— A Kia Canada engine class action lawsuit alleges Theta II 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre, Nu 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre, Gamma II 1.6-litre, and Lambda II 3.3-litre and 3.5-litre MPI engines are defective.
Those Kia engines allegedly restrict the flow of oil, suffer from oil consumption problems and are at risk of non-collision fires.
In addition, these Kia vehicles allegedly stall and suffer complete engine failures.
- 2010-2020 Kia Forte
- 2010-2013 Kia Forte Koup
- 2011-2020 Kia Forte5
- 2011-2019 Kia Optima
- 2020-2021 Kia Rio
- 2008-2012 Kia Rondo
- 2021 Kia Seltos
- 2011-2020 Kia Sorento
- 2010-2021 Kia Soul
- 2011-2022 Kia Sportage
The plaintiffs are former owners of a 2012 Kia Sportage equipped with a Theta II 2.4-litre MPI engine.
The two plaintiffs claim Kia should have discovered the alleged engine problems long ago because the engine components fail to meet specifications by not fitting together.
The Kia engine lawsuit alleges the components prematurely wear down and break down from oil contaminated by metal debris.
The metal debris allegedly comes from a lack of cleaning of the engine crankshaft during manufacturing, causing the connecting rod bearings to break as metal builds up in the oil. The Kia oil filter allegedly cannot remove the metal debris which causes problems with engine oil pressure.
"The oil pump recirculates the contaminated engine oil throughout the Engine, causing damage to the various engine components and eventually resulting in sudden and unexpected vehicle stalling, catastrophic engine failure, and/or non-collision engine fires." — Kia Canada engine class action lawsuit
Problems also allegedly occur between the bearings, connecting rods and crankshafts which cause the Kia engines to knock. The pistons or connecting rods can also allegedly punch holes in the engine blocks, causing fires even when the vehicles are parked.
After the connecting rod bearings allegedly fail and more metal debris is circulated throughout the Kia engine via the engine oil, the main caps are allegedly damaged which causes the engines to stall and fail.
The Kia engine lawsuit references five engine recalls announced in Canada since December 2020, but the plaintiffs allege many Kia vehicles weren't recalled even though the engines are allegedly defective.
The Kia Canada engine class action lawsuit was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice: Brian McCloskey v. Kia Canada Inc., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP.
