Kia Sorento engine failure

[Wayloncle]

I’m just venting here and posting to hear anyone’s thoughts if you have any on the matter.

We have a 2011 Kia Sorento with the 3.5 V6, 94k miles. We bought it 2.5 years ago when we were in Italy (it’s an American spec car). We thought about selling it there but decided to keep it since our son will be getting his license in a couple years and thought it’s be great vehicle for him.

we had it shipped here, it arrived with a dead battery and alternator not working?‍ So I had it towed to a mechanic from the vehicle processing place, a couple days later they had it fixed. When he called he told me they replaced the alternator, battery, key fob battery, belt and changed the oil. I told him I didn’t askfor the oil to be changed, he said they noticed it needed to be done so they just did it. I argued with them so he took that charge off. My brother picked it up for me since he lives an hour away from it and I’m 5 hours away. Ran fine to his house, he drove it a couple days later it was fine, then drove it the next day and a few miles from his house it threw a rod through the block. He said oil was all over the road so it had oil in it.

I just can’t decide on what to do with it now, do I put more money into it and try to get a used engine installed? Do I try to sell it as is and take a huge loss? If Ihad the time and space parting it out would probably be the most beneficial money wise. Everything else on the car is in great condition paint, body, tires, leather seats, 3rd row......all great condition.

I just can’t make a decision on what to do with it.?‍

 

[mwalker4]

Looks to be in really good condition, so I would say it depends on costs of the "new" engine. I've made this decision a couple of times for myself and family members. Get a quote on an installed new engine, figure out the current value, and the value of the vehicle with new engine. The intangibles are the hassle of going through the engine replacement process and having a car with a hopefully warranteed engine and one which you know its history. Many people don't have the desire or time to go through the hassle of engine replacement and get rid of the vehicle. Usually not the best dollar wise, but if you don't have the time it could be the best way to go.

 

[zipper]

Looking around on the internet, it looks like they had some recalls for engine bearing failure. The 1 Kia Sorento Model Year You Should Avoid at All Costs | MotorBiscuit

2011 Kia Sorento Engine Stopped Working

The 2011 Kia Sorento has 16 problems reported for engine stopped working. Average repair cost is $4,610 at 77,150 miles.

www.carcomplaints.com

 

[dgfreeze]

Does seem very suspicious that it would throw a rod soon after an oil change at the dealership, but just about the only way this could be their fault is if they forgot to put oil in, ran it, then realized their mistake, and filled it up after damage was done. Certainly not likely, but a possibility. Have you looked into what a junkyard engine would cost? Years ago, I used to swap engines for side cash, $250 out, $250 in, but that was a long time ago, and cars have gotten worse to work on. That said, get an estimate from a local mechanic shop on swapping engines, and call around the local junkyards for the price on an engine. No matter what, you’re taking a loss on the thing, It’s just a matter of which kind of loss, and how much. Sorry about your luck.

 

[Ronnie]

About 2 years ago I “upgraded“ my 01 expedition to an 06 navigator for roughly $8500 ($7000 for the Navi + $1500 parts and labor). Within 1000 miles the engine through a rod due to an oil pump failure/clogged passages. My replacement Engine options were $2000 no Warranty just to get an engine in it so I could sell it running, $4000 for a 1 year warranty and $6000 for a 2 year warranty. I decided to sell it as a mechanic’s special for $1500 and took a $7000 loss.

Why? Several reasons:
1. No space Nor inclination to keep the exped And part it out. 2. I needed another tow vehicle ASAP and engine replacement would take weeks. 3. I could not trust a replacement engine After what happened to the first one. That is, when the engine blew I was towing my boat home at 10p with a my friend and our sons. We had to pull over on a busy freeway off ramp, cars passied within inches of the boat and trailer for hours while we waited for aaa and boat tow u.s. it was a Very dangerous situation. 4. Last but not least, my mechanic recommend I dump the Navi cheap rather than put more money into it. The final disposition is really dependent on your Specific situation and how much More money you are willing to Spend and/or lose.

for me, the $7k loss hurt but I was back on the water the following weekend with a new to me 2010 expedition that I got a 2 year extended warranty on for $18000ish, That I feel much safer towing with my friends and family on board and I’d have no issues letting my ore and son drive it without me now. I’m retrospect, I should have passed on the Navi and went straight for the newer exped but hindsight is 20/20, so $7000 was the cost for the “You get what you pay for” refresher course and a reminder that like being a boat owner I am responsible for the safety of everyone who rides in my suv.

maybe you are in a position to replace the engine yourself or with your son as a project, I wasn’t but another big factor was neither was my son, space and time would also have been issues for us.

good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[WV Hillbilly]

I’m just venting here and posting to hear anyone’s thoughts if you have any on the matter.

We have a 2011 Kia Sorento with the 3.5 V6, 94k miles. We bought it 2.5 years ago when we were in Italy (it’s an American spec car). We thought about selling it there but decided to keep it since our son will be getting his license in a couple years and thought it’s be great vehicle for him.

we had it shipped here, it arrived with a dead battery and alternator not working?‍ So I had it towed to a mechanic from the vehicle processing place, a couple days later they had it fixed. When he called he told me they replaced the alternator, battery, key fob battery, belt and changed the oil. I told him I didn’t askfor the oil to be changed, he said they noticed it needed to be done so they just did it. I argued with them so he took that charge off. My brother picked it up for me since he lives an hour away from it and I’m 5 hours away. Ran fine to his house, he drove it a couple days later it was fine, then drove it the next day and a few miles from his house it threw a rod through the block. He said oil was all over the road so it had oil in it.

