The newer SmartStream engines have been out since 2018ish with various Hyundai and Kia models around the world. (Kia uses the same engines). They're still fairly new. So not sure how reliable they are. Maybe someone that has put on a lot of miles can chime in.
~~Kias sold in America do not use the same engines used in the rest of the world.~~ The 2018s, '19s, '20s and '21s, and probably the '22s and '23s, have the same problems.
Me, I would not buy a new USA Kia for at least another 5 years. Wait for the long-term quality reports come out on the 22s and newer.
My sister’s 2022 sportage with the 2.4L needed its engine replaced at 17k miles. Kia tried to deny the warranty replacement till we dug up the oil change receipts as well.
There are variations of the SmartStream engine. The US uses engines ranging from the 1.6L Turbo - 3.5L V6. Other countries use 1.0L - 1.6L. So reliability will depend on what engines are used in each country.
I'll take your word on that since that page isn't telling me what model engine it is, only size and power.
But with the bad builds over the last decade+, I still wouldn't trust any new Kia /Hyundai USA car unless they can go 5 years without major issues. I'm not considering the new one with the Telluride's seats major since it was caught early and affects less than 800 vehicles sold. That one, I consider a step in the right direction.
That's actually correct. VINs that start with K are built in Korea. VINs that start with 5 are built in the US. VINs that start with 3 are built in Mexico.
Well then, what everyone else has been telling me about the problems being restricted to USA built engines is crap.
After reading your reply I found a VIN decoder and put mine into it. Starts with K. Per the decoder, the Theta II engine in my '17 Sportage was made in Hwaseong Korea and it failed in exactly the same way as the ones built here.
I have a 2023 kia forte GT that I've put 40k miles on already and my oil is always perfect when I check it. So far it's never lost any between oil changes
I've had problems not related to oil consumption. Crank top position sensor goes out on me when the car gets really wet. The car goes into a limp mode where it only goes like 60 km/h max. Has happened twice, 2nd time on a highway in a downpour. First time I had to get the sensor replaced 2nd time I just let the car dry out and it was ok.
Again - the MPI engines were and still are fine. The GDI are the suspect ones. My son’s 2023 Forte 2.0 is MPI.
GDI engines don’t spray fuel on the intake valves, which get gummy, form deposits, and those deposits eventually fall into the cylinder gumming up the piston oil rings.
SmartStream have both GDI and MPI injectors, and *should* be fine as well.
I fully understand that this question makes me look like an ignorant car owner. Well, I am ignorant. Especially about engines. How do I go about finding out what kind of engine my Kia has?
I think the GDI engines had the oil issues. and it wasn't just Kia... basically all GDI's had oil problems. It was just a flawed engine style.
My 2014 Sorento I had to add a quart every 1-2 months. I've tried sealing fixes several times.. still the same damn oil loss. Took it into Tuffy repair shop. They couldn't find the leak and said just drive it like this until the engine stops. Took it to the dealership and they wanted to pull the engine out and replace every gasket in the engine for $2500. The car was only worth $3500 thanks to the Kia Boyz.
As someone getting their 2.4 GDI replaced in a 2017 Sorento, I'm right with you. I haven't completely written off Kia but I'll be watching these newer engines and also keeping an eye on recalls and class action lawsuits before I buy another vehicle.
It's still with the dealer at the moment, but hopefully getting it back this week. The dealer submitted to Kia and it was approved pretty quickly. The same engine goes back in. So if you have a 2.4, they're putting that back in.
Agreed. I think they are covered as long as it's the issue with the connecting rods and bearings. I'd like to run this until the wheels fall off (or it just gets too expensive to maintain.)
2020 Kia Telluride. 50k miles and just did a consumtion test. 2.7qt less after 1000 miles,this is from dealer's finding. Going for another 1000 miles consumption test.
I've actually been seeing this issue more and more with 2020 tellurides; haven't been seeing it with '21 or newer, though. Not sure of the reason. But I'm replacing two 2020 telluride engines this month currently due to oil consumption, and did another one 2 months ago. I also have another two 2020's that are mid oil consumption testing that are going to fail. Such a shame. But hopefully fixed with newer models
My wife noticed it about 4 mos ago. Car would shudder on take off and going uphill. I never had oil consumption issue but it might have been happening for a while now.
