A Kia car owner says she was left at the side of the road by the South Korean automaker — until Consumer Matters got involved.
Jill St. Marie says her vehicle consumes excessive amounts of oil and says the Kia dealership where she purchased her vehicle has informed her she needs a new engine and catalytic converter at a cost of $11,322.80. That includes parts and labour.
The non-profit Automobile Protection Association is the plaintiff in a class action in Quebec against Kia Canada over excessive oil consumption related to the 1.8 and 2L engines for 2010-2015 Forte compact cars and is currently in final negotiations over a settlement.
The consumer advocacy group says it has seen a small number of complaints for what appears to be a similar or the same oil consumption issue for 2016 and 2017 Forte models.
The APA also says dealers not looking into oil consumption until warranty coverage has expired is a relatively common complaint made by consumers.
“If they were using the dealer for service and went in several times, maybe flagged the issue verbally, were never offered an oil consumption test and never offered an inspection of the inside of the engine,” said George Iny, president of the Automobile Protection Association.
Since Consumer Matters reached out to Kia, St.Marie says she’s been contacted by her Kia dealership and she will be getting a new engine free of charge.