My 2002 Kia Rio Cinco has a serious problem, that is, the engine siezed and Kia refuses to replace it, as it was due to a "worn timing belt" (at first) then, it was not a "Kia technition" who diagnosed the problem. Since then, I have been offered other "reasons" for them not honoring the warranty, but every time they come up with a new excuse, I show them where their excuse contradicts their own written warranty.
I can't be certain about others who's engines have siezed, but in my case, the timing belt was NOT the cause of my engine siezing (although most mechanics would have made that diagnosis). I have been blessed with an honest, reasonably priced mechanic that does not beleive in "first appearances".
When my engine siezed, I was less than 1/2 mile from his shop so I had the car towed there instead of the Kia dealership. I did not know what the problem was at that time, and I certainly wasn't going to pay Kia's exagerated prices if it was not a warranty covered repair. Thank God I did, because I otherwise would have trusted their diagnosis (undoubtedly the "timing belt") and would have been out $3000.00.
I am trying to keep this short (too late)..."my" mechanic noticed that the timing belt was niether worn, nor broken; but rather, a section of "teeth" had been stripped away, causing it to "slip" and the motor to sieze. He figured that this would be caused by a repetitive "jerking" action on the belt, not by improper or inadequate maintenance.
It took little investigation for him to find that the... (forgive me if I do not phrase this 100% correctly - I am not a mechanic!)..."pin in the keyway was loose". He informed me that there is/was nothing that I could do or not do to create this problem - it had to be this way when it "rolled off the line". That means, you guessed it, MANUFACTURERS DEFECT!
I guess (by his explanation) that every time I stepped on the gas, rather than a "smooth" exceleration, it would "chunk" itself into motion... Thus the "jerk" on the timing belt, and the stripped "teeth", and the siezed motor. Covered by Warranty! (No, not covered because as you can tell when you research these pieces of "kiarap" Kia Motors refuses to cover anything that goes wrong with them as often as they can get away with it.) Oh ya, I should also include that should the pin have actually "sheared off" while doing any substantial speed, it quite likely would have/could have resulted in an accident (anything from locking up to a severe roll-over!)
If anyone else with a siezed motor still has their old motor/timing belt, have a QUALIFIED mechanic have a look at it and see if yours to could fall into this more reasonable {and likely} explanation. Maybe Kia DOES owe you a new car to{ or at least reimbursement for the cost of repairs}.
At this point, I have gone through the steps they outline in the warranty manual - right now I am still waiting for a response from the "Better" Business Bureau, but I have a sneaky suspicion that won't help. From there I guess that I simply report to EVERY government agency that will listen, as well as any media that will report this. This is a defect that could (if it hasn't already) have deadly results!
Well, if none of that helps, I guess you will probably find me walking back and forth in front of the local Kia Dealership with a "big ol' sign" warning prospective customers that driving these peices of kiarap is attemted suicide!
Good luck to all in your uphill battles - Kia Lies
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