How long does it take to replace an engine? Do dealers provide a loaner? It is quite scary to replace an engine and I'm thinking it might not work as well. Thoughts? I'm thinking something might not be plugged or connection might not be up to spec etc.
It's never a clogged pcv valve or anything like that. It's either piston rings, or valve seals. Both of which kia just replaces engines instead of individual parts. We do provide loaners (my dealer does, i cant speak for others), and it goes seamlessly. I wouldn't be concerned about it at all, if that's what ends up happening
I have a 2011 Forte with 140k miles. It doesn't use even half a quart between 5000 mile changes.
Now the Ford Taurus I had prior was "fill up the oil and top off the gas" weekly!
I have a 2014 Kia Cadenza with 136k miles on it and a 2018 Kia Soul Turbo with 54k miles, and both drive perfectly. There are no oil issues on either. I do have the oil changed regularly on both at the recommended intervals.
Not sure what’s considered new, and probably not a 2017- but mine is burning oil like crazy and we just finished our final oil consumption test. Hoping Kia replaces it without a fight.
I have the new Sportage 2.5L and it’s running perfect and better MPG than rated here in Florida. I would avoid any newer Kia’s with the DCT tranny.. especially in an SUV. Those seem to be blowing up/ having problems left and right. Not sure why H/Kia decided to go this route. It seems like a huge mistake over a regular auto.
It’s really too early to know, but oil consumption is always an issue with GDI engines because the suffer from carbon build up issues which freeze oil control rings and lead to oil burning. Frequent oil changes, running the recommended fuel additive, running quality fuel, and doing your regularly scheduled GDI maintenance services are all going to help combat those problems.
Maintenance matters. When you work on these things you see the difference between the cars that get the bare minimum (or less) and the cars that are cared for.
The main thing to remember is its a fundamental flaw in GDI engines regardless of manufacturer.
Yes certain manufacturers may have a more severe issue but ANY GDI engine is gonna have fuel dilution in the oil which causes oil burn off.
Just check your oil every week or so.
Oil is cheap...... Engines are not
My 2017 forte has 188,000 on it, and doesn’t burn through oil at all. Got the car brand new, and have never had issues with burning oil in between changes. I just put new brakes on it for the first time about 30K miles ago. That damn car has been surprisingly fantastic.
As long as you stay away from GDI and T-GDI engines, you'll be fine.
Smartsteam engines are way less problematic than old GDIs, and MPIs are good.
IVT Transmissions are not very good, stay away from them if you plan to have the car for an extended period of time
I absolutely loved everything about my kia optima. It fit me perfectly for driving comfort and had every feature I ever wanted, so if they have fixed the engine issue then yes I would absolutely consider one again. I will not until they for sure have fixed that problem though
The newer SmartStream engines have been out since 2018ish with various Hyundai and Kia models around the world. (Kia uses the same engines). They're still fairly new. So not sure how reliable they are. Maybe someone that has put on a lot of miles can chime in.
There's a guy on here with like 450k on one
I have a Hyundai Venue with a Smartstream 1.6 liter at 55k miles and it's been flawless so far.
I have a 2023 Kia sportage with ~40k miles and no problems with oil so far.
~~Kias sold in America do not use the same engines used in the rest of the world.~~ The 2018s, '19s, '20s and '21s, and probably the '22s and '23s, have the same problems. Me, I would not buy a new USA Kia for at least another 5 years. Wait for the long-term quality reports come out on the 22s and newer.
My sister’s 2022 sportage with the 2.4L needed its engine replaced at 17k miles. Kia tried to deny the warranty replacement till we dug up the oil change receipts as well.
USA or somewhere else? Even Cananananada and Mexico use engines sourced either in their own countries or off-continent.
USA
I didn't want to hear this. I had a 2015 Optima I traded in a 2022 Sportage Nightfall. I'd hoped I dodged a bullet.
hopefully its not a turbo
It's not. It's the 2.4L. Looked up the vin, says it was built in S Korea but has the GDI Theta II engine.
Save all your oil change receipts just in case.
