Kia Motors America has issued a recall for 1.47 lakh units of the 2021 Seltos and Soul models to fix an engine flaw that could cause a fire. In total, 1,47,249 units of the 2020-2021 Soul and 2021 Seltos will be inspected under the recall campaign.
This 2021 Kia Soul recall and Seltos’ recall relates specifically to the units of the aforementioned models that were fitted with a 2.0-litre Nu MPI engine. Kia states the piston oil rings in the engines might have been improperly heat-treated which could make them too hard.
Thus, the ring’s outer periphery could chip, causing the cylinder liner to scuff, allowing oil to seep past it. Owners might witness excessive oil consumption and the issue might lead to abnormal noises emanating from the engine bay.
Worse still, this could lead to connecting rod bearing seizure, which might result in loss of power and stalling. The latter increases the risk of a crash and potentially the risk of a fire due to the possibility of oil leaking onto hot exhaust components.
It is said that only 1 percent of the vehicles involved in the recall have the defect, but Kia is not taking any chances. As part of the recall, Kia will inspect the engine of the affected vehicles and will replace affected parts, which, in layman terms means a new engine could be fitted in the affected cars.
What’s more Kia will also instal a piston-ring noise sensing system to alert drivers about the issue when the software becomes available. Owners will be notified to bring in their cars by 11th June 2021.
Source – NHTSA.gov