I just can’t decide on what to do with it now, do I put more money into it and try to get a used engine installed? Do I try to sell it as is and take a huge loss? If Ihad the time and space parting it out would probably be the most beneficial money wise. Everything else on the car is in great condition paint, body, tires, leather seats, 3rd row......all great condition.

I just can’t make a decision on what to do with it.?‍
View attachment 135923View attachment 135924View attachment 135925View attachment 135926

I have had some luck with the kids cars and trucks in the past with Jasper short and long blocks. The determining factor being how strong/worn out I thought the heads were. Haven’t dealt with them in years but certainly cheaper than a replacement from the dealer and usually more dependable than one from a junkyard. Just my two cents.

 

[Dennis P]

I’m just venting here and posting to hear anyone’s thoughts if you have any on the matter.

We have a 2011 Kia Sorento with the 3.5 V6, 94k miles. We bought it 2.5 years ago when we were in Italy (it’s an American spec car). We thought about selling it there but decided to keep it since our son will be getting his license in a couple years and thought it’s be great vehicle for him.

we had it shipped here, it arrived with a dead battery and alternator not working?‍ So I had it towed to a mechanic from the vehicle processing place, a couple days later they had it fixed. When he called he told me they replaced the alternator, battery, key fob battery, belt and changed the oil. I told him I didn’t askfor the oil to be changed, he said they noticed it needed to be done so they just did it. I argued with them so he took that charge off. My brother picked it up for me since he lives an hour away from it and I’m 5 hours away. Ran fine to his house, he drove it a couple days later it was fine, then drove it the next day and a few miles from his house it threw a rod through the block. He said oil was all over the road so it had oil in it.

I just can’t decide on what to do with it now, do I put more money into it and try to get a used engine installed? Do I try to sell it as is and take a huge loss? If Ihad the time and space parting it out would probably be the most beneficial money wise. Everything else on the car is in great condition paint, body, tires, leather seats, 3rd row......all great condition.

I just can’t make a decision on what to do with it.?‍
View attachment 135923View attachment 135924View attachment 135925View attachment 135926

There was a class action against Kia and bad engines here in Canada, My buddy had his engine replaced when it started to knock at over 100000 miles. At 100000 miles I would think that this would be disqualification for the program but they did replace n/c

 

[the MfM]

Did you check Your vin yet to see if it is covered under one of the lawsuits? Buying in outside of North America may be a problem...

Kia Engine Settlement - Home

www.kiaenginesettlement.com

 

[swatski]

Man, sorry to hear that sux.
Looking at it - it's in GREAT condition! I would think a new/used engine, if it can be had for under 5k installed? Great looking car could serve your family well for another ten years.
we service two "hand me down" cars in the family, my son drives a highlander which is past 300K still running... lol, and my daughter loves her acura mdx with 200k...

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[Wayloncle]

Did you check Your vin yet to see if it is covered under one of the lawsuits? Buying in outside of North America may be a problem...

Kia Engine Settlement - Home

www.kiaenginesettlement.com

These common problem engines are all the 2.4’s, mine is a 3.5 V-6. I haven’t found many failures of the 3.5 in my limited searches.

 

[Wayloncle]

Man, sorry to hear that sux.
Looking at it - it's in GREAT condition! I would think a new/used engine, if it can be had for under 5k installed? Great looking car could serve your family well for another ten years.
we service two "hand me down" cars in the family, my son drives a highlander which is past 300K still running... lol, and my daughter loves her acura mdx with 200k...

--

That’s why I think replacing the engine is my best bet, in my opinion (and one reason we said we would hang on to it) it is a good looking suv that isn’t dated looking like some of the older vehicles are. The body style is still nice looking and my son wouldn’t be embarrassed to drive it. Just sucks sinking more money in it, but it would be less than the loss of just selling it as is.

 

[itsdgm]

KIA had a massive engine recall a few years ago. I’m not saying you’re covered here, but look into it. A few years ago I was walking through (inspecting) a KIA dealership. I noticed a lot of plastic “suitcase” looking boxes stacked up everywhere. Seriously, in closets, out on the shop floor, etc. When I asked, what’s in all the boxes? They were engines. I was told that the ongoing engine recall was so big that customers had to schedule engine swaps, got a loaner car, etc. I was impressed at how they seemed to take care of their customers. But was dumbfounded at the sheer volume of engine swaps. In my experience, it’s rare to see an engine out of a car in a dealership (compared to the volume of cars in for maintenance). This was the complete opposite, engine swaps everywhere.

Hopefully you have a positive outcome here. Good luck!! Keep us posted.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Time to put a LS1 in it.

J/k aside that is a bummer. My buddy had an engine re-built and it blew again a few weeks later. Took him a while to recover from that financially.

Personally I would just sell it on eBay or something as-is and take that money for a down payment on a car with a warranty. I would imagine you can still get at least 2-3k minimum.

 

[Dixie Highway]

Junkyard engine, then sell it. Option B would be to keep it and fix properly, you’ll have to figure out where the most value lies.

 

[I_squared_r]

Check the kelly blue book value and get a quote for a replacement engine. Do the math. Either sell it as mechanic special or fix it. If you do fix it, ask about how long a warranty it has then sell it before the warranty is up. Next time go to www.carcomplaints.com and do your research before dropping money on a car.