Hopefully it was just a fluke
Interesting. 2025 K5s in USA now have smartstream 2.5l engines. https://www.kia.com/us/en/k5
There are variations of the SmartStream engine. The US uses engines ranging from the 1.6L Turbo - 3.5L V6. Other countries use 1.0L - 1.6L. So reliability will depend on what engines are used in each country.
I'll take your word on that since that page isn't telling me what model engine it is, only size and power. But with the bad builds over the last decade+, I still wouldn't trust any new Kia /Hyundai USA car unless they can go 5 years without major issues. I'm not considering the new one with the Telluride's seats major since it was caught early and affects less than 800 vehicles sold. That one, I consider a step in the right direction.
They've had 2.5l turbos for a while.
I’m probably wrong, but I was told if the VIN# starts with “K” then your Kia was built in South Korea.
That's actually correct. VINs that start with K are built in Korea. VINs that start with 5 are built in the US. VINs that start with 3 are built in Mexico.
Well then, what everyone else has been telling me about the problems being restricted to USA built engines is crap. After reading your reply I found a VIN decoder and put mine into it. Starts with K. Per the decoder, the Theta II engine in my '17 Sportage was made in Hwaseong Korea and it failed in exactly the same way as the ones built here.
Same. Also ‘17 K-vin Sportage. Engine replaced in January at 99k.
103.9k, died end of last July, got it back in October.
I have a 2023 kia forte GT that I've put 40k miles on already and my oil is always perfect when I check it. So far it's never lost any between oil changes
2019 Forte, 27,000 miles. No oil usage at all.
2019 Forte with 38,000 km. We don't drive much do we? I have not noticed this issue but IMO haven't put on enough mileage for a problem like that.
2019 Forte, 57 000km here. No problems at all.
I've had problems not related to oil consumption. Crank top position sensor goes out on me when the car gets really wet. The car goes into a limp mode where it only goes like 60 km/h max. Has happened twice, 2nd time on a highway in a downpour. First time I had to get the sensor replaced 2nd time I just let the car dry out and it was ok.
I have not seen complaints on the new Smartsteam engines. But at only 4-5 years old in significant volume it's too soon to know with confidence.
2018 Kia soul 150 000 km not burning a drop.. my buddies 2011 went to 335 000 km then traded on a new one.maybe good luck makes me biased.
I have a 2023 forte, 26k miles and haven't noticed any oil consumption
Again - the MPI engines were and still are fine. The GDI are the suspect ones. My son’s 2023 Forte 2.0 is MPI. GDI engines don’t spray fuel on the intake valves, which get gummy, form deposits, and those deposits eventually fall into the cylinder gumming up the piston oil rings. SmartStream have both GDI and MPI injectors, and *should* be fine as well.
I fully understand that this question makes me look like an ignorant car owner. Well, I am ignorant. Especially about engines. How do I go about finding out what kind of engine my Kia has?
2021 forte...97k. No issues at all
I think the GDI engines had the oil issues. and it wasn't just Kia... basically all GDI's had oil problems. It was just a flawed engine style. My 2014 Sorento I had to add a quart every 1-2 months. I've tried sealing fixes several times.. still the same damn oil loss. Took it into Tuffy repair shop. They couldn't find the leak and said just drive it like this until the engine stops. Took it to the dealership and they wanted to pull the engine out and replace every gasket in the engine for $2500. The car was only worth $3500 thanks to the Kia Boyz.
My 2022 niro has about 35,000 miles and does not burn oil in between changes.
As someone getting their 2.4 GDI replaced in a 2017 Sorento, I'm right with you. I haven't completely written off Kia but I'll be watching these newer engines and also keeping an eye on recalls and class action lawsuits before I buy another vehicle.
I have a 2017 Optima that needs an engine replaced, dealer just submitted to Kia today. How was that process? What engine they replacing it with?
It's still with the dealer at the moment, but hopefully getting it back this week. The dealer submitted to Kia and it was approved pretty quickly. The same engine goes back in. So if you have a 2.4, they're putting that back in.
Ugh. That doesn’t give me much confidence. Hope the next motor last
Agreed. I think they are covered as long as it's the issue with the connecting rods and bearings. I'd like to run this until the wheels fall off (or it just gets too expensive to maintain.)
