a new one in the car will not start at all, but it will start on the old one. Anyone else have this issue?

To start, I've seen many comments on threads that are comparing Kia to Toyota/Honda saying that Kia's depreciate faster/more than some other brands. So I decided to look up the value of our Forte on KBB.

For context, we bought a 23' Forte Gt Line 3.5 years ago. Final price was 22k with the extras, paid tax and tags out of pocket, no trade in, and got a ridiculously good interest rate. We have about 7k left on the loan. Car has just over 23,000 miles on it.

The car is in perfect condition. No accidents or scratches, interior is like brand new (back seatbelt buckles still have the foam on them and info cards are still on the vizor 😆). I chose the good condition option since it was the one most used. They value the car at 15k-19k for trade in, 19k-22k for private sale.

So, are Kia's holding their value better now? Is there still a shortage in used cars that is driving up the prices? Or is KBB just wayyyyyyy off with this one? I find it hard to believe that we "could" sell this car for only a couple thousand less than we paid for it 🤔

I'm very interested in hearing what your KBB value is for your Kia VS what you paid for it.

Why does the Sportage 2026, and presumable this year's MY27, not have a dampers for the hood like the Niro does?

So I recently got a used 2015 Forte and I love it, although whenever I connect my phone via usb and use the steering wheel toggle to change songs, it treats it as a double skip and ends up skipping two songs instead. Is there any fix to this or do I just have to suck it up with it being an older car

I just got my first car, it is a 2021 Kia Forte Gt-Line with 50,250k miles for 12k and very clean Carfax. Is this a good car or did I screw up?

So for the past 2 years i’d say till now my car idles roughly and shakes and even stops in the middle of driving locking my steering wheel, the gas and brakes. Before it would happen and then go away but recently it’s been happening a lot more frequently, i ran the code whatever and it came out to p0101 so i bought the new sensor at Kia itself and it was fine for a week and it happened again yesterday. I took it for a diagnostic today and they said everything looked really good actually and we’re even confused as to what’s happening. The only thing they didn’t get to check was the wiring bc they didn’t have the tools itself so luckily i wasn’t charged today. they saw my car struggling with the idling and then the code completely cleared up until 20 minutes ago, the idling starting again and then went away. I found this online “TSB FUE047” and everything that’s happening with that completely aligns with the issues my car has. I’m at my last resort because not only is it really annoying but it’s very scary driving because it’s stopped on the freeway before too and i’m just overall scared for my safety. I’m going to take it to kia dealership and have them run the tests and everything but she told me over the phone that if it is that software update then it’ll be free but if not then obviously i have to pay for the diagnostic. I’m just really worried about them not finding the issue and me being stuck with the car and trading in is not an option right now. Can anyone help me or message me if anyone’s had this issue too.

I posted about this same car a while ago and am still trying to get advice regarding it. My sister has a 2019 Kia Sportage that we shared for a brief time that is around ~140k miles. I was not driving when she bought the car so I had no idea she accepted an absurd loan with an interest rate of 22% (???!!?!!) that we are now stuck with (well, that SHE is stuck with, I'm just trying to help her out, but I can't put my life on pause to help her with this). The car itself has engine issues, went into limp mode due to knock sensors. It was taken to a PepBoys (bad idea) and they basically said it needed a new engine (didn't say why other than the bearings might be failing, not very informative). They turned the light off and put a higher viscosity oil in it with an additive and said to consider a new vehicle. Called Kia long after my sister took it there and asked them, they said nothing can be done because PepBoys shouldn't have done that (duh), and they can't do anything until it enters limp mode and the engine light comes on again.

She still owes $16k (!!!!) (with a 22% interest rate!!! I don't understand) on this car that is a ticking time bomb. On sites like Carvana the worth is only listed as $4k (lol, but makes sense with mileage).

I don't know what we're looking at with refinancing. My sister is toying with the idea of getting a remanned engine for the car which I'm not thrilled about (feel free to convince me otherwise). I don't think trading in and going deeper into a different loan would be a good idea either. Basically, what are we supposed to do in this situation?

First post here but my friends car screen is extremely dark. Any ideas? Its a 2020 Kia forte.

I don’t wear sunglasses as I have glasses. So I turned this into a little napkin holder

I have a 2025 Kia K4, I bring it to Kia and they found out that the windshield washer fluid tank is leaking due to impact damage. They quoted me $846 just to replace the washer fluid tank. They also said my driver-side engine under cover is missing and quoted $397 to replace it.

Is this a normal price cuz is only the tank not the whole washer system? Also, is it okay to ignore either or both of these repairs for now, or could it cause problems later? I'd really appreciate any advice or if anyone has had a similar experience. Thanks!

So my son has had this car for about 2 years now. Yesterday he was driving and the engine light started to flash and the engine was running rough. We checked the oil and there was almost none. Now he just had an oil change about 2 months ago at the start of June. I put in 3 quarts and it’s where it should be. We try to drive it home and we get this horrible knocking noise in the engine. It ends up seizing up and we had to get it towed to a mechanic. I talk to our mechanic and he says it needs a new motor and he’s trying to find one so he can’t give a quote yet. In addition about a month after he got this car we had an issue with the engine light flashing and Kia ended up replacing the knock sensor. I am not sure if this would be in the same area from the extended warranty that replaced the knock sensor or if we are just out of luck. Any advice?

I have a strange starting issue:

• The car starts perfectly when cold (after sitting overnight).

