in no particular order i will use the just now previous generation of engines that were typicality from 2011 to 2016, there is hundreds of thousands of these types everywhere and they were all updated for the 2017 model year in one way or another, and most of those are too new to know what is going to happen just yet

first i will go over a common issue that is for all of the engines of this period that is typicality due to customer neglect and that is our oil control valves "ocv" for the Variable valve timing, they love to clog up over time if people are going 10-15k on the oil repeatedly over years and years, luckily they are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace

some of the variable valve runner systems on our engines will go out of wack or break, plastic water temperature control assemblies "thermostat housing for non kia people" that will crack, and GDI systems that need to have replacement procedures done perfectly or people might burn to death, but to continue.

first i will go over our most common complicated engine the 11-16 lambda v6 3.3-3.8 MPI/GDI
note 1: a uncommon issue but noteworthy on some of these is dependent on build date and plant manufacture 2011-13 MPI v6 sorentos, some of the VVT actuators were causing issues with ridiculous start up chatter due to a dry'ish vvt system
note 2: the most common issue on these engines is to have a oil pressure switch "or oil sending unit as non kia people call it" failure, it will function perfectly fine, but the internal seal will fail causing the engine valley to fill up and leak onto the transmission causing one hell of a mess, its a inexpensive part but takes a few hours a labor to get to, typically happens around the 60-90k mark

11-16 gamma I4 1.6L
note 1: purge control solenoid valve failure, the dang things are just for emissions but they are quite common to go bad on any car with a gamma in it, dirt cheap and anyone can replace one
note 2: uncommon but bad cats, perhaps not necessarily the engines direct fault but were ever the kia souls got their cats from some of them will plug, melt or just straight up die, quite a few toyotas from the same era have this same issue and now we both have coming recalls on them so there is that

11-16 Nu I4 1.8L-2L
note 1: truly unforgiving of low oil, this engine only holds 4 US quarts of oil, if you only have 2 in it can hop time, notably on the exhaust cam
note 2: rare, but just enough to note, random timing chain tensioner failure, strangely most of the ones we have seen this happen to have not caused engine destruction despite being a interference engine, it will typically jump time on both cams and throw correlation codes up like mad, this seems to happen on cars that are near or over 100k so we typicality get a new tensioner and reset the timing and all is good again, but then some just simply destroyed

The American built 11-16 Theta GDI 2.4L or 2L turbo engine
it only has one issue really, everything else about it is fine, just one flaw ... just ... one, Hyundai plant in Alabama fucked up building nearly 2 million of them from 11 to 16, The MPI version that is typically the standard engine across the world that is still build and used to this day is great, same thing goes for the Mitsubishi and Chrysler version of the engine, but the GDI version that Hyundai developed after the fall of the Global Engine Alliance was the only version available in the states due to emission and gas mileage regulations on many models

some part of the GDI version has compromised the oiling system, notably taking out rod bearing like crazy, whether it is to much intake valve build up and fuel pressure causing oil dilution due to rich conditions from the GDI or simply bearing clearances being to tight i dont know, but NONE of our other GDI engines have this issue, just this one engine that came out of that god forsaken plant in Alabama, it is not good for us, costing the Group as a whole tens of millions of dollars but luckily its days are now numbered so i will be glad when i will never have to see these dang things ever again

they are investing 388 million in tooling for a new engine
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/05/30/hyundai-388-million-expansion-engine-plant/

in somewhat related news to the above subaru just wrapped up a class action for a similar issue on their flat engines rod bearings from 2012-2017 but with no recall issued, maybe our bearing sources were the same, dont know and almost impossible to figure out since i am not in the know

but there you go that is our most common engine issues, and really ... thats just all we see ... they just work

i will also be paste'ing this to my OP in my main Kia thread

Thanks for the info, LP. Anything to watch for on the V6 used in the 2015 Genesis sedan?

none that i can really think of mechanically, save for maybe someday the oil pressure switch might go out

they are kinda rare around here so it might be more helpful to just look online

@SideCarGT

I have a 2014 Kia Rio that is my commuter car it has 60k miles on it getting ready to do a brake job on it myself any other things I should look at?

id change the trans fluid and do a brake fluid flush too.

Thanks, LP

Thanks LP

anytime

What's the deal with the "de carbonization" service at 30k? Dealer wanted me to spend 200ish on it.

intake valve cleaning most likely with a walnut sprayer

@Bye_Felicia

also your screen name is epic

Any bad news about the Theta engines built before 2011?

I've got 145000 on mine, a 2010.

Worth it?

Yes, yes it a great screen name. Picked it out myself.

nope, the older looser clearance MPI theta 2s are fine

@eosshooter

for 200 bucks i say yes on a GDI engine as long as its a true walnut blasting and not some spray can chemical

@Bye_Felicia

Sweet.

Thanks LP!

LP, I have a 12 genny sedan 3.8.  80k trouble free miles.  Do you know how exactly the trans fluid change is done on the 8 speed sealed transmissions? I'd like to do mine soon but have heard horror stories.

Would it better to have a shop or dealer do it?  What's a ball park cost?   Thanks for any help.

definitely the dealer on one of those, some of them take somewhat uncommon fluid too so it can be pricey

@Default-Gateway

Moral of the story, but a Toyota 4 Runner.

Thanks, that's what u figured and am fine with it.  IIRC in the maintence manual they refer to it as lifetime fluid so I wonder if they will give me crap about not wanting to do it.

at least we dont have shaped charges in our steering wheel, plus their engine have their own issues too.

possibly they might hassle you, no fluid last forever, not even "lifetime" stuff

Yeah that's my thought as well.  Thanks for the help.

Has the Alabama plant made any good engines?

We opened a mfg facility in Georgia in the 90's (part of management's FU to the unions for striking) and we had a very tough time getting qualified people to build stuff. Upper management didn't care thay the plant made junk, they despised the unions (and salaried employees too, looking back in retrospect) and also the customers. Total d-bags that raped the company and decades of goodwill built up by prior owners. Little competition so no incentive to make good stuff. Auto is different of course...

Oil does so many things: lubricate, cool, carry off wear products and contaminants to filters, etc. It's nuts asking it to go 15K miles. Sure, the oil may technically be in spec, but it has other stuff in it by then. A good full synthetic (like Mobil1 EP) changed every 5K miles and your engine will adore you (no matter what marketing says). Especially so with turbo'ed engines.

My '99 Accent is 1.5 liters of kimchi fueled fury!

Nearly 200k miles but I've started hearing some valve ticking noise on cold start.

I should probably adjust the valves, right?

sure, they make a shit ton o Nu's there

whats this about georgia? your not talking about the west point plant are you?

@Merrell

i would say so

No, not a Kia plant at all. Just recalling my experience with one southern mfg plant back in the 90's. Was tough, as we had a pretty miltant union and hardball management at each others throats. Tried to move production south and other problems arose. Really toxic environment.

Alabama has several auto plants now. Mercedes, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, and to be built joint Toyota/Mazda plant.

Montgomery probably wasn't the best choice for a location to build, but with all the other auto plants around there should be qualified people in the state.

What are some of the AL plant issues overall?

what are the issues? good question, manufacturing and measuring equipment? i just dont know, nor anyone outside of the know will tell

one reason was to get away form the unions yes, but the land deal was really good

Is that American-built one actually machined here and assembled from top to bottom?

believe so yes

Not everyone speaks KIA/Hyundai engine codes. You should use common engine terms like 11-16 3.8 V6 instead of lambda V6. I had to Google that to figure out WTF you're referring to.

Some car company got offered crazy money to build their plant in MS. The local job pool just wasn't qualified, and think they built in Georgia.

We had some suppliers in TN and there work was plenty good.

ETA: looks like Toyota is buildinga plant north of Tupelo, cloee to TN. I can't recall which company turned down the MS offer

its only greek

but yes i will clarify some

Toyota built a plant in Tupelo, MS.

A joint Toyota/Mazda plant is being built just outside Huntsville, AL.

MS also has a Nissan plant in Canton, MS.

How about the hybrid in the Niro?  I have an '18 Touring.

They got me for some belt at the last service.  I think it was the 30K.

Wanted to do a brake flush.  I told them I do them at 2 years on all vehicles.  I drive 90% interstate commuting, 160 miles a day round trip.

I drive a 14 Santa Fe Sport and my wife has a 16 Sorrento GDI...So I should just be waiting for bad shit to happen??

lol

for $200, it will not be a walnut spray

Is the 2.0 turbo in the 2019 Sportage SX one of the bad ones made in Alabama?
Could of swore the window sticker said 100% Korea on the one I looked at.

Thanks for the information!  I had the Hyundai recall ECM reflash and knock sensor software update done on my '14 Tucson Walking Dead Edition 12 days ago.  Found out there was a second recall I didn't know about; the exhaust system.  Got a new exhaust installed last Thursday.  The exhaust system looked perfect when it was removed, but now it's brand new and made of stainless steel.  

Were you gay before, or did Kia cause it?

I've a Korean built 2010 Optima LX, 2.4L, manual transmission, about 97K miles on it.

Anything I need to watch out for?

Thanks LP!

Both the Kappa 3 cylinder and 4 cylinder engine has been made for quite a while now, it is only until just now did we get them in the United States, they've had a good history of just working so there is probably nothing really to worry about

@BMWBIKR

We've seen some fail at 30,000 miles and we have seen some go over 200k and are still going, whatever will happen it will be covered

@CivilianArsenal15

Should be alright, even some of the Korean Source ones have had some issues though but not in nearly great as a number

@nsl

And go buy something already nsl!

Any common Stinger issues?

A manual optima? That's rare

Should be fine, 2010 and before has the older style Theta engine

@BrokenMosin:[/b]

The first year models have thin paint, that's about it really, a few issues at launch of the first year but they have all been resolved by tsb's and service actions already so all is fine now

@jefflebowski