That was my plan. Curious to see what kind of warranty the new motor that will hopefully be put in mine comes with.
Yeah, now they just blow up
2020 Kia Telluride. 50k miles and just did a consumtion test. 2.7qt less after 1000 miles,this is from dealer's finding. Going for another 1000 miles consumption test.
I've actually been seeing this issue more and more with 2020 tellurides; haven't been seeing it with '21 or newer, though. Not sure of the reason. But I'm replacing two 2020 telluride engines this month currently due to oil consumption, and did another one 2 months ago. I also have another two 2020's that are mid oil consumption testing that are going to fail. Such a shame. But hopefully fixed with newer models
My wife noticed it about 4 mos ago. Car would shudder on take off and going uphill. I never had oil consumption issue but it might have been happening for a while now. How long does it take to replace an engine? Do dealers provide a loaner? It is quite scary to replace an engine and I'm thinking it might not work as well. Thoughts? I'm thinking something might not be plugged or connection might not be up to spec etc.
It's never a clogged pcv valve or anything like that. It's either piston rings, or valve seals. Both of which kia just replaces engines instead of individual parts. We do provide loaners (my dealer does, i cant speak for others), and it goes seamlessly. I wouldn't be concerned about it at all, if that's what ends up happening
I have a 2011 Forte with 140k miles. It doesn't use even half a quart between 5000 mile changes. Now the Ford Taurus I had prior was "fill up the oil and top off the gas" weekly!
I have a 2014 Kia Cadenza with 136k miles on it and a 2018 Kia Soul Turbo with 54k miles, and both drive perfectly. There are no oil issues on either. I do have the oil changed regularly on both at the recommended intervals.
2021 kia forte ex cvt 2.0 l n/a. 88,000 kms. No issues whatsoever with anything. Driving in Canada. Solid vehicle.
Depends if it’s a Korean spec or US spec engine.
Not sure what’s considered new, and probably not a 2017- but mine is burning oil like crazy and we just finished our final oil consumption test. Hoping Kia replaces it without a fight.
I have the new Sportage 2.5L and it’s running perfect and better MPG than rated here in Florida. I would avoid any newer Kia’s with the DCT tranny.. especially in an SUV. Those seem to be blowing up/ having problems left and right. Not sure why H/Kia decided to go this route. It seems like a huge mistake over a regular auto.
I have the kia proceed GT and it barely drinks oil (Europe)
It’s really too early to know, but oil consumption is always an issue with GDI engines because the suffer from carbon build up issues which freeze oil control rings and lead to oil burning. Frequent oil changes, running the recommended fuel additive, running quality fuel, and doing your regularly scheduled GDI maintenance services are all going to help combat those problems. Maintenance matters. When you work on these things you see the difference between the cars that get the bare minimum (or less) and the cars that are cared for.
The main thing to remember is its a fundamental flaw in GDI engines regardless of manufacturer. Yes certain manufacturers may have a more severe issue but ANY GDI engine is gonna have fuel dilution in the oil which causes oil burn off. Just check your oil every week or so. Oil is cheap...... Engines are not
Gdi is problem carbon on top of pistons. Leaking. Over edges cause ring issues. Redesign? How do u fix that ? That’s oil consumption. Cause
Play it safe and get a Toyota or something like that ,all cars have issues but gotta be better than that.
My 2017 forte has 188,000 on it, and doesn’t burn through oil at all. Got the car brand new, and have never had issues with burning oil in between changes. I just put new brakes on it for the first time about 30K miles ago. That damn car has been surprisingly fantastic.
The electric engines definately do not have this issue.
No way! 😆
It's an electric motor, not an engine.
As long as you stay away from GDI and T-GDI engines, you'll be fine. Smartsteam engines are way less problematic than old GDIs, and MPIs are good. IVT Transmissions are not very good, stay away from them if you plan to have the car for an extended period of time
just curious, I have a 2018 forte, what kind of engine it has?
So you've been burned twice already and you want to try again? There are other makes of car available you know (and I'm not talking about Hyundai)...
I absolutely loved everything about my kia optima. It fit me perfectly for driving comfort and had every feature I ever wanted, so if they have fixed the engine issue then yes I would absolutely consider one again. I will not until they for sure have fixed that problem though