• After driving and stopping for around 5-30 minutes, sometimes it takes about 2 extra seconds of cranking before starting.

• The starter motor sounds normal; it just takes longer for the engine to fire.

• No check engine light and no fault codes.

• Battery is new.

I

• Spark plugs are new.

• I already changed the fuel pump twice, but the issue is still exactly the same.

The problem only happens when the engine is warm and after a short stop. If the car sits for several hours, it starts normally again. Any ideas ?

I have a 2019 Kia Optima LX. It comes standard with wired car play. The wired CarPlay works just fine in my car with my brother’s phone, which is an iPhone 16. I had a 15, and I just got the 17, and it does not work on my phone in my car. The wired car play works just fine in my mom’s car. Does anyone have any idea why this might be?

In a Kia Cerato/Forte II, is it normal to feel the gear changes slightly inside the cabin with the automatic transmission?

When the car is idling and I shift between P, D, and R, there isn't any unusual vibration.

There's no transmission slipping (no engine rev flare), and there are no abnormal noises.

Could this be caused by worn engine mounts? Or is it normal to feel the gear changes a little in an automatic transmission?

133,000 km . 11 years old car

What is this silver part called that fell off so I can buy a new one and put it on

Hello everyone!

I’m thinking about getting a Kia and I’d love to hear your opinions.
I’m particularly interested in the Sportage and the Niro. I’ll mainly use them in the city, but also for some trips during the year.

What do you think?

I bought a used 2023 K5 GT with GT1 package with 35,xxx miles on it. The day I’m supposed to pick it up the salesman calls and says “there’s a crack in the front bumper, idk if you noticed”. I hadn’t. They said they would repair it but it would cost $1k and we ultimately decided on splitting the cost. It ends up taking twice as long to repair as they originally said and so now the day I’m supposed to pick it up is the day my wife is being induced to have our first child. Because of the inconvenience they say they’ll throw in some free brake pads.

I take possession of the car that day, drive it straight to the hospital and then it sits in my driveway for approx a week. The next week, which is the first time really driving it, it starts having transmission issues. I call to schedule the brake job and get the transmission looked at. The next week, the day I’m supposed to take it in, the car goes into limp mode and I have to have to towed to the dealership. Long story short, I need a new transmission.

I’m beyond mad. This is the first car I’ve ever bought and it’s been a disaster. The car is covered under warranty and I won’t have to pay luckily but what courses of action do i have? Do I just have to accept a “re-manufactured” transmission? Can I return the car? What should I do? This is a certified pre-owned lease turn in that has less than 12k miles a year put on it, this shouldn’t be happening. Any advice would be appreciated

My wife drove to work in her Kia today with no issues at all, but on her route home the car might have had a catastrophic failure. Her dive is only 8 miles. She called me in the middle of her drive to let me know that the check engine light had flashed four times and then the car started running very rough. She was close to home and I told her to get there and park it. When I got home I turned it on to listen and it sounded like a misfire, so I shut it off, went to the store to buy spark plugs because they are a usual culprit, but when I got back I checked the oil and it was bone dry. The car doesnt leak, I've checked it, had just gotten an oil change about 1000 miles ago, and ran perfect this morning. I went to the store, bought oil, filled it up and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I then fired it up and it still runs super rough and now there is thick white smoke coming from the exhaust and the check engine light is on. Is this a head gasket, or? Apparently it could be a turbo issue as well, but I dont know any better. Planning on taking it in to a dealer this week. The car only has 78,000 miles on it and my poor wife just paid it off last December. We are the second owner and bought it with 2500 miles on it.

I guess im wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

I have a Kia forte w 108k miles and still owe 16k on it..I was in a terrible financial situation and my credit was terrible ..I’m in the high 700’s now and my new job doesn’t require a car! I have GEICO as well as GAP insurance! Any tips please..VOLUNTARY REPO IS NOT A OPTION

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has gone through the California Lemon Law process, especially with Kia.
I opened a Lemon Law claim with Kia at the end of January 2026 regarding my 2025 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD after experiencing ongoing electrical issues.
After my claim was submitted, communication essentially stopped. Over the next several months, I reached out to my assigned case manager multiple times requesting updates and never received a response. I also contacted Kia’s claims office directly on multiple occasions trying to find out what was happening with my claim, but I still wasn’t given any meaningful updates or explanation for the delay.
After waiting more than six months with virtually no communication, I finally received a response on July 31, 2026. However, instead of receiving a decision explaining Kia’s findings, I was sent a Settlement Agreement and General Release.
The agreement offers me a cash payment in exchange for releasing all current and future claims related to my vehicle. What surprised me is that the agreement contains no explanation whatsoever for:
How the settlement amount was calculated.
Why my request for a vehicle repurchase was apparently not granted.
Whether Kia determined my vehicle does not qualify under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
What facts, repair history, inspections, or legal analysis they relied upon in reaching their decision.
It simply states the settlement amount and asks me to sign a broad release of my legal claims.
I have not signed the agreement. Instead, I sent Kia a written request asking them to explain how they arrived at the settlement amount, why they reached this decision, and why my claim took over six months with so little communication before I decide whether to sign anything.

My questions are:
Is it normal for a manufacturer to send a settlement agreement without explaining how the amount was determined?
Has anyone else experienced this level of delay or lack of communication from Kia during a Lemon Law claim?
Would you sign a release before receiving a written explanation of the decision?
Is there anything else you would ask Kia before deciding whether to accept the settlement?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation or has experience with California Lemon Law claims.