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Hyundai, Kia recalling 1.2 million vehicles for seized engines

The Basics: Hyundai and Kia are recalling a total of 1,190,160 vehicles because the engine may seize, resulting in a crash. The vehicles affected are the 2013-2014 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport and the 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento and 2011-2013 Sportage. The Problem: Errors during the machining process can cause a bearing in the engine to prematurely wear. This could cause the part to fail and the engine to seize. This in turn may cause a vehicle to crash. The issue was found due to the high number of warranty repairs for a recurring issue. Injuries/Deaths: There was no information on the websites for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Hyundai, or Kia. We've reached out to the automakers for comment. The Fix: For Hyundai, the automaker will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine, replacing the engine short block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 19, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 162. The same goes for Kia, though the recall is expected to begin May 25, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC147. If You Own One: Wait for the notification letters from Hyundai and Kia. When possible, take your vehicle to your local dealer. If you want more details, contact either automaker at the number above. Related Video: Recalls Hyundai Kia kia sorento kia sportage hyundai santa fe sport

Rumormill again says Kia Stinger is on the ropes

The Kia Stinger hit the market in 2017, spending the first year of its life earning plaudits for terrific handling at an unbeatable price. Although the Stinger could shake the competition, starting in 2018 and ever since, the Stinger couldn't shake rumors that it won't get a second generation. In fact, tangential questions about the Kia began in late 2017, with the assertion that Kia needed to upgrade its dealer network if it really wanted to take on the Germans. Once sales in the key North American market began to soften, then slide, that put blood in the water. Kia's head of design couldn't put off the sharks in October 2018, telling Australian outlet Which Car that the sedan wasn't selling as well as expected in North America. He returned with the same dolor the next year when speaking to Aussie outlet Car Advice, and followed that a month later by sharing the same hesitations phrased differently with Aussie outlet CarsGuide. Now The Korean Car Blog, sourcing "a new report of the South Korean sales," alleges the situation has gotten worse thanks to the coronavirus catastrophe and the need to conserve resources. Kia had already opted not to put a new powertrain into the 2021 Stinger refresh, saving money by adding more power to the current 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 with a revised exhaust. Everyone who appreciates the Stinger has clear ideas about why it doesn't sell well in certain markets, like these Canadians, this guy in the UK, and these folks from the U.S. and other countries. TKCB believes one of the major issues is the in-house Genesis G70 competition, which has just about everything the Kia could want: A premium brand with premium touchpoints, marketing and advertising, a more rational equipment mix, near constant tweaking, and again, marketing and advertising. Does anyone remember when LeBron James and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler fronted the Stinger movement? Of course, the rumors of axing are still only rumors, and the Stinger is still only three years old. Anything can happen, apparently including the remote possibilities the Stinger morphs into a different kind of vehicle or goes electric. If the sales numbers continue as they've been going, however, something will need to happen; after an 18% dip from 2018 to 2019 in U.S. sales, the Stinger's already down 21% so far this year. Or we'd think something needs to happen — the Kia K900 remains on sale having tabbed 102 sales all of last year in the U.S., and 65 so far this year.

2020 Kia Soul teased ahead of L.A. Auto Show debut

We've seen Kia Soul prototypes in spy shots a few times now, and they've all been carefully covered up. This often means that we'll be waiting awhile before the car is revealed, but that's not the case with the Soul. It's coming to the L.A. Auto Show in just a couple of weeks, and Kia released a teaser to announce the reveal. The teaser shows the rear pillar from the side. As expected from the prototypes, the Soul retains its boxy design. It also has the upswept rear windows that create a very thick rear pillar. The new Soul does adopt the popular floating roof design, created in this case by a matte-black plastic piece in which the Soul logo has been embossed. The taillight's overall design is similar to the current model, with it rising vertically along the rear pillar. But it looks as though it may wrap around the top of the roof now. As we've seen from spy shots, the new Kia Soul will adopt some other interesting design cues. The aforementioned taillights also extend inward into the rear hatch. The headlights at the front feature a slim, full-length portion up top that appears to only have the running lights. Below are large light pods that, like on the Hyundai Kona, probably house the actual forward-illuminating lights. Kia confirmed in the teaser that it will offer versions of all the current Soul models with this new generation. That includes the base-level models, the sporty Turbo model, and the electric Soul. We've seen these iterations testing. The Soul Turbo looks aggressive with a new center exhaust outlet. The Soul EV has many blocked-off grilles like so many electrics, but more interesting is that a display inside the car suggested it will have a range of over 200 miles, similar to the Niro EV. We'll have all the details when the Soul makes its debut at the L.A. Auto Show, so stay tuned. Related Video: Image Credit: Kia Green LA Auto Show Kia Crossover Hatchback Economy Cars Electric kia soul ev