2018 KIA Sedona Reliability Report

My [XXX] son pulled the seatbelt so tight it got wrapped around his neck. When I pulled over to unbuckle it, it was stuck. I turned the car off and on again to try and loosen it, but it didn't work. In the emergency, I had to cut the seatbelt with scissors. It's the passenger seatbelt in the second row, next to the window. I reported the incident to Kia in Puerto Rico by phone. They never called me back. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

There was a fire under my minivan as my husband was driving it, creating smoke and flames. He lost power to the van and had to coast to the right side of the highway where he came to a stop with the flames occurring. This is the family vehicle and I have small children. We had no warning lights or any indication that there would be a fire in my vehicle as the van had been running smoothly, and I had kept up with all recommended maintenance (see Carfax report). On July 31st, I was told by Kia America that there was a fire in the engine compartment and that it was inconclusive and they could not determine what started the fire. On August 15th, my father and husband went to Castrucci Kia (where the car was) and were shown that there were holes in the engine block, and the service representative Brandon stated that the engine failure had probably thrown some of the rods causing the holes in the lower engine block sparking a fire when the leaking oil hit the catalytic converter. My insurance was involved, but I was not able to obtain a settlement from them, but I kept up on all maintenance and adherence to Kia guidelines and my engine unexpectedly failed and caught on fire. I was told I would need a new engine at an approximate cost ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 dollars. I believe that my 2018 Kia Sedona's 3.3 L gasoline direct injection engine was manufactured defectively resulting in catastrophic engine failure, APPARENTLY puncturing the engine block, causing engine oil to leak and ignite a fire. Our attempts to address this critical issue with Kia have been met with significant resistance and delays. It appears that Kia refuses to take responsibility. There has been an escalating number of safety complaints and instances directly linked to the 3.3 L Kia V6 Lambda II engine. I appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue with KIA AMERICA and the local KIA service center where my vehicle is located

The headlights are auto leveling based on load. Although there is no load in my vehicle the headlights do not shine out very far in front of the vehicle. There is a very distinct cut off line on the road. There is no way of adjusting them. This is very dangerous because you cannot see whats ahead of the vehicle in the dark. The attached photo is the headlights shining on my garage door.

Steering wheel became stiff and it's not steering. Yes, vehicle is available for inspection. Driving on freeway with my children in the vehicle when wheel became stiff. Was able to get off ramp and get home. Incident happened on 10/02/2022, currently on 2 hour hold with Kia (800-333-4542). Called local dealership, but was sent to voice mail for service department. No, vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warning lamps or messages at time of incident nor prior symptoms. Turned vehicle on this AM (10/03/2022) and no warning lights nor messages have appeared. Checked power steering fluid level and it is at the